An evening to remember!

This morning, as I was saying my usual prayers, my cell continuously rang for quite a while and I must confess that I was rather irritated but all the same, answered it and it was a pleasant surprise that it was from Anil(my classmate from school and a course mate from the Academy) and Radha, inviting us for their daughter, Ashima’s engagement ceremony this evening, at the Taurus Officers’ Institute. She’s getting married to Arjun who is working in the merchant marine and his father is a Major General in the Army Medical Corps. The marriage is scheduled for Feb ’11.
It was another hectic day, as it has been since last Friday, with back to back meetings on various contentious issues. I was not even sure as to whether I’d make it on time but thankfully, everything worked out well and we were the last to arrive at the function, providing us unwanted limelight and prominence, with Anil announcing that I was his favourite classmate!
Ashima has just finished a two year course on airline ticketing and hospitality in London and returned, to finally announce her seriousness about her relationship with Arjun and like good parents, Anil and Radha simply and wholeheartedly, supported her decision. The evening was full of north Indian ceremonies and to my mind, the centre of attraction was the sprightly old ‘dadi’ of Arjun. People were friendly and it definitely, was a wonderful evening. And as we were leaving, Anil and Radha have extracted a promise from us that we’d visit them at Thailand, this July.
Tailpiece.
Anil’s elder daughter, Athira, her husband, Dinesh and their little princess, Dia were also there and li’l Dia was my girlfriend for the evening but I must admit that it took quite sometime and my wits, to woo the young lady. She is all of three years old and a stunner and will keep the boys of her neighbourhood around her, on their toes, in the times to come! Anil and Radha, may your charming family have all that you wish for in the coming years!!