Bishan

 

Avanti’s Birthday wish

 

Here’s to Ava,

The life and soul of the party,

The bright spark in a dark cloud,

The one who is neither proud,

Nor painfully loud,

Just the best of the Mix,

 

Always ready and steady when there is a friend in need,

Or a cousin’s call for help,

To which she will readily heed,

 

For in Avanti there is something special beyond words,

That sets her apart from the herds,

Of lovely and nice people that we are blessed to know,

 

At least to me,

 

She has always been there, when you needed someone the most,

 

And to this I toast,

A simple ode to make her aware,

Just how much her special people care,

On her birthday, and on every day,

 

Ava the Friend, Cousin, Daughter, Sister, Aunty,

Whatever the role,

Please know that you are loved from your young days until old

 

Happy Birthday!

 

27-1-21

Happy Birthday Avanti  - lotsa love from Bishan , Sanna and Ella 💖 

Ava has been a cherished soul in my life. Not only a loving, caring and fun cousin, but also a valuable friend in need. I’ve had the fortune of knowing her for most of my life, but perhaps some of the most memorable phases have been when I was living in Sri Lanka in 2006-2010, and later coming there on holiday with Sanna, Yo and Sandra, and also when she returned the visiting favour when she travelled to Bondi.

 

When living in Sri Lanka Ava was like my guide and rock- a go to cousin for fun and problem-solving alike – a special gift.

 

Not only was she a guide to the Colombo party circuit -  after all, the party seasons, post NYE, always started with Ava’s birthday celebration (and thank God there was a little time to recover in January between these two events!). In fact, I personally liked the incognito “Ava’s birthday” event much better than the NYE – it was off beat, incognito and a complete adventure. I will try and tell you a short story about one of these events, that has to be called “Tequila on the Dance floor”, but perhaps what I want the story to illustrates is that Ava is the connector for so many people, the person who is always there to help other people have an amazing time, and it was like that for me the whole time I was in Sri Lanka. I never got a chance to thank her for this, and show my appreciation of this rare quality, and I thought what better time than on her birthday – so Thank you Ava!

 

 

 

Tequila on the Dance Floor

-          Actually it’s better not to tell the full story I think, to protect the names of the innocent, (it’s hard to believe/remember what we got away with back in the day, this story is from Jan 2006 I believe?)

-          But let’s just say in brief, I said to Ava – can I bring a couple of friends to your birthday gathering, and she said “of course Bishan”, “no problems, it’s just a quiet gathering, tell them to come”

-          It wasn’t a quiet gathering at all, but a laid-back cocktail party (where there were several bottles of liquor on each table in Ava and Lionel’s front garden).

-          My friends who were from the US and UK , whom I’d met for the first time that evening at dinner prior to Ava’s party, were suitable taken aback by this eclectic group of friendly, interesting and almost straight liquor guzzling

-          Needless to say the spirits lubricated the fabrics of social interaction and we all were getting acquainted in the finest ways.

-          It was only when we headed to Phase B – the inevitable party transgression to the exciting and reputable R&B club down duplication road (if I remember correctly)

-          Here’s where the censorship must kick in for our own reputations… and legality. (Lets just say this is partly fictional). But party-ing in Ava’s crew on this night was no exception to any other night out with her. There was always a whole string of shenanigans happening, and Ava is always there, solid, standing with a glass of rum, or a pint of beer, with a semi-wide cheeky smile. As the night had progressed, the motley crew of party revellers, partly those who had come with us from Ava’s front lawn, partly those who we had met in the club, made our way to the dance floor where the magic began. Who can argue with the Live Music vibes from R&B, the quality of the food, the seating, the entrance, yes there were other comments, but the music and the dance floor  - unbeatable. It was at that moment that an already hedonistic night had gone the next level – for I remember asking Ava or was it Rajeev? – “Shall we get Tequila’s?”.

-          Ava had that same smile, and in a sense was the connector of all this mania, fun and excitement, but somehow the balance that made sure that somebody wasn’t going to get too messed up. I’m not sure if it was true, but I always felt safe in Sri Lanka with Ava around , despite it somehow always feeling simultaneously excitingly dangerous

 

Fast Forward to many years later, after leaving Sri Lanka, when I returned to the Island paradise with Sanna, and also Yo and Sandra, we did a trip together and of course we hadn’t organised anything. No problems because we are blessed to have a cousin like Ava. We called her literally days before arriving, because as we know when you are going on holiday to Sri Lanka, it’s the kind of place that the best things don’t happen as you plan, but rather, they happen as they evolve, based on the friend and family that you are lucky enough to have – also one can be quite slack with organising things so it’s great that there are legendary cousins like Ava who you can say 2 days before;

 

Us:  “Hey Ava, were coming day after tomorrow, any chance of a get together”. Ava’s reply was

 

Ava (quite calmly, and with certainty): “Yes. Of course. No problems, we can do a party.

 

Us: “Are you sure Ava? It’s only 2 days notice!!?”.

 

Ava: “No problem, my mother’s got this roof-top area as part of her apartment, we’ll have a party there, it’ll be great”.

 

Us: “Wow . thanks so much, is there anything we can do to help?”

Ava: “You just worry about getting here, leave it to me will you? It will be fine and fun. Also if you need a sim card I’ve got one you can borrow”.

 

Roof Top extravaganza

-          So instead of having nothing planned we put our bags down where we were staying , changed to our party outfits and went straight to Ava’s party

-          Only to be greeted by what could only be described as an extravaganza of fun, family, friends, old friends who we hadn’t seen for years – all on Avanti and Auntee Ranee’s rooftop apartment.

-          Not only that, there was music, a dance floor, and if I remember correctly live music (or maybe it was just us , or some random people with a guitar – whatever it was , it was fun beyond words)… and the best thing yet – was the cake that Ava had organised with our faces screen printed on the icing! Who would do all this for a laugh, and for love…. Ava would… and Did

-          You are such a legend Avanti!

 

 

There are so many stories, but so little time to write them. I just wanted to share just a glimpse of what Ava has been to me in my life – times that I’ve got into big trouble in Sri Lanka and needed a solid friend as well as cousin. I also know that she’s been there for Yo, Suresh and I, too many times to count. Also meeting up with Ava is part of our ritual whenever Sanna and I come to Sri Lanka, and it’s such a special time.

 

Beyond the partying, and the great person she has been in all of our lives in our family units – I think Ava is an unsung hero in many people’s lives. (I know when my friend from Australia, Kass recently visited for 6 months, that her introduction to Ava led to all sorts of wonderful things that shaped her experience beyond what words can easily express)

 

So with that I would like for you to have the best possible birthday Ava

Wishing you from the depths of all our hearts! Enjoy J