Power Lunch

8216;8216;Stop,8217;8217; said Mehta, and announced: 8216;8216;Twelve!8217;8217; as everyone applauded. I had actually managed to say it all8212;complete with the requisite actions8212;a dozen times in one minute. The second position was indisputably mine.

My first attempt, and I was just one short of the winning record8212;13.

I began to feel better. An acute embarrassment had crept over me when I had walked in for the 8216;Glitter and Shine8217;-themed kitty party at Nidhi Mehra8217;s swanky penthouse in Pune8217;s upmarket Uday Baug. Mehra had said everyone was required to wear something that glittered, which ruled out most of my Khadi Gram Udyog-inspired wardrobe. But as I walked in8212;in a green silk salwar suit with sequinned dupatta my mum had surreptitiously added to my trousseau years ago8212;I realised I had taken the theme too seriously.

They were wearing casual skirts with a glittery stole or lightly sequinned cotton suits with a touch of glitter on handbags, hair, shoes, nails or neck.

8216;8216;How come no one8217;s wearing glittery clothes?8217;8217; I demanded.

8216;8216;Oh, it was too hot and humid,8217;8217; Mehra smiled sweetly.

I settled into her plush sofa and accepted the cool khus drink served in a tall-stemmed blue, green and yellow glass. Hmm8230; That was also the colour scheme of her living room. At least somewhere, themes were taken seriously.

The ladies began to dish out Rs 2,000 each as their contribution to the kitty. Chits were placed in a bowl, and the one fished out bore the name of Saloni Karia, who became entitled to the grand prize of Rs 24,000 at the next kitty.

Of course, the money came with the rider that the next kitty would be held at her residence. 8216;8216;We are 12 of us in the group and for each kitty, six take turns to cook and get stuff to the host8217;s place, so that no one is unduly burdened,8217;8217; explained affable Sonia Awatramani, with whom I instantly bonded. She came close to my resplendent look with a gold skirt, black shimmering top and glitter specks on her neck.

Next on the agenda was deciding the food theme for the forthcoming kitty. 8216;8216;Chinese,8217;8217; chorused four ladies. 8216;8216;Gujarati,8217;8217; insisted three. Everyone seemed agreeable to both, but someone piped up, 8216;8216;We are all dieting, aren8217;t we? Let8217;s just make it diet food.8217;8217; The affirmation this time was less than enthusiastic. Then Heeta Ajmera declared, 8216;8216;What the hell. Let8217;s enjoy one day properly.8217;8217;

So Chinese it was. Responsibilities for soups, dumplings, fried rice and manchurians were quickly delegated and duly noted in the kitty notebook.

It was soon time for the games and my aforementioned moment of triumph. Mehta won the kajal-lipstick round with 13 flawless recitations. Sporty Parul Sachdeva got a huge applause for her improvisation of the dialogue to Ab lag rahin hoon ekdum Chamko and Ab lag rahi hoon ekdum Sexy. Next, the names of 11 8216;8216;glittering Bollywood heroes8217;8217; had to be unscrambled. There was OIDN Dino, UJANR Arjun, EFNDARE Fardeen and so on. I got two wrong. Mehta got all right.

A Continental lunch8212;au gratin, garlic bread and mixed vegetables8212;was served. The discussion turned to other indispensables like husbands, kids and maids.

8216;8216;We do not gossip or indulge in politics,8217;8217; whispered Ajmera. Therein lay the secret of a seven-year kitty I was sure, even if a certain Ms De would disagree.

Before we left, someone enquired, 8216;8216;What8217;s the date for the next kitty?8217;8217; The notebook was flipped opened again; October 5 was decreed D-day. I was graciously invited to come again.

And I8217;ll be back. After all, it doesn8217;t require much to pick between office politics and potluck.