22/08/2026
Since I was a little girl, I looked up to you. You were my first, biggest, and forever inspiration.
I was an average student as a child, so I used to think, maybe I’ll make Papa proud through everything else I do. I waited for 11th, determined to prove that I could do well in studies too. And I did. I made it to the toppers’ list, and suddenly you saw another possibility in me. You gave me bigger dreams, and I kept working towards them.
So much of who I am today started with your belief in me.
Whenever I stood on a stage, you looked at me with so much pride and said, “My daughter is so confident. She isn’t scared of standing in front of a crowd.” I held onto those words. I never left the stage after that. Your belief made me fearless.
And I will always be your fearless, strong daughter.
When we were children and people in the village told you to save money for your daughters’ dowry instead of spending on our education, you would say, “My daughters will earn. They will take care of their own lives and their own marriages.”
You were ahead of your time. You gave your daughters wings when the world was asking you to limit them.
Today, losing you feels impossible to put into words. But for the rest of my life, whenever I achieve something, whenever I stand on a stage, whenever I do something brave, I know I will look up and think, Papa must be so happy today.
I wish every daughter could have a father who believes in her the way you believed in me.
I love you, Papa. Always.
I will miss you every single day.
And your daughter will keep making you proud.
