ILites Meeting At Bangalore On 25th May, 2006

Most Gracious ILites,
It gives me great pleasure in posting a snippet about the Meeting of ILites which happened in Bangalore on 25th May, 2006.
There were two high points in the recent vacation I and my family had. One was "An Evening With Chitra" an incredibly delicious dinner with an unbeliveably graceful lady of IL - the Great Chitra herself.
The next high point is the meeting we ILites had in Bangalore. You all might be aware of the first such meeting which happened on 12th March,2006. Since it was the first of its kind, it was posted by Ambika in What's new. Now the meeting has become a regular feature and so has come to the Snippets Forum.
As usual the most organised Ambika took on herself the responsibility of co-ordinating the logistics. When there were some doubts in my mind about the meeting an enthusiastic Ambika came on line to threaten me "Sridhar, we won't let you go out of Bangalore without first meeting us."
The day before the meeting Sharada called to announce the venue. An Hyderabadi food joint in Brigades Road. The time: 12:30 PM on 25th May. The usual participants with the following changes and notes.
a) Sudha's (rvnachar) daughter Varsha joined us this time.
b) My wife Indhu and my daughter Preethi were also there.
c) Ambika established contacts with Mrs.Sundari (Sunkan) who had promised to come. But her daughter called the next day to announce that she could not.

It's perfectly okay, Sundari. My logistics adviser (Ambika) tells me that the only way to trap you is to have the meeting in your place. That's going to happen next time. Don't tell me I have not warned you.

The time of arrival of ILites was inverserly proportional to the distance they travelled to attend the meeting. I, who travelled some 450 plus kilometeres arrived at the venue first. Sudha (30 kilometres) followed suit. Sharada came next followed by Ambika and Pankaja.

There is a very definite purpose in my taking my wife and daughter to the meeting. For when the last meeting was described in IL many ILites complimented me that I looked like 'Krishna' surrounded by a bevy of colourful ladies. Well, I wanted to break that image. (Not that I don't love the company of women, but image is a different ball game altogether, you know - ha ha ha)

But I was also afraid that as far as my wife and daughter (and Sudha's daughter too) were concerned the meeting would bomb. For when we writers rant about the idiosyncracies of the Editors they might find the meeting as interesting as Vayalum Vazhvum (A Programme For Farmers in Doordharshan).

Hats off to Pankaja. She won my wife's heart by the very first sentence she uttered.

"You look like Varalotti's daughter and Preethi's sister."
Expectedly my wife was floored. The beauty of it is every one including my wife knew that was one hell of a white lie. But coming from Pankaja and delivered with her trade-mark grace we just suspended our disbelief for a while.

The food was a little better than 'horrible'. I should blame you Chitra for you had set high standards and got our tongues trained to the tastiest food.

But nobody bothered about food. People were talking talking and talking. As a whole and in small groups. There were ladies talk, the writers' ramblings and even teenagers' views of the world, thanks to Varsha and Preethi.

In the last meeting there was almost a street-fight as to who would settle the bill. That was avoided this time because I donned the role of an accountant and instituted a system of debit-sharing. Ambika paid the bill and within microseconds I calculated every one's share on a per head (or rather per stomach) basis, collected the money and paid to Ambika. Remember this accounting service was not billed.

When we walked out of the hotel by about 3 in the afternoon the weather outside was very pleasant. It was neither hot nor cold. But there were 8 hearts which were distinctly warm from the exchange of love and affection. We took leave of each other promising to meet at the earliest available opportunity.
Needless to say Indusladies figured in our talks all the time. All of us are used to posting threads in Indusladies. But on that happy day 'Indusladies' was itself a thread which held all of us together in sheer love. Thank you, Indusladies.
sridhar
PS: The photographs will follow soon.

Dear Sridhar,
Your write up says it all - anyway I have been wanting to meet Pankaja ( that is more because only she will not think I am an oldie ! ), so please do not forget to invite this Chennaite for the next Bangalore meet !
Well, probably Pankaja wanted to pay Indhu the best compliment & in that " exercise" your ego was lighty given a " tap" ?
I think you both look like a " made for eachother" couple & Sweet Preethi completes the " perfect threesome" !
You have paid me such nice compliments, thereby increasing my responsibility !
Thanks for sharing the news in detail with us.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Hello Sridhar,
A cute writeup of your meetings....setting a trend i can see.....

Those of us from out side India have to start planning on how to meet up everyone on our yearly trips now.....sounds pretty interesting to actually meet in person with all those we have been interacting from so far away in the past year!

But one word on ...THE DISBELIEF ....SUSPENDED ...part!
Trying to point out on behalf of your wife Indhu, what she would have said about your disbelief....I am sure Pankaja ma'am , must have really meant that your wife looks like your daughter and 'Preethi's' Sister( after all a writer of such stature will not lie!)
.....you don't know , women after a certain age start looking younger and here it looks like she looks as young to be your daughter....
and with a daughter , we all end up as sisters also( this is also from my personal experience! )

So kindly take back your words and disbelief on that and better believe it....maybe you should start doing something to look more her age now than your age( though you profess to be younger and always remain 27/28 on IL)

Well suggestions, go refer to Bambi or any other experts column! ha ha.....

that was really great sridhar on ur part and dont u worry....i am a little scared as u compare with chitra's menus but yes i dont mind the challenge in my own way...u will defenitely be welcome with ur companians....i am sure ambika will as usual become the organiser....regards sunkan

Dear Chitra,

I think my post should have been first...now you have negated what i have said.....not fair..... ...shows that you are sticking to your madurai Friend....and not to his wife , well come nshe is also a maduraiite!....well...too late now....but i wonder why we both have picked on the same topic?:confused:

How can I not take cudgels for my dear Maduraite ? Ofcourse now Indhu is coming a close second after my meeting her last week ! Don't be surprised if she zooms past my dear Maduraite - ha ha ha !
I still maintain Pankaja has only tried to flatter Indhu to make her " feel at home" & that comment in no way reflects on my dear Maduraite's smart & savvy appearance !
Now, let us not start a new thread !!!
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Hi Sridhar,

That was a nice write -up, you write best when you write spontaneously from your heart. It is also heartening to note that these gatherings are becoming more general rather than exclusive writers meet. And if the next one is in the house of my dear frind Sundari, then I am gate crashing, self-invited.

Looks like the jibe 'Gopikrishna' has hit you! Ha!Ha!Ha!

regards
Vidya

Dear Chitra,

You are most welcome to join. The next meeting when it happens at Mrs.Sundari's house there will be a huge gathering. (I specifically include our dear friend who has promised to gate-crash; Vidya, you are most cordially invited to join and grace the gathering)

Dear Sudha,
You have assured a place for yourself in Indhu's heart by cooly endorsing the white lie of our dear friend, Pankaja. And Madam, you have also made a statement from your personal experience. But my spies in Frankfurt report to me that your husband looks young and definitely does not look old enough to be your father. So.....
I communicated your message to my wife Indhu who asked me to invite you for a special feast prepared by her own hands when you visit India next time. See, just by white lies and whiter lies you can go places, get feasts, oh, the list is endless.

Dear Sundari,
Thanks for the open invitation. We'll take a rain-check on that. I am sure by the next meeting the crowd would have swollen so large that you may have to book a Mandapam nearby. We look forward to that great day, Sundari.

Dear Vidya,
Thanks for the certification of my writing. I badly need it nowadays as my legs are being pulled in B&B. If every my spirits are down, like I get a bundle of rejections from mags, I'll read this endorsement of yours to rejuvenate yourself. Now about Gopi Krishna jibe. Let me confess. Given a chance I would love to be like him. There is a difference between Rama and Krishna. Rama walked on the path of Dharma. Whatever path Krishna walked became Dharma itself. So I would love to be like him. But what hurts is the image.. ha ha ha.

With regards to all
sridhar

Dear Sridhar,

I will be glad to have a party with your 2 young daughters anyday.....well now looks like with so many invitaions, i will drop by in summer itself and avail of all the free lunch/dinner coupons, even if it means i need to travel to the cities! After all how can i disappoint your eldest 'daughter'...and of course have to on behalf of Indu meet Panakaja ma'am and thank her also!
And of course i know that whatever spies you have will be m.n, and they are never right! And did u read the fwd on Honourable men! That says it all....

Now Chitra will not host anyTHING on my behalf i am sure....since she stands truely by her sauve maduraiite. ........even though she has not been "goody-goody" in praising your Band B!...ha ha.....

Dear Sudha,
Most welcome to the party with my two daughters. They will be delighted to have you. You see they have not hosted an elderly aunt in the past several years and would love to host one now. Ha ha ha.
Madam, you can blame me but not my spies. They have adduced satellite photographs of yourself and your husband to prove their point. I will pm them to you if you require.
affly
sridhar
PS: Did you see the sequel of Honourable Men! Yes, that is Honourable Woman!