Father’s Day will be celebrated on June 16. Gulfam Khan Hussain, who will soon be seen in a web series called Waack Girls, misses her father and says he was her guiding light.
She said, “My father was our North Star; he guided us through all, be it our relationships, our choices in life, or struggles through things big and small. We could rely on him totally (as a child, I was sure my father could fight monsters and scare the wits out of ghosts).”
“We learned a lot from Papa. Some things I always follow are art and a trade; if you know one of each, you can survive anywhere. In relationships, he said there is nothing that can’t be resolved with a cup of tea and good talk. In food, he said to make three shares: one for yourself, one for neighbors, and one for the less fortunate. The fabric of my life is made of the warps and wefts my parents wove around us,” she added.
She said, “Whenever my father saw us, his face lit up. He worked very hard and burned the candle at both ends, but he was always happy when he was around us. He passed away a long time ago, but if he were here today, he would have been proud of our achievements and our travels. He always wanted to travel but couldn’t, as he passed just before retiring.”
Though she agrees that fathers are less expressive, she said that hers wasn’t. “I have seen other fathers who are not very expressive but mine was an extrovert (and so is my husband). Papa wore his heart (and emotions) on his sleeve, he laughed easily, and he showed his displeasure when we did things he didn’t approve of,” she said.
She also pointed out that our films and television are dominated by mothers’s emotions compared to fathers; however, she added, “Once in a while, a film comes that touches the cords of your heart.”
Waqt: The Race Against Time is a movie that resonates with Gulfam when it comes to her relationship with her father. She added, “At times he was strict with us just to show us the right path, and we thought he was being too tough on us, and it was much later that we realized it was in our best interest.”
Plans for Father’s Day? “I will do an activity with my nephew and help him make a gift for my brother, and later go for dinner with my husband and close friends.”
