Champagne and caviar

Unconsciously perhaps, I have noticed a specific pattern, especially in my emotional and mental well-being.
Manjusha Maheshwari, Deepak Menezes and Sadiqa Peerbhoy
Manjusha Maheshwari, Deepak Menezes and Sadiqa Peerbhoy

BENGALURU: Hola , my tribe! Whenever there is a personal or political upheaval, I hear the pet phrase, ‘Mars is in retrograde! I have caught myself saying it often enough (mostly in jest), but as time passes, I know there is a serious note that has crept into that phrase. When my friends laugh and say ‘et tu Rubi’, I brush the remark away with a witty one-liner before sweeping it under the carpet. I, too, have noticed that some months weigh more heavily on my shoulders than others. I must sheepishly admit that I have kept track of the ‘heavy’ months for the last couple of years. Unconsciously perhaps, I have noticed a specific pattern, especially in my emotional and mental well-being.

Taxpaying, festive or birthday months are heavy on one’s pocket, and financial constraints make a person a wee bit edgy. Still, funnily enough, there are certain months when my conflict levels seem higher, be it at home or work. I am quite convinced that the planet Mars is up to no good! Technically speaking, these should be the most exciting months of my life. Still, I am overtaken with a feeling of ennui and restlessness. Maybe I follow the straight and narrow path, with a strict moral code and a refinement synonymous with a genteel upbringing.

Maybe we are not the millennials or the Gen-X’s! Maybe we are cautious and fortuitous and boring and not living it up like the deceptors and con-artistes of the world! Maybe we should learn to throw caution to the winds and live dangerously. I was thrilled to be invited to the ‘hostess with the mostest, Priya Mascarenhas’s rocking party. Everyone who was anyone was there. With their kids and grandkids, the auld and genteel Bengaluru gentry were there in full strength.

The people who rocked the longest and hardest to the beats of a fantastic Goan band were our fun-loving city’s ‘gentrified’ people. Dancing like no one was watching and happy to be alive and well amongst one’s friends and family. It was Priya and Mohan’s happiness party where Mohan played a beautiful tribute on his harmonica for his friend w h o h a d passed. There wasn’t a dry eye as the son of the said gent l eme n led his mother onto the dance floor to waltz to his late father’s favourite song. And why did Priya have this party...to celebrate life! There you go! So parties and celebrations crowded my week.

My spirit was willing, but ‘my flesh’ was weak and protesting. Dancing in heels has never sat well wi th me, and kicking my shoes off while dancing poses other problems like who will help me put them on a g a i n ! Leaving all these mental protestations aside, I walked in tall and proud to celebrate the iconic ITC Windsor’s fortieth anniversary. The ballroom abounded with old friends and good cheer as the hotel had pulled out all the stops for this celebration. Scrumptious food was available everywhere, as their equally iconic restaurants laid out their best fare. Champagne, music, food, frolic and the guests thoroughly enjoying themselves made Deepak Menezes, their new GM, a happy man. As the famous Robin Leach catch-line went, ‘Champagne wishes and caviar dreams.’ Why not, huh?

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