Father’s Day Special | Vivek Dahiya writes a special letter to his twins

TO my sons,To my sons: If you ever so marvel what thaumaturgy feels the like, it’s benignity in action. I hope every step you take leaves a little warmth behind and whenever you need to recharge, just remember my love is always a soft place to land. Because, “Ek dusre se karte hai pyar hum. Ek dusre ke liye bekarar hum”Your dad As he celebrates his first Father’s Day today, actor Vivek Dahiya is still coming to terms with a life-changing reality: becoming a father to twin boys who they are currently calling 'Karan and Arjun' with wife Divyanka Tripathi. Just two weeks into parenthood, he admits the experience is still unfolding. “It has sunk in partially because the twins are only two weeks old. It’s too soon to say that I have fully experienced fatherhood, but I’m looking forward to this exploration,” he tells us.Interestingly, the moment he first held his sons wasn’t the overwhelming emotional rush many might expect. “I was there with Divyanka in the OT and I saw everything. Even though I had the babies in my arms, my mind was still there. When they were lying in their cots, these tiny beings who had just been introduced to the world, it took me a good four, five, six hours to realise that they were actually a part of me and Divyanka. But when I heard them cry for the first time, I immediately woke up and ran towards them. That’s when I realised this is how life is going to be now. I’ve never felt this protective before.”Fatherhood, he says, has already changed his priorities. “My perspectives have changed. Now I feel this is it—this is my family. I just want to protect my family and nothing else really matters.” The actor has even put work on hold. “I’ve taken a sabbatical. A couple of projects came my way and I told them that right now I need to be with the babies and with their mother. Give me some time.”The adjustment has surprised him in unexpected ways. Known for his disciplined fitness routine, Dahiya says he now has to force himself out of the house for workouts. More importantly, he has discovered a side of himself he never knew existed. "I’ve always called myself impatient and restless, but after the babies, that’s changing. I’m becoming very patient. I’m glued to them,” he says with a laugh. The hands-on father has already mastered diaper duty and swaddling. “I changed a diaper on the third day and I can swaddle them very nicely. They’ve peed on me several times already, but I don’t mind it at all. It’s so much fun.”Among the most touching discoveries of the past fortnight has been finding traces of his own father in the way he interacts with his sons. Dahiya, who lost his father years ago, recently found himself instinctively speaking to the babies in a familiar tone. “My mother started laughing one day and said, ‘This is exactly how your father used to talk to you.’ I was shocked. I haven’t heard that baby talk in decades. Somehow it was ingrained in my memory and it just came out naturally.” As for lullabies, he has his own style. “Earlier, love songs were for Divyanka. Now the same songs are for the babies.”Watching Divyanka embrace motherhood has also deepened his admiration for her. The couple, he says, prepared extensively for parenthood and educated themselves about postpartum challenges. “Not once in these two weeks have I heard her complain. Every two hours she wakes up for the babies and she has been incredibly strong.” The experience has also reinforced his belief that paternity leave deserves greater acceptance in India. Calling it “imperative”, Dahiya says fathers have a role that cannot be replaced by nannies, relatives or support staff. “A husband’s role cannot be substituted by anyone in the world. The emotional support that a mother needs can only come from the father. If having a child was a joint decision, then both partners should be equally committed to that phase.”As for Father’s Day itself, Dahiya isn’t quite ready to take credit. “It feels weird celebrating my own Father’s Day. Once the babies grow up and if I’ve done enough for them and they’re happy to celebrate me, I’ll leave it to them,” he ends.