Last October, Tamil actor Vivek’s 13-year-old son had passed away after a prolonged illness. In memory of the loss, the actor has penned a poignant letter to all parents on raising children right
. Don’t force your dreams on children, and empower girls, he said in the moving letter. In his letter, he focuses on looking at childcare not as an obligation but a blessing.
“Your children only come through you and not from you,” he writes, as a plea to all parents to help children realise their own dreams by allowing them the driver’s seat instead of forcing their own dreams.
“He will learn how to park the car himself.” His words come from a deeply personal tragedy, which drives him to talk about the simple skill of parents listening to their children more.
“Why send a boy to cricket coaching when he wants to paint?” Girls, he says, especially need parents who can teach them to be brave enough to face the trials the world will throw at them.
Stressing on the importance of good cultural values through Swami Vivekananda and poet Bharathiar, he likens them to a potent grandmother’s medicine.
“Like a mix of herbs for a healthy body, a mix of values for a healthy mind.” Time and time again, comedians have demonstrated an ability to convey hard-hitting commentary through their satire, and Vivek has been one for observational comedy.
But his sense of personal loss and the profoundness behind his satire combine to bring this inspiring letter on parenting.