My brother's 60th birthday celebration.

My brother, Dr Lakshminarsu’s 60th birthday was recently celebrated at the Garden Retreat Resort (18/Sep/2008). The resort is located 45 km from Paradise, Secunderabad, on the Karimnagar highway near Mulugu town. The party was hosted by my brother’s eldest son, Dr Sudheer.

My brother was told in advance that, instead of celebrating at home, our two families, his and mine, would spend the day at the Garden Retreat Resort. He was informed that on his birthday, we would leave early, have breakfast at the resort, enjoy various recreational activities, have lunch, evening tea with chaat, and return home by night. However, he was not told that many other family members had also been invited to join the celebration.

On the morning of his birthday, as we were preparing to leave for the resort, one family member after another began arriving at our house to greet him. He was pleasantly surprised. As far as my brother knew, only 10 of us, including little Sudhiksha, our granddaughter, were going. But an additional 27 family members had been invited as a surprise. They included our sister’s family, the families of our two nieces, my sister-in-law’s brother’s and sister’s families, and Dr Sudheer’s father-in-law’s and sister-in-law’s families. Each family came in their own car, and together we drove in a caravan of eight vehicles to the resort.

We reached the resort by 9:00 a.m., and everyone spent some time exploring the beautiful surroundings, the gardens, recreation facilities, and even the ostriches and other birds. Afterwards, we enjoyed a special breakfast. This was followed by cake cutting, exchange of garlands between my brother and sister-in-law, blessings from the elders, and best wishes from the youngsters. The large cake and the garlands were yet another surprise for him.

Much of the day was spent in the swimming pool. Others kept themselves busy playing table tennis, volleyball, and carrom. After a delicious lunch, some family members took a nap in the rooms provided, while others played anthakshari and dumb charades until evening. Later, we had tea and chaat. Just before leaving, we all posed for a family photograph. Though some of us were tired after the day-long fun, everyone was overjoyed to be there.

It was truly a memorable day for all of us, thanks to the large family gathering and the joyous time we shared. A few family members who were abroad could not attend; the ones most missed were Dr Udhaybhasker and Dr Hina, my brother’s son and daughter-in-law.

A large copy of the family photograph (shown at the top of this blog) was given to each of the families who attended the party. It serves as a reminder of the love and affection showered on my brother and the wonderful time we shared that day. This blog, too, is written with the same purpose: to cherish and preserve those memories, even years later.

A VIDEO WITH MORE PICTURES: