A mother, they say, is born when she conceives her baby in the womb. A father is born when he holds his little one for the first time in his arms. It’s a joy that neither can hide. However, Karan Johar waited for an entire month before announcing to the world that he has graduated from being a father figure to a real father. Blame it on the pressures of being a celebrity.
Thanks to the progress in medical science and the concept of surrogacy, the filmmaker, who had expressed a desire to adopt a few years ago, is now daddy to little Roohi and Yash Johar. On the occasion, MissKyra spoke to Tusshar, the first single daddy of Bollywood on what it means to be the sole parent and how it changes your life. Excerpts:
You woke up to the news of Karan becoming a father…(Cuts in) Isn’t that great news? It put a huge smile on my face. I’m very happy for him. I know what he must be feeling right now. Doubly so. It’s a different kind of happiness. It fills you with confidence. Being a single parent teaches you time management and in a matter of minutes, you become so selfless because your energies are suddenly not for you, they’re for your child. Karan’s babies are about a month old. It’s the most overwhelming feeling to have your children around you.
How different is it to become a dad via surrogacy? Usually, as a couple, the woman experiences changes in her body and the man sees her belly grow gradually over nine months. That prepares him, in some way, for the life-changing experience that he’s about to have. But in cases like Karan’s and mine, we didn’t really go through that. I can speak for myself. One day, when Lakkshya came home, my life changed. The doctors sent me his pictures a few minutes after he was born. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I couldn’t believe that it was my child. A part of my heart was also scared because babies look swollen when they’re born. And I didn’t know that. When he was brought home, I saw the swelling had subsided a bit and that was a relief.