We used to celebrate bdays like festivals when we were all
together. I generally start a mail chain or so almost a month ago as per my
habit and we discuss a lot about anybody’s bday gift and surprise on phone, sms
and mails. Because there has to be some special element for everybody’s bday,
its becoming really difficult now to get ideas for gifts and all. But then we
used to organize everything. And same happened on Chashmish’s bday in 2009.
Nobody can dare to forget or miss her bday because she start
announcing about it a month ago. In 2008, we gave her a surprise by coming at
her home exactly at 12 o’clock with cakes and celebration so in 2009 we had to
do something different. First usual question was gift??? Chakli is fond of
making glass painting and Chashmish liked it very much so we decided to make
one for her. Chashmish was fond of(rather habituated) of doing lots of msgs
then and always talked about her sms chatting. I once joked her that I’ll give
her msg recharge pack on her bday and now we seriously decided to do so. I
thought of doing some more fun. Once when I came back home earlier, I took all
the empty boxes-big and small in size-and started gift wrapping it and then put
those 2 msg recharge cards in the big hierarchy of boxes. And Lali has written
some diary pages for Chashmish. “Lali has written something in diary” will
itself be a big surprise for her. I got an idea that we should announce a gift
hunt for her like treasure hunt where she’ll be given clues and she’ll find her
gift from her home. Now hiding the gift at her place was a big task in itself.
She was mostly at home so we can’t hide big glass painting in front of her. And
even if we could, there was a risk that she’ll find it. We told our desires to
her mom and she agreed that she’ll take care of all this. There is a room in
her house in which nobody peeps in so we told aunty to hide gifts there
somewhere. When all these discussions were going on one side, my parents were
organizing a trip another side. That created a lot of confusions for mithu
whether to plan her gift her before her bday or after I come back… Finally we
decided to organize things after her bday on weekend.
She used to go to her company on 2 days from 5 to 10pm. So I
went to her house at around 9 on Thursday when she was not there. I told all
our plans to her mom and handed over gifts. Generally in bday celebrations,
whenever we do any secret discussions, and bday girl ask about it, we start
lying like anything and afterwards laugh like anything. So when I told
Chashmish that I am going on a trip on her bday she was very sure that I am
lying her and will give surprise. On her bday when I called her at 12 o’clock
night, she finally believed that I was really going. She might be having hopes
for Lali and Chakli turning up on that day but everybody knows that nobody
initiate the plans without me.
I don’t remember the date(coz I am not ChashmishJ) when we
exactly went at her place but it was Sunday. We first all got together at my
place. Then just to check that she’s at home only and not having any other
plans I called Chashmish and asked all random things in the world and got to
know that her project partner had come and they both would be doing
project(which we’ll not let them doJ) So up we all went…I think she was not
hoping much on Lali so that too added to her surprise element. I was highly
animated and gave everybody instructions that we will give her surprise, we’ll
shout at entrance, we’ll harass her for gifts and NOBODY WILL TELL HER ANYTHING
ABOUT THE GIFTS(nobody followed my instructions and I became popat(parrot)J)
Everybody’s head were banging because of me when I started asking whether we
should take match sticks for candles. My sis finally got sickened and shouted
at me, “She will be obviously having everything in her home. Now shall we
please go?”
When we were on the stairs with cake and ribbons, I started
taking the video and my sis started grudging, “Off you started. If you are so
much enthu, take the video of my face, my hands, see this cake, this ribbon and
every minute things u can see here!” When she opened the door, I was expecting
everybody to shout, “SURPRISE!!!” but only I did :P My sis started pulling my
leg, “Its surprise only for her and not for us…Here is my surprise” and then
she started decorating Chashmish with ribbons and spread ribbons everywhere in
the room. We turned her house into a fish market, “Amity, do this, do
that…change ur cloths…give us the match sticks…bring that table…hurry…do wear
that capree…I want this…” She was happily enthralled, “Wait guys, at least let
us finish the lunch! Let me clean the kitchen and let me…” Before she could
argue any more, we sent her to change. My video recording
activity was still on and my sis started giving different poses for video.
Finally when everything was arranged, she cut the cake and we clapped and sang
songs for her.
Now where’s the gift?? I and Chakli thought it was in that
special room. Lali and Chakudi did not had much idea about it, still Chakudi
was alarming us that she will tell Chashmish everything, and that she will take
the bribe of one extra piece of cake for keeping her mouth shut J Chakli had
written a small instruction for Chashmish about gift hunt in a diary paper so
we gave that to her and asked her to read aloud. The paper included following:
“On your birthday, we have organized a small gift hunt. You
have to identify
1.
Number of gifts
2.
Where the gifts are
3.
What are the gifts
To give you a lil hint, the gifts were placed in your home
on 22nd, and today is 26th, you are still not able to
find out ”
Chakli explained her the hint in detail. Before she blurts
out anything more, I stopped her and asked Chashmish to answer the questions
one by one. She guessed the number of gifts-‘One?Two?Three?’ like that. Then
she was thinking about the place. We told her, “You’ll not able to find the
gifts unless you actually stand up and find”. So she started gift hunt.
I was taking video as usual. People are running behind her.
She first entered in her room and said, “I cleaned this room yesterday only!”…hehehe…then
she saw under the bed, on her computer table, in her big book boxes, in her
cupboards and kept on saying, “I cleaned this cupboard thoroughly, how is it
possible that…?” She found one bag and said, “Ah this is the…oh no, these are
shoes.” She was confused and roaming here and there in the room and we were
enjoying. Chakli took pity on her and said, “You have to search the gift in
whole house and your house is not over in your room only”…Then Chashmish got
enlightened that the gift cannot be in her room. I slapped Chakli for giving
her the idea-“Now you will not give her ANY ANY hints…” She went to her kitchen and drawing room to
search, saw everywhere(even behind the fridge J)
but could not find the gift. Tired, she sat on her bed, “Please give me some
other hint, where else in the house? Kitchen, my bedroom, that special room, gallery?”
I now have already told Lali and Chakudi the place. We have thought that we
will give her hints like, “You need authentication to enter the room” etc types
but she’ll surely recognize the room so Chakudi told her that, “You already
mentioned in your statement about the place” She again started roaming
everywhere. We were making fun of her, “See, if you’re not able to find it
right now, in next Diwali when you do deep cleaning of your house u’ll surely
find…when is Diwali? Oh its still 9 months to go…hehehe…now u’ll deep clean ur house
tomorrow only…”
Chashmish tried to bribe Chakudi but in vein. She thought of
calling her mom, but we told her mom is already involved with us. Finally after
giving same hint again, she was sure that the gift is there in that special
room. We all went there, nobody knew exactly where the gift was. We tried to
look here and there but could not find. Now what?? We all went to ask her dad.
And finally he gave a definite hint-“Only gallery”. Now this too wasn’t easy as
Chashmish’s house had 3 galleries. We twice searched it and finally Chashmish
located the gift which we gently grabbed from herJ
Now we all sat in her room asking about what could be the gifts. Again somebody
blurted out that 2nd box is box inside box inside box…so she somehow
guessed that it might be some coupon. Finally we all opened the gift and she
was delighted to see the gifts but she was even more delighted when we gave her
the diary pages written by Lali. She read it aloud and they both became emotional.
Now there was another surprise for mithu from my side. Chashmish
knew about it. It was the mithu ppt. Actually we have collected lots of pics of
all of us and put everything in a big ppt with music and animation and poetry. It is fantastic. I showed it to everybody and told them how it was started and how we
collected the pics, Gujarati fonts, songs, sections and this and that. Then we went to have some
food. We took lots of pics in different poses with caps, talked, pulled each
other’s leg and finally went home. It was great fun that day.
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