Dad and granddad are the world to them

AHMEDABAD: When Sheroy Kalyanwala (52), lost his wife in 2001, his world came crashing down but he didn’t lose heart because he had two beautiful daughters – Laila (now 18) and Anaheeta (now 20). “When I look back, I realize how quickly time flew by. When I lost my wife, the thought of bringing up my daughters as a single parent was intimidating but thanks to the support of the family, from my father and in-laws, I didn’t even realize when my daughters grew up,” said Sheroy, who works for a construction company in Ahmedabad.
Laila and Anaheeta were both put in the care of their grandfather, Minoo Kalyanwala, while Sheroy was at work.“Being a working parent, it was difficult to be with my daughters all the time and the credit for raising them goes to my father, who played a second dad to my daughters while I worked long hours. What I made a point not to miss was our time together at the dining table,” he said. “As we are all animal lovers, we all also enjoy caring for stray animals in our neighbourhood.”
While Anahita is pursuing a design course, Laila, who has dyslexia, is pursuing an applied arts at a college in the city. “The support from my father made me confident and at peace. I found it difficult to cope with maths, but all he would say is do your best and it is okay if you fail. You’ll make it the next time. He is super chilled out,” said Laila.
“I don’t believe in pressuring my kids as I feel it is counter-productive. The way my daughters have grown up independently, I am sure they will carve paths of their own,” said Sheroy.