Jamshedpur: Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to a papa.

On Thursday, several men in the steel city shelved work and defied the risks of an Opposition bandh to take their children to school and in the process, underscore that education is more important than party politics even in a volatile state like Jharkhand.

The statewide bandh, in protest against a land acquisition bill, took a toll on public transport in the city, prompting these fathers to don their superhero mantle and brave deserted roads.

Anand Jaluka, who runs a hardware business in Sakchi, made taking son Darshit, an upper kindergarten student, to Kerala Samajam Model School in Golmuri his morning priority.

"So what if there is a bandh, education is important. You cannot allow a child to see a bandh as a legitimate holiday. My son was thrilled to see so many cops on the road. I made up a story on why they were there. He was glad I dropped him to school and also picked him up after classes," said Jaluka.

Abhishek Sinha, who is self-employed and has his office in Bistupur, ensured he picked up Class I student Yashmit from Rajendra Vidyalaya in Sakchi.

"We live in Kadma. I took a break from work and fetched my son from school. He went to school because I don't see a reason why someone should skip classes because of a political bandh. Bandhs will keep happening in this country, but that doesn't mean academics should be hampered. It was a bit hectic for me, but as a father it was my duty," said Sinha.

Niladri Singh, the father of Class III DBMS English School student Anshuman, had to seek special permission from his bosses at Tata Steel so that he could drop his son to the campus and also pick him up later.

"Children should not think and learn that bandhs are a way of life or the right way to protest. This is why I ensured my son did not miss his classes," said Singh.

However, with public transport and pool cars taking a big hit on bandh Thursday, most cradles including Rajendra Vidyalaya, Kerala Samajam Model School, Beldih Church School and Motilal Nehru Public School saw moderate attendance of around 60 per cent.

Some other schools, like Dayanand Public, witnessed very low attendance. "Every class had around 15 per cent students. We remained open nonetheless and all classes were held," said principal Swarna Mishra.