#HopeWalkToPuri2.0: Alienated Fathers Walking Again on Bahuda to Pray Trinity

Bbaneswar, June 27: The bonding of a father with his child is unique. However, every year, lakhs of men and their families lose access to their children and grandchildren, when they get entangled in false cases even due to petty marital disputes. 

It is growing trend in India nowadays, that as soon as there is marital discord between parents, the children are immediately separated from their fathers. As time passes by due to the judicial process, the emotional and psychological disconnect of the children from their fathers and paternal families continues to increase. 

This is extremely harmful not only for the children, but the fathers and their families, resulting in many men suffering from serious mental ailments or committing suicide. In many instances, the alienation is permanent, and the fathers and grandparents never get to meet the children till death.

In fact, according to NCRB data during 2020-2021, more men died by suicide from marital disputes than the lives lost to Covid-19. Fundamental rights of men and children are easily abused, and no attention is given to their agony, while persistent and tremendous emphasis is being ensured on women empowerment schemes. In nearly all marital disputes in India, the custody of the child is solely granted or forcibly ensured by the mother, with minutes or hours of visiting rights to the father. This must change for the absolute “welfare of the child” and greater good of the future generations of society, as a father cannot be reduced to a mere tourist in his own child’s life. 

Why does society, administration and judiciary deem father as the lesser parent, and if so why should the system deprive children the company of their own father? With the ever-increasing matrimonial disputes nowadays in India, it is significant as a society to realize it is the children that suffer the most especially because they are still in their developmental years. In India, as most often during or after divorce the child remains with the mother, so the trauma of a broken home and separating from their fathers leaves an indelible scar on the psyche of the child. 

Intentionally or otherwise, the parent that has custody of the child gradually influences the child against the other parent, alienating the child not only physically but emotionally and psychologically from the natural bonding with the other parent. The children spend their growing up years either hating the father or defending them from the alienating parent. This phenomenon is known as “Parental Alienation” and extremely detrimental for children, as it fundamentally splits them into two conflicting halves. 

Such children growing up in single-mother homes in the absence of fathers and the safety net of a normal family life, tend to grow up with a troubled personality.

Child psychologists have published volumes of research articles globally on Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), study groups have been formed and counselling is being done to separating couples in developed countries. In India however, this has been termed as a silent pandemic affecting more than 1.3 Crore children at present, but with very little awareness and no course correction in plan.

There is a single and simple remedy, allow the child to have equal access to fathers and mothers, which is “Shared Parenting”, to avoid a fatherless and devastated society. The presence of a father is extremely important in the life of young children for their learning, growth, discipline and sound development as responsible future citizens of India.

In the year 2022, on the auspicious occasion of Bahuda Jatra of Lord Jagannath, a group of deprived and alienated fathers from diverse backgrounds and faith of Odisha started this initiative of HopeWalkToPuri to march on foot from Bhubaneswar to Lord Jagannath’s temple in Puri. This year in 2023, alienated fathers from all across the country are also walking again from Bhubaneswar to Puri.

Their questions and prayer to the Lord Jagannath have not changed since last year, and they seek to meet with their children soon, who are inhumanly alienated due to marital discord. This march coincides with the Bahuda Jatra of Lord Jagannath symbolizing that the Lord may have returned to his temple, but the fathers still await the return of their alienated children to their respective homes. The HopeWalkToPuri is an earnest initiative to raise awareness on Parental Alienation as a social evil affecting our future generation and to support the cause of Shared Parenting as a remedy.

These fathers who are also members of Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF Odisha), are marching to Puri on 27th June 2023. SIFF is India’s leading Men’s Rights Activist group active since nearly 15 years and have been instrumental in successfully voicing a call for reforms in laws that led to several landmark judgements.