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

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