Actress and former Miss India Gul Panag, 39, who married her long-time pilot beau Rishi Attari in 2011 became a mother six months ago. The no-nonsense actress who is known for doing things in an unconventional way managed to keep the birth of her baby as well as her pregnancy a secret from the media. Now ready to break the happy news to the world, the actress who earned her pilot’s license a couple of years back spoke to a leading daily about the joys and struggles of motherhood.

Gul said that she and her husband have always been fiercely protective about their privacy. In her interview with the leading daily, she said, “Becoming parents is a special experience and we decided that we’d like to go through it without the distraction of public attention. Family and close friends knew about Nihal but we refrained from posting anything on the social media. He is almost six months old and it has been a roller coaster ride! I’m charmed by his gurgles and giggles even if it is a bit of a struggle with erratic sleep and feeding schedules. Life and goals are taking shape parallelly, with a little more coordination between Rishi and me to include Nihal.”

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When asked about how they zeroed down on their son’s name, Gul said, “We had a list of names from everyone and everywhere. Nihal means joy, success, and victory that comes with the blessings of God. Rishi and I believe that leading principled, good lives leads to true and lasting success so the name resonated with us.”

Gul, who has always been a good role model for young girls and women was asked about her advice to women in their 30s who are preparing for motherhood, she said, “I think having a baby is a very significant step in life, and like marriage, you should think it through carefully before committing to it. Have children when you are ready to welcome them and can raise them happily and responsibly, not when society says you must."