Things Indian dads never say (but actually mean)

The Indian girl dad does not do monologues. He is not going to sit you down and tell you that you are his whole heart and the reason he checks his phone multiple times a day. Instead, his love arrives disguised as mundane logistics and slightly bossy texts about your whereabouts.

We’re pretty certain that there’s a secret Indian girl dad guidebook that teaches them to show love through actions, not words, like cutting an apple for you while you studied for your exams or picking you up from your friend’s place. He sits through your fashion show after you return from a shopping trip with mom, even though he only grunts his approval.

Every daughter is an expert in decoding this love language. It’s unspoken knowledge passed down through generations of daughters who’ve learned to read between the lines of texts like “Come home before 11PM”.

So in the spirit of De Beers Group’s “Love, From Dad” campaign for Father’s Day, built around the thought that the father-daughter bond is so natural that only a real diamond could capture its preciousness, here’s a small glossary of things Indian girl dads say, and what it actually means.

Six things that Indian girl dads actually mean

“Reached?”

This one word is texted at the exact moment you reach your destination, as if he has been tracking your journey in his head the whole time. He probably has, because the moment you were born, he appointed himself as your official bodyguard. Growing up, his strict deadlines felt like control, but this man is always ready to get you out of a sticky situation.

“Why do you need so many things?”

Translation: Fine, I will give in after three minutes. He resists partly out of habit because admitting he’s a pushover for your puppy-dog face would ruin the bit. He might think the bag you want is impractical or that getting a second piercing and yet another pair of natural diamond earrings is unnecessary, yet he will hand over his credit card because your joy matters to him more than anything else.

“Eat something”

This is the crown jewel of girl-dad speak that’s often said to fill in silent moments. Regardless of your age or of the fact that you finished lunch less than an hour ago, he will offer you a cup of coffee or make plans to go on a drive to get ice cream. This is the only way he knows how to say he worries about you.

“Call me when you’re free, no urgency”

He has probably drawn up a list of things he wants to share with you. Yet when you call him, he’ll only remind you to eat your iron supplement and pay your phone bill on time. He refuses to be the dad who makes his daughter feel guilty for having a life.

“Don’t tell your mom”

It’s the unofficial dad-daughter alliance that is sealed in secrecy, over something he was never really going to forbid in the first place. On the inside, he’s really happy that you both share a secret now.

“Who’s that boy?”

He’ll ask in the most casual tone while scrolling on his phone, definitely not making eye contact. He will pretend it’s idle curiosity, but even you know that he has already made a mental note of his name, car number and the exact time you got dropped off. He will run a background check on anyone important in your life because his job description demands it.

The Indian girl dad is not about big gestures, and the De Beers Group’s “Love, From Dad” campaign captures that perfectly. It’s built around the love and worry he feels, alongside the pride he carries for the person who is stepping into her own light. He knows a natural diamond will never replace the conversation he’ll never have out loud. Maybe that’s why it works, some loves were always going to be spoken in actions and things, not words.