Giant Dubai family who all live together

• Image Credit: Courtesy: Parmar family
• Pitamber and Vijaya Parmar pose with their children and grandchildren in their house in this 2011 picture.

Dubai: With seven children, 17 grandchildren and a rock solid family tailoring business in Dubai that he runs with an iron hand, Pitambar Nagi Parmar, 81, is nothing short of a modern day patriarch. His three sons, three daughters-in-law and their children all live together in Dubai. His oldest grandchild is 33 while the youngest is only seven years old.

After 23 years of living together under one roof in Bur Dubai, the Parmars decided to move to the Green Community and live in three adjacent villas as there were additions to the family. However, to this day, theirs is pretty much a joint family as Pitambar and his sons — Bharat, Dharmendra and Prakash — all are board members in their much celebrated tailoring business that now has three branches in Dubai and is going strong on expansion.

This month Parmar and his 77-year-old wife, Vijaya, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary surrounded by members of their large extended family. Sixteen years ago, Gulf News had featured them as one of the few families upholding the classic joint family tradition and, as we revisited them last week, we realised to this day the Parmar clan believes that the family that lives together sticks together through thick and thin and emerges stronger.