“Meeting my kitty friends once a month, makes me feel light and happy ” is what Roopashree Jena, resident of ATS Advantage, has to say on being asked why she is part of a Kitty group.
Anita Gupta of the Lioness Club, Indirapuram, who is part of several kitties says, "We spend good time and make lots of friends. In fact theme kitties are great fun".
There's also a 65-year-old lady, who on the promise of being unnamed says "it helps us pour our heart out, gossip, spread rumors and laugh".
I was always intrigued as to why many of my friends, female colleagues and women I know, were so excited about Kitty parties.
There were times when Kitty parties had a group of women pooling in a certain amount of money every month and meeting at one of the members' house every month to draw chits.
The chit carried one name from the group, who took away a lumpsum amount collected for that month. It helped receive a substantial amount of cash in hand, in times when the salaries were small and allowed women to purchase some big household items.
It served everyone’s purpose as each month a lady’s name was drawn and this way each lady of the kitty party group got an opportunity to add to her household.
In today’s era with fatter incomes, surprisingly Kitties are on the rise. The stakes are higher and the parties have become swankier. There are themes given to these parties. Further, restaurants have kept special packages for kitty ladies.
So how has the meaning changed? ‘It hasn’t’ says Roopashree ‘’we still collect money, do lucky draws, play games and one of the ladies in the kitty takes away the lumpsome amount.’’
It could be to buy new jewellery or just to put it the cash in bank. Some also use it to pump cash into their homegrown businesses.
But what all unanimously agree to, is that it helps them step out from their homes, take a break from their schedule and feel elated, happy and at peace for some hours in the company of like-minded women.
Kitty parties keep the restaurants around Indirapuram happy too. Restaurateur Vikas Singh, owner of Bercos in Indirapuram Habitat Centre says, “Indirapuram is essentially a dinner market on weekdays. Hence, it helps us get business during lunch hours by focusing on kitty parties with special menus.”
These parties no longer remain only a woman's domain, men too get to experience their bit with innovative themes such as couple kitties. Indirapuram News
The lovely Facebook pictures, with happy faces and the twinkle in the eyes, speak volumes about what it means to a lot of women and as long as this little town echoes with laughter we can all go back home happy.
