Bageshree’s Birthday on sept. 23—
We decided to celebrate Bageshree’s birthday with great fanfare. Amol had booked tables for us at Cheesecake factory at 9.30 pm. And we entered Union square with our great opening batsman Kashmira, at 8.30 pm. So we passed time in the dazzling Union Square. There was a light breeze in the air and Union square was abuzz with usual noise. While Amol went to get us coffee, I began to play with Kashmira. Union Square had come alive with all the music. A band had been playing in one corner and Union Square was alive with all the noises of early evening. Union Square is a gigantic square in downtown San Francisco with sky-scrapers all around. In the centre is underground parking lot and above the parking a beautiful garden with a stately statue of Liberty on a high mast. It is really exhilarating to sit in such a square with such a live-wire Kashmira. In four corners of the Union square were four great buildings of Macy’s and hotels dazzling with neon signs. I remembered a scene from movie ‘Sleepless In Seattle’. I don’t know why but in Union Square I invariably remember that scene from movie Sleepless in Seattle and with child actor Kashmira the effect was more pronounced and I began to feel like Tom Hanks. Union Square is always young at heart as it is always bursting with emotions. The sight of young and beautiful night makes you young at heart. Many young and beautiful girls were going to and fro and following them were young men. I remember Charles Dickens’s opening lines of Tale Of Two Cities, “Bliss was to be alive in that air but to be young was very heaven.”
The eighth floor of Cheese cake factory, was memorable experience so to say. Sandhya was showing Kashmira the fun all around and I was standing passively near. The gallery was warm in spite of cold night due to various lamps lit in it. Our tables were laid out in the gallery and we were enjoying candle light dinner. For starter we had potato chips and some kind of bread with butter. The main course were served. I had taken shrimps with chiken pasta and rest of company had vegetable pizza with lot of sause. The smallest member of our group had gone to bed. A Spanish couple nearby was enjoying the dinner and some girls were joking and giggling. I was observing the modern fashion of the day. Womens’ fashions I do not speak but young gentle men were clad in loose fitting pants to the point of ridiculous. Our Dada Kondake would be ashamed, such type of pants. And hair dye was liberally used by both men and women. You will not believe but a gentleman had colored his hair parrot-green. By their behavior the young generation’s message was loud and clear—to hell with society. Our dinner ended with the desert Black-out cake which is famous cheese cake factory delicacy. By the time it was midnight chiming in church tower and night was still young for midnight revelers.
