An IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) Kharagpur graduate Ankit Joshi recently revealed that he quit his high-paying job in order to spend time with his newborn daughter.
Mr Joshi opened up about his "bizarre decision" in an interview with Humans of Bombay. He said that he started a new job only a few months ago as the Senior Vice President, but even before his daughter was born he quit his high-paying job to spend all his time with his newborn baby.
"I know it was a bizarre decision," Mr Joshi said, adding that people warned him things would get difficult going forward, but his wife, Akanksha, supported his decision.
Mr Joshi explained that his new job required him to travel frequently to different cities - something he wasn't willing to do after the birth of his daughter, Spiti.
"I wanted a longer break after Spiti's birth. I knew the company couldn't extend my leave. And so, I put in my papers - I called it a promotion to fatherhood and loved it," he said.
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Further, speaking to Humans of Bombay, Mr Joshi revealed that since quitting his job, he has devoted his time to looking after Spiti. "Life has been all about her since then. Be it swinging her in my arms till she sleeps to waking up in the night to sing her lullaby, I'm cherishing these moments," he said.
Now, a month has flown by since Spiti's birth, during which Mr Joshi's wife was promoted to a manager at her organisation even while she was on maternity leave. "Seeing her excel in both, her career and motherhood is so fulfilling," he said. Mr Joshi also added that he will begin applying for new jobs after a few months. In the meantime, he plans to spend time with his daughter.
Mr Joshi concluded the interview by talking about how short paternity leaves play a hand in ensuring that mothers shoulder more parenthood duties than fathers. What "disheartens me is to see how most companies give a significant, next-to-nothing paternity leave. It isn't just about how less the father connects with the child but more about reducing the responsibility of a father in the role of upbringing," he said.
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"The step I've taken isn't easy- not many men can take it. But I hope in the coming years things change because the life that I've lived in the last 1 month has been more fulfilling than all my years of hustle," he added.
The Humans of Bombay posted about Mr Joshi on Friday and since then his heartwarming story has garnered more than 146,000 likes and several comments.
Internet users flooded the comment section with heart and clapping emojis. While one user wrote, "Yess..paternity leave is equally important as maternity leave!" another said, "This is such a warm story. Its lovely to see he choose to take a back seat and enjoy life for a while with the baby. Sometimes, It's the little things in life that we need to cherish". "Leaving your job for fatherhood! Bro, you have my respect," said third.
