What can you plan for a family fun day which is free?
I think a picnic in a nearby park or garden with family, friends, and kids loaded with food and drinks, and badminton sets, a cricket kit, and a football to play is the best family fun day which is free. A big kite and 2 to 3 digital cameras with extra batteries and memory cards will add to the fun and this all can be arranged from home without any special budget planning. The idea should be to enjoy playing different games till you get hungry and then eat out the food, have the drinks while chatting with each other. Clicking photographs of those awesome moments and posting them to facebook and other social networking sites sharing with other friends in the community is also a nice idea. Kids are full of energy and will never retire until you will drag them into the car to take them home and adults are the only ones who will feel tired and would like to relax a bit, so for them, another great idea is to sing English or Hindi antakshari songs where one person sings a short part of a song and ends it on a letter and then the other person has to start from that letter. Isn’t this a great way to enjoy a fun day with family which is free and will not hurt our personal finances?
On January 26, Republic Day of India, me and my friends with families (approximately 30 to 35 people) went to Lodhi Garden in New Delhi. As it was our National Holiday, the parking area was completely packed but finally we got space for three cars. We were surprised to see so many cars parked outside the garden on the service lane and also on the road. After parking the cars, we picked up all the items and got inside the garden. Inside it was jam-packed and we were able to see so many families enjoying the picnic. Though I was able to identify a few nuisance creators, but still the overall crowd was full of trouble free family and friends.
We laid down the mats on the green grass, carried away items for playing, and started playing different types of games one by one. As it was the month of January, the weather in Delhi was pleasant, the trees were green and the flowers were blossoming everywhere around the garden. There was also an open restaurant in the garden where you can buy any type of food or drinks from. First, we build up a team and played cricket. Gents let all the ladies to bat first and so on. A few started playing badminton and then football. Two friends were enjoying flying kite. It was so enjoyable, as we were screaming, laughing, and having fun. After playing for a few hours, we sat down on the mats and enjoyed our drinks and food. Still it was very difficult to bring back kids from playing so we promised them that we will play again and we are not going home. After listening to the promise, they came back on the mats to have the food.
One by one, we opened our dishes that everyone had brought from home. As it was lunchtime, it was a perfect time to have North Indian food so we got chapattis, pulses, potato and cauliflower recipe, butter chicken dish, lemon and mango pickles, green sauces, salads, etc. We enjoyed our food and drinks and then played antakshari songs and after that started chatting about the recent movies. The kids were still playing with each other. In the evening, kids felt so sleepy and tired that we had to drag them to the parking area. Then, we said goodbye to each other and got back to our homes. So according to me there is nothing better than a frugal picnic in park with family and friends where you can enjoy each and every moment free of cost.
