Dads plagued by guilt pangs

While new age dads believe in spending quality time with their kiddos, not every papa is fortunate enough to have that luxury of time. It's not that these fathers love their children any less but have a hectic round-the-clock schedule, which includes a great deal of travelling too. Often, they undergo major guilt pangs, thanks to modern day pressures of living up to social expectations.

In fact Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan laments the fact that he hardly got to spend time with son, Abhishek Bachchan and daughter Shweta Nanda during their growing up years. He had once said, "When I would return home from shooting, they would be fast asleep and when I left for work, the next morning, thy would still be asleep." But his kids have turned out fine.

Noted artist Shishir Sahana confesses to feeling terribly guilty about not spending enough time with his nine-year-old daughter, Sheela. He says, "Due to the erratic nature of my work, I'm not able to dedicate as much time for my daughter. In fact, Sheela gets upset and complains that I don't spend enough time with her. But I do try to make it up to her, by spending time with her at night and during the weekends when I give her my undivided attention. I use this opportunity to find out how things are going at school and with her friends. There is no pressure in being a new age father because one has to learn to make time for one's children."

Sometimes even if the intention is right, circumstances are such that a parent finds it difficult to spend time with his child. Classical musician, Pandit Jasraj, father of artiste Durga Jasraj and music director Sharang Dev, regrets the fact that he couldn't devote enough time to be able to hone his children's talent. Nevertheless the practical father is immensely proud of their achievements. He agrees that given his hectic career, the children spent more time with their mother.

"I was travelling extensively for my performances. When an individual is trying to establish himself as a professional, one's family life does suffer a bit. But my kids were wonderful and we managed to spend quality time together. Only once, when my son was very ill, he gently requested me to stay back and I promptly did. But, what I'm really happy about is that my children are doing well for themselves today."

Television actor Akshay Anand, who plays Nahar's brother Brajesh in Saath Phere has two kids, an eight-year-old son and a one-and-a-half year old daughter. Currently he works for close to 12 hours per day and admits that time constraints are a major issue. He says, "My daughter is too small to miss me but my son does. I have made it a point to take him out on Fridays or Saturdays. I take him on a drive, treat him to an ice cream, burger or whatever he wants. We play video games. I do feel guilty at times for not giving enough time to my kids. But my wife, who is a homemaker makes up for my absence."

The good news is that even though dads are busy, they can't be labelled 'absentee parents' because they are going out of their way to make sure that they get to spend quality time with their child and are there when they are needed.