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Birthday That Went Haywire
The most memorable birthday celebration in my life
My neighbor, a helicopter pilot, once told me,
“Hey Lalit, you must go to Cherra Resorts. We had such fun trekking and singing songs all night.”
He was a fantastic guitarist and would often sing for other people’s wives.
He was full-on “the flower of women.”
He once explained to me the difference between ground engineers and pilots: why ground engineers are always dead serious and don’t enjoy life, and why pilots never miss a single moment to live it fully.
His philosophy was -
“We, as pilots, never know when we’ll have to say goodbye. So better enjoy every bit of life.”
“This song is for Mrs. X,” he would announce, guitar slung across his shoulder.
Mr. X would have no choice but to smile politely and cheer him on as he sang.
I shared what Mr. Helicopter Pilot told me with my wife and suggested that we celebrate her birthday at Cherra Resorts, Cherrapunji — the wettest place on Earth.
She was excited, but like every Indian wife, she was a bit apprehensive about the expenses.
“Why spend so much just to celebrate a birthday?” she asked.
