Lessons for Single Dads in Karan’s touching letter to twins

By Pearl Nimbalkar

on December 19, 2017

‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch’, Shah Rukh Khan’s show brings together inspirational speakers from the different realms of entertainment, sports, science, literature and more. The show gets one of its best speakers in Karan Johar, whose subject was ‘Changing Relationships’. The gifted director and writer naturally not only speaks tellingly on the topic, he also reads out a special letter penned to his twins, Yash and Roohi.

In the letter, he reveals that his own father, Yash Johar had given him the freedom to choose what he wanted to be, even as he hopes he is able to be equally supportive of his children.
“As you grow up, people will try to label you according to colour, looks, religion, popularity, and money,” his letter reads. “People will gossip about you, but know that no one can label you. Just because you are different, it doesn’t make you wrong. You may be treated differently in school; mothers of your classmates will come to drop them, but you will have your father to take care of that. While most of your classmates' mothers will make a WhatsApp group to discuss your homework, I will be the only father in it.”

While he might be the only father in it, he will also beat all the mommies when it comes to organisation, creativity and enthusiasm – and yep, style quotient too!
In his very first interview after their birth, Karan had admitted, “A single father is unusual in India. There are some famous single fathers in the world…But I wasn’t inspired by them. You can’t be inspired by anybody to have a baby out of surrogacy. You have to be emotionally ready. I was also prepared mentally, physically and logistically.”

He had demanded, “But who’s to tell me that I can’t be a responsible parent, and the best mother and father in the world to my kid? This was an emotional, well-thought-out decision made after acknowledging and addressing all the issues facing me, and after considering all the responsibilities and duties that come with being a single parent. I was ready for fatherhood. But was I prepared for twins? I was ready for triplets!”

We’d say quintuplets, at the very least!