On Father's Day, Delnaaz Irani says, 'I’m trying my best to follow in his footsteps'
For actor Delnaaz Irani, Father’s Day is not about celebrations but about remembering the man whose values continue to shape her life even years after his passing. The actress, who was recently seen in Hui Gumm Yaadein, lost her father in 2011, but says his lessons on compassion, humility, and kindn
By Hasti Doshi
For actor Delnaaz Irani, Father’s Day is not about celebrations but about remembering the man whose values continue to shape her life even years after his passing.
The actress, who was recently seen in Hui Gumm Yaadein, lost her father in 2011, but says his lessons on compassion, humility, and kindness remain with her every day.While many people regret not expressing gratitude to their parents enough, Delnaaz says she always thanked her father when he was alive.
Yet there is one thing she continues to thank him for even today. “Whenever I pray and talk to him, I thank him for teaching me compassion.
He never sat me down and gave lectures.
I simply watched the way he lived.
Kindness came naturally to him, and I feel fortunate that some of those qualities stayed with me.”Looking back, she admits she only fully understood her father’s selflessness as an adult. “As a child, I used to wonder why he went out of his way for strangers,” she recalls. “Today, I find myself doing similar things, and that’s when I realised where he was coming from.”Delnaaz says her father never judged people. “He always believed there is nothing greater than humanity.
He saw people as human beings first, and that’s probably the biggest lesson I have carried forward from him.”The actress also remembers the sacrifices her parents made while raising three children. “My father worked double shifts because he never wanted us to feel deprived.
If we needed something, he would somehow make it happen,” she says.What makes her proudest today is the kind of person he was. “He was always giving.
Whether it was family, friends, relatives, or even strangers, he was there for everyone.
Today we talk about give and take in relationships, but my father wasn’t like that.
There was no take.
There was only give.”Though more than a decade has passed since his death, Delnaaz says she still misses him deeply. “If I could send him one last message, I would tell him not to worry.
I would tell him that we’re okay, that we’re happy, and that I’m trying my best to follow in his footsteps.
I would tell him that his daughter is safe, happy, and living a good life.
I think that’s all he would have wanted to know.”