Birthday Bugbear

Shekhawat-ji had to bring up the ‘birthday bugbear’ again. He announced that Kishor-bhai would like to celebrate his birthday on September 12 and whoever wanting to join him on hosting the Club party is welcome to do so. “I would also like to appeal to the ladies not to entertain outsiders (read ‘gatecrashers’) and unless otherwise told, I will not hesitate to ask an unwelcome guest to leave,” he added.
That did it. Promptly, history was recalled – when, in the past, someone called someone on someone’s birthday and fed him/her and that someone does not belong to the Club. These so-called outsiders simply spare about in the Chinese Hut, refusing to budge while a party is on and out of courtesy they are given food packets. More often than not, stocks run out and the person hosting the party is left with an embarrassing deficit.
Now, this is a genuine issue that cannot be laughed away. How do you recognize who is not a guest of the host(ess) and cold-shoulder him/her on a particular date? How do you police the premises? When everybody knows everybody (well, almost) in the Garden, how do you avoid eyeball contact with a non-member, just because a birthday party is on? Decency demands that the latter vacates the place before being told to.
But then, decency remains in short supply and the host inevitably is made to look foolish in the end – as it happened on Kishor’s birthday last year. He made provision for 50 guests (twice that of the members present), ordered as many packets from Vyanjan, had a huge cake laid out and cut… and was still found wanting. Let alone he and his family, there was not enough food to go by. Where the packets had disappeared is still a mystery.
“We should draw up a list of people entitled to attend a party and somebody should stand with the list at the gate to screen everybody coming in ,” suggested Rane-bhau helpfully, little realizing he was prescribing a recipe for turning the Chinese Hut into a war zone.
“At the last party we even saw food packets being taken out and given away,” narrated Monthi Serrao(left). “The member doing this would then come back and expect to be served more packets. How do you expect the food to last this way?”
Indeed, that is a point to ponder. Maybe we should seriously consider Santosh-ji’s idea about feeding everybody Hajmola pills with a vengeance -- on an empty stomach. That way, life would be so much simpler!!!
Renu Babani says:
I totally understand the dilemma here. The situation gets rather embarassing. It is tough as some members want to celebrate all the way; others, with distributing chocolates/mithai; and a few like being wished. This is actually a personal choice --each to his own. Whichever way the person wants to celebrate is a choice and no one is forced to compete with the other. We are here to share in the other's happiness, and isn't that what is important in the end? No amount of discussions will put an end to this situation because parties will take place and it is all a merry-go-around. So, why not take it in our stride and like they say, 'live and let live'?
--Renu