Supriya Sule, a Member of Parliament and the daughter of Indian politician Sharad Pawar, recently spoke about her relationship with her father and what it meant to grow up in a political family. “My father told my mother that I am happy to marry you, but I have one condition: ‘We will have only one child, be it a girl or a boy’. My father wanted to adopt, but my mother said no, ‘Let’s try to have one of our own’,” she said on actor Soha Ali Khan’s podcast All About Her.
After she was born, Sule shares that it was her father who underwent the “surgery for family planning”. “He never let my mother go through any of that,” she said. Years later, when she was pregnant with her second child and went to share the news with her father, he reacted in a matter-of-fact way.
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“Normally a grandfather would be overjoyed, but he just said ‘Oh’,” she shared, adding that he asked her why she chose to have a second child. When she told him that she wanted another kid, he respected that the decision was between her and her husband.
“When they say he’s a liberal, it’s not just chatter. It’s not just talking, it’s also working,” she added.
Throughout the conversation, Sule peppered in instances that reiterated the fact that Pawar’s approach towards life and parenting is rooted in a foundation that’s far ahead in time.
Neha Cadabam, senior psychologist and executive director at Cadabams Hospitals, shared that a father-daughter relationship is unique, and even after a daughter becomes an adult, a father’s voice still holds emotional weight.
“Fatherly encouragement often signals emotional safety, validation, and belief. Psychologically, when a parent, especially a father in many cultures, affirms your goals, it helps internalise a sense of competence and permission to act boldly,” she told indianexpress.com.
According to Cadabam, a strong father-daughter relationship correlates with higher well‑being, lower psychological distress, and greater fulfilment of basic psychological needs. “The steady backing of a father can indeed encourage daughters to take risks – after all, she knows she has an emotional anchor to fall back on in case things go awry,” she shared.
Rima Bhandekar, psychologist, Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Trust, agrees, adding that supportive parenting is all about asking your child what they want to be, without adding “you should” right after.
“Having a supportive parent is one of the predictors of a child confidently choosing their own career, even if it is far from parental legacy and societal expectations. This provides children with the space needed to choose what feels right for them, such as resources, encouragement, and emotional stability without judgment of tradition, societal status, prestige, and money,” she explained.
“When a father stands by a child, it helps them realise that their self-worth isn’t connected tightly to fulfilling someone else’s dream, but their own passion. They are better prepared to handle setbacks on their own,” said Bhandekar, adding that they are more likely to stand firm in their choices due to the nurturing space provided by parents who value who they are, not just what they achieve.
