Father’s Sacrifice Empowers Daughter’s Dreams

In a small town in Bihar, Prachi Thakur’s father defied tradition by prioritizing his daughter’s education over a dowry. While many girls in her community were married off after completing their 10th grade, Prachi’s father chose a different path. He invested the money that would have gone into her dowry into her education, despite the financial challenges they faced living in a makeshift house. He even repaired gas stoves to make ends meet, but education remained a non-negotiable priority.

Prachi’s family supported her dreams, but they had to contend with disapproving relatives who believed that her father was wasting money on her education. These relatives also pressured her to conform to traditional gender roles, but her father served as her unwavering shield against their taunts and expectations.

Prachi Thakur, however, initially struggled to appreciate her father’s sacrifices. She worried that her friends would bully her if they discovered her father ran a modest betel leaf stall. She questioned why her father couldn’t be like the other parents who worked in offices and wore ironed shirts. His consistent response was, “Money isn’t everything in life.”

Over time, Prachi Thakur came to understand the profound truth in her father’s words. Her father’s unwavering belief in her dreams and his unwavering support were her greatest assets. Thanks to him, Prachi is now a PhD graduate from IIT Roorkee, a diversity strategist at World Women Tourism, and a TEDx speaker. Her father not only encouraged her to participate in events and host them but also taught her the tricks to be confident on stage while other girls were discouraged from raising their voices.

Prachi attributes her success to her father, who turned life’s lemons into the best lemon tea. She acknowledges the crucial role of a strong family in nurturing and protecting a child’s dreams, saluting fathers like hers who shield their daughters from the constraints of customs and traditions, allowing their aspirations to soar.

Re-reported from the article originally published in The better India