"Gossip place for retired persons (men only). You are welcome"- so goes a bright yellow board outside a house in this Punjab town’s Birbal colony.
A peek inside an office-type room reveals the ingenuity of an ex-serviceman to keep himself – and other men – busy in life.
This unique ‘men-only’ gossip centre is the brainchild of ex-serviceman Ravinder Kumar Sud, who thought, that unlike women who get together often to chat and gossip about everything, men do not really indulge in the practice.
Though Sud and his friends have been indulging in gossiping for nearly a decade, the centre, perhaps the only one of its kind, formally came into being in August.
Members of the gossip centre include retired government servants, ex-servicemen and those whose children have become non-resident Indians (NRIs).
"I suddenly realised that we could give ourselves a licence to gossip, and put up a board inviting others as well to join the fun," says Sud to IANS.
From just a trickle of a few friends initially, membership has been growing as more like-minded men learn about the centre, whose room accommodates 10-12 ‘gossippers’ at a time.
The issues discussed range from the media hype around Monica Bedi, who incidentally belongs to Chabewal village 10 km from here, the uncertainty over the Manmohan Singh government and the selection of the Indian cricket team. Issues at stake can be international, national, Punjab-related and of course the most important – local.
"Here no membership is required, except that one should be a retired person, like-minded and full of humour. It is an open forum and there are no written do’s and don’ts. Anyone can walk in anytime. It is unlimited time-pass," says Sud.
Though much of the rush of gossipers comes in the evening – between 5 and 8 pm – members are free to walk in anytime. Besides discussions, members also share problems and offer solutions.
"We get newspapers and have also installed a television, so all of us are aware of current issues and everyone has an opinion," points out retired Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) fire officer Avinash Chander.
At times though, with everyone having his opinion on particular issues, discussions do get heated up, but cups of tea soothe tempers.