The day dawned bright and beautiful, just as it should for a picnic. Organised by and for the Saree Club Sydney to celebrate our monthly catch-up for February, it was also a nod to the Valentine’s Day, as well a reunion with those who had been travelling during the recently concluded school holidays. With nary a raincloud despite the weatherman’s dire warnings, saree-clad women in diverse hues of red gathered at the Nurragingy Reserve in Western Sydney on Sunday, 16th February. Warm greetings were exchanged, compliments generously offered and graciously received, and photoshoots by the lakeside got under way in right earnest.
With Aruna, Namita and Jeeva holding the chosen picnic spot, it took about half an hour for everyone to show up, many attendees having meandered to a detour of the extensive parkland grounds. Once the numbers were in, the fun and games started. Innovatively planned, supervised and executed by Rupa and Kalrav in their ever-exuberant way, team leaders were chosen, and asked to select their teams by capturing team member pics on their phones. This resulted in much hilarity when quite a few got captured by more than one team-leader, resulting in good-natured tugs-of-war and parkland-floor-crossings, much the Saree Club’s version of head-hunting.
Once the six teams were determined, the games got under way, the first being a relay race with books balanced atop our heads. While many completed their turn with practiced aplomb, there were others whose unbalancing acts saw a few Chronicles of Narnia bite the dust. Wherefrom they were hastily retrieved, planted back atop heads, and the race resumed with renewed energy. The book race concluded with two winning teams: those of Shalini and Mansi.
With two teams eliminated in the first round of games, the ladies paused for a refresh and refuel, with piping hot veggie spring-rolls washed down with steaming cups of invigorating masala chai. Thus fortified, we launched into game two which was dance whispers: the teams all stood with only the team leaders facing the dance instructor, who showed them a number of dance moves. The leaders then turned around, facing the next member of their team, and repeated the dance moves. The recipients then turned around to face the next team member and to repeat the dance moves. In the end, the team that had changed the dance moves the least from the first to the last member was declared the winner, the win going to the teams led by Sneha and Surekha.
The final round checked the alertness of the ladies as the contestants stood in two rows facing one another, with paper plates on the ground between the rows, and played Snatch the Plate. Rupa then asked us to stand in a circle, and rehearsed us through a number of clues related to our attire, and how we had to move to suit each clue. This resulted in a hilarious hop-skip-jump as the alert ones got into the rhythm of the game while the others just went here, there and everywhere. The team that made it to the end of the final round was Sneha’s, with Sneha being the last woman standing. The winners all won chocolates donated by the very generous Dipika Gandhi. The main prize, a painting in the aboriginal dot-painting style featuring a heart, made and generously donated, again by Dipika, was presented to a jubilant Sneha Jaganiya.
The spicy aromas of vegetable and chicken biryani came wafting just as the games concluded, and huge cauldrons bearing the food hove into view. Catered for by Club member Archana, the food was soon served, the boondi raita in a traditional jugalbandi with the biryanis, with mint chutney to add extra flavour. The lunch was nicely rounded off with a delicious payasam made using pumpkin and green gourd.
While lunch got underway, an announcement was made, requesting ladies to participate in the regular and strictly voluntary gold coin donations of the Saree Club, whereby we aim to make meaningful contributions to a charity. Not surprisingly, many of the Club members opened their hearts and their wallets to make donations that were far more than gold coins. Some of the new members who were curious about the donation drive were told about the Club’s donation of $1500 to the Indian (sub-cont.) Crisis and Support Agency (ICSA), at the Club’s International Women’s Day celebrations in 2024. Established and spearheaded by the dynamic Kittu Randhawa, ICSA offers support to South Asian communities through tailored professional services, thereby filling the cultural and linguistic gaps in support systems available in Australia. Notably, several Saree Club members volunteer for ICSA, having trained as first responders.
As the ladies enthusiastically lined up to make their donations, they were each gifted a token pair of ear-rings featuring hearts, in celebration of the Valentine’s Day two days earlier. This was a pleasant surprise for many, and despite being told that no one should wander off without meeting yours truly, and collecting their gifts, several did, some of them having to be hollered at and hauled back to receive their gifts. Not surprising really, since Kavitha, Rupa, Sai and Shanthi, the reel queens of Saree Club got busy, commandeering most of the ladies into spontaneous reel-making activity. The rest of us sat around catching up, soaking in the soft sunshine and enjoying the sylvan surrounds. As the day wore out, and shadows lengthened by the lakeside, the food containers were packed and garbage cleared. The reel ladies, spent after their energetic saree-robic routine wandered back to peck bye byes, everyone agreeing that a beautiful day had been beautifully and meaningfully spent.
