Hi friends,
Something really historic happened in the gay community in Bombay on Sunday. Gaybombay had its first speed-dating event and man, it was successful beyond our wildest expectations. When Umang and Jay V, who fashioned the event, first mentioned doing it, we had our doubts. Was the community ready for something as mature as this?
For us it was a quantum leap from parties where guys danced for 4 hours, to a relatively complex event such this where they talked to 20 others for 4 minutes each and moved on.
But I think we pulled it off, and how! It was simply amazing. Happily enough I had the privilege of being right in the center of things, with a cap and a whistle which I blew shrilly after every 4 minutes of each date. I felt like a lesbian Physical Education coach!! The participants registered from noon onwards, and they were divided them into 3 groups called A, B and C: with 20, 20 and 26 persons respectively.
The chic ambience of Zouk, and the adorable poster of presiding deity John Abraham lent an air of excitement and fun.
A tasty lunch was followed by a screening of Mambo Italiano, which was a huge hit, setting off roars of laughter till the very end. The DJ was playing great music, but he played it while everyone was seated waiting for the film to start. Hundred queens nailed to chairs and disco music swirling through the room. Quelle torture! Meanwhile Umang, our home-grown cross between Mother Theresa and Shabana Azmi (in Mandi), bullied the DJ into playing 'Kua ma doob jaoongi'. Then she very dramatically announced (5-6 times) that anyone who kissed would be fined 50 rupees, and anyone who smooched, 100 rupees. This led to inevitable questions shouted from the crowd. Does each pay 50 or do the kissers dutch it? What about ...., how much is the fine for that?
Finally the speed dating. The excitement had reached a crescendo. The GB team was ready. Each person already had a name tag on their shoulders. Each was also assigned an ID number: like A1, B5 or C15, and requested to be seated at his respective group in order - from A1 to A20. (I'm wondering if I should keep the details of how we organized it under wraps, but what the heck - hope other cities and groups can avail of our expertise in this matter and do something similar).
Jay, in his baritone voice, luminous like an incandescent crystal, sheathed in thin velvet, explained what exactly would happen: A1, B1 and C1 would remain glued to their chairs. Consider group A. A1 to A10 sit in a row of 10 chairs. Facing them sit A11 to A20. First A1 would have a four minute date with A20, after which A20 would move to A2's place and A1 would talk to A19. And so on till finally A1 would date A2.
Dee had assumed proportions of a hostel matron, patrolling the corridors and making sure there was no hanky panky. And just making sure the tags on everyone's chest were without creases.
Sopan, Jayesh, Sunil and Yusuf handed out the pens and the pink sheets, on top of which each one wrote their own name and code. On the sheet were numbers (A1 to A20 for group A, for example). I was ready with my whistle. It was like the beginning of the Amazing Race, and the SSC board examinations rolled into one. We almost felt like screaming: "Tie up your papers!" And, erm... "Pens down!".
Once that was done, I blew my (yes, pink!) whistle for the first time and off they went, a steady wave of chatter rising to tsunamian proportions all around!
Everyone was so earnest! It was such a pleasure to watch the gay guys, sober, faces visible, sans haze of smoke, talking about themselves, asking after their new dates, laughing, leaning forward, nodding, making connections, someone not really into the person opposite them watching for my whistle from the corner of their eye but not wanting to show it! Really really cute. The waiters even handed out chai and water to the participants during the dates so that their throats would not go dry! We all felt so sentimental. After watching our GayBombay baby grow for 7 years, she was finally ready - our teenage daughter has gone on her first date! It was like watching your own child grow up!
Full marks to the daters - the 66 people who participated in the dating. You guys absolutely ROCK. Everyone was very disciplined, followed instructions to the letter and waited patiently for the results to be given out.
Also kudos to those who attended the brunch, but did not participate in the dating. You were patient and helpful (and cute), and really made our day!
Groups A and C finished first, since they had only 20 persons each. Sopan, Jayesh, Sunil, Yusuf and Umang scurried about collecting the papers, and sat down immediately to work on the sheets, ticking and matching and tallying and circling with marker pen.
How it works is this: if C3 has placed a tick-mark on his sheet against C5 and if (and only if) C5 has placed a tick-mark on his sheet against C3, does it count as a score. After checking and cross-checking all of this data, each one of the 66 persons was given their speed-dating results on a card (for example, C3 would have C5's name and telephone number on his card, among others if it worked out as above), enclosed in an envelope.
The Sisters of the GB Nunnery flung back their wimples and got to work furiously, collating the data onto printed sheets, writing cards to give out to each one, putting them in an envelop and handing them out in 20 minutes flat!!! Dee announced the IDs and everyone collected their cards.
If there is a city in India which is ready for gay speed-dating today it is Bombay, Bombay, BOMBAY!!!!
Hugs all,
Sachin Jain
zhansinahidoongi@hotmail.com
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