Getting Lucky

Displaying the 'booty bags' from Zarina Khan's birthday bash

We got lucky today also (ref yesterday's post). It was Zarina Khan’s birthday and without actually expecting it, we were treated to a major windfall of salties and savories, vada-pao, matthi, potato wafers… properly pre-packed in polybags together with a mango drink as an add-on.
“Except for the Frooti, all the items are home-made,” Zarina pointed out.
Zarina’s birthday bashes have always been lavish affairs. But nobody expected her to celebrate this time as she is known to be a vocal critic of us having to hold parties outside the Garden gate. Besides, tomorrow being a Saturday, many had expected her to delay her birthday treat by a day.
That said, it was a welcome departure from the practice of having to shift location soon after the exercises and busying ourselves with preparing plates, serving everyone individually and inviting strange looks from passersby. In fact, the distribution of the booty bags

One for the album: Zarina with Fahmida Khan

(as the pre-packed polybags were called) was done within minutes, leaving us ample time to chill out with the birthday girl

Zarina gets a birthday hug

and wish her well on her big day.
“I could as well have laid out all the stuff on paper plates,” Zarina explained. “But then, not only would it have created issues of clearing the litter, everybody would have asked for polybags to carry the eats home. So why not pack everything in advance into the polybags?”
To Zarina’s credit, she had managed to pull in an unusually large group of well-wishers, far exceeding the norm of 30-odd for our parties. Even Sunita Jajodia turned up, all the way from her new home in Malad. Of course, many like Bihari Milwani hung around to pay their annual subscription for membership renewal. And Bijoy Gupta had just about begun talking about the “fools’ conclave” (mahamoorkh sammelan) planned for Holi when he was cut short. We would rather hear him tomorrow. Watch this space.

SAMURAIS OF BIG LAAF: THE SEVENTH SAMURAI, SIBA PRASAD MAITRA CLICKED THIS PIC

Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Zarina-ji. Very nice party bag. Gold bless you!