Baap of all Parties

Yusuf Rassiwala

Dilip Babani skipped dinner last night. An unabashed foodie, he took us by surprise when he declared this morning that he was on a starvation diet. “I have had only one biscuit and a cup of tea in the morning

Sharing a private moment with guests

and that too, to go along with my diabetes pills,” he informed.
Dilip was not the only one to have denied himself even a morsel of food since attending Yusuf Rassiwala’s grand luncheon party at Courtyard Restaurant yesterday. Such was the irresistible array of starters and beverages on offer, not to mention the mind-boggling variety on the main course that most of us, if not all, had perforce retired to bed last night without dinner. We were stuffed to the gills.
Yusuf R had booked the entire ground floor of the restaurant to host what was a combination of his annual Eid party and birthday celebration. He turned 70 yesterday.

Panoramic view of the party hall

More than 80 invitees turned up to felicitate him, 45 of them members and their spouses as well as friends of Big Laaf. They included Bunty and wife Priya, Vasudev Batheja, Harish and Geetika Wadhwa, Dr Farooq Muhammed Khan, Devraj Das and some others.
So overwhelmed was Yusuf R’s wife, Niloufer at the massing of so many guests that she could not hold back her tears.

Niloufer turns emotional

“All I ask of you is to continue giving my husband your

Cutting the 70th birthday cake

love, blessings and good wishes and to pray for his good health and happiness…” she said on the PA system before breaking down sobbing. She could not complete the sentence.
The programme for the afternoon was phased out in three stages:
Intros: Welcoming of guests with Yusuf R making his introductory remarks: “I have two families, both equally dear to me. One comprises my wife, my two beautiful bahus and my two able sons, my lovely grandchildren and the entire Rassiwala clan, its offshoots… and the other is my Big Laaf family

Morning after... today

in the Garden with whom I cannot

Kajal Babani presents the Club Calendar

but begin my day every morning…”
Entertainment: On demand, Bunty took charge of the mike with a series of foot-tapping film songs (Harish providing the karaoke score in the background) followed by Priya Thakur and thereafter Siba Prasad Maitra, Banoo Apa, Bijoy Gupta, Vasudev Batheja and the usual suspects.

A proud and blessed family

Razia Khan compered this segment with aplomb, peppering her lines with trademark witticisms and Urdu couplets.
Cake Cutting: This was the time for the kids in the hall to scramble around Yusuf R as he cut his birthday cake to the strains on ‘Happy Birthday to You’ playing full-blast on the music system. Suddenly the music stopped as Kajal Babani weaved her way through the crowd and with some ceremony presented Yusuf R the Club calendar to the popping of cell-phone flashes. The action thereafter shifted to the lunch area and it was not without a beautiful perfume roll-on bottle as ‘return gift’ did the guests leave the premises.
It was this attention to detail and more importantly, the personal courtesies accorded to every guest that made this party stand out. Every person was made to feel a VIP. Given the numbers and the scale of the do, it was no mean task ensuring that there was no room for any complaint -- all thanks to the host and his wonderful family. Long live all of them!

Bihari Milwani:
When is Niloufer Rassiwala attaining the landmark of 70 years so that we get one more chance to enjoy such a party?

Dilip Babani:
Yusuf-bhai, it was a very very nice party. Lovely food, lovely people and lovely atmosphere. Lovely music with nice song and nice dance. Our Big Laaf family members enjoyed every moment of the party. Bunty-ji, Priya-ji, Banoo Apa, Maitra-ji, Gupta-ji, Razia-ji and the entire Rassiwala family made the party very, very nice. Harish-ji's music system made the party more enjoyable. Thanks Yusuf-bhai, for such a lovely and fantastic party. Happy birthday, once again.

Geeta Latte:
Bestest party ever 👆👌🎂! ! !

Karun Sharma:
Yusuf-bhai proved that he is a great host. He took care of everyone and ensured that everyone receives the best attention. Rightly said, this was 'baap of all parties' and it was was thrown by the Baap of Big Laaf. Another noticeable thing was the time plan was in place and the span of 12 to 3 was perfect. Whistling by Dilip during songs reminded me of my college days. Geeta and Dev were busy with the video coverage. Both of them are extremely warm and beautiful siblings.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Yusuf-bhai, congrats for entering into the age of a revered group. Wishing you a very happy, healthy and long enjoyable innings. I wish I could be there to felicitate you in person. God bless you all.

Yusuf Rassiwala:
I am thankful to all the members of Big Laaf for attending my birthday party. The party was organised with the help of our club members -- Dilip-saab and Kajal-ma'm, Harish-bhai for his music system... I also thank Razia-ma'm for compering the programme in such a nice and professional way. Last but not the least, our friends Mr and Mrs Bunty (Mahendrabhai) along with Vasudev Bhateja who took to playback singing, attracting all to the dance floor. Blog Monster was at his best capturing the beautiful moments. It was completely the joint effort of all members that accounts for the party's success. Once again I thank all the members and guests for showing their affection and love to me and my family. Bihari-sa'ab will have to wait for 5 years for Niloufer's 70th birthday. I will be 75 years then -- my Golden Jubilee. With all good wishes and love. ALLAH BLESS YOU ALL.

Intekhab Alam Khan:
Belated Happy Birthday, Yusuf Uncle.