What does a professional like Prashant Tamrakar do in his personal life? We sat down for a conversation ad came to conclusion that despite his celebrity status, deep down inside he is a lovable supportive father.

It was a little past noon on a sunny Saturday in Thamel, in the garden of the world famous Kathmandu Guest House. It was surprisingly quiet and calm for a weekend. As I waited for my guest to come, a book that I found on one of the tables gave me a pleasant company. After about 10 minutes of reading, my focus was diverted to a tall, sharply dressed man walking towards me, his daughter closely trailing behind him. My guest had arrived.

It would be an understatement to call Prashant Tamrakar a master of all trades. He is an actor, model, choreographer, business entrepreneur, and media personality. He has done and conquered it all. He has been a driving force in the Nepalese fashion and glamour industry for the past 25 years, and also worked as a fashion coach and choreographer. He starred in four movies, of which two will hit the theaters very soon. Aside from all this, Prashant also heads two event management companies, Wiz International and BigBell Entertainment.  He was the first man to represent Nepal in the prestigious Man Hunt International which was held in Singapore in 1995. With such accolades under his belt, Prashant Tamrakar is a bonafied professional.

But what is he like in his personal life? Most importantly what is he like as the father to his 13-year old daughter, Yashna? We sat down with Prashant, and, over a glass of iced drinks, discussed about his family life, birth of his child, and his relationship with his daughter.

The following is his narrative description of some of the major incidents in his life.

A planned birth

We live in a culture that encourages and fosters newlywed couples to have a child. I knew and accepted what was expected of me. We as a couple also wanted a child. So we just went with the flow and on the 29th of October, 2003, we were blessed with a healthy baby daughter. We were very happy.

Buildup to fatherhood

The months leading up to my child's birth felt like I was riding a roller-coaster of emotions. I was happy, sad and worried, all at the same time. I had flashbacks of when I was a teenager and what my attitude towards my parents and also towards the world was like. I found myself wondering how I would have to potentially deal with similar attitudes from my child to me one day. Thoughts like "Could I even handle those situations the way my parents so brilliantly did?" "Am I capable of raising my child properly?" and "When the time came to it, would I be capable of catering to all her needs and demands?" started haunting my mind on an almost daily basis. I remember having a lot of sleepless nights leading up to the big day. I knew that I had to not just be physically and mentally ready, but also ready financially. That being said, I think experiencing these things is normal for every man who is about to be a father.     

Complications post-delivery

As a husband, I had a responsibility to make sure that both the child and the mother were healthy pre and post-delivery. We did regular checkups and took all the necessary steps. But even though I was dedicated to make sure everything went normally, Yashna's mother was diagnosed with a severe case of ARF. As soon as we knew of her condition, we took her to a different hospital that was more equipped to deal with it. The condition was so severe that we had to keep her in an ICU. It was very sudden and I wasn't even allowed to see her for 30 to 45 days. It was very hard for everyone. But we faced the problem with courage and she eventually recovered from it.

The ever present dad

After Yashna came into my world, my life changed drastically. Not that I wasn't ready for the responsibilities though I did everything from feeding her milk to changing her napkins. We spent and still spend a lot of time together. I watched her grow right in front of my eyes. I was present when she took her first steps. I even made notes of the first noises she started making. The first word that she spoke was "Papa," Just imagine how happy I was!

The family man

There are four of us at home: my mom, my dad, my daughter and myself. We are a happy bunch. Like most families, we like being together. We also like cooking together. I don’t think that there's a better bonding experience than cooking for the people you love. You can really know a person and vice versa when you cook for them. It's like a social experience. We like spending our time together.

A supportive dad

Perhaps the biggest investment a father can give to his children is on their education. That being said, I never did and nor do I ever plan to force or impose anything upon my daughter's wishes. I will support her regardless of what career path she chooses. I believe that as a father, acceptance is very important. My only desire is for her to bring a lot of positivity to the world. I want her to be good and decent human being. Whether she chooses to pursue a career guided by her hobbies or by her academics, I will always support her. I want her to receive good and qualitative education and choose her own path.    

Dad knows best

I wake her up on time every morning. As long as I don’t have an urgent matter to attend to, I do the morning shopping myself and prepare her breakfast and drop her off to her bus stop. I also try to pick her up when she returns from school, but I usually find myself working till the late hours, so someone else does that for me. Sometimes she's already asleep by the time I reach home.  I do not consider myself a strict father, but as a parent you have to set some of the ground rules at home. I turn off the internet when I feel like Yashna is getting distracted. As a matter of fact, that’s the only time I raise my voice at her. Yes, she gets angry but she, being the good child that she is, eventually comes to understand that I only meant the best for her. She does her homework on time and goes to sleep on time.                   

A Dad – Daughter Q&A

Do you help her with her homework?

I used to help her with her homework when she was younger. For one thing, I could afford the time back then. Now, not only am I busy with my own business ventures, but the type and quality of education that she receives is so advanced that I myself don't understand most of it. She studies at Premier International School which implements an IB PYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program). She is a bright student. She also takes a couple of extra classes at school and that basically covers everything she needs. But sometimes when she comes across anything that she needs help with, mostly with mathematics, my sister comes over to help her. Besides that, my role these days generally revolves around buying her anything she needs, be it stationaries or books.      

 

Do you think that she inherited any of your traits?

Yes! There are a lot of things that I think we have in common. For one thing, people notice our heights. We are both pretty tall. She also loves to play sports. We are both pretty stylish in our own rights. Sometimes she even styles my mother's hair when we need to go to a party. We are very attached to our families. We have also noticed that we have similar looking fingers. Besides that, I feel like we are both very sensible.

 

What are her hobbies?

Where do I start! She has a lot of hobbies and interests. Like I mentioned earlier, she loves playing sports. She loves playing basketball, swimming and futsal. She also loves dancing. We also started cycling a little while back. She is really into music these days. She likes playing the piano and singing. She actually writes the lyrics to her songs. These aspects probably came about from her love for Hanna Montana and this Korean band called BTS. She's really into BTS these days. I am thinking of helping her further her musical career in the near future. Maybe even record her work in a professional studio. We'll see where it goes from there.

       

What aspects of hers are you proud of?

I believe that every parent is proud of their child/children, regardless of the scope and extent of their accomplishments. She is a very gifted athlete. She comes back with medals that she won from the competitions that she took part in at school almost every time she participates. She is also a good writer. She has always been someone who has found a deep appreciation in poetry and literature. I admire that in her! I am thinking of helping her foster her interests in the near future.

           

Does your daughter consider you to be a celebrity?

My family also happens to be my biggest critic. My mother, my sister and especially my daughter provide me with a lot of feedback on my work. And I tend to always listen to them. They are my source of encouragement. They make me want to better myself. Yashna is happy and proud of the line of work I am involved in.

 

Do you want your daughter to come into the fashion and glamor industry?

I haven't set any restriction on what she wants to build her career on. I would appreciate it if she got into this industry and helped me out, but that is her own choice. I have taken her to some of my ramp shows to expose her to what the industry is really like. So far, instead of wanting to be an actor or a model, she has been showing interest in the business and entrepreneurial side of the profession. She comes to talk about these things with me sometimes. I am thinking of involving her more to the business side of things when she is a little older and has some time to spare. I want her to understand the industry inside and out. I want her to understand that it is an ever growing profession. Something that I have learned over the years is that every parent wants their offspring to take the family business forward.         

 

Is there any additional information that you wanted to share with the readers?

Yes! I wanted to say that I am currently working towards establishing my dream project called AntCore. It is an endeavor that primarily focuses on taking the domestic fashion industry to the international arena. It covers everything from entrepreneurship training and workshops to building one’s portfolios and other related documents to their best possible standards. We are also aiming to conduct international shows that seek to showcase products that are made here in Nepal. I know that it will be hard but I firmly believe that in life, one must always go forward. I will take on whatever challenges come my way and hopefully, overcome them. Nothing is impossible as long as you have discipline, determination, focus and most importantly, the willpower to take on one’s responsibilities.