Why I Told My Father, 'Jao Baba, Jee Lo Apni Zindagi'

I grew up in Kolkata in a lower-middle class family at my parents' home with my elder sister. My father worked as a businessman and my mother as a homemaker. My father, who was the sole bread-earner of the family, ran a small-scale business, and although the earnings weren't, he and my mother ensured that we could make ends meet with it. For me, it felt enough. 

The Need For Financial Independence At A Young Age

I didn't have fancy toys, dresses, or computers while growing up but I never felt like complaining. I knew if I wanted something, I should be able to do it for myself rather than expecting others to fulfil those wishes. I was a bright student with a knack for studies. That's where my parents decided to invest in rather than fancy gifts. I would do really well in all my exams and would be on the list of top students in my class. I was determined that I would have to be financially independent as early as possible because I always had big dreams. The dreams often seemed impossible to achieve considering the background I came from but there was a constant confidence that kept me going.

Like any other student belonging to a lower middle-class background, I was also focused on my studies as everyone told me this is the only way I could do something in life. It was also the same time my father's business started going down, and it was when I was in the 10th standard when things went downhill and he had to shut down his business. 

My Father Took To Driving A Rickshaw To Support My Dreams

At that time I was gearing up for my 11th standard and being the good student that I was, I naturally wanted to study science and we realised it was expensive and it would be difficult to manage it considering our financial situation. My father, however, made a difficult decision at the time and decided to start driving the Toto E Rickshaw to run our household and fund my studies.

I wasn't sure how to feel about this decision. While what he was doing was only for the family, I was a bit uncomfortable with the thought of him driving Toto. "What will people say", and "What will my friends think?" were thoughts that kept me uncomfortable. To this date, I'm ashamed of that version of myself who thought this way, who cared more about other people's opinions than her father's sacrifice. I gradually understood a lot of what life was about and accepted our reality. It also motivated me to work harder and become financially independent as soon as possible and free my father from all his responsibilities.

As a child, I wanted to become a doctor but my dream changed as I grew up. I knew I couldn't afford to become a doctor. And we didn't have enough money to get me enrolled into any engineering college either. So, after 12th, I decided to get my B.Sc graduation done. I simultaneously started giving tuition to kids to take care of my own needs. Just like everyone, I wanted to just get a job after my graduation and get into corporate. I planned on doing an MBA after my graduation but the universe had some other plan. It was 2020 and the pandemic hit us all; my family never had much savings so whatever little they had was over during that period. I could see the clock ticking, I was going to be a graduate and there was no way I could afford my further studies. I took the MBA entrance examination, and got an offer letter from a few colleges but didn't have enough money to get enrolled and taking a loan in such a volatile situation just didn't seem like a risk I could take.

But, as it's said, when a door closes another one opens up for you. I came across the concept of freelancing and online business and got hooked! I decided to take up a course and invest in it. It cost me 42,000 and we didn't have that money. It was at the same time that my father's LIC, the only savings he and my mother made, was about to mature. We waited for a few months to retrieve it and that's how my life had a turning point. 

I was determined to give my father the money back as soon as possible and started learning various skills. Twenty days into the course, I got my first paying client from social media. The first few experiences were difficult as I was just learning, but slowly I started getting better at what I did and started getting high-quality clients. The first thing I did was to give my father his money back and since then I slowly started taking care of my family responsibilities. My business started getting bigger and I kept pursuing my father to take retirement but at that time my father wasn't ready; he didn't want to burden me with full family responsibilities. 

In the meantime, I focused on growing my business. As a freelancer, I transitioned to a social media agency and hired teammates and built a team of five. We worked with clients from all over the world. I built a personal brand of 20K on social media for myself!

I also decided to complete my education which was left incomplete, so once I realised I could self-fund my education, I decided to enroll into an MBA program. I'm currently managing both my social media agency and my MBA program together.

Why I Told My Dad, 'Jao Baba, Jee Lo Apni Zindagi'

All the hard work I was putting in seemed to come together but one thing was left still, the most important responsibility of my life that was retiring my father from driving the Toto. After trying to convince him for the past 2.5 years, I finally convinced him to retire this year. On July 12, 2024, I retired my father from all his responsibilities. We threw him a party and I gifted him a two-wheeler so that he would have a company for his new phase of life. I told him, "Jao Baba, jeelo apni zindagi". This was the most special moment of my life. 

My father has been working so hard since he was a 15-year-old boy, and finally being in the position to gift him the freedom and the life he deserves made all my hard work worth it.

Now that I look back at my journey so far, it does give me a sense of accomplishment. I've been able to do something in my life so far but I know there are miles to go and I'm ready for it too. My current focus is making my business big and give opportunities to people who have been deprived due to their background. I want them to know that they, too, are meant to do bigger things.