The birthday party, one that was being organised that evening, was no ordinary dinner party - it was the 48^th birthday party of Mr. Ravish Nair, husband of Anjini Nair; residents of the penthouse in the J tower. You might wonder what is so special about the 48^th birthday? Be it of Ravish Nair or Tom Jones. In this vast world of condominiums, start-ups, and malls with Korean bakeries, yes, in short the world of Gurgaon NCR, birthday parties are a big deal. Be it the 1^st or the 48^th. Or for that matter anniversaries, or for that matter any event. Any occasion that called for a lavish display of one’s resources - both material (in terms of the show-shaw) as well as imagination (the more unique the party, the better its recall and mention) - must be celebrated. This is the rule that half of Gurgaon operates on. One that is followed to the T in Arcade Emporia. And so the 48^th birthday of Ravish Nair had to be celebrated. What made Ravish Nair that much more special was his professional stature. The CEO of one of the largest, solvent, and buck-making book publishing companies in the country, Ravish was extremely popular in the condominium. Now to anyone living in Arcade, this wouldn’t have struck as anything new or unexpected; for Ravish Nair could win any poll, if one,  for being one of the friendliest people in the condominium. A jovial, jolly fellow, he could talk (mostly down) to any and everyone on any and every subject possible - be it stocks, politics, obscure art movements, to the local Bollywood gossip. Despite their annoyance on his thinly veiled condescension, he was positively welcomed and courted.

And that was because of his CEO role. After all, it is the prime wish of most people to become a published author. If one were to take a random survey (in Gurgaon for sure),  as to what is there on their bucket list, it is certain that 90% of the respondents would say that writing and getting a book published is on the top. At least this was true in Arcade Emporia; no wonder Ravish Nair found himself being invited to dinner and tea parties by all and sundry (once they got to know what he does). In the beginning, Ravish had been fairly surprised at his own popularity; however soon he figured out the reason behind that. By his 48^th birthday, he was under no delusion and in fact was expecting a huge birthday party. He was also clear about whom he wanted to stay friends with.

How the Duttas came to be friends with the Nairs is a story in itself. Ravish Nair had bumped into Abhijeet Dutta one fine morning, early and bright, near one of the narrow by-lanes in the apartment complex. Abhijeet Dutta, tired after 2 consecutive rounds of jogging around Arcade was hunched up and tying his shoe laces, even as he caught his breath. Ravish was dawdling, ambling slowly on his second round. “Oh, hello, do you need any help?” He said, when he saw the hunched up Abhijeet Dutta from the back. For a minute he thought that this guy was probably dying. Abhijeet jerked up and looked back. “Hey no, thanks. I am good.” He had finished tying up his shoe laces and was ready to continue running the third round. He stood up and introduced himself with a firm handshake. “Hello, my name is Abhijeet.” “Aha, I am Ravish. Nice to meet you. New to Arcade Emporia?” The conversation took an even more pleasant turn when some common interests were discovered, which among others, included a passionate liking for hot jalebis and rasgullas. Professional contacts and mutual acquaintances, also found, before long Ravish Nair and Abhijeet Dutta had a camaraderie going.

Of course this was welcomed by Naomi, for precisely two reasons. For one, Anjini Nair was the unofficial Queen Bee of the society. Dusky, svelte, and utterly gorgeous, Anjini was spotted sashaying around the lanes of the condominium, as if she owned the place. Well, maybe she did, Naomi had often thought. Naomi’s entry into the hallowed, select, closed world of Arcade Emporia, had already begun when she joined the Zumba class and had made some friends there. However, her aspirations of rising to a particular stature, similar to the one she held back in Campbell, US of A, had not been met.

This serendipitous meeting of her boring husband with the Ravish Nair, spouse of Anjini Nair, meant a direct entry into the echelons of who’s who in Arcade Emporia.

And then there was the other reason, the more common one, she too hoped (secretly of course) that her book would get published one day. Just like many others in AE and in Gurgaon. There was just one hitch. The book had yet to be written! Make no mistake, Naomi Dutta had no literary pretensions - her pretensions were purely social.  But she had a long, extensive bucket list - of things to do, that would enhance her own and her family’s social standing. And writing a book that would be published was one of the items; especially because it would give her an intellectual facade. What better way to become a writer than befriending the CEO of a publishing house first. The other part, namely writing of the said book, could of course be taken care of later.

Not before long then, the Nairs found themselves hobnobbing with the Duttas. Lunches, dinners, picnics, the families began to be seen together. More because the men bonded rather well; and to an extent because Naomi did everything to please Anjini. Gone was her disappointment that they had left America; she focussed all her energies towards her new goal. Her baking skills, acquired in classes at a community college in the US of A years back, were put to full use. Plying the Nairs, Ravish, Anjini and their teenage children, with yummy, delicious, fresh bakes, of both kinds, savoury and sweet, combined with her largely personable nature, and shrewd acumen, Naomi made her way into their lives. Over long conversations, where matters ranging from the sublime (“What do you think of Henri de Toulouse-Lautre’s At the Moulin Rouge?”) to the absolute mundane (My help is going back to her village; do you know of anyone who can get me a 24 hr help?), Naomi and Anjini bonded.

It was a few weeks into this friendship born out of propinquity, that Anjini invited Naomi to a small get-together at her place. Naomi was overjoyed. This was precisely what she had been angling for. An entry into the most private, closed group in Arcade Emporia. Back when she had joined her Zumba class, she had heard about this exclusive group and its inhabitants - from Rekha Soneji, Nilo Kumar, Vidya Chari, Sumona Roy, Mandira Singh, and of course Anjini Nair- so much that Naomi was clear that this is among whom she HAD to belong. An invitation to join this lot for an exclusive tea party, from none other than Anjini Nair meant that Naomi Dutta had entered the private club!

And what a get-together/tea party it turned out to be. By the end of it, Naomi had made a mark, nay an impression, on this exclusive group. All thanks to her delicious bakes painstakingly and specially created for this occasion. She had these women eat out of her hands, literally and figuratively, and before long she found herself integrated into this motley group and presided over as its CBO aka Chief Birthday Organiser.

No, no, this is an important position in all these motley groups that exist in condominiums like Arcade. There is this one person who is responsible for planning and executing a birthday ‘surprise’ for the one member whose birthday is around the corner.  A reminder is sent to the others that a birthday is coming up, and the ladies (minus the birthday girl) then plan together the gift and cake, while being considerate of the birthday girl’s interests and other’s budgets.

Naomi assuming this role in this group proved to be a game-changer. She brought in her superior organisational skills to the game and upped the entire face of birthday planning in Arcade. Why, one could say even Gurgaon! Occasions in her able hands became such unique memorable events - ones that not only the party goers spoke of highly, but also ones considered a hallmark, a standard to other neighbours and “friends”!

Gone was the gift and cake routine - within a limited budget - instead, she would come up with suggestions for truly a unique gift accompanied by an equally unique party idea. Turning a typical birthday party to an enriching experience was what she aimed to do and did so well. A month before the occasion, she would meticulously start a WhatsApp group, and drop her well-thought out suggestions on that. On the face of it, it was to take the group’s opinions and consent, but down below she knew that they would go with whatever she suggested. More so because such enthusiasm and drive to organise an event every month was rare! And so it was. Even as Naomi Dutta became a rage, entering the exclusive club of the bored rich ladies of Arcade, her entry wasn’t viewed that amicably by the others in the group. While Rekha, Nilo and Vidya welcomed her whole-heartedly and quite liked her (more their nature than Naomi’s personality), Sumona and Mandira were sceptical. They distrusted this flashy, saccharine sweet lady, who had barged into their lives and was not willing to leave Anjini alone. Wherever Anjini went, Naomi would follow. Whatever Anjini liked, Naomi did too. Whatever Anjini wore, Naomi wore too. This whole sucking-up was too obvious and very sus, according to these two ladies. Now since their views were not the majority views, they had to zip it!