Cat Among Pigeons

Sitaram Hivarkar (in pic) finally let the cat among the pigeons. For days he has been grumbling to himself about the Club atmosphere getting vitiated ever since members started hosting parties in hotels and homes. Of late, his grouse is that only those who contribute for the gifts, cash or otherwise, are allowed to attend these parties.
“Please try to understand that everybody cannot afford to contribute every time there is a party,” he said during his brief address after the Suryanamaskar session. “My suggestion therefore is to have your parties in the Garden itself if you want us to attend. It does not matter whether you celebrate with luddoos or pedas or anything. Let us stay within our means. This is my request. So please don’t mind.”
Shekhawat promptly threw up his hands and announced that the majority decision would prevail. Yusuf-bhai and others argued that nobody can prevent anybody from having a party at a place of his/her choice, be it in or out of the Garden. Besides, a contribution of Rs 100 per head for a gift is not a huge financial burden.
“How can you go to a party empty-handed, without a gift or at least a bouquet?” Dilip Babani wondered. He was stopped short by a counter-question: “Do you mean to say that Jo jaisa maal layega, usko waisa maal milega?”
The ladies, mostly on Sitaram’s side, had a different take. As one put it: “Today you are charging Rs 100, tomorrow you may want to give a more expensive gift. This will keep on increasing. And then, this is not a one-off thing. Every month, there are three or four birthdays, sometimes more. We cannot afford this”
A senior member quipped that we gift someone’s grandchild because the party is held outside the Garden and we don’t give anything to another member’s grandchild because she celebrates inside the Garden. “What kind of logic is this?”
Before the discussion could get any more acrimonious, the Babanis brought about a modicum of sanity by pointing out that it is at our own free-will we attend parties, avoid parties, host parties, don’t host parties… and no questions are asked. The same applies to parties inside the Garden and outside the Garden. In other words, the status quo prevails.
Much ado about nothing!