Six-year-old Shiven misses a shot, bursts into laughter, and insists on a rematch. His father, Nishant Chaturvedi, plays along, equal parts coach, playmate, and cheerleader. Later, the two walk back home, their conversation drifting from school stories to what sandwich they should make.
In the kitchen, tiny hands carefully spread butter while Nishant slices vegetables. They sit down to eat, sharing bites, smiles, and the kind of unhurried presence that often slips through the cracks of adult life.
This is what Nishant’s days look like now.
A former corporate leader with over a decade of experience, Nishant stepped down from a high-responsibility role in early 2025 following an organisational restructuring. What followed wasn’t a pre-planned life decision but something far more organic — a shift that slowly turned him into the primary care giver at home, while his wife, Vibhuti, took on a more demanding professional role.
“Parenthood is not a role you support from the sidelines; it’s something you live, fully and equally, every single day,” Nishant tells The Better India.
How it all began: Two careers, one decision
Both Nishant and his wife Vibhuti come from small towns, he from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, she from Ambala in Haryana. They met in Delhi during their early careers as lawyers, sharing something as simple as a cab ride that eventually led to a life together.
Their professional journeys took them to Hyderabad, where they built their careers and welcomed their son in 2019. For years, their life followed a familiar rhythm, two working professionals balancing careers and parenting with intention and care.
Nishant’s corporate journey was deeply fulfilling. Working with global pharmaceutical companies, and later with Novartis and, more recently, with Sandoz, he found meaning in the impact his work had. But in late 2024, a global restructuring changed everything. His role and that of his team were made redundant.
From school runs to sandwich-making, Nishant’s days are now built around moments that often go unnoticed but mean everything.
For Vibhuti, the news came as a shock. For a moment, it felt unreal. But that feeling didn’t last long.
She chose to lean into trust instead of fear.
“I knew this wouldn’t define him,” she shares. “I’ve seen his journey, his capability. This was just a phase; we would figure it out.”
What neither of them anticipated was how this phase would reshape their home.
Around the same time, Vibhuti stepped into a new role, one that demanded long hours, intense focus, and, often, weekends at work. Without sitting down for a formal discussion or dividing responsibilities on paper, their lives adjusted on their own.
Nishant began taking on more at home. Slowly, naturally, almost without announcement, he became the one holding the day together.
A life reimagined: From boardrooms to bus stops
For nearly a decade, Nishant’s life moved with the rhythm of corporate precision.
His days began early, structured down to the minute — reaching office before time, leading teams, navigating high-stakes decisions, and contributing to a global pharmaceutical ecosystem. His work wasn’t just about compliance or leadership; it carried a deeper sense of purpose.
“I was fortunate to be in roles where the impact felt real,” he reflects. “You weren’t just doing your job, you were part of something larger, something that could affect lives.”
Despite the demands, his career allowed a rare balance. Late nights were the exception, not the norm. Growth was steady, exposure global, and learning continuous.
“There was intensity, yes, but there was also integration. I never felt like work had to come at the cost of everything else.”
And yet, life has a way of reshaping even the most carefully built structures.
In late 2024, that shift came quietly, but decisively.
Even during his corporate years, Nishant was an involved father — aware of school timings, assignments, and activities. But the responsibility was shared in a way that still leaned on structure and predictability.
After early 2025, that equation changed.
What began as an unexpected career pause gradually became a chance to be fully present for his son.
“I didn’t wake up one day and decide this is what I’ll do,” he says. “It just started happening — I had the time, and I chose to invest it where it mattered most.”
Mornings became about school routines. Afternoons revolved around homework and conversations. Evenings were no longer about calls and meetings, but about badminton courts and swimming classes.
But what seemed simple on the surface came with its own learning curve.
“The biggest surprise was not the volume of work, it was the nature of it,” he admits. “You’re constantly switching roles — teacher, planner, caregiver, and none of it follows a fixed timeline.”
Homework, for instance, became an unexpected lesson.
“I used to look at it like a task, something that should be completed within a certain time,” he says. “But I realised children don’t work on deadlines the way we do.”
There were moments of impatience in the beginning, checking too often, stepping in too quickly.
“And then I saw that sometimes, the best thing you can do is just let them be,” he adds. “Not everything needs intervention.”
That shift, from efficiency to presence, changed everything.
Today, his calendar is built around his son’s schedule. Consulting calls and mentoring sessions are slotted between school drop-offs, extracurriculars, and quiet afternoons at home.
“That flexibility is a big shift,” he says. “I can choose when to work and when to pause, and that’s something I value deeply now.”
At the same time, the transition hasn’t been without its internal questions.
“There were days I wondered if I was doing enough professionally,” he admits. “You’re used to measuring progress in very visible ways — titles, roles, teams.”
But over time, those measures began to change.
“I realised that just because a title is missing doesn’t mean your capability disappears,” he says. “What matters is whether you’re still showing up, still growing, still contributing, just in a different way.”
The invisible work, finally seen
Stepping into a more hands-on role at home didn’t just change Nishant’s routine; it reshaped how he understood work itself.
For years, he had been surrounded by capable, hard-working women — colleagues, family members, his own wife. But it was only when he began managing the everyday rhythm of a household that the depth of that work truly revealed itself.
“The effort that goes into running a home is constant,” he reflects. “It doesn’t pause, it doesn’t get measured, and most of the time, it doesn’t even get acknowledged.”
Badminton matches, homework sessions, and long conversations now form the rhythm of a life reimagined.
What seemed like small, everyday tasks began to feel like a continuous mental system: school schedules, meals, activities, emotional check-ins, and everything running in the background, seamlessly.
For Nishant, this wasn’t just a realisation; it was a shift in perspective.
His respect for homemakers and working mothers didn’t just deepen; it transformed into something far more personal.
Holding the fort, quietly
For Vibhuti, this phase has been one of both transition and quiet gratitude.
When Nishant first shared the news of his role being impacted, her reaction was immediate and emotional, but brief. What followed was instinctive belief.
“I’ve seen his journey closely,” she says. “So for me, it was never about doubt. It was about knowing we would get through it.”
What neither of them did, however, was sit down and formally decide how life would now function.
“It wasn’t a discussion; it was something that just unfolded,” she explains. “We responded to what life needed at that moment.”
What stands out for her isn’t just what Nishant does but how he does it. There is no sense of sacrifice and no visible burden, just his presence.
Their journey proves that caregiving isn’t defined by gender but by showing up, consistently and wholeheartedly.
“There are days when I am so caught up in work that I lose track of time,” she admits. “And before I even realise it, things at home are already taken care of.”
From making sure their son is fed to keeping the day structured, Nishant has become the quiet anchor of their home.
But Vibhuti is equally intentional in her role.
Despite her demanding schedule, she holds on to small but meaningful routines, packing her child’s tiffin, staying involved in his learning, and being present where she can.
“It’s not about dividing roles,” she says. “It’s about staying connected to what matters.”
Navigating judgment, choosing what works
While their home found its rhythm, the world outside didn’t always understand it.
The idea of a stay-at-home father, though slowly gaining visibility, still invites curiosity, and sometimes, quiet judgment. Vibhuti acknowledges this with honesty.
“We’ve grown up seeing certain roles in a certain way,” she says. “So when something looks different, people don’t always know how to respond.”
There are no direct questions, but there are glances, assumptions, and occasional remarks.
But over time, they’ve learned to hold their ground. “Every family is different,” she says. “There is no one formula that works for everyone.”
For them, what matters is simple: does it work for their child, their relationship, their life?
If the answer is yes, everything else becomes background noise.
Redefining partnership, together
Nishant and Vibhuti don’t see themselves as fitting into categories of ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ carers.
They see themselves as two people responding to life, together.
“There are phases,” Vibhuti says. “Sometimes one person leans into work more, sometimes the other. What matters is that the system holds.”
In choosing to step in rather than step back, Nishant helped make the invisible work of parenting finally visible.
Their differences, his structured approach, and her spontaneity, don’t create conflict. They create balance, and their son is lucky enough to experience both worlds.
“Parenthood is shared”
As the day settles into quiet, Nishant reflects on what this phase has taught him, not just about parenting but about value, respect, and identity.
“There is a lot of work that happens at home which never makes it to any résumé,” he says. “But that doesn’t make it any less important.”
If anything, he believes it deserves more recognition than it gets.
“It’s a role that runs 24/7,” he adds. “And most of the time, it’s taken on without expectation.”
His message is simple but deeply felt: “Parenting is not something you divide, it’s something you share. And the more we start seeing it that way, the stronger our homes, and our children, will be,” he adds.
In choosing to step in, rather than step back, Nishant didn’t just redefine fatherhood. He helped make something invisible, finally seen.
All images courtesy Nishant Chaturvedi
