How I celebrated My Parents' 34th Wedding Anniversary.
January 15th 1976-Mom and Dad got married
January 15th 2010-34 years of living together
Budget-3000 Indian Ruppes.(Rs 1177 From Boddunan Check of August and Rs 1323 from my saved Pocket money from August -January)
January 13th 2010-Purchased Saree worth Rs 800;cotton with Zari border Purchased orange lungi worth Rs 1100 and Formal shirt worth Rs 600
Total clothes shopping : Rs 2500
January 14th 2010-Purchased 3 Tickets for movie '3 idiots'-Rs 150
January 15th 2010-The priceless day!
I waited with bated breath to celebrate the 34th wedding anniversary of my parents. This time I wanted to celebrate it in a different way. Every year, only dinner marked the occasion; this time I wanted to take my parents to a movie and then have dinner. Everything that I had in my mind went accordingly but my disappointment started on 15th January and what disappointed me was the ‘solar eclipse’. I wanted to prepare breakfast for my parents at 9 am, but to my dismay; mother got up earlier that day and already prepared breakfast and lunch; with the instructions not to eat anything after 11 am. I also was disappointed because they did not wear what I gifted them. They assured me that they will wear the new clothes after the eclipse. I still kept the ‘happy hope’ and waited till the evening. It was evening 6 pm and father returned from work. We got ready for the 6.30 pm show of the movie ‘3 Idiots’. It literally looked as if three idiots went to watch the ‘3 Idiots’. After the traffic playing the spoilsport, we reached the movie theater at 7 pm and watched the movie till 9.30pm.
I was happy that my parents watched and enjoyed the movie.It has been 10 years since they have watched a movie in a theater and I wanted to break the long chain of waiting even more. We had gone to a restaurant nearby the theater and ordered for a simple vegetarian dinner. We waited for the dish to be served when we eventually (or may be ‘by mistake’) were served non-vegetarian dish.My father was furious(as he does not eat foods categorized under non-veg) and had a long discussion with the manager of the hotel. We left the hotel in vain and it was too late for us to get in another hotel. I suggested we have ‘chat’ as dinner. We went to one of the good ‘chat center’ and had a really wonderful chat cuisine along with ‘pani-puri’.
When I was in the theater with my best friend,Shalini, to buy the tickets, I found an unusual crowd. I was surprised to see the people and I was unable to even walk inside the theater space. Upon inquiry,it was found that Actor Salman Khan was present to promote his film’ Veer’. People were jostling, pushing and shouting out to him. I wanted to go out of the theater and I was struck in the crowd. It took a while for the crowd to disperse, when I saw a girl crying. Her friends were trying to console her. I could not help but ask her; and she replied telling that the actor did not ‘notice her’. I was surprised to the thought that why would anyone shed tears just because someone they liked did not ‘see’ them? I also realized that many people have this thought towards a celebrity or an inspirational person,but not towards our parents. I am glad that I have my parents to ‘look’ at me everyday and be with me, unlike the celebrity who hardly knows us!
When we returned home after the light dinner, my father told me one thing; it doesn’t matter that plans foil, what matters is the heart of the person doing it. Before he said that, I was in the verge of a hope breakdown, but after he said those words, my eyes just lit up.I just knew that they were really touched that day more than remembering the disasters. I gave them one big hug before they could retire to bed. I was one happy person that day.