Thursday Nights

What is it about Thursday nights?? This year my birthday fell on a thursday and I found my husband asking me how I wanted to spend the special day... (Wish he would do it more often..... SIGH!!)  And I said - no feasting in a 5 star hotel, no hanging out in the club, no 'surprise parties' ( which are never a surprise....usually the person simply plays along, knowing fully well that something of the nature is being orchestrated by family....last year my husband made an effort along with a friend to organise one...booked the hall, ordered the menu and drew up a guest list..then lost patience and asked me to take over!!!!) I wanted to head to the Black and White bar in Residency Hotel where singer Sriram croons popular tamil movie hits- the unbeatable Ilayaraja/ SPB melodies that dominated the 80s and 90s. For some reason, we had never been there but heard from quite a few friends that it is fun.

 I whipped up a crowd- my friends from Sweden and US joined us excitedly, all of us dressed for the evening and leisurely walked upto the first floor where the bar was located. The moment the security guy looking beefy and stern saw this motley crowd of people, he accosted us with 'Booking Irukkaa?' Definitely not....no one even thought of it! And he almost blocked the entrance unmindful of my entreaties that it was my birthday and I soo wished to listen to Sriram ( I mean aren't you supposed to have wishes fulfilled on your birthday atleast?).....none of this worked on our Mr.Stern/Beefy who did not budge....we tried desperately dropping names, and big names at that....like we were related to the Chairman /MD/CEO..whoever....but NO, he wasn't exactly carried away....the look of nonchalance on his face as if to say  'How many people I come across like this everyday??' almost annoyed me!  He stood steadfast in his refusal to let us in and was impatient to have us out of the way! Cursing myself for relying on family to ensure a booking, bemoaning my predicament of letting my friends down, lamenting my ill luck on this 'special day' and of course- furious with my husband for his callousness, I decided to settle for dinner at the restaurant downstairs. To make matters worse, I heard later from quite a few friends - 'You should have asked me....I know the Manager there....would have done the booking for you'...and so forth. And then I swore that I will return...to the same bar....next thursday...with a booking...husband or no husband...friends or no friends...and rejoice with the crowd that seemed too privileged for my comfort!

Next thursday, I called the hotel, asked to be connected to Black and White and made a booking for 8 people at 7.30pm....and got all excited! I sent out messages to my brother, cousin and nephew to join us...and they all had to assemble by 7pm, latest!! I don't remember when was the last time I had stressed so much about punctuality, driving time and the need to arrive for an event on the dot! We left home at 6.45 and found ourselves in the hotel in 10 minutes. The bar was empty...this time, I pompously declared to Mr.Stern/Beefy that we had a booking for 7.30 and he seemed surprised that we had arrived half an hour early!

The bar itself is rather small with unimpressive, haphazard seating arrangements....certainly not designed to host a music show of this kind. The crowd starts trickling in from 7.30 and the place gets magically full  in the next half an hour as people jostle for space and huddle in bunches blocking the already narrow space between seats, tapping their feet and clapping to beat.  Hassled waiters scurry around taking orders for drinks, snacks and refills, juggling huge trays with cocktails, while  music resonates in the packed hall. It is as much a challenge to draw their attention to take an order as it is for them to deliver, I guess. 

And oh the music!!!!! As Sriram belts out popular numbers, the crowd goes into raptures. With a voice that has an uncanny resemblance to the legendary SPB,  Sriram sings effortlessly, devoid of facial contortions or mannerisms, the lyrics flowing as if he had penned them,  hands sometimes playing an imaginary key-board. And the besotted audience ??  Some sing along, some sway in a trance and some seem mesmerised. As the evening progresses and the crowd is  sufficiently ‘spirited’, familiar songs draw loud approbation and lusty cheers! Ably supported by the Karoake system and a female singer, Sriram takes requests scribbled on paper napkins, nods to most and declines some. Most of the songs are repeated week after week....we almost know what comes next....when the music  starts,  we recognise the song before the first word is sung and rejoice as if a complex puzzle has just been solved!! Invariably 'Kamban Yaemaandhaan' and 'Vannam konda Vennilavey' send the crowd in a tizzy!

 I have been there many Thursdays since then and find familiar faces invariably sitting in the same place....and we look out for them, hold each others’ seats and at times graciously offer a seat to regulars standing without one. The show wraps up before 11 pm but not before a couple of light-footed men dance to ‘Engeyum Eppodhum’ from ‘Ninaithaley Inikkum’ as the rest of us clap and cheer as if there is no tomorrow!  When the last number is announced and begun quickly, some always make it a point to protest, begging Sriram for one more number! At which point, the Manager makes his presence felt, Sriram raises folded hands pleading to let him go and everyone lets out a collective sigh! Sanity returns to Black and White. ....until next Thursday night!