We Did It!

Eid Party 2013   

Yesh… we did it. After the many hiccups and initial bickering, we finally proved that Eid can well be celebrated regardless of faith or community feeling. For the first time, all Hindus and Muslims of the Club joined hands in hosting a luncheon party at Shalimar Restaurant (on J.P.Road) in the true spirit of secular bonding and brotherhood.
And what a lavish spread it was! With more than a dozen exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in the main course -- not to mention a mind-boggling variety of hors d’oeuvres, breads, soups and salads – topped with falooda and other desserts, this was verily a feast for the kings.

Tara Chand Seth

It was unlikely that any person among the 28-odd guests could sample all that was on offer this afternoon.
The credit for organizing such a memorable bash goes entirely to Razia Khan. As in previous years, she had taken the initiative in mobilizing members for an Eid party and even paid an advance for booking the restaurant. Of all the people, Srichand Arora had to put his foot down, explaining that it would split the Club along communal lines. “Why should the burden of hosting an Eid party fall squarely on one community only,” he wanted to know.
In the face of the party getting scrapped (see post of August 23), Arora and Razia met one evening and after a serious pow-wow behind-the-scenes, a decision was taken to defray the expenses equally across the board. That way, the advance to the restaurant would not be forfeited and more importantly, we shall be sending a message that no community can be the sole custodian of any one religion – a sentiment that was immediately endorsed by all members of the Club.
Sadly, Tara Chand Seth could not be part of this celebration. As one opposed to scrapping the Eid party, he had been closely monitoring the developments every day. But today itself, he had a flight to catch to Delhi and couldn't say when he would return. Before leaving, he said his goodbyes and wished everyone well.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Religious festivals are a benchmark for love and harmony. We had a Big Lunch as a part of the Eid festivities in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. This is the only way people of different faiths can live together in harmony.