To or not to? The ICF Meeting

13 November 2021

Saturday, 13 November 2021. An ICF (Indian Copyeditors’ Forum) offline meeting. We have had weekly webinars for more than a year during covid. Have attended only two ICF offline meetings in, maybe, seven years, both before Covid. The first was in a Connaught Place hotel. The next was at YMCA. Couldn’t attend a couple of meetings held after that. So, had to attend this one. Shree Rathnam at Kaushambi metro station. A metro station, I assume, is the mostest (No such word, did you say? Well, you got what I meant, didn’t you? Language is for communicating ideas, right?) convenient location in NCR. Thank you, Vivek.

Got ready by about 10 am. Leaving home by 10.30 would be ideal to reach the venue by 11.30. Walk for five minutes, take the Blue line metro, get down at Yamuna Bank, catch another Blue line to Kushambi. Perfect. Told Archana, daughter (in-law), “Going out for an ICF meeting, a couple of hours.”

She looked at me, went to the balcony, surveyed the surroundings, and asked, “Do you really have to go?”

She, nor my son, does not usually question me if I wanted to go anywhere. Rarely do I step out after the pandemic began. I looked out, too. The polluted air was waiting there to gobble me up. Felt disheartened. Maybe not. Shall send a message to Vivek excusing myself. Opened WhatsApp, ICF Delhi NCR group. Vivek had messaged in response to my ‘Shall try to come’ message, “Please do come”. My fingers froze.

Confusion. To or not to? Responses in the group showed it would be a small gathering. It might amount to cheating Vivek if I didn’t go. He would come, for sure. Told Archana, “Yeah, I should go. Shall take the Metro.”

She said, “No, no. No Metro, shall book a cab.”

I tried to argue how convenient it was to avail of the Metro services. She didn’t budge. I had to agree. It is said, obey parents in childhood, friends during teen age, spouse after marriage, and children in old age!

And so there I was at Shree Rathnam, by around 11.45. Vivek and Jyoti(rmoy Chaudhuri) were already there. After some time Surit (Das) joined, then Saoirse (came and asked, “ICF?” before taking the chair.) and Pawan (Garg) in that order. Six out of 129 (ICF Delhi NCR members)! Was meeting Jyoti, Saoirse and Pawan for the first time. Some very useful discussions on the future course for ICF. Surit started it by referring to his 7-year-old discussions with Vivek. All others joined and enthusiastically took part in the discussions, except yours sincerely, who preferred to listen. Even that was not easy because sounds are scared of my ears and stop a couple of feet away.

During the conversation Pawan referred to a certain office called TERI in India Habitat Centre where he worked for a year. I didn’t want to interrupt him then. Later when he concluded his point, I asked him, “When and in which division, did you work in TERI?”

He worked in TERI Press for a year. Surit

worked there for a couple of years, too. And I worked in TERI for more than 25 years. So, half of ICF (members present) were TERI alumni! Wow! What a coincidence!

We did have our food there, but certainly not to the satisfaction of the hotel management. A couple of times they came and asked whether they can give us the bill, indirectly asking, ‘Why don’t you people leave?’ Can’t blame them, though. Occupying a table for more than five hours with only a few snacks in between is certainly not to their taste. They would have wanted us either to eat continuously or to get out.

Surit stays in Greater Noida. He offered to drop me in Sector 62 on the way. He had, however, to divert because the shortest route from Kaushambi to Greater Noida does not touch Sector 62. In the car I talked about my hearing problem, he talked about his sight problem. He said he was ‘nearly blind’. And I was ‘nearly deaf”. Partners in distress!

I offered him a share of the taxi charges which he refused to accept. When I insisted, he said, “Okay, you can offer me a cup of coffee next time we meet.” And we settled at that. So, I should remember (it is likely that he would forget) to treat him to a coffee while I would have a lemon water or so. But when do we meet next?

To conclude, a day spent usefully. Had the pollution not played spoilsport, a few more could have joined and wider discussions could have taken place. Well, something is better than nothing.

Thank you Vivek,  Jyoti, Saoirse, Surit, and Pawan for the wonderful day!