CA Day – Hunger Games “There are two kinds of people in the world. Those, who are #CharteredAccountants and those who are not” The day began with this tweet followed by messages from family, colleagues and clients celebrating the CA Day. Some of the messages were articulate and creative while others were just templates, tweaked to fit the occasion. The universal Diwali, Christmas, New Year sms’s replaced by ‘Happy CA Day’. Sample this – “May this CA Day bring knowledge, wealth and prosperity to your life.” (Seriously?) The 1st of July, a prominent day celebrating two different professions, both being a repository of trust and faith. One is responsible for the health of the country and the other, the Economic health of the country, Doctor’s day and the CA Day. As a tradition of sorts I was looking forward to attend the CA Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan. Those who think that Chartered Accountants are not the outgoing kinds should have been there at Vigyan Bhawan as it was more than a full house. There were CA’s everywhere, on the steps, on the side ramps and the galleries. Many senior Chartered Accountants had to take the steps or just stand on the side ramps. I hope ICAI on the next CA Day function has an area reserved for the senior CA’s as well. We all were so enthralled by the thought provoking and delightful deliberation of the Honourable Minister of Finance Shri Arun Jaitely that nobody cribbed about the lack of space. The fun started once the formal event got over and the eloquent host of the evening requested everyone to join for Dinner. Half of the gathering had anticipated the invite much before it came and took their positions, strategically, near the buffet. The other half, I believe heard a voice which said “Hunger Games Begin”, and so it did. When I stepped out to the Dinner area, nostalgia took over. I was transported back to my Boarding School days when gluttony was not a sin. We would go to any distance ensuring an extra helping during the house party. We feasted to hibernate, as the parties were seldom and few, rather, they were rare. The pulling and pushing, filling the plate to make a mountain of toppings, choking oneself with the size of a bite larger than our intestines, it all came back. However, this show at Vigyan Bhawan made my school days gluttony look puny and holier. They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I can vouch that ‘this man’ was a Chartered Accountant. There was chaos, commotion, cacophony and a near stampede of sorts. The Juloos/ Nagar Kirtan (procession) on the eve of Guru Nanak Jayanti has more organized langars than this. There were more CA’s than the plates available. There was more food on the available plates than the surface area of these plates. It looked, for once people were willing to give up their wealth and pride for a piece of porcelain. They were possessed. The plate was their preciousssss. Let me confess that I did try in vain to gun for the glory myself. But I soon realized I was too weak for the game. It required the courage and valor of a true Spartan to get in line and reach the buffet. Apart from my fellow colleagues, only the 300 could do it. This was more brutal than the film. They say necessity is the mother of invention. So is desperation and hunger. The perished dinner plates were never a deterrent to our strong resolve to have dinner. Eureka! The dessert plates were still there. So what if they were small? It is the small things in life, which matter the most. The plate did have a perimeter but on a brighter side the height was open. There was a new sense of rejuvenation and hope. There were new queues and expert maneuverings. I’m sure each one of those successful Diners had undergone a rigorous training for the event, which must have included drinking hot coffee in a Mumbai Local. The hope was short lived as now the food in the serving dishes had disappeared, faster than England and Spain from the FIFA World Cup. The service staff was visibly in no hurry to refill. Perhaps they were shock-in-awed with the display of the Professionals. Those who had a plate full were enjoying their meals with a sense of assurance and pride. The others were envious. Now everyone moved towards the desserts. Frozen Vanilla ice cream. Some one must have uttered a silent ‘Akraman’ (attack) to set the ball rolling. A knife soon replaced the scoop. I gasped and marveled at the gravity defying balancing acts on display. A tiny little plate (size of a CD) had a cubed piece of Vanilla, size of mini TV (I am not exaggerating). Now the spoons were in short supply. This for me too was a first time. Defying all odds, people had their ice cream, with their bare hands. If anyone wants a crash course on how to eat frozen ice cream with bare hands please attend the CA Day celebration at Vigyan Bhawan in 2015. I knew I have to concede defeat. I knew I have to toil and prepare. The words of Frost lifted me “…..and miles to go before I sleep”. With a heavy heart I departed but resolving that I’ll be back. This is when I realized that there are two kinds of Chartered Accountants in the world – those who did get dinner in Vigyan Bhawan. The others were eliminated.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 03:14:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015