Thursday, March 11, 2010

Door Conference


Our lovely relatives!

Again one of those species whom we love or hate, but cannot ignore. They help us to have a so called social life, they give us the tag of "family person", they help our parents to look for a match for us, they help others in gossiping about us and such. You find them interfering when you are in your twenties. You become the interfering one once you are in your thirties.

But, no matter what we think about them or how we react to their "concern" for us, we always welcome them home with a smile on our face. Those lunches and dinners together have always been a fun affair. Well Almost a fun affair I should say.

Since morning, we see our mother running around, arranging for crockery, new table cloth, shining cutlery, etc. Windows wear new curtains too. The menu is decided two days in advance, consisting of one sweet and couple of special dishes, with starters, deserts and welcome drinks in place.

There are certain instructions issued to us about behaving ourselves (even dad gets the same), wearing certain kind of clothes and keep an eye on their plate while they are eating. All said and done, with many rounds of laughter and saying good bye officially; it is a time for the door conference!

I am sure, most of you will be saying now - oh ditto happens with us too.

We all fail to understand - why is it so that people prefer talking at the door than in a room on comfortable sofas?

At least in my family this is a common phenomenon. My mother and aunties keep talking at the door for at least an hour, no matter what time it is! Our dinner plan usually starts late as people arrive after nine, but the door conference goes on even if it is past mid-night!

I once made one of the biggest mistakes of my life by asking my mom the logic behind this. She was too sentimentally attached to the ritual it seems. But well, I was "illogical and stupid" as I had asked such a dumb question.

My assumption - the door conference is usually a gossip session that the ladies never want to admit they do. But they are at their happiest at that time, so let the sleeping dogs lie.

Thank god my mother does not read my blog.

24 comments:

  1. Interesting concept!
    You can surely count me out of this Door Conference!! :p

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  2. I totally agree with the door conferences. I hate them but have no other option but to hold them. Even after i ask them to sit like twice they ignore it and stand there... what am i supposed to do push them out?

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  3. very interesting
    this happens many times
    even with friends or sales persons

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  4. It is the time they want to talk in private so others won't listen. Inside the house there are other house members or guests.

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  5. whoa!!
    not exactly this but i too am a guilty of this charge!! pata nahi but all the important issues came to mind when the freind is about to leave your home..so door become the best place to continue the conference..:)

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  6. I wouldn't know about door conferences, for I usually go into hiding when my relatives show up. Guess it happens.
    But when my friends come, the conference happens outside the gate, let alone door. :D

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  7. It always happens and the thought of relatives sickens me....They arent genuine, sorry if I am offending anyone here. And I always ignore them

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  8. A very observatory post! Door conferences are very very common everywhere, especially in the places where there are ladies! Sometimes, door conferences reaches parking too..lol...
    I don't know why only at that point of time we remember all those things which we can't say in 2-3 hours when they were sitting on the couch??....Ha! A big question..But let it be until we enjoy it!

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  9. never happened with me :(, but would love to do such gossips...such a nice stress buster!!!!

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  10. nice post...a fun read...hated it when I was your age...but do it as an adult...So don't form opinions you may break

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  11. My mom is not into door conferencing and she really don't instruct me and dad when somebody has to come home. I guess we are lucky unlike you. :P

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  12. and best part of this is every five minutes they will say "ohh.. look at the time we should move now.....arre but you know what bla bla bla......." this goes on for hours......lol???

    Initially when such things use to happen the movement any aunty said look at the time we should move now...and i use to feel so happy chalo gaye....but then realized its to early to be happy coz i can hear such sentence for 15 times more!!!!

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  13. Door conferences are more fun when people gossipping are at the neighbour's door and you 'happen' to be listening! You get all details about every one in the neighbourhood! I know of people who never have the time to come in and talk as they are in a 'hurry', but standing at the door and catching up sure does not delay their schedule at all...even if that goes on for like an hour!

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  14. Door conference are for friends. Relatives- most of mine stay over. So you just babble into the night. But it is fun.

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  15. This becomes a problem only when you are supposed to stand there with them and subject yourself to this cruelty for long hours.

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  16. I know it happens in most of the families and the elders have an explanation to it.
    But, fortunately we as a family are not amongst the ones you have described.
    Thank God and thank my Wife.

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  17. Hehehehe...not only elders...even we teenagers indulge in that(at least me and my friends :P)
    I guess its like we get new topics to talk about standing near the door than sitting comfortably in the sofas :P

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  18. lolzz yeahh these door conferences are very commona nd very long too :D
    and we kids have to stay with them since its considered bad manners not wish goodbye to guests :P

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  19. I mean..is this a formar ritual or something ?

    Well, i always thought it was more on 'catch up' to discuss issues that were on both sides of the door ! :)

    But then, you seem to be taking quite an advantage of your mom not reading the blog !!

    ;D

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  20. @ Shilpa, oh good to know that you are outta it :P

    @ Harini, oh poor you..I can understand what u must be going thru re..

    @ sm, oh yes, friends and sales person - that's another angle..

    @ SG, they talk pretty loudly at the door..so this mystery is still unsolved..

    @ wishes galore, are you? :D cool cool..you at least admit it :P

    @ Karthik, I used to be like this only - go into hiding when the relatives come..but not anymore..post marriage, you need to stay around..

    @ Insignia, I wish I could ignore them too..

    @ Megha, oh yeah..jaha ladies waha conferences..not remembering things while sitting..u know what? let's invite guests at door only :P

    @ Shrutzz, oh hmmm, a stress buster indeed.. :)

    @ Nalini, oh I don't have any negative opinions..it's just that I am curious that's all :D

    @ Aps, yes, late ho raha hai and chalte hai keep coming every ten minutes; but happen after 2-3 hours only :P

    @ Neha, cool idea..best way to know what's happening around :P

    @ Holy Lama, those late night sessions are indeed fun..I will write a post on that too :)

    @ Communi, hmmm, true..thank u for the tag girl :)

    @ BK Chowla. oh no, I am not mentioning anybody here as culprits :) but good you are not a part of door conference :))

    @ Anu, oh cool...nice to know that teenagers do this too :D

    @ Rajlakshmi, manner less and rude to eavesdrop in gossips na :D

    @ Kavi, oh yeah, mom not reading the blog - biggest advantage...and about this conference being a ritual - well more of a habit I would call this :)

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  21. No clue about the reasons behind this phenomenon at all :), but i admit i have seen it too!

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