No sense, no sensibility

Last few days were full of events – interactive session with Jeffrey Archer, Kavi Sammelans, Holi get togethers, engagements, wedding functions and others.

In one of the wedding receptions at a five star hotel in city, just as I entered the function area, a renowned city industrialist also arrived. The hosts warmly greeted him and a while later took him to the dais where he was photographed with the couple.
Soon after the photographs were taken, the industrialist pardoned himself saying he had to leave. The hosts thanked him for taking time out of his busy schedule to grace the occasion. They requested him to have something to which the industrialist once again excused himself saying "I avoid having outside food."

I stayed on for another 15-20 minutes and after having little soup I left the banquet hall for another function. On my way out I saw the same industrialist having dinner with few friends or relatives at the hotel's restaurant. There is nothing wrong in dining out with friends but this one struck me as very odd.

If someone attends a function and declines to have any food by convincing the hosts that he or she does not take outside meals and then moments later goes on to dine out at one of the restaurants housed in the same premises is outright rude and uncivilized behaviour. Had the hosts seen the industrialist having his fill at the restaurant they would have surely felt humiliated and their sentiments deeply hurt.

I personally think that such an act is a display of pseudo superiority complex at its worst. This also has a strange parallel with our age-old caste system mind set "I belong to a different league."

In today's busy life it may not be very uncommon to show up at a wedding and dine out with others elsewhere. But certainly not in the same premises. I too attend several events daily. At times I also show up at such functions for a few minutes and I don't take any food and then go on to join my friends to dine at another hotel or at a different venue.

We may be under obligation to attend certain functions and there are unavoidable business dinner meetings and diet restrictions. I can understand all this and see no wrong in it. But when you say “I don't eat out” and then go on do exactly that – have the same cuisines made at the same hotel kitchen - shows utter disregard for other people's sensitivities. After all, action speaks louder than voice.

May be my thinking and outlook isn't modern enough and I continue to cleave to the old values. Or is it that I have got it all wrong. But this how I feel about the whole thing and I don't mask my feelings. I am sorry for all my friends who'd pass this as normal behaviour. I'd say it all about inflated egos, self agrandizement and zero sensibility. Stuff that make us less human.

ess bee