This year, Father’s Day was soon  followed by International Yoga Day, just like last year. It may  alternate next year. Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of  June, while International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21st. The  former is American, and latter is Indian in origin. But there is a  connection. There has to be, with so many Indians in the Americas making  America great again, rather than their own country!

Like Yoga, Fatherhood is all about  bending backwards and forwards to meet expectations of the spouse and  their children, stretching the sinews, the wallet, the mind and  breathing Family, day in and day out! The asanas of Fatherhood are a  powerful tool for the holistic wellbeing of the family, but must be  performed consistently and with mindfulness, lest there be a pulled  muscle or a rupture in the family, rather than rapture!

Not easy at all; it does come with  practice and sacrifice, which most fathers get used to – with a little  help from their children’s mothers, and sometimes the children  themselves; but not their own mothers though – who would inevitably  suggest – if ’tis difficult let it rest!  Some find it difficult to  sustain the early interest, and make new resolutions every year, and  sometimes give up, occasionally waking up to reality of their situation.

So Sukhasana is best to reduce anxiety  and stress and mental tiredness – allows you to shut out all the stress  of fatherhood from your mind and think of more pleasant stuff – Is there  anything more pleasant is the question…  A tip: Sit with the legs  tucked inside the opposite thighs and the spine should be vertically  straight. The hands should be placed on the knees and breathe in and out  gently – do it forever!  Nobody will trouble you. And you can’t trouble  no one! Keep breathing in and out till you stop!

But Fatherhood is like Robinhood,  without the robbery.  Just Jobbery! Being good, while seemingly bad!  Friends are around but forgotten, while the aim is clear, protect the  young from the young and the old, till they are able to protect you.   Truly, Fatherhood is the real Agneepath! but unlike the current  offering to the youth, it’s a lifelong journey, sometimes regimented,  sometimes not, that gives you both pleasure and pain, often in unequal  measures, puts you on the frontlines, and at other times in the  logistics department! At the end of it there may not be any pension, but  there is some recognition and reward, is what one hopes for when one is  recruited into the scheme, though it is not mentioned in the brochure!

Its then that it will be time to stop  the Asanas and pass on that skill to the son if he is not already making  up his own or is ready for the lesson! Lots of ifs and buts, and one  more – it’s worth getting recruited under the scheme, primarily because  it has no comparison to the scheme just announced by the Government to  create Agniveers. You will be an Agniveer right at the start, if you can  refuse the offer of Fatherhood! but you can’t – it is the way the  universe operates. Expectations are high, and time runs out fast!

But first you have to get recruited and  manage the tenure without training; that’s the difficulty. You will have  to generate your own compensation package or share that burden with  your best friend in this scheme of things. There is no chance to  protest, no reason to maybe, or no desire to, forget about violently,  only to acquiesce with a little trepidation about the forthcoming  deprivation!

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