Party Whirl

A chronicle of the parties I attended recently.

Party No 1

A professional party. Park Sheraton. Maharaja-Maharani Nite, the invitation said. So at the entrance to the venue was the ‘set’ of a Rajput gateway, flanked by two big-mustachioed ‘guards’, who proclaimed something in hindi (or rajputanese) when you entered. Instead of a garland, they gave us ID cards on a string of pearls. The men were led off to the turban area, to get dressed into rajput gear—shervani, turban and pointy slippers--and then sit on a throne to get their picture taken. The women had to entertain themselves with kili josiyam (didn’t know that was a rajputi habit), stick-on mehendhi tattoos and jiggly, sparkly bangles. Then they brought on the song and dance show, with a break for an ‘AV presentation’ about our kind corporate hosts. My enjoyment increased exponentially with each drink (needless to say). So I went home thinking very kind thoughts about the kind corporate hosts. So mission accomplished for them.

Party No 2

A non-party. Presidency Club. Greeted by deafening round of crackers. Just when you think its all over, they start it up again. Very nice tennis court. Strange battalions of nannies, looking after endless streams of kids. If they have a club only for adults I’m going to do my darndest to get in. Host very late but charming as always. Other guests (apart from self and Dad): 1 NRI, 1 MBA who made the evening memorable by fainting, 1 lawyer (the said charming host), 1 overly anxious mother, 1 silent food-crumbler husband. Quite a rocking party, as you can imagine. Anyway, mustn’t grumble. Drinks helped, as always. Went home musing about the frailty of man (not the general man but the male of the species).

Party No 3

An imaginary party. Its not a complete figment of my imagination. Just that it was in another continent and I couldn’t be there. But knowing the party organizer, I’m sure it was fabulous! Rather eager to hear about it.

Party No 4

A family party. Sanjeevanam. Good food: jeera water, cream of cucumber soup, red rice dosa, etc. Great company – my aunt and uncle. Matters of great import were discussed: the healthcare reforms, upcoming weddings, offensive vs defensive medicine. Intellectual stuff. Amazingly no C2H5OH. Just good clean living, peace on earth and goodwill to men! Went home with no thoughts whatsoever.

Hmm. Maybe the songs are right. Life is a party. So where do you go when the party’s over? Someplace quiet where you can reflect on what has passed I hope.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Sometimes its very easy to create a slave. Someone to fetch and carry for you. Someone who wont go to the loo for fear of annoying you. Someone who’s willing to eat lunch at her desk so she can keep an eye on your purse (because you asked her to look after it while you were away).

Sometimes there’s no holding people back. People marry and move to another town. Then they come back and divorce their husbands because they don’t get along. Then they run away from their parents and leave a note in a diary, saying ‘Don’t look for me; I want to make a life for myself on my own terms’.

Surely the greatest show on earth is what we call Life.