Today, June 18, is a day when we celebrate (or at least are supposed to celebrate) a certain very important person in our lives. Any guesses? It’s Father’s day.
There isn’t much that you must’ve seen about it in your social media newsfeeds/timelines. We don’t see any major Father’s Day special sales either. Was this the same on Mother’s Day? or Women’s Day? or Valentine’s Day? Umm…Nope. Right?
“Why?”, asked our inquisitive minds. We really wanted to understand better, exactly why this happens. Why isn’t Father’s day really celebrated in India, when people go all out buying gifts, eating out, and posting on social media for Mother’s Day, Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
So we did a social experiment, asking people why did they think Father’s Day isn’t given much importance. Here’s what they had to say :
Not The Target Segment For Most Businesses
“I think there isn’t as varied a collection of gifts that can be offered for fathers as compared to mothers. Father’s day sales aren’t a very profitable proposition for retailers. So there’re no ads about it, and consequently a low awareness about the day itself” – Akshat
Making up for Excessive Patriarchy
“I think Mother’s Day and Women’s day matter because in a patriarchal society like ours, where women have historically suffered subjugation, it becomes essential that we have days where we can make women feel special and celebrated.” – Siddhard
The Not-So-Lovable Image Of Fathers In Bollywood
“Bollywood has a major influence on our culture. Unlike reel life mothers, who are always portrayed as very loving, doting and vocal, fathers are generally shown as gentle caregivers (eg. Alok Nath) or conservative villainous characters (like Amrish Puri). Very rarely if ever do we see funky, fun-loving father characters like those played by Anupam Kher.” – Shiv
As you can see, the opinions are largely varied and possibly. Let’s have a look at some facts and figures.
1. The amount of spending on Mother’s day outnumbers the spending on Father’s day by 75%, worldwide.
2. Father’s day was started in response to…well you guessed it…Mother’s Day. So, unlike Mother’s day, which was genuinely started as a tribute to mothers, Father’s day didn’t really have meaningful reason behind its conception.
All of the mentioned factors, along with many unmentioned ones, work together to lead to an almost non-existent celebration of Father’s day.
Having said that, reserved or not, strict or not, let’s make sure that they feel special this Father’s day.
Watch this video where a poet very emotionally expresses the significance of fathers in our lives.
In conclusion here are a few lines dedicated to Fathers –
Maa ko gale lagate ho, kuch pyaar unpar bhi barsao;
“Papa, aap bhi yaad aate ho!”, kabhi unhe bhi keh jao!
What do you think is the reason for Father’s day not being as special as some other days? Tell us in the comments, and share this article with your family and friends!
Cover Image Source – https://happydays-365.com/