This New Year eve, no lavish party for Viren Shah

Tuesday, 30 December 2008 21:01

Written by Viren Shah, Roopam Stores

The terror attacks on Mumbai have cast a shadow of gloom all over Mumbai. Many Mumbaikars have decided not to be part of New Year's revelry out of respect to the terror victims. This year-end, lavish parties sporting Russian dancers or Bollywood item girls, exotic cocktails and musical extravaganzas are likely to be replaced by small, subdued close-knit get-togethers.

Viren Shah, owner of Roopam Stores, who for nearly a decade, used to usher in the new year, throwing extravagant theme parties dishing out the best of food, booze and entertainment has decided to do one better than all his friends and rivals who have canceled this years new year party plans. Writing for onionuttapam.com, he shares his grief for the terror victims and his plans to outdo his friends and rivals in expressing solidarity with those who died in the attacks.

The terror attacks have really shaken me. Like all my friends who have canceled their new year plans, I've also decided not to party this year out of solidarity with the unfortunate victims of the attacks. Earlier I had planned a lavish party with the theme 'Shoot The Terrorist', but after learning that most of my peers were in no mood to party I've decided to cancel the party and instead donate Rs. 5 lac which I was going to spend on the party to the families of policemen who actually shot the terrorists and sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

But is it merely enough not to have new year celebrations this year and disregard the tragedies that have happened over the past years? Has there been any year bereft of senseless tragedies?  Now when I think about it, I feel guilty for each and every theme party I've hosted over the past decade ignoring the grief of the victims of the tragedies suffered by them during that year.

How could I've failed to express solidarity for the thousands of victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers? In the following year thousands died in Godhra train burning and subsequent rioting - deaths for which I failed to show proper respect by not having new year celebrations. Even the death of over 40,000 people in Iran Earthquake during the fag end of 2003 failed to move me enough to call off my new year theme party. A huge disaster struck Southern India and South-Aast Asia the next December killing over 2 lac people in the region, but the tsunami that devoured lacs of people and ruined the life of millions could not stop me from hosting my new year bash. In the succeeding years, thousands have died in serial blasts all over the country whose deaths I should have mourned by not having new year revelries.

I feel extremely mortified that I neglected my duty towards the victims of the terrible tragedies. But better late than never. Everyone who died prematurely under unfortunate and tragic circumstances during the last ten years of my wild new year-eve partying deserves proper and dignified mourning from me. And they shall have it!

As a gesture to all the victims who lost their life to accidents, natural disasters and terror attacks during the last decade, I've decided to cancel all the parties I've hosted with retrospective effect. I'm hereby erasing all the pleasant memories associated with the wild celebrations of all the parties I've hosted and replacing those memories with feelings of sombre mourning and solidarity for the victims. I also urge all the guests who attended my parties to similarly wipe-off their happy memories and substitute them with feelings of sympathy for the victims.

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