Melvin Durai
A sign above a medical shop in Ludhiana, Punjab, has received a lot of attention through social media and various news outlets.”Gupta & Daughters,” the sign says.
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The owner of the charitable pharmacy, Manoj Kumar Gupta, 54, has garnered more publicity for this simple sign than if he had erected a sign that says, “Free pills for COVID-19!”
In our patriarchal society, it’s extremely rare for businesses to be named in honour of daughters. We are used to seeing signs that promote men and their male relatives, such as “Gupta Brothers,” “Gupta & Sons,” and “GuptaBrothers, Sons & Nephews.”
As it turns out, Manoj Gupta had already named his construction company “Gupta & Sons” to honor his son, Roshan, and wanted to honor his daughter, Akansha, a law student.
“It’s a symbol of gender equality,” he told Times of India, adding that he had been inspired by the government’s “BetiBachao, BetiPadhao” campaign and the values that his parents had instilled in him.
“I am thankful to God and my parents for giving me these values, including respect for women,” he said. “I am also thankful to my wife Rama, who is the boss at home.”
As the father of two daughters, I applaud Gupta’s decision to honor his daughter on the sign. Daughters can often bring fathers more joy than sons do, while sons can often bring fathers more trouble than daughters do.
Girls are just as capable as boys of great achievements, as long as they’re given an opportunity. I was reminded of this when I heard the story of JyotiKumari, the 15-year-old girl who recently rode a bicycle from the outskirts of New Delhi to a village in Bihar, carrying her injured father behind her.
She completed the 1,200-km journey in 10 days, most of it through her own pedal power.During the long trip, many people teased them, finding it odd that a girl was pedaling while her father, Mohan Paswan, was sitting behind her. Those people did not know that Paswan, an e-rickshaw driver who had lost his job during the lockdown, was recovering from injuries suffered in a recent traffic accident. They also did not know that Jyoti might be a future Olympic cyclist and capable of out-pedaling all of them.
Indeed, after Jyoti’s feat was highlighted in the media, she received a call from the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) inviting her to a trial in Delhi and offering to pay her travel expenses.
“She must be having the strength and physical endurance. We want to test it,” CFI chairman Onkar Singh said.
The Cycling Federation may need to create a special event for Jyoti to compete in. Instead of the 10-km race for under-16 girls, they need to have a 100-km Carry-Your-Dad race. Jyoti would undoubtedly win it. She can ride farther than other girls, and she can ride even farther with her father.
Jyoti probably deserves a medal already. LJP leader Chirag Paswan apparently agrees with me and has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind asking him to honour Jyoti with a national award on Republic Day 2021. Paswan has also offered to sponsor Jyoti’s education.
Jyoti may eventually take advantage of the Cycling Federation’s offer, but for now, she’s focusing on her studies, having enrolled in class nine at the Pindaruch High School.
“We will surely send her for the trials after the lockdown is lifted,” her father told PTI. “At the moment, we want her to complete her matriculation.” That’s a wise decision. Education can probably take Jyoti farther than a cycle can.
I hope her father always remembers her dedication to him. If hestarts driving an electric rickshaw again, perhaps he can put a sign at the back: “Paswan &Amazing Daughter.”
