Golden Girls

As with most people, I too have my friends in groups. These groups range from my school friends to college friends to Middle East friends to Inner Wheel friends to Family friends and finally the group about which I am going to write today. All the above mentioned groups have featured in my blogs in some way or the other. The group about which I am about to write has somehow slipped the net and the reason could well be because I get to meet them only once a month. For that matter, some of the other groups I rarely get to meet these days. But what puts them at top priority in my memory bank could well be the proximity I enjoyed while those friendships were forged. The monthly meeting with this group is a joyful one. We meet, we greet, we interact, we eat, we deliberate and finally we exit. It may sound clinical in print, but I can assure you that it is far from that. There is a large dose of bon homie and camaraderie. This meeting is a great stress buster apart from being a forum to share the latest in the world of music, movies, fashion, people and last but not the least the main element that binds women together – GOSSIP. I must elaborate on the kind of gossip as I don’t want the reader to think of us as run of the mill characters. Our kind of gossip is not one that would hurt a friend or family but mainly consists of the inside knowledge available with regard to some interesting headline news. We consider ourselves different and would love the world to accept us that way.
In few hours from now, I would be meeting this group. I have been associated with them for the last 12 years however I must say that there is a lot about their family and background of which I am not aware. Here we meet as individuals with no strings attached. The two characteristics of our group is that we are all from Kerala and the second and most important is that we belong to the Golden Age of 50years and there about. These two characteristics make it wonderfully easy for us to vibe. I wonder as to how many of you have guessed the identity of my group. For those who have not, well I am talking of my kitty group. The kitty culture is nothing new as it has been an important instrument in the socializing network in India. I guess in its early stages, it must have started among the upper class women as the time relegated for playing cards or for simply having a coffee morning. Somewhere down the line the element of a kitty was added and this I’m sure must have given the event the required commitment. As the years went by the kitty party culture began to percolate and became a part of the burgeoning urban middle class.
The first time that I was associated with a kitty group was in Jeddah where my good friend and neighbor Usha put me on to the kitty of which she was a part. That kitty was different from the ones in India for the simple reason that it involved the whole family. One reason for this could be due to the immobility of women in Saudi Arabia in the early 90’s. After my return to India, my friend Latha Mohan set about planning a group to which she graciously invited me. She must have chosen the members with care, for we hit it off pretty well from the word go. The original group has seen many mutations what with people having to leave Chennai or moving away for personal reasons/commitments. Our present group consists of eleven members. We do not want to increase the number for the simple reason that a cycle finishes in one year as May is taken as the annual holiday for the kitty. The only rule that we follow in our kitty is that we meet for lunch. All of us being food connoisseurs, food does play an important part and I must say that we enjoy feasting on a well laden table. The venue of the kitty is left to the discretion of the host and thus can be at their respective houses or at a restaurant of their choice. Most restaurants in Chennai owe it to the kitty groups for their lunch business during the week. 75% of the lunch crowd at most of the restaurants is made up of women belonging to the various kitties. Some of these restaurants even offer deals to the all women groups. Being good homemakers we scout for the best deals and thus get to visit many of the new eateries and at times even make it to pubs were they serve a good pub meal.
The real kitty of the kitty is not a big sum, however it does make us ladies happy as it is more than sufficient to see us through some good shopping sprees. Also it is that part of the kitty which makes the experience wholesome. With women’s groups making a foray into the world of travel, my kitty members too do not want to be left behind. Thus I have been entrusted the job of finding the ideal destination for a 2/3 day break. If it happens, I am sure it will be one of the most memorable holidays that I have ever had.
The kitty groups remind me of the Hen parties of the west, of which I have read and have also seen during my travels. The ladies in those groups were so enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy as if there was no tomorrow. Being part of the kitty makes the two to three hours spent together work as an antidote to the otherwise mundane goings on and the mood at the end of a session is truly one of elation. My only sense of regret is that with most young girls seriously pursuing a career, it won’t be long before the kitties become a thing of the past. I wonder how we can save it for posterity for like us I wish for the future generations to enjoy and be the GOLDEN GIRLS that we are.