When Mom Turns 60 and Nani Turns 79, You Go to Kalimpong
Of milestone birthdays, bollywood themed nights and a 72 hour party
I’m late. Quite late.
This piece has been sitting in my head rent-free since June, and it’s taken me months to give it a home here. But hey—better late than never, right?
Let’s rewind to June 14, 2024. A date that, in hindsight, feels unreal.
My entire maternal family—yes, the whole bandwagon—somehow found themselves at Mayfair Kalimpong. All thanks to mama, mami, and one enthusiastic cousin who moonlights as an event planner and part-time chaos manager (Naina, you are a rockstar)
The reason? We were celebrating two queens.
Mom, who was turning a fabulous 60 on June 26.
And Nani, who was turning 79 years young on June 18.
Now, I don’t know how often people get to celebrate a mother and her mother’s birthdays together like this—but for us, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime overlap.
And boy, did we milk it.
The Itinerary? A Fever Dream.
June 14 Evening: Trying to be viral
My sister wanted to copy a trending reel and so we had great fun shooting it with everyone including my little monster (seen eating a barfi 😋)
June 15 Morning: Calm before the storm.
We ventured out to Geden Tharpa Choling Monastery, a peaceful Buddhist monastery with prayer flags fluttering like they were whispering secrets to the mountains.
It was a much needed spiritual detox before we began back-to-back sheesha and drinking sessions.
We also strolled through Delo Park—the kind of place where you could just sit and watch clouds float below you.
It’s touristy, yes, but worth it. Horses, local snacks, photo ops… and a view that quietly tells your city brain to shut up.
June 15 Night: Bollywood Theme Party
Think Manish Malhotra meets 90s Govinda.
We had dhinchak music, dramatic entries, and more selfies than Instagram can handle.
At some point during the after party, someone (no names) took a Jägermeister bottle and made everyone drink straight from it. Iconic.
June 16 Morning: Indo-Western Photoshoot
Imagine your family in flowy maxis, sunglasses, and Nehru jackets—posing like they were auditioning for a Sabyasachi catalogue.
Full points to Nani, who looked like she had been doing this for decades.
June 16 Night: Coffee With Karan - Birthday Edition
We did a full-on talk show setup. Questions. Couches. Rapid fire.
Mom and Nani were the stars.
Most endearing moment? When Nani revealed her dream of sponsoring a child’s education.
The Food? Comfort Goals.
Momos & Maggi: You can’t come to the hills and not have them. These two are the pride of mountain food—forever iconic, eternally comforting.
The Hotel Buffet: A solid 7/10. Enough variety to please everyone from my 4-year-old to my 80 something Nana.
Service: Polite, attentive, and patient. Which is impressive considering the number of times we asked for extra ice and glasses at 1 AM.
The Vibe? Magic.
We played housie like our retirement depended on it.
Sang old Hindi songs and new hip-hop songs, and cheered even the tone-deaf singers (I’m talking about myself :D).
Took Jäger shots we had no business taking.
Had long, sleepy conversations on balconies.
And somewhere between all this, I watched my family just… live. Laugh. Be goofy. Be real. Be together.
It was one of those rare vacations where nothing felt forced. Where love showed up in the form of passing the hookah pipe, making that perfect drink, singing songs all night and pulling each other’s legs like there’s no tomorrow.
So yes—I’m late in writing this.
But the memories? Right on time.
And maybe that’s the magic of families. You may not always be in sync, but when it matters, the whole band shows up. With housie, hookah, music, Maggi, and masti.
Here’s to 60, 79, and everything in between. ❤️