Actress Gul Panag has shared a heartwarming family story about her son, Nihal, discovering the joys of camping with a tent that has been passed down through three generations of her family.
The The Family Man actress shared glimpses of their family camping trip on Saturday, revealing that the tent was purchased by her father during a backpacking trip across Europe in 1975.
Reflecting on the sentimental value of the decades-old tent, Gul said her father had bought it for just five pounds and that it weighed approximately 2.3 kg. More than half a century later, the tent remains in use.
“Some things are worth holding on to. Some are worth taking out into the world. And some things are more precious than anything money can buy. Like uninterrupted time together as a family,” she wrote.
Gul added that her brother had also used the same tent when he first began camping. Her father later gifted it to Nihal on his birthday, and the youngster has been enjoying it ever since.
“There’s something rather wonderful about a tent that has travelled through three generations of a family. From my father’s backpacking adventures in the seventies, to my brother and me discovering the joys of camping, to a little boy now making his own memories under the same canvas,” she shared.
For Gul, the tent represents much more than a camping accessory. It reflects a family tradition and a love for nature that has endured across generations.
The actress also recounted her father’s six-month journey across Europe, describing it as the most extraordinary adventure undertaken by anyone she knows.
According to Gul, her father flew to Kabul before hitchhiking and backpacking through parts of the Middle East, including Tehran and Beirut. He then travelled through countries on both sides of the Iron Curtain and across Western Europe before eventually reaching England.
Her father was a young Army captain at the time and used his accumulated leave and furlough to undertake the journey. Gul revealed that he spent the money he had earned during his first foreign posting in Bhutan, where he served with IMTRAT, on the adventure.
Through her son’s camping experiences, the actress is now witnessing a remarkable family tradition continue, with a tent bought in 1975 helping create new memories for a third generation.