Best Letters we received for #WriteaLetterToYourDad Contest

askIITians had recently launched a ‘Write a Letter to Dad’ contest as a forum for medical and exam aspirants to share their most intimate thoughts, ideas, pains and stress points with their parents. We received thousands of letters from teenaged students across India that had content that every parent must read.

Some of the students wondered why they needed to write the letter when they can just ‘skype’ their parents or ‘email’ them. Here is the answer for it:

It is not easy to come up with the right words to express your thoughts on your career or your course of study in front of your parents. Often, their expectations and students’ limitations or dreams find at cross-roads with each other. Emotions run high and all the discussions related to entrance exams and future careers end with either tears or silence.

Through this contest, we hoped that students would actually sit down to dig deeper into their minds, be able to come up with useful insights about the special relationship with their father, and express it in the right words too.

Here are some of the most touching and thought-provoking letters we received:

1.  Shweta Singh who lost her father as a kid wrote:

Dear Dad,

I have never seen you but today while surfing, I saw a contest running by Askiitians. It was about writing a letter to your Dad. I don’t know whether they are going to send it to you or not or how they are going to do it but who knows? When I was a kid, Mom said that you became a God after death. Since God is everywhere, perhaps you can read this letter too.

So Daddy, I am preparing for my medical entrance exam. Mom wanted me to be a Doctor and I have decided to be one! My teachers say that I am doing well bit I am a little bit weak in Physics. So, Mom has arranged Rahul Sir to teach it to me. Rahul Sir is a brilliant guy preparing for Civil Services.

Mom is good she rarely talks about you. She misses you a lot sometimes, especially when uncle fights with her. Dad, I want to ask you one thing. Is uncle your real brother? Sometimes, I doubt it.

On your 25th Marriage Anniversary, I arranged a little party. Dad, you know, I wore your Army jacket at the party. My friends loved it. Mom said, “You look just like your Dad!”. It was the best compliment ever.

Dad, I read your diary too. You could be a writer! But I am glad you joined the Army and had the prestigious chance to be a Martyr. You were so lucky, Dad! J I am proud of you Dad. India is still fighting Pakistan. Thousands of soldiers are dying on the borders. After MBBS, I want to join Army – like you, Dad.

You Made Me Proud, I will make you proud. 🙂 I love you Dad. Don’t worry, I will certainly clear AIPMT.

Your Little Angel
Shweta Singh

2.  Maria Sheikh sees God in her Dad:

Dear Abbu,

 

Asalam walekum! I hope you are doing well. I got a chance to write this letter to you. How could I miss this opportunity? It will probably get published too.

I just wanted to say you are the Best Father in the World. You have sacrificed too many things for my dream, and I promise that I will not let you down. J  

One day, one of my friends asked me, “Have you ever seen your Allah?” I said, “Yes. I am living with him since the day I was born. My Allah is my Dad and Mom.” J

Love you Dad,

Khuda Hafiz!

3.   Kishan Tudu thinks his dad was right when he made him take up engineering instead of becoming an artist. He writes:

पिताजी प्रणाम ,
मैं यहाँ अच्छा हूँ आशा करता हूँ की आप भी अच्छे से होंगे, पिताजी मैं हमेशा से कहता था की मुझे कला में शौक है, आप चाहते थे की इंजीनियरिंग करूँ मैंने किया लेकिन अब लगता है की मुझे यही बनना था, और आपका वो फैसला सही था, उस वक़्त लगता था की आप अपना निर्णय मुझपे थोप रहे हैं, लेकिन अब मुझे ख़ुशी है की आपने ऐसा किया,

ज़िन्दगी में कितनी भी उपलब्धियां मिलें लेकिन कोई भी उपलब्धि इस बाद से बड़ी नहीं हो सकती है की मैं आपका पुत्र हूँ
आपका आज्ञाकारी

4.  Ansu, who has lost her Dad recently, writes:

Dear Dad,

As you watch down on us today, I wanted to take the time to tell you a few things I didn’t have the chance to tell you as well as a few things I didn’t say enough. I wanted to thank you for always putting me first in your life. Thank you for accepting me for who I am, loving me no matter what mistakes I’ve made and for being proud of the person I’ve become. Thank you for always trying to teach me a lesson to make me a better person no matter how angry it made me.

Thank you for teaching me to want to be a strong and independent woman. Thank you for being such a sturdy foundation for me to grow upon. You taught me obedience while still teaching me how to laugh. You taught me to work hard to enjoy the finer things in life while still showing me how to stay grounded. Life lessons that have made me the person I am today…no words can explain how grateful I am to have you as my father.

With your death, you’ve left me broken-hearted and I will think about you and miss you every second of every day. I’m not sad that you aren’t here to see me get married or have children because I know you will be watching over me. What makes me sad is that I won’t be able to see your smile, give you a hug or listen to your laugh. Pinch your cheeks, fix the back of your hair or look into your eyes.

I mourn your death but I celebrate your life. I will celebrate all the moments and memories I was lucky enough to share with you. I will continue to work hard to provide for myself and my family. I will remember everything you taught me and I will strive to continue to make you proud.

You have and will always hold a special place in my heart that can never be replaced. They say that it’s not the time you have with a person but what you did with that time…and I have no regrets with our time together.

I hope that you are in a happier place because no one deserves a break like you.

 

Salame mano beh Baba G, Maman Juni, Maman Fakhri ba Soheil beresoon chon medoonam keh oonja’am daari az oonah movazebat meekoni.
Pedareh man, ba tamaameh voojoodam asheghetam. Ta dobareh bebeenamet, har rooz tooye ghalbam hastee.

I love you very much

5.  Sana has lost her Dad a year ago too. She writes:

Dear Dad,

It’s been more than a year, dad. 402 days to be exact. I thought that as time goes by I’ll miss you less, however, it seems like time is the best stimulator of missing, eagerness and yearning. I only wish I could spend one more Eid with you, do takbeer with you, and you’d kiss me on the forehead, saying playfully: “You’re never getting married, you belong to me, and you’ll forever stay with me.”

Eids are the most remarkable times for us together, and that’s why it’s the most painful. I know you want me to be happy, but I can’t help not thinking of you in every move I do, that was supposed to be shared with you. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to hug you again, dad, nor am I certain that you’ll be with me anytime soon.

But one thing I know for sure is that Allah is cursing all those who’re keeping you away from us, and all those who’re causing this severe pain of my mother.

Yours forever-loving daughter

6.  Ashi Jain wants her Dad to know that it hurts to be called ‘useless’:

Dear Dad,

I’m so sorry I can only be a failure in your eyes. And there you have it, I said it. I’m sorry how you’ve driven me to tears time and time again.

And I’m sorry how you think I would never amount to anything. I’m sorry I’m so useless. I’m sorry I couldn’t do better. I’m sorry for everything.

Regards,
Your daughter

7.  Anoushka Sinha is nursing a similar wound made by her Dad’s words:

Dad,
I thought I was done feeling this way.  I thought I didn’t care anymore that your words didn’t hurt. I thought I had buried all that but the things you bury always come back to the surface. I thought I could live normally. But it’s not normal living in the same house and pretending that you don’t exist. I don’t like feeling like a ghost when you pass by. I was once your baby and it hurts.

 It hurts not being able to call you dad anymore.  I see you and I feel like I love you and hate you all at once. It makes me so sad to think that I have to look at pictures just to remember that once you were a great dad. ‘Coz you were a great dad but now you’re just the man that hurt me that said hurtful words.

You’re the man that made me scared to fly and love.I always thought that if my heart had been broken it would be by some stupid school boy. Instead I’m up and heartbroken because of you. You were the person who was supposed to protect me, but instead you hurt me by making me feel like the worthless thing in this world. You never hit me. You never did anything physically bad but you used words and now they are engraved in my head making me think did you ever love me?

 It hurts every Father’s Day more. Every day when I see a girl with her daddy, I still wish that was me. Seeing that girls get married and get walked down the aisle by the man they loved first, I feel so jealous. I don’t hate those girls. At least they have what I don’t. But it hurts so much.

I can’t do it anymore. I need to pick up all the broken pieces and go. I will run.  And maybe then you’ll miss me.

Your Daughter (who was once your baby girl)

8.  Pranav promises to make his father proud:

You sir will never know how much you mean to me. Irrespective of what you have been, you always backed me. You have made every sacrifice so that I can keep going on. One day I will repay for everything. One day I will make you proud of me, proud of the man you raised, proud to call me your son.

If I can be 1/100th the man you are, I know I will succeed in anything and everything that I do. Thank you for everything dad, your advice all of these years have saved me a lot of trouble and have kept me believing in myself, doing the right thing, being just and being a real man.

I can tell that over the past few years I have become more of a man only because you are letting me become more than just your son. Now, we talk more honestly and freely than ever. Now, more than ever I need your help.

The advice you have already given is showing me the right way. I am starting to do the right thing, I am starting to grow up, I am starting a new direction.

There were a few letters in which students wanted to talk to their Dads about their abusive behaviour. There were hundreds of letters in which students had expressed gratitude to their fathers for being so loving and caring. Many other promised their Dads to do well in entrance exams – and their lives in general.

We are proud of all of you. You all did an amazing job. Well done!