Of Prayer Meets & Tasty treats

Kitchen Disaster management skills learnt in 2013 , dear friends...
             
   My cousins wondered what had come over me, when I informed them of the prayer meets I attend and host, and of the Bhagawad Gita sessions I am attending. Well, I have the time now to get a little spiritual, combined with the chance to meet people in this country where I have no close relatives to call my own.

                So, yesterday I offered to host our weekly prayer meet at my humble abode. I wanted to host a brunch party for this group since Diwali days but could not, because I had other parties to host and attend. Much against yourself, you tend to count how many parties you have been invited to, or your child has been to. That, I guess, totals your popularity ratings, which I never measured in India! Too busy working, to be involved in such trivia!

                Also since my husband’s birthday was round the corner, I had ordered part of the brunch over the phone, on a hitherto unknown caterer. But two days prior to the event, he feigned ignorance when I asked him if all was well with my order. “Which order, I get so many”, he went on in a rather unprofessional tone. That made me so jittery, I did not dare to inform my guests there would be brunch awaiting them after the prayers hah!

                The day finally dawned, after a night full of dreams of me drowning in the sea. I awoke breathing heavily, wondering who would drown me…two names that came to my mind – my helper, my caterer.

Well the caterer only partially drowned me, by overcharging me. But the drowning done by my helper was more damaging. She drew a blank when I asked her why I was not informed that the flour I needed for preparing the offering was finished, why my tea was not prepared as usual in the morning, why even after demonstrating how the brinjals should be cut, they were not done properly, etc. In fact, I had a premonition the previous evening itself, when I asked her to post an envelope in Block N. It went thus :

 “Which block did I say?"

“M”.

“No. What’s written on the envelope?”

No response.  I repeat. Then again “N”. She giggles with pleasure.

Again I ask “which block?”

“M”.

I stood dumbfounded...It was a miracle how she finally managed to put it in the right mailbox. How do I know? I asked the recipient.

Like I said, at 9 am, one hour before the guests were to arrive, I went to the kitchen and found the flour was almost finished. Speechless, I prepared how much ever I could, out of the last bowlfuls of flour. (I am also known for making food enough for double the number of guests each time.) The sugar needed to be ground but since I was running out of time and patience was running thin, I poured coarse sugar into it, poured unlimited ghee and raisins and emptied it into the big silver bowl which my parents so lovingly gifted this time they visited. Then the other offering of yoghurt, honey, milk, banana and ghee was prepared, the Panchamrit (Nectar of 5 ingredients). The Mandir was decorated hurriedly with chrysanthemum bunches bought from my favourite Giant Hypermarket the previous day.

Okay, all done, myself bedecked too, in Indian clothes from top to toe, albeit I forgot the bindi. The silver lamps were lit, and the first guest arrived at 10 am sharp. We waited ten minutes more and then started the chants when more guests arrived.
Prayers over, time for brunch! We sat around the dining table and shared bisibele bhaath (hot spicy dish of rice, lentils and vegetables), Masala vadas (deep fried spicy snack) and kesari bhaath (sweet dish of semolina). Finished with cups of hot tea while it rained outside. Some left, some lingered on while we chatted about this and that. Time passed quickly and gaily, in-spite of a guest who wiped her wet hands on my cream-coloured sofa and my white cushion. No amount of hinting helped here.

                Finally the time came to bid them adieu, and I slumped into my chair, relaxed and relieved it went well, in-spite of two of God’s creations conspiring to ‘drown’ me.

                So! Like I said, should I keep the prayer and the brunch invites separate when my human resources are not so resourceful? Or carry on, because 'All is Well that Ends Well'?