Just as every vine needs its stilt, every tree yearns for its roots. It's often said that a child gives birth to a mother. A father however always remains a father. Right from the day of one's birth, a father is that bedrock of strength, whose significance is evident only when it dissipates. Unconditional love on the one side and unbridled strength on the other, both are complementary and dovetail into that perfectly significant package that is so critical to one's grounding. It's only fair then, that we attach as much important to fathers as we do to a mother. Father’s Day is thus a landmark occasion and a metaphor for resilience and strength.

This Father's Day we spoke to entrepreneurs & business owners about how their fathers have played an important role in their becoming successful entrepreneurs.

Megha Gupta, Founder, DharaviMarket.com
My father is the reason I developed an interest in the development sector. He always wanted to work in the social sector himself but chose to enter the business world as he had to support our family. His thoughts and the discussions we had on current issues during my childhood days made me realise that I share his passion for the social sector. I got into this sector when I was 18 years old and luckily in today's age, with social entrepreneurship there is money to be made, while simultaneously transforming others' lives too. I am in the right place at the right time, and I derive great joy from this awareness.

My father is an extremely good hearted and loving soul and his intentions have always been very honest. I believe that whatever field of work you are in, it is most important to have the right intentions; you should be honest to yourself and have clarity as to why you are doing a particular thing. This is what I have learnt from him.

He is also very courageous and has the ability to take risks, something every entrepreneur needs. Being honest, ethical, having the right intentions to do good and taking risks is what I have learnt from him, and I will cherish these values for the rest of my life.

Sanjay Lalwani, CEO, Foodwalas.com

While growing up, I had a formal relationship with my father, but there are certain core values that I have imbibed from him. He has taught me that I can become whatever I want, but I have to first & foremost be a good human being. Another lesson is that I should value relationships more than my ego and this is the key to living with love and harmony. The secret to a successful family life is to take care of the family with emotions rather than intellect. The most important life-lesson taught by my father is to be contented and cherish one’s family and friends.

Avani Goiporia, Co-founder, Vilyoo Makershop LLP

My father has always been very encouraging. He made no distinction between my brother & me. He always inspired us to try different thingsand never stopped us from doing anything. When I made up my mind to pursue engineering, he was the first one to wholeheartedly support me.

Till date, my father is a constant source of encouragement and hope for me. Whenever I feel disheartened, he motivates me and makes me see the brighter side of things.

His own life is very inspiring: He is a lawyer but has always been involved with social service work. Today,even at the age of 83, he works from 9 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening, continuing his regular law practice.

He has always made us realise that hard work pays. To see him so active and in good health at the ripe age of 83 is very inspiring for me. Each day he wants to work harder than the day before. I may have started my business journey a bit late but I have learnt from his example that there is no retirement age to follow your passion and pursue a dream.

Jitesh Mehta, CEO, Source India

We were not very rich when I was growing up, and hence my father worked very hard from 8am to 9:30pm in the evening to provide for us. A quality in him that I really admired was that no matter how busy he was, he ensured that he made time for his family and that he was always positive & happy. His life has taught me the important lesson to never lose hope and always give priority to family.

My father worked for the government and a business. When he was in the government, he could have made a lot of money very easily by accepting bribes, but he refused to give up on his principles for money. Honesty is one of the most important values that I learnt from him. I have a very special bond as a father with my children. I work hard and travel a lot, but I still try my best to spend time with my family and instil in my children all the good values that my father taught me.

Priya Florence Shah, CEO & Founder, Blog Brandz
My father was a musician but after getting married, he worked with various pharmaceutical companies. We are Goan & it’s a tradition in our families to learn music from a young age. Because my father was a musician, he taught music to me and my 3 siblings. He was a very patient teacher & helped us develop a love for music.

My father was a very social and loving person. He was not strict at all. He was not the kind to impose his views upon us. He allowed us to make our own decisions in life. When I got married to someone outside the community, he was broadminded enough to be supportive of me.

Fathers and daughters have a very special bond. I call myself a ‘Daddy’s girl’! He gave me a lot of attention when it came to teaching me music. He doted on all of us…especially me!

A lot of who I am today is because of him.