He gets emotional as we talk to him, but there’s an unmissable feeling of pride in Rohit Roy’s voice. His 17-year-old daughter, Kiara, recently flew to the United States to pursue higher studies from Brown University.

“Whenever your child goes away, it’s very emotional, especially when you have just one daughter. As a father, I have mixed emotions, because we know she is going towards a better life, studying in an Ivy League college. Of course, we are proud of her. But then, for one’s child to leave the nest and go away, we haven’t still come to terms with it,” says the 52-year-old.

Roy took to Instagram to pen down his thoughts. A video of the entire family, including his brother Ronit B Roy, coming to the airport to see Kiara off, also went viral. She, too, got emotional while leaving. “She’s a child after all and had been strong for her parents. Of course, we were in touch with her until the flight took off, and also when she landed, walked into the gates of her university, on video call. We got a feeling of being there, if not physically,” shares the proud father.

While the fear of sending his child away in the Coronavirus pandemic isn’t playing on his mind, Roy will always regret not being able to go to the US with his daughter to help her settle down until classes start. “It’s a numb feeling right now. I request all institutions to make special arrangements, so that parents can fly, too. We couldn’t, due to restrictions. It is emotionally taxing to see your daughter go away,” rues the actor.