A valuable tool in the arsenal of any compulsive partygoer is - believe it or not - a good and often creative excuse to offer a host to bunk a particular party!

With parties dime a dozen nowadays, one really has to be picky about which parties to attend, say some of the city`s partyholics. And it`s not uncommon for a boring party to give one the feeling of a wasted evening! Some, like Adman Prahlad Kakkar tend to get a bit creative with their excuses. "I got a call once from a guy asking me why I didn`t attend his party which was the night before.

I turned around and told him that I was hit by a blonde and then spent the evening apologised to her. But what I couldn`t tell him was that most of the time, I actually genuinely forget. My office doesn`t keep my appointments and it`s not possible to remember what all you have to go for. So, the best excuse I give is variations of the `I have got hit by a blonde` story.

And getting creative with excuses not to attend a party comes easy too those who`re used to putting up an act. Says theatre actor and comedian Gary Richardson, "Being a performer, I have a built in excuse whenever I want. I just tell them that I have a rehearsal. If I have a rehearsal, I have to tell them at the last minute that I have to go to a rehearsal.

 If you have to rehearse at night then that`s the way it is. Another excuse I get is the old `wrong side of town` excuse. That`s another one. Geographic and health excuses are the ones I give all the time. When I`m throwing a party, something creative I get once in a while is that `I`m shooting`. I never see these movies or locations but they like to talk about, but that`s a common excuse!"

However its party perennial Kishin Mulchandani who`s the most OTT when it comes to party excuses. "One reason I`d not go for a party is that I`d tell the host I`m going through male menopause or party fatigue. I`m also a bit tired of the parties nowadays. We all go through this kind of fatigue at times. Also there`s a new crew of PYT`s who dress in their
T`s and don`t even know how to tease!"

Then there`s the tried-and-tested variety. Says one TV actor, "My mother in law`s dog for a walk. Probably true cos whenever its really bad excuse but the problem with bad excuses is that they`re usually true. Wife and mother threw a tantrum.


BDST: 1555 HRS, MAR-31, 2014