“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment till it becomes a memory.” Dr. Suess has aptly summed up the value of gathering such precious moments which will become memories of a lifetime for us.
As service wives, we have always known and understood the concept of women-power. The bonding that happens collectively between us when we meet as “Just Ladies.” Be it coffee mornings, soirees or the Ladies Club. We love the connections we make when we’re just us and we love our exclusive girl-time luxury.
So, one cold yet bright Wednesday afternoon, ladies dressed in their resplendent sarees alighted the buses at the NDC. Their first peek into how and where the husbands spends their days. It was with awe that they looked around familiarising themselves with the lawns, the impressive foyer, the colonial and majestic building, etc.
The birds of a feather, we can’t say yet but surely the birds who were familiar flocked together for the first bit as the hesitation of treading into unknown waters was still rife. As they all walked in, they were greeted by a wonderfully warm and welcoming fraternity of the lady wives of the Directing Staff ably spearheaded by Mrs. Chaudhury.
Once the welcome drink service was over, the ladies found themselves being ushered into the hallowed hall which was a bit overwhelming with the theatre style seating and the mikes placed in front to speak. As the afternoon unfurled, and Mrs. Renu Ahlawat started to welcome the ladies, it was a reassuring and comfortable experience. The aura got further warmed up with the confident and easy going welcome by Mrs. Chaudhry which alleviated all apprehensions and set the mood for a fun afternoon.
The ladies of the staff welcomed themselves following which each of the ladies whose husbands were attending NDC 60 introduced themselves. They were rechristened Rakshikas@60. The entire year calendar was explained so well to enable the ladies to map out their busy days and free days to plan effectively.
Thereafter, the work of various committees was discussed and the volunteers and coordinators were announced. That set the ball rolling and the buzz began. Over a sumptuous spread of teatime treats and a steaming cuppa there was suddenly informal, incessant chatter which completely defines the bevy of beauties. The exchange of numbers, creation of whatsapp groups, planning the year ahead together and so on….. the course for the spouses had just begun and each one was filled with anticipation towards the fun which will unfurl on the road less travelled!
One could see the transformation within this couple of hours in the comfort level acquired and the anticipation of the fun which had just begun. I couldn’t help but marvel as the words of Roald Dahl rung so true in my ears- “ There are no strangers in here, just friends you haven’t met.”