Working with my Dad on a Celebration of Indian and Pakistani Independence

mummyimperfect (66)in #family • 7 years ago

My Dad

From time to time my Dad requests/pressurizes me to attend one of the many community and charity events that he is constantly organising (he is the busiest retired person I know!). Sometimes I say yes as I want to support him, but sometimes I'm too busy or it's not convenient. I recently said yes and I'm so glad I did.

70 years of Indian and Pakistani independence

The event was a celebration of 70 years of independence for India and Pakistan. There’s a lot of friction between these two countries so it was brilliant idea to have both communities come together and celebrate similarities not differences. The evening consisted of music and dance from both countries and a special item which celebrated the different regional women's wear in Pakistan. There were also speeches from British Indian and British Pakistani dignitaries, including personal accounts of the destruction that was caused by the partition between Indian and Pakistan. My role was to co-host the event and keep the evening flowing and enjoyable for the audience. It’s something I’m not new to as I’ve compered a few events in the past, mainly ones that my parents have organized……they have a habit of talking me into these things!

My role as compere

One of the reasons that I said yes to my Dad this time is because my Dad asks very little of me and he has done so much for me and my sisters. He’s accompanied me to a million events in my life. He’s helped me to produce a whole theatre production and take it on tour. It’s really the least I can do to support him and take part in an event that he has worked hard to put together. It was also a chance for me to come out of my comfort zone, put mummy duties on hold and glam up!

No one wants to let the side down

I talk to my Dad often but when you work on a project with family it’s a whole different level of closeness. Close family members know your strengths and weaknesses better than you know them yourself. They can help draw out each other’s strengths and step up to help when they see a weak point. There’s no competition between family when you’re working on a project because everyone wants it to succeed. No one wants to let the side down. If a member of your family looks stupid, you all look stupid.

My kids were in charge of guest list!

This was the first time that my kids got involved too. All of them attended the show, thanks to my mum and sister who did an amazing job of looking after them. Mini Me 1, Mini Me 2 and my nieces, helped my dad sort out the guest list and organize the tickets. They also helped me set out snacks and drinks for the performers backstage. On the night, Mini Me 1 and my younger niece were on guest list duty while Mini Me 2 and my elder niece helped to look after the baby. It was a real team effort and everyone took their role very seriously.

Learning organisational skills and some history

Even in the lead up to the event when we were staying at my parents house, all the four older girls were going out and about with my Dad picking up tickets and other random items. They even made a detour to an art exhibition and were treated to ice creams! I feel like they learnt more so much from being involved in this event – organizational skills, social skills, time management and a history lesson! I can’t wait to see how the kids contribute to future events that my Dad or other family members organize. I have a feeling that I’ll be the one asking my kids to host my events in the future!

Here are a few photos from the event: