1st week of Preparation
It was a hectic Saturday weekend. Vidya wanted to celebrate Anirud’s 2nd birthday in style and wanted to buy a lot of quality gifts for kids and games. That was one hell of a job as we visited almost all the major shopping centers in Kuwait to buy a variety of stuff over the next couple of weeks.
In the morning we got ready to leave the house by 11 AM and our little angel was dazzling in his blue jeans. Vidya wore her 3/4th Jeans and yellow T shirt. Mom and the Kid love to be photographed and they also look stunning in the photographs.
And in the evening Kiddo wore a checked shirt and grey trouser while mom wore a blue bossini t shirt and 3/4th blue jean. If I remember correctly we went to Centre point and Red tag to buy some gift items as there was a sale on at that time.
This guy’s smile is so spontaneous and with numerous expressions which are ever-changing within seconds each click gives you a different moment of what goes through on his mind. It is completely unbridled and as free as the wind and not affected by woes that afflict us and makes us come up with a forced or coerced smile most of the times. That’s why they say, kids are so natural and beautiful.
And of course my woman is simply sensual and is a sizzling beauty in whichever costume she fits herself into…she is so conscious of her figure always but then with the kid not doing great health wise she has lost her color and has also put on some weight around the waist. But then we aren’t meant to look like stars are we? The innate beauty reflects itself in a way that is more perfect and lovely rather than an ornate being customized through the scissors of a professional cosmetologist.
2nd week of Preparation
It was the last Friday and day of April. We started off the day with our shopping visit for buying birthday party gifts. Vidya wore her new top which she bought in Mumbai on her 3/4th blue jean. And our chintoo wore a while tee on his blue shorts. For his party gifts we shopped in Centre point, Red Tag, City Centre, Lulu Centre, Max and at Toy Street.
She would take enormous amount of time buying these gifts for the games and kids as she wanted a clear differentiator in all cases. So we had to spend a lot of time and effort in going through the various items on sale and also it had to fit into our overall budget.
It was quite an effort in arranging for the party and she obviously took the lead in preparing the minutest of detail required. As usual I supported and assisted her in what she wanted to do as she wanted nothing but the best for the kid’s 2nd birthday anniversary.
First she had to identify the no. of people who would come for the party, decide on which party hall to book and we finally concluded on Avanti Palace party hall at Salmiya. Ramakumar helped us in finalizing a good deal on the food through his established contact. Then we checked up on a couple of people who would do the event management and then decided finally that we would do it by ourselves.
It meant that we had to spend long hours searching the net for various kids and adults games and also thinking about some of the games we ourselves played on other occasions in India and whether it would fit ideally in the overall scheme of things. Also whether these games were not repetitive and that it would be enjoyable as well and how easy to manage and conduct the game.
Then we had to list out the no. of people and the kind of gifts that we had to buy for games and kids. More than the buying it was the packing that was a pain. This was one horrendous task and we really missed our Dad who would have enjoyed all of these.
Finally we also had to order for the Cake and that was supposed to be one different thing. How did it turn out to be, watch out for the same on 13th May 2010 when the veil was broken. So all of these and other tiny bits and pieces of various tasks went on like a never ending task until the nth hour before we started the party on 13th May 2010 a Thursday evening.
On the evening of 30th April 2010 we went for Friday pooja at Balu Kalpana’s place where there was a one dish party followed by Tombola game. Anirud wore a Kurta Pajama and Vidya a pink blue salwar for the occasion. Both of them look fabulous and marvelous be it traditional attire or a modern outfit.
3rd week of Preparation – 1st May 2010
Our shopping binge continued until the D day…for we had to buy quite a lot of gifts for all children (they call it return gifts for those who come to the party), kids’ games, ladies game, gents’ game, couples game and spot prizes for ladies and gents. Finally we had the bingo game for which quite a lot of prizes had to be given for ladies, gents and kids as well. So we had to plan and execute everything to perfection. It requires a lot of minuscule attention to detail on every aspect. Every time we think of something, something or the other would be missing and we had to think through for a solution. We had multiple game plans and options so that in case of an issue we had a fall back arrangement. I can tell you, someone has to take keen interest and be fully involved to make sure that everything goes on quite fine.
Vidya even thought about an invitation card for the party and asked her Mama (Kannan) to come up with an exciting invitation like the one he designed for 1st year. And surely it did come out quite exceptionally well and everyone liked it very much.
And so it was quite hectic as every day passed by and we had to ensure that we had organized everything to a decent level if not a perfect T. It’s not so much about spending money; it’s all about getting money’s worth in terms of everyone enjoying the function and having a ball of a time and leaving with a satisfied frame of mind.
Every weekend was quite busy going around shopping malls to buy gifts etc and this weekend was no exception. Anirud wore a white tee with a grey trouser and Mama wore a white tee with a blue 3/4th jean. Both looking stunningly pretty and charming.
How do we infer the real beauty of a person, by the intrinsic qualities that one possesses or by the external appearance of the individual? Normal humans that we are toned by the peripheral surroundings and conditioning of the mind through media, lifestyles and daily routines we forget the true meaning and embodiment of our culture which itself has been transformed through the ages.
We really do not have time to understand and decipher the true meaning and importance of this human life that we forcibly fall into this vicious life cycle of the lifestyle around us and think that’s the ideal life we need to follow and achieve in our lifetime.
Life is but a set of quantified objectives where everything is measured in terms of money and valued in terms of monetary worth. There is no value truly for love, compassion, humanity and affection for fellow human being and hence these are only to be in text books and not be exemplified in real life, perhaps it is better seen in reel life.
If you think I have digressed completely out of context, nay my dear friend, I felt the need to say it as we are all obsessed to see ourselves dressed to kill rather than be simple and naïve. Here one person who comes to my mind is the father of our nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. No one can really emulate him in today’s world.
Final week of preparatory work
Further close to our D day and we had to complete and finalize the party plan. We had set out to buy the pending gift items on this final weekend before the party date on 13th May 2010. This Saturday we had gone to the Toy Street to buy some items. This is more like our own Desi markets with local stuff where you can bargain and get the best deals. Here it is full of made in china items and you can bargain to some extent but not much as it is a wholesale market.
My boy was excited to see toy cars and wanted to jump in and drive them and I had to hold and restrain him. It makes me wonder how they realize that these are toys and that they are meant to play with them. It’s like it’s their world and they belong to this place. Let me go, Dad, let me run amuck and have fun with all the toys. Actually you are fascinated as well, when you see so many different toys in myriad shapes and colors. At least for me the child in me wakes up and certainly I love some of the items, especially the cars and mo-bikes.
It’s an imaginary world far away from the real conundrums and doldrums of this real life. That’s why even as adults, sometimes we like to become kids and live their life far fetched from the harsh realities of life. But then again it cannot be said true for all kids that are born into this world. Take the cases of millions of kids who are born without proper food or shelter and in lands and families torn by disputes, struggles and impoverishment. That’s real anguish and despair for these kids when they see the kids who are blessed with good parental love, care, affection, a safe and secure life.
Beautiful Life 