father FIGURE

A generation of dads is bringing with them a set of new parenting rules

- ANAND SINGH

At the core of Mumbai-based couple, Prashant Singh and Preeta Sukhtankar’s (founder of the e-retail platform The Label Life) split were a handful of failed pregnancies (including one through IVF) and festering dissent on an important issue – Singh wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a father. “There was quite a strain on the topic. I realised our energies didn’t match because he didn’t want a child, and I really did. So ultimately, I decided to adopt one on my own,” Sukhtankar says. While the couple had decided to call it quits, they were still together on paper, which would make it easier for her to adopt a child.

One fateful night after months of wrestling with the idea, Singh concluded that he wanted to be more than just a legal aid to his ex-wife and best friend; he knew it was time to step up. “I didn’t know what to think when she first told me about her decision to adopt. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a father, but I knew how much the decision meant to Preeta.” Despite all the anxiety, “the leap of faith” that he took altered Singh’s life for the better. “I hadn’t envisaged anything; all I knew was that I wanted to support Preeta. Looking back, it changed my life in so many ways.”