>Dawat

> By Tehmina Qureshi

Recently, a cousin went to Australia for studying. My parents’ insistance that he be called for a dinner party with his family, got me thinking about the sheer practicality and convenience of this little custom of ours…
Dawats are the ultimate crest of hospitality, at least in our family. Not only do they make a good impression but they are also very convenient in filtering out our social cricle and justifying our own lack of interest in keepin up with the acquiantance. Many times when someone will casually ask, ” Aray apnay Falana Sahab kay kia haal hayn?”, you will have a ready reply of, “pata nahji jinab, humaray yahan dawat par ayay thay phir palat kar baat hih nahi hui. Shayad masroof hon”. . . There! Not only do you let the other person know that they came to your place for a Dawat but also implied that you two couldn’t talk to each other because “he” was probably busy!
Aren’t we clever?

When my parents went for Haj, there was a tirade of breakfasts, lunches and dinners for a month before and after they got back. Same case with my brother’s marraige. Few people actually bothered to keep in toch after that. Dawats are the ultimate consequence of a healthy social life and a great way to shrug off social obligations.

My dad loves these dawats… Not only do these occassions enable him all the delicious food he is deprived of usually but dawats make up for slacking in our social activities. With one dawat, to an acquiantance we not only pay them the highest respect but it also eliminates the need for paying them multiple visits. Also, in one evening we pay our due to as many acquiantances as we can, or want.

Genius!!!