Celebrating Milestone-Anniversaries

I don’t know how it is with you, but in our family sometimes it is celebrations all the way. We had four such occasions in our family.

My younger sister celebrated her 60 years of married life – she in her eighties and b-i-l just 90. They stay in a Senior Citizen home in Coimbatore, very happy, attending sloka or bhajan sessions, or discourses, simultaneously not missing the weekly new movies shown in their auditorium or occasional group trips in taxis to four or five temples in a day. The rest of the time my sister is on a disinvestment spree, selling their properties in Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. 

Then comes my wife’s brother. He is celebrating his 60th birthday visiting his sons in US. On being questioned how he chose to ignore all his sisters in Bangalore on this landmark birthday, he said, “My elder son has just lapped up a job in San Francisco, and we didn’t want to miss the younger one’s Master’s Convocation in Washington DC. Not to worry, I will celebrate it when on return,” He reassured his protesting elder sisters – a sole son after seven girls to his parents. His sons had arranged a helicopter ride to celebrate, and visits to friends and relatives stretching from East Coast to the West Coast. One of the beneficiaries is my elder son and family who spent with them some time with them on their way to Grand Canyon. 

Chandra-Chandru, as the name itself suggests, is a made for each other couple.  After spending five days in Munnar celebrating their 40 years of married life they returned last evening, to perform Satyanarayana puja at home today. After retirement they lost no time to join an international time-share company, a la Club Mahendra. And if my guess is right, barring the African continent, they would have covered several countries. They take off to Australia this month-end till year-end.

In May end we too celebrated our 50 years of married life. “So how are you going to celebrate your Golden jubilee, Akka-Athimbar?” asked my Cedar sister in law. “Not much of a plan since Shankar (my elder son) and family will be here the whole of July and we have elaborate plans drawn up – Guruvayoor, family-deity temples, Coimbatore to be with my siblings, Shivamogga, Pondicherry, Vaitheeswaran kovil…. We will thus have a quiet day today - at best we will go to a temple,” we answered. “Fine, you take care of the ‘quiet’ part, and I will take care of your visit to the temple. Get ready now, we will drive you to ISKCON temple here, and then we all will go to Jayanagar for lunch,” she said – and did it.

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Not just us; the hands of my SFV friends too are full.  Let me share my experience in enlisting members to our recent Sakleshpur trip. I contacted first my Alder friend. He said: “Sakleshpur? Nice place to visit. But right now, I have three couple-guests at home. We are ourselves going on an eight-day trip to Madurai...”

The Pine friend had this to say: “We would have loved to join, but a close relative of mine is very ill and my presence in Bangalore is essential.”

My new friend who moved into Maple recently was in Vande Bharat train to Chennai when I contacted him. “Sorry sir, we have not shifted fully from Chennai. There are still some unfinished tasks.”

My Ebony friend checked his diary and said, ‘Sorry, we will be in Sringeri at that time.”

The Cedar couple, out more often fulfilling social obligations than pleasure trips, responded thus: “Sir, you know I just returned from Chennai after attending a bereavement. My wife and I are now headed in two different places – me to attend an 80th birthday, and she for a family wedding. And next month I will be in Thiruvannamalai advising my brother, on the civil side, to construct a charitable shelter facility for spinal cord patients.” 

Busy-bee thy name, retirees.