Parenting is tough and exhausting physically and emotionally, so when you see accomplished individuals, you wonder what did their parents do to help them develop the hunger to achieve goals? While there is no secret recipe to raise a child, it does help to read stories of parents of outliers, their experiences and how they handled emotions at different stages of life. “The minute we know that somebody else was/is in the same boat, we find solace when we realise others too have felt the same way and you learn to navigate,” says Mansi Zaveri, founder of kidsstoppress.com.
It has been an exciting week for Mansi as her new book The Parents I Met is to be launched on December 9 at Museum of Solutions, Kamla Mills in Mumbai. The 279-page Penguin publication, is an anthology of her in-depth interviews with parents of people like like PV Sindhu, Rujuta Diwekar, Sandeep Nailwal, Anuj Nayar, Pooja Dhingra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sushmita Sen.
How it started
While she began working on the book in 2021, the toughest part was not the writing but getting appointments from these parents. She first created a ‘humongous list’ of over 100 personalities from different fields like gaming, entrepreneurship and the armed forces, then filtered them. For instance, the conversation with the parents of Sushant Divgikar, a flag bearer for the LGBTQ+ community was important. “I needed representation from the community as most parents are not equipped to handle these issues without external help,” says Mansi who spent around three-five hours with every parent to know their backstory and other minute details.
Challenging chapter
One of the challenging chapters to write was of Captain Anuj Nayar, whose parents supported his decision to go join the armed forces, which cost him his life. “The son fought for the country and gave up his life. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra but to not have that son and live with that decision every day is extremely painful. It gives me goosebumps to think how to support your child in decisions like these?” says Mansi.
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Mansi hopes parents find their voice through the stories. “It is important to read stories of people you don’t know as their journeys are inspiring and interesting too.”
A conversation with Sushma Jain, the parent of Harsh Jain of Dream 11, a sports technology company is to prove that it is not just children from underprivileged backgrounds who have the hunger to succeed in life. “He (Harsh) grew up in abundance, but still had the drive to do something on his own. “
While the book has in-depth interviews, excerpts of these conversations are available online. Readers could scan the QR code on the book to see these three-and half minute videos with interviews.
Published by Penguin, The Parents I Met by Mansi Zaveri is available online and all major bookstores in metros. Price: ₹400
