The Thrill Of A Surprise

How do you celebrate the 75th Birthday of a buddy?

You travel 800 kms to be with the buddy. 

What else?

You go unannounced to give a surprise. 

How?

You team up with the buddy's family and plan a secret operation.  Like a military ops.

But there are other common friends in town. How to keep the visit a secret from all of them?

You do it by maintaining 'social media silence'. Like the radio silence in the Navy. 

That's a tough call. Isn't it?

Thanks to Gunjan, my buddy's daughter, we were able to pull it off! The surprise and the joy was worth the 20-hour train travel from Secunderabad to Mumbai. See the pictures and two short video clips below.

Gian Prakash, GP my buddy in the Navy for 52 years, was in the shower when I reached his home in Kharghar. When he came out, the joy and delight for both of us was priceless.

The short clip captured by Gunjan, GP's daughter says it all

It was a surprise even for Jaya, GP's wife. See her reaction in the video clip below.

On checking out Jaya's well being, I told her my favourite line for all Veteran couples, "One wicket at a time"!

Having reached two days before the 75th Birthday,  the celebrations included many events. One of them was watching a live performance of 'Meera- The Mystic' by Shama Bade of Nadroop Ensemble of Pune at NMCC the iconic Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in BKC, Mumbai. The tickets for such shows are sold out months in advance. NMCC is a world-class theatre complex having 22 gates for entry and exit. You can imagine it's size! Thanks again to Gunjan for her planning and affection. 

Photography inside the Grand Theatre is not permitted while the show is on. Sharing below a video, few pictures of the empty theatre and the plush lobby.

Notice the wheel chair in the picture below? Few of the original chairs in the last row are removable to accommodate a guest with a wheelchair. Talk of inclusivity!

The lobby at NMCC also  has a small temple with Radha Krishna as the deities.

The Birthday Boy with Jaya.

The buddies since 52 years!

The lobby

Mirrored corridors 

The entire Raghunath Vihar, the AWHO apartment complex in Kharghar seemed to be celebrating GP's landmark birthday. See a short video clip of an entertainment evening. 

ĢP's seven-year-old grandson Hariansh played a piece on his keyboard.

Hariansh with Gunjan his Mom. Love his eyes and the smile.

The celebrations ended with a puja and Havan on the D-day, 10th Nov. I was fortunate to attend it. Few pictures.

The 87-year-old pujariji from Dwarhat in Kumaon setting up the puja chowki.

Ghumakkad then proceeded to Vapi to give another surprise to his college buddy of 57 years. Shirish Chinoy had been unwell for a while. His younger son Nimesh ensured the secret operation. See the sheer joy on Shirish's face when I entered his house.

Felt blessed to be with Shirish and Madhuri.

Video below shows when Shirish got motivated to take a morning walk the next day.

When buddies of 57 years meet, the gup shup doesn't stop. Whether day, night or early morning! Pictured below after a morning walk.

The joy of giving a surprise is so thrilling. I guess receiving a surprise is equally joyful. Ghumakkad feels blessed that I could pull off both the surprises mentioned above.

Any visit to Vapi is incomplete without having the famous Ubadyu. Available only in the Vapi-Valsad stretch during Nov-Feb season, it is a delicacy cooked in a matka, an earthenware pot on slow fire. Papdi, a local flat bean, potato,  sweet potato and yam are all cooked with the peel.  The pot is lined with the leaves of a local shrub which grows only during the season. The Ubadyu is eaten with green chili chutney and butter milk. Few pictures below.

Where to eat Ubadyu? See the picture at the end of the story.

Do share your joy of giving or receiving the surprises in life.

Thanks for browsing.  Stay connected and do leave a comment. It encourages us.

   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Vapi/ 12th November 2025

#surprises #joyofasurprise #givingasurprise #receivingasurprise #smallthingsinlife #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Life begins at Sixty

_____________ Life Begins at Sixty- The Team _____________ 

Life begins at sixty-- you have heard this before. Here is another proof. Eight sixty-plus folks decided to go on a wild life holiday. Together.

This is the story of four friends, whose love for outdoor life began as teenagers when we were in school. We came together in college at BITS Pilani. Pilani-- an oasis in Shekhawati desert of Rajasthan, cemented us forever. 

Forty six years after we met at Pilani, we decided to go to a faraway place. Where like Pilani, you could still hear and feel the Nature. Though in our sixties, we did not want to go to usual holiday destinations in Europe, America, Australia or SE Asia.  

Awesome Africa became our calling. Preparations began more than six months in advance. 

Who are these four sixty-plus and still-crazy guys? And their spouses who readily agreed for Africa? Africa-- where they know it is not for shopping! Here is the curtain raiser- read on. The men in blue and the ladies in pink.

The Team

Jains

Lakhotias

Chinoys

And lastly, Bhargavas

Of course these crazy sixty-plus folks are going to miss their children and grand children on this tour. But probably the tales of the lions, cheetahs, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, rhinos and the baobab trees will enthrall the grand children on return.

The Itinerary

We decided to do the northern Tanzania circuit because of its reach and varied terrain. After assembling at Dar-e-salaam we decided to fly to Arusha. Thereafter it is going to be eight days of 4x4 drive amidst animals, birds, mountains, gorges, valleys and the famous Ngorongoro crater. Here is a map.

So much for the curtain raiser. 
As the departure date draws closer, the adrenalin is rising. We are already dreaming of Africa. 
Those of you who wish to read more, Lonely Planet's book on Tanzania is an excellent compilation. It is another story that we read the book after our tour was firmed up and paid for! But no regrets-- we had chosen the right itinerary and the right time of the year! By accident and God's grace of course.

Africa beckons everybody, more so if you love Nature and wildlife.

Watch out for the next post: 'Africa beckons You'.

So, are you with us when we say 'life begins at sixty'?

Thanks for browsing.

       - Harsh the Ghumakkad / 27th July 2014
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