FESTIVE SRISHTI

FESTIVE SRISHTI These days it is Navaratri, and ladies’ days out. These nine days belong to them - out and out: visit each other’s house for haldi-kum kum, chant Lalitha Sahasranamam, Devi Mahatmyam, do a little bhajan, sing a song or two of the classical variety, and exchange prasad I am not sure if the Bollywood dance session in the Yoga room or the matching decibel music is preparatory to a grand Dusshera finale, on the cultural front. But I do know that a dandiya performance is slated for Saturday, 4 October at the basketball ground. Not to lag behind in support-service to ladies’ brisk to and fro movements, Srishti’s MC commissioned the B Block new lift last Saturday. Now all the lifts are operational – till I was penning this piece, that is. Yes, it reduces their waiting time, A formal puja was performed to inaugurate the lift. The honorary ‘priest’ (a friendly retired Government official from an adjoining complex) recited the prescribed sankalp mantras for dhanam, daanyam, ayur. arogyam, etc., as one resident added from behind: Sarve Srishti kutumbeshu ekata bhava sidhyartham.... It was now time for a formal ribbon cutting. The hunt began for the right candidate. I proposed my friend from A Block, the senior most present. It boomeranged. He insisted it should be someone from B Block, and me by age. I invited my young friend, Mr Bhashyam, a member of the MC, to join me – not that the moustach-trimming pair of scissors handed to me needed the strength of two hands to oblige. Meanwhile the priest took stock of those present and went busied himself cutting the elakki bananas into three for distribution. “All is well that ends well,” I said to myself as I boarded the lift for the inaugural flight – marginally more commodious and a little faster. Music was still to be installed. So I couldn’t hum with the usual gusto (more when alone) and pat my back that mine was a shade better than that of the original singer. Later in the day when I used the new lift to go down, the doors opened with a frictional sound challenging an RD Burman background score . “The doors are well oiled my dear, but it takes a while for them to get into the groove. Have patience old man,“ I reminded myself. V.V. Sundaram B-703 06 Oct 2014