PIC OF THE WEEK: 02

Razia Khan striking a never-seen-before pose!
Quick, click Comments below and post a catchy caption in Hindi or English.

Captions:

* "SUNDAY DANCE"--Ramila Mistry

* "TRAFFIC POLICE ON DUTY: A PRICELESS PIC!"--Renu Babani

* "COME, FLY WITH ME!"--Bhaswati Bose

Good. Better. Best.

The good news today is that Srichand Arora has bounced back, hale and hearty. Having created a minor scare yesterday with his sudden exit (see Under The Weather), he explained that it was nothing but a false alarm – the culprit being some oily pakoras he had consumed the previous evening which did not agree with him. He puked in the Garden and puked some more at home after downing some nimbu-pani. And now, in Rane Bhau’s language, he is feeling Tan Tana Tan.
The better news is that Hari Singh Shekhawat is better, following mounting concerns over his deteriorating health. He is responding to medication and has gone for a complete body check-up to be doubly sure. He had to however, take a break from the exercises and rest for a while on a Garden bench. His major complaint is that he does not get to sleep well at night, thus leaving him a little lethargic in the morning. It is just a matter of time before he finds his rhythm back.
The best news is Yusuf Rassiwala’s (above) return amidst a chorus of light-hearted taunts of “Late Latif” and “Gaddar”. Here is a man known for his punctuality and daily attendance, who, by his own admission has lately undergone a “change of temperament”. Plain and simple, he too gives in to a bout of lethargy in the morning. Nevertheless, he sportingly conducted the exercises – the highlight of the session being the way he took personal interest in getting a new member to go through the motions in a correct manner.
This lady, Nazma Syed (right) suffers from being overweight with an added arthritis problem. For days on end we have been observing that she was in distress while performing the exercises. Let alone stretching and balancing, even clapping was an effort for her. Yusuf-bhai stopped the exercises, asked her to follow him step by step while he stretched his arms wide and brought them together… and before long, she got it right. It was an incredibly touching moment when she could (with immense pain, no doubt) match Yusuf-bhai’s action. Instantly she was greeted by a round of applause from everybody. It was as though her achievement was a triumph for all of us.
The exercises took longer than usual today, but in a strange way, we returned home walking tall!

Under The Weather

Some time back, Srichand Arora (left) came up with a wicked idea to activate his music system in the Garden area. He suggested that someone hold one end of a wire while he inserts the other end into the extension socket to check whether the electricity supply had been restored. Quick on his feet, Kishor-bhai volunteered to himself insert an end of the wire in the plug point while Arora held the other end: “Arora jump marega toh current hai. Nahin jump karega, toh current nahin hai. Simple!”
Fortunately, none of that was necessary, as the system was singing merrily this morning at its appointed corner on the Garden bench. But unfortunately, Arora had to be down today as he suddenly developed uneasiness during the exercises. Till then, he was his normal exuberant self, exhorting everybody as usual to pay attention and stop talking. He even completed two rounds of the laughter exercises when he complained of feeling unwell. He requested Razia Khan to take charge before stepping out of the circle.
This had never happened before. However, to ease the tension, everybody pretended that all was well and continued with the exercises. Arora stood at a slight distance, assuring himself (more than anyone else) that he’d be fine and for a while, also tried to participate in the proceedings. “Zyada cigarette pi liya hoga,” he joked gamely, but the unease was writ large on his face. Before long, he excused himself and walked homewards, a lonely figure.
Let’s hope that it’s really nothing serious.
Meanwhile, Mrs Harbans Singh (right) has returned after what seems like ages. She said she had to rush to Ludhiana to attend the last rites of a relative close to her family. Her brother’s brother-in-law, who used to be in the garments’ business and stayed with them whenever he visited Mumbai, succumbed to a heart attack earlier this month. He was only 52. May his soul rest in peace!

Fun In Fussing

The funny thing about falling ill is that it makes many people turn into doctors overnight. In our Club, you don’t even have to be ill – looking woozy will do – and the kind of attention and high dosage medical advice you’d be bombarded with from members will drive away not only any sickness, but the living daylights out of you.
Hari Singh Shekhawat (left) got a taste of this medicine today when he returned from his three-week vacation, looking a little pulled down. Rather than enquire about how things were back home in his village, over-zealous fusspots plied him with peculiar questions ranging from his diet and sleeping habits to whether he was under any mental stress… and even whether he was urinating enough!
The more Shekhawat tried to dispel all misgivings and assure everybody that he's fine for god's sake, the more dos and don’ts he had to deal with. Let alone believe him, nobody seemed prepared to recognise that he is a grown-up man who can take good care of himself. The only piece of sane advice came from Kajal Babani (right) who suggested he should never go to that village again. Also, Srichand Arora and Yusuf Rassiwala tried to cheer him up by assuring him that with Mumbai’s water now into his system, within two days he would be fighting fit.
From nowhere Fehmida Khan (of the mobile-Munni Badnaam Hui fame) cropped up, promising him an even faster recovery. In front of everybody she announced that all she needed was not even the day and by this evening, Shekhawat-ji would be up and running. It instantly brought a spark in his eyes and more importantly, put an end to all the unsolicited (but well-meaning) advice emanating from all quarters. After all, who can beat a lady’s offer?
Shekhawat-ji’s return was marked by record attendance at the Garden with several not-so-regular members showing up after many days. Looks like everybody’s scared of getting those phone calls for doing phunti. Or was that supposed to be a ‘reception’ intended to impress the headmaster?

--Renu Babani says:
I shall be back with my comments effective Monday. Have been busy. Bet many of you must be glad not to read my comments for a while. Enjoy the peace while you can.
--Renu

Language of Laughter

Does laughter have a language? For that matter, do the exercises we come for every morning in the Garden have to be conducted in English? What happens if they are done in Hindi (or in any other language?)
According to Srichand Arora, Englishmen never had any sense of humour, let alone know how to laugh. And so, to make his point, he started calling out from the middle, "Bayein", "Dayein", "Beech Mein" for "Left", "Right", "Centre" respectively (never mind, Sunita Jajodia heard that as Juhu Beach Mein!) followed by “Oopar”, “Neechey”… “Bayein Oopar”, “Bayein Neechey”, “Daayein Oopar” and so on, ending with “Vishraam” (for "And Relax") at every stage.
So far so good. But what do you say for “position” (as in “Get back to your position”)? “Sthiti”, Ved Prakash Grover proffered. “Awastha” countered Santosh Tyagi. Arora is stumped. He lets that pass, while everybody is in splits. (He cannot shout for "Silence" because he obviously does not know how it is said in Hindi.) And what do you say to Butterfly? Here, Arora comes up with a gem: “Udhta Hua Makhkhan!” But again, is there a Hindi for “Stretching”? Or “Balancing”? Arora is foxed every time. Nobody can help him as nobody is thinking now. We are all laughing our guts out, faces red, eyes streaming. And so he lets that pass as well.
He reverts to saying what he knows best (Oopar-Neechey, Bayein-Dayein), conveniently skirting around tricky expressions like free-style swimming, clockwise, anti-clockwise only to get his knickers in a twist once again on “Haath le jaiye naak ke level tak!” Now, what do you say for “level” in Hindi? Breaking breath and spluttering in laughter, he joins everybody in the all-consuming madness.
Finally, came the clincher: “Ho-Ho, Ha-Ha”! How do you say that in Hindi?
This time, Pratap Bhatt was helpful. “Khao-Khao, Phapra-Phapra,” he said, clapping his hands in child-like glee. “Khao-Khao, Phapra-Phapra, Khao-Khao, Phapra-Phapra”!
Yes, laughter has a language. You’d know it once you exercise with us in Hindi.

Renu Babani says:
It has been said that true communication amongst friends has no language. It is true because somehow there is an understanding between each other without even saying anything and even when trying to communicate, despite the wrong words, it is understood. I can only imagine the exercise this morning being attempted in Hindi. I was feeling under the weather this morning, so didn't attend. Well, my Hindi would have improved for sure. Hoping to attend tomorrow and maybe will learn new words.
--Renu

Karwa Chauth

Today is Karwa Chauth – the festival that makes Hindu women do strange things for the sake of their husbands’ extended tenure on the planet. While elsewhere they are undergoing cosmetic makeovers and observing fasts, the ladies of our Club are progressive enough to have rewritten the rules. They were present in their normal strength this morning and if it were not for Tara Chand-ji enquiring if any of them were fasting, we would not have even known that the festival was upon us. Geeta Sandana (right) aptly voiced the sentiments of the ladies by saying that men needed them as much as they needed their husbands. “If we are not around, who will look after them?” she quipped, suggesting that festival or no festival, women had equal rights to eat, drink and be merry on this day!
Indeed, the men in the group, generally, couldn’t be bothered either way. There were more pressing issues for them to ponder on – like the upcoming New Zealand cricket tour beginning on November 4 or say, the way we breathe during the exercises. Srichand Arora observed that we were not exhaling enough after inhaling. “If you take two seconds to inhale, make sure you hold your breath for four seconds and take full eight seconds to EXHALE,” he advised, adding, “I am not saying this. Somebody more knowledgeable told me this today and I am telling you. Maintain this ratio of 2:4:8 and you should be doing fine.”
Meanwhile, Pratap Bhatt registered his return after a ten-day sojourn at Ahmedabad. But people like Yusuf Rassiwala, Harish Wadhwa and Dilip Babani have gone missing. So have Mrs Harbans Singh, Monthi Serrao and Mumtaz Jahan, among the ladies. Among regulars, the one to be absent for the longest period is Hari Naraiyani (left). He was last sighted near Second Cross Lane, buying milk, almost a month back. Maybe, a red corner notice ought to be sent out – unless of course, somebody has some clue about his whereabouts!

Bhaswati Bose says:
Some married ladies like Sunita-ji and Kiran Sajjan are observing fasts today. Why don't our married male members also do the same? How nice their wives would feel if they fasted today for their long life? After all, as Geeta-ji commented, "If I am not around, who will look after my husband?" So all you nice men out there, please give it a thought... Yeah, some members have just disappeared including my sparring partner Kajal Babani! (Kajal, where art thou?) I suggest we put up a notice for the absentees now.
--Bhaswati

Renu Babani says:
Mr Narayani has gone to Beas with his wife. Have no idea of his return. Kajal is fine, rest assured, but busy with the kids. Regarding the other absentees, I wish I knew where have they disappeared. Regarding Karwa Chauth, does fasting for one another give the other a long life? Yes, whatever anyone does is always respected. But 'He' is the one and only who decides on each one of us and no one can ever change that. We all need each other, let's remember that!
--Renu

QT ‘Cutie’ Marvel

As surely as night is followed by day and old is replaced by the new, our ageing music system is being edged out by a smart little wonder – a sleek, SPICE QT-56 cellphone (left pic) that sits snugly in Kishor-bhai’s pocket, but roars like a lion.
It is a multi-functional gizmo with countless features packed into a neat black handset. Its most impressive feature (as far as we are concerned) is the crystal clear sound quality as it fills the early morning air with a repertoire ranging from vintage classics of Manna Dey and Shamsad Begum to modern hip hop of the Munni Badnaam Hui variety.
This is however, not to suggest that its predecessor – the LG system that was entertaining us for over a year – has been rendered redundant. It is going strong, more so after Arora-sah’b restored it to the pink of health a couple of months back. But for some strange reason, luck is not on its side. It has had to confine itself within the Chinese Hut as the power supply extension to where we exercise these days in the Garden is erratic.
Kishor-bhai’s ‘cutie’ mobile came in as an interim measure (till the power supply could be restored), but the way members have warmed up to it in a few days, looks like it is here to say. Besides, it is light, handy and convenient to carry around. You don’t need a duffel bag for it, nor an extension cord, a chair to lug around for it to sit on, etc. And the power it packs behind the sound is simply out of this world!
Talk of New Age technology, and here it is.

Renu Babani says:
Yes, amazing what technology can achieve these days! It is amusing to see members dancing to music of their choice, either swaying lightly from side to side or humming softly while exercising. However, the music system that Mr Arora brings is the best because that really keeps you alert and you cannot miss it due to its size. However, I suppose we have to get by till the system is back with us. Mrs. Bose... where are you?
--Renu

Srichand Arora says:
Is it possible to mention the birthdate of each of us (members of Big Laaf) along with the names? I would request to please do it. Also, I thank our dear Harish bhai for his comments.
--S.V.Arora

Big Laaf says:
The birthdates have been entered, as desired. Thanks for the suggestion, Mr Arora.
--Big Laaf

Hurrrrrrray!

We reach the century mark today – 100 blog posts in as many days, with over 4,500 page hits since we began four months back. Initially, we were getting barely two or three hits a day, but once we became regular from the first week of July, viewership has gone up by leaps and bounds. From 20-odd a day, it shot up to around 30 hits daily by mid-August, and now, we are notching about 70 views per day – bringing the average to an incredible 45-plus a day.
Obviously, much of this traffic is generated by members, their family and friends in India (more specifically, Mumbai). But there has also been a steady flow from the U.S. (228 hits) and U.K. (174 hits), followed by Canada, Australia and the Middle East. Even people from Brazil, Latvia, Slovenia, China, South Korea and Germany seem to be interested in our small world at Lokhandwala Garden No 4.
This proves only one thing. The popularity of this blog has been growing with every passing day. And so, beginning today, we shall not be taking our weekly Sundays off. The blog will be live all 7 days a week, 12 months a year. However, Sundays would be reserved for what will be called, PIC OF THE WEEK. It will be a special photo on our Club and members, capturing an unusual moment, a hilarious pose, an unguarded expression… No text, no comments, no caption… no words. After all, a picture is supposed to speak a thousand words.
Srichand Arora inaugurates this feature today with the picture above.

Harish Wadhwa says:
Sher Dil Hansi Ke Liye Miliye: Prof Arora, Lokhandwala Garden No 4, Andheri (West), Mumbai. No appointments. Just drop in.
--Harish

Srichand Arora says:
Wow! It is really amazing that our blog has completed 100 episodes. And day by day, it is going strong. Congratulations to all!!!
S.V.Arora

Bad Word

After what happened yesterday, ‘gentleman’ (and its derivatives) has become a bad word. Kishor Babani started it all this morning by addressing everybody as ‘gentleman’ and demanding a party in return. When he met Razia Khan (right), he called her a ‘gentlewoman’ and extended his hand -- “Party”.
She didn't quite get it. So after a while, he repeated the act – “Party!” Everybody broke into laughter, saying “Double party ho gayi”; but still Razia did not catch on. She kept on ranting about Arora-sah’b (who, incidentally did not come today) not keeping his phapra-jalebi promise, when somebody suggested that she could as well order tea at least for being called a ‘gentlewoman’.
Yusuf Rassiwala flattered her further for conducting the exercises so well, when again, everybody demanded a party from her. She readily agreed this time. Nahid Khan could not hold her amusement: "At this rate, she’d have to organise a dinner party at her house for all the members." Funnily, till the end, Razia did not realise that the jokes were on her.
The dampener of the day was the news of Arun Patil. Rehana Sheikh informed us of Arun-bhai being hospitalised for the past nine days with a serious diabetic condition. He was at Indore on work when he suddenly started showing symptoms of a paralytic attack. He had to be air-dashed to Mumbai and admitted straight into the ICU of BSES Hospital (near Andheri Station) where his sugar level was found to have hit a perilous 700 mg/dl.
Fortunately, Arun-bhai is now better and out of danger. He has been discharged from ICU, but is still under medication and observation. We can only hope and pray that he recuperates soon and is able to get back to normalcy. More than that, we wish he takes care of himself and summons the will to be on a strict diet regimen. Most importantly, we appeal to him to join us in the Garden, religiously, every morning and sweat it out. It is not easy, we know. But life is precious.

Renu Babani says:
Health is so important. This is something we do not value till something really serious happens to us. Why do we wait for the inevitable to happen before taking charge of our lives? Then we end up complaining of the series of blood tests which the doctor ordered, followed by medication and of course, a diet regimen that seems so hard to follow. However, that is human nature -- the usual statement 'Nothing can ever happen to me'. Makes me wonder, are we immortal? So, let's take better care of ourselves so no one has to end up on a hospital bed. Better safe than sorry, right?
--Renu

Party Forfeited

A phapra-jalebi party was in store for us this morning if it were not for Yusuf Rassiwala (right) turning up at the Garden gates at 7:12 sharp. Also, if it were not for him wearing a light green T-shirt, Srichand Arora rushing out in black-and-white striped T-shirt and Rane-bhau nearly leaving his footwear behind while scampering towards the gate. With so many utterly silly variables at play, any party would have been rendered kaput.
But what was this party meant for?
Answer: To celebrate Razia Khan calling Arora a “gentleman” yesterday!
Can anything be more silly than this? But Arora fell for the bait and succumbed to her demand for a “party”. Like everybody else, he had clean forgotten about it till he saw Razia this morning and did an about-turn, asking Rane to follow him. He was on the way out to Jagruti (near Andheri Station) when Yusuf-bhai bumped into him at the Gate and put paid to all party plans.
The incident has come in for sharp criticism from a section of members who find such means for “extorting” parties as nothing short of exploitation. Nobody becomes any poorer (or richer) by a party, but there has to be some fairness about it. The consensus was that it is not in good taste to extract a price for calling someone a gentleman. Arora’s simplistic explanation was that being a man of his word, he could not go back on his commitment.
Yusuf-bhai drew high praise for letting sanity prevail and tactfully putting off the party idea to Diwali. As mentioned in an earlier post, his is the voice of reason everybody listens to. So when he made light of the proceedings by complaining that he wasn’t given time to laugh long enough (in the exercises), everybody started ribbing him: “Poor fellow, this is the only time of the day he gets to laugh. He cannot laugh anywhere else!”
Yusuf-bhai has started something new these days. His unprovoked greeting with folded hands, which used to be restricted to Kishor-bhai and Bose, is now being extended to others. Santosh Tyagi (left) almost jumped out of her skin when out of the blue she heard his sing-song drawl: “Good morning, Santosh-ji!”

Renu Babani says:
Party or no party, does a gentleman make! No one can judge a person or classify anyone, even jokingly and then state party time. To each his own and if that person does want the other to give a party, let the one who said it initially give the party first. After all, isn't he/she the one interested in the party? Humorous jibes at each other, comments, crazy remarks, etc. all in good taste are acceptable; but everyone should know where to draw the line. Everything should be done within limits so the other isn't offended. We meet in the mornings to have fun, enjoy ourselves, exercise and leave the Garden in good spirits. We do not want to get home and start thinking of why such an event took place which was in bad taste since it may have offended anyone unnecessarily. Why give that opportunity? Let's enjoy our time together so that we can recall the good times and laughter. By the way, Mr Arora, you are always, and have always been a thorough gentleman, and God bless you!
--Renu

Well Said!

Another boisterous morning with Renu Babani walking in to a volley of squeals for toffees and chocolates for having absented herself yesterday. Barely three days back, she had distributed toffees (see 94th blog post, Return of Prodigals of October 18) to atone for an extended period of absence from the Club. Now that expectations have been raised, she cannot afford to take even a day off – without being badgered for toffees.
The real surprise though, was the return of Mrs Kiran Arora – Arora-sah’b’s better half. All these days, she used to be often sighted in and around the Garden; but for some reason, she refrained from joining us for the exercises. Today, she took everybody unawares by being her usual jovial self and not only took part in the proceedings, but also kept chatting up the ladies while her hubby conducted the exercises in the middle. Only once did the latter raise his voice at her, but indirectly: “Dono Kiran, baatein baad mein!” The other Kiran happened to be Kiran Sajjan, one of the most silent and self-effacing souls imaginable.
The thing about Arora-sah’b (which did not go unnoticed) is that he likes being the man in charge – verily, the boss – so long as his wife is not around. He calls the shots, barks orders and pulls up recalcitrant members at will. Nobody dare disobey him. But the moment his wife shows up, a transformation sets in and he becomes restrained – almost a pale shadow of himself.
Harish Wadhwa took a dig at Arora-sah’b by likening him to a sher (lion) – for the way he conducts himself, his commanding attitude, dressing style, voice, etc. But why does it all have to peter out in the presence of his wife? The analogy, narrated in the form of a joke, ends with the apocryphal man complaining: “Baahar toh main sher hoon, par ghar mein Durga mere upar sawaar ho jati hai!”
Obviously, this applies to all married men.
In the pic: Mr and Mrs Arora

Renu Babani says:
Yes indeed, I was welcomed with a chant of "chocolates" and that was a hilarious start to the morning. The exercise was fun today, considering Mr Arora was also chatting in the midst of the session and everyone was cheerful no doubt. Mrs Arora was a pleasant surprise no doubt and it will be great to have her around often. Rest assured ladies, chocolates WILL NOT be distributed unless I do not attend in the morning for two weeks or more... maybe, even a month now! After all, what is the point of doing the exercise if we stuff ourselves with chocolates later on? Besides, don't we try to find any occasion to celebrate... so we can have fun anyway?
--Renu

Life’s Lessons

Amidst all the crackpot jokes and mindless chatter that went on yesterday, who would have imagined that Nahid Khan (right) was all along in immense pain while conducting the exercises? Hers is a lesson for all of us who tend to oversleep in the morning and avoid getting into the Garden on one pretext or the other.
It turns out that Nahid was at Jogeshwari day-before evening, trying to board a bus home, when another bus swerved round the bend at high speed taking her off-balance. She fell into a ditch, thereby being saved from getting run over. But she hurt herself badly and returned home thoroughly shattered, with bruises on both her knees and arms.
Anybody in her place would have skipped going to the Garden the following morning, let alone exercise. But in Nahid Khan’s scheme of things, this would have only aggravated her condition, both physically and mentally. She needed to get over the trauma quickly and more importantly, not break her daily routine. She went through the drill uncomplainingly, not letting anybody know of the agony she was in. Only this morning did she make a casual mention about it.
Now, here is a woman who, till five years back, led a cloistered life and by her own admission, “knew nothing of the world outside home”. Upon her husband passing away, she ventured out and in time, discovered what it takes to keep fit by attending the Laughing Club every morning. “Had I broken this routine and allowed the memory of the accident to get the better of me, I would probably be bed-ridden now,” she reasoned.
Meanwhile, we have Rane-bhau (left) back this morning, reporting for the exercises after 12 days. He was away for Dussehra at his village in Sindhudurg, where the family deity is worshipped amidst much fanfare. This has also been an occasion for him to reconnect with old friends and relatives.

Renu Babani says:
Yes, Mrs Khan is a courageous woman and a good example to everyone. She is always so cheerful and while she conducts the exercises, her earphones entertain her with music of her own choice. During the exercises, when she sees members getting too distracted, she interrupts sternly with 'Baatein kam kaam zaayda!' and everyone pays heed but for a while. I guess everyone has their own way of dealing with various situations in their respective lives. We do like to share our experiences with one another. It helps us feel better and makes things easier too.
--Renu

Fun and Games

Happy, healthy turnout of 22 – evenly balanced between male and female, the regular and not-so-regular, young and not-so-young, serious and not-so-serious, talkative and not-so-talkative… in short, perfect combinations for fireworks and fun.
As usual, Srichand Arora led from the middle, but somewhat undecided today on whether to enforce discipline or be undisciplined himself. The Babani brothers, Kishor and Dilip, along with Yusuf Rassiwala added to his confusion by constantly engaging him in light banter, even when he was trying to be serious.
So when he insisted on everybody inhaling deeply and “letting out air slowly”, Kishor promptly wanted to know, “From where?” Now how could Arora let go this opportunity for a repartee… which can well be imagined. Suffice to say, he wrinkled his nose and kept his distance from Kishor thereafter!
But that did not spare him the jibes from Yusuf-bhai and Dilip, the latter giving him an occasional ‘character certificate’: “Aadmi achcha hai, dil se saaf hai!” and then taking his case yet again. Wedged between a towering Yusuf-bhai and the thickset Dilip-bhai, Arora-in-shorts stood like a confused school boy not knowing which way to look.
There, in their semi-circle, the ladies were up to their own pranks, tittering among themselves. Suddenly, during the ‘Bagair Pani ka Freestyle Swimming” round, Sushma Gupta was seen jogging up and down at one point while flailing her arms around like a windmill. Nobody dared to emulate this unique coordination between leg and arm, except for Razia Khan. She almost lost her balance and then became wise.
Variations from the usual exercise routine make for a hilarious spectacle. Dilip-bhai still misses the “lassi” number when we had to enact pouring an imaginary drink from one imaginary tumbler to another. There was also a silly Charlie Chaplin walk we did to exercise our calf muscles. Yesterday, someone was spotted exhaling vigorously while standing, as though he was pumping air into a bicycle tyre.
For all that… and more, keep checking this blog every day.

Renu Babani says:
Talk about non-stop chatter today! Oh my goodness me, the ladies definitely took the cake with their constant jibes at one another and not sparing some of the male members too. However, everything said was in good humour and no one took anything to heart. The chatter ended when everyone walked through the Garden gate, hoping to return tomorrow for another fun-filled morning.
--Renu

Return of ‘Prodigals’

Sushma Gupta returned today – after leaving her grandchild with its parents in the US. Razia Khan too is back, along with Nafisa Syed (of course). Razia promises to henceforth be more regular and would take no further liberties on her daily appointment with the Club.
Renu Babani is also back, after what seems to be an eternity. And surprise of surprises, she treated us to a boxful of toffees to announce her return. It seems she wants to put her conscience at rest for oversleeping all these days. So when she woke up this morning, raring to go, hubby Kishor was the first to be taken unawares. It was extremely nice of the couple (above) to celebrate the event with sweets.
For Yusuf Rassiwala though, the surprise treat was a wonderful way to not just start the day, but celebrate Dussehra as well. Some members however, joked that this was a self-inflicted penalty for absenteeism and must be taken as a precedent so that others would emulate their example. The more mischievous in the group kept wishing that Renu does the disappearing act once again and comes back with yet another box of toffees!
Jokes apart, a strange pattern seems to be emerging about attendance in the Club. Every time a set of old faces resurfaces, another lot would go underground. Today, regulars like Srichand Arora, Nahid Khan, Ramila Mistry and Dilip Babani, among others were not to be seen – almost as though one lot was afraid of confronting the other. Or maybe, this is mere coincidence. Only time will tell.

Renu Babani says:
Yes, no doubt, surprise of all surprises! Seems like many members have been absent, and the old adage definitely makes sense: 'When the cat's away, the mice will play' (thus pertaining to Mr Shekawat). Hopefully, everyone will start attending the morning sessions and let us challenge ourselves into seeing who becomes a regular from the absentees. Today was amusing and nothing like a bit of humour in the morning. The best laughter is being able to laugh at oneself!
--Renu

Missing Rosogullas

Whatever calories were lost in the course of exercises yesterday, Tara Chand-ji’s laddoos more than squared them. Today, members were in for another round of sinful indulgence had not the security personnel of Calcutta Airport confiscated Bhaswati Bose’s dubba of 50 rosogullas from Assam, meant of the Club.
Srichand Arora had got wind of the incident and demanded (teasingly) where the sweets had gone when Bhaswati (right) reported at the Garden this morning. The lady was at pains to explain that greed got the better of the airport officials and she, along with two other hapless passengers, had to leave their rosogullas behind at the airport last evening. She recounted in graphic detail how the sweets were cleared by Dibrugarh airport, but it was at Calcutta, where she had to change flights for Mumbai, that the authorities decided to take away the dubba. No amount of pleading, coaxing and quarreling helped, as different airports apparently have different security rules. Significantly, last year, she had carried rosogullas for the Club, cleared from the same Calcutta airport!
Members broke into narrating their own horror stories at airports where consumables like liquor, baby food and even medicines had been arbitrarily impounded. Arora’s experience was most telling. He had once been stopped for carrying a particularly expensive brand of foreign cigarettes and he lost his head. Refusing to part with the cigarettes, he surrendered his matchbox instead and defiantly walked past the airport officers, saying: “Maachis bina, cigarette nahi jalegi! So what's your problem?”
Amidst all this talk, Pratap Bhatt (left) announced that he would be disappearing for a week as he has to collect the keys of his “redeveloped” apartment in Ahmedabad. He wished all the members a Happy Dussehra.

Renu Babani says:
Oh dear me, too bad the rosogullas didn't reach the members. The customs officer had a feast for sure! Anyway, I hope you had a great trip, Mrs. Bose and hope you brought back some beautiful memories.
--Renu

Summer of 82

The man from Sargoda, who came to India as a teenager during Partition, celebrated his 82nd birthday this morning. It was a special day for all of us as well. Tara Chand Seth is not only the eldest member of the Club, he is the most respected and is much admired for his old world values and impeccable human qualities. Just as you cannot catch up with his brisk walk, his trenchant humour, sense of self-discipline, accommodative nature and concern for the lesser-privileged are exemplary. Above all, he is a perfect gentleman.
Tara Chand-ji’s son, Hari Om joined us for the moonh-meetha in the Chinese Hut. As the laddoos took some time to arrive, members got an opportunity to break through his reticence and know the otherwise low-profile man better. And when it came to the customary photo-op, Yusuf Rassiwala jokingly insisted on sitting plonk in front as he's "tired of being relegated to the background" (because of his height) in every photograph. Here (pic above), you see him in his trademark black cap, rising head-and-shoulders over the rest, while Hari Om poses with papa biting into the birthday laddoo (in the foreground).
Even before the celebration, Yusuf-bhai was in an unusually mischievous mood as he kept fooling about with everybody. The strange thing today was that he had come up peculiar bird sounds and slow whistles, every time he needed to inhale or exhale during the exercises. This went on right through the session, much to everybody's amusement, with occasional interjections from Srichand Arora for added comic relief. After all, who else would count One, Two, Three, Four… and when it comes to Seven, add, “Go to Heaven!”?
Attendance was depleted today, but it was fun, nonetheless.

Festive Fervour

It’s been almost a week since the Navaratri celebrations began. But it is only now, on Mahasaptami day, that members are catching the festive fever. The reasons are obvious. Right across the road, in Lokhandwala Garden No 2, a four-day mega Durga Puja fiesta takes off today.
Kishor Babani informed that, beginning this afternoon, free lunch would be served at the pandal as ‘bhog’. Yusuf Rassiwala wants to know if and when Sonu Nigam would be singing there and whether special entry passes would be required to attend the function. Pratap Bhatt, who has a few Bengali friends in that Garden, came up with some interesting details of what promises to be a major cultural extravaganza.
From a Mexican band performing this evening to fashion shows lined up for the next three days, to gyrating Baul singers from Calcutta and assorted Bollywood stars doing their song-and-dance numbers, there’s a lot to look forward. The highlight of the evenings (soon after the sandhya-arati) would be a spectacular, ear-splitting 40-piece ‘dhaak orchestra’ with bare-bodied percussionists from Murshidabad dancing in unison in front of the Durga idol.
In all this, Monthi Serrao (left) has turned out to be an unlikely VIP of sorts. She is being most sought after as she had obliged a few friends last year with entry passes for the stage shows. It seems she gets these passes in lieu of advertisements placed with the organizers of the Puja. Now everybody wants a pass from her. Let’s hope members understand that it is not humanly possible to please all the people all the time.
Happy Durga Puja!

Renu Babani says:
Yes, the festive season is here and whereever you go, the atmosphere just gets to you. Everyone seems to be celebrating in their own way and enjoying all the activities around them. India is one place where you can really enjoy yourself during this time of year, in comparison to abroad, where the atmosphere is so different. We Mumbaikars know how to celebrate and we do it in ishtyle!
--Renu

Wakey, Wakey!

With Dussehra coming up this week-end, Renu Babani (left) has asked for a “remedy” (see 88th post of October 11) to banish the Kumbhakaran in her. The request is all the more timely since regular members like Srichand Arora, P.Motwani and Tara Chand seem to be down with a similar affliction today. Even Renu’s hubby, Kishor did not show up this morning.
Obviously, something’s seriously wrong somewhere. And it's getting infectious. The other day, Yusuf Rassiwala remarked that “waking up early in the morning is no joke”. Sure, it is difficult. But we can offer five sure-fire tips to make things easy:
* There’s no point discussing bio-rhythm, the merits of self-discipline, etc. to wake up early. It never works. Rather, set the Alarm of your cell phone with an irritatingly screechy caller tone and place it next to your pillow. Do not put on pleasant music as the damn thing would lull you back to sleep.
* Imagine all the terrible possibilities of not leaving the bed at 5:30 sharp. You might miss an important flight. Mosquitoes from the Garden would swarm into your bedroom and devour you. You’d dream of a headless monster. A snake could creep into your bed-sheets. Mad Madrasi Subbu would come knocking at the door…
* Most important, lights off at 10:30 pm. You are programmed to spend one-third of your life horizontal. So seven to eight hours of sleep is a must. Watching Shekhawat’s son’s late-night soaps or Commonwealth Games on TV is not a good idea.
* Give yourself a task – say, keeping Arora’s music system in your custody. You’d automatically be obliged to rush to the Garden and set up the system before the others arrive. The feeling of guilt of depriving members of good, soulful music in the morning should be enough motivation for you to spring out of bed.
* If this too does not work, try sleeping on a hard mattress – or no mattress, or better still, on a cold, wet, slippery floor. You’d be awake for the best part of the night, simply praying for it to be morning.
Finally, if all else fails, go for the tried-and-tested method of your mother when you had a school bus to catch in the morning. Instruct someone at home to splash cold water on your face at 5:30. Anybody would happily do this to you – even at the risk of losing life and limb!

Renu Babani says:
Thanks so much for all the helpful tips for getting up early. I honestly liked all of them and was highly amused. I can just imagine myself in the morning if hubby was to splash cold water on me. I would look at him with sleepy eyes, but irritated for sure, and just waiting to get back at him for this unrequired method of getting me up. However, I shall attempt some of these methods and surely something will work out. The worst part is I feel so guilty afterwards and chide myself for being so lazy! Bottom line, need to move my butt out of bed whether I like it or not and get to the Garden like before. Enough is enough!
--Renu

Horse Laughter?

Yesterday’s cloudburst had taken a toll on today’s attendance. Yusuf Rassiwala, Razia Khan, Nafisa Syed, Monthi Serrao and Pratap Bhatt were conspicuous by their absence – besides of course, Hari Naraiyani, Renu Babani, Mumtaz Jahan, Kiran Sajjan and several others who have gone missing for long.
But that did not dampen anybody’s spirits, what with Kishor Babani and his crazy pranks, particularly when Arora’s back was turned. They have a nice, good-humored thing going between them, short of direct sparring. One does not let go an opportunity at taking a dig at the other, much to the amusement of the rest of us.
Eventually, it had to be Ram Shankar Shukla (right) who became the butt of many jokes, because of the peculiar way he laughs. Arora, who conducted the laughter round, noticed that this tall, lanky gent did not open his mouth wide enough and as usual, exhorted him not to restrain himself. “Dil khol kar hansiye tah-ki upar waley aapki awaaz sun sakey,” Arora urged.
Shukla kept shuffling like a shy bride, trying to say something.
“Aap jab hanstey hain toh (you look fair) gora lagtey hain,” said Dilip Babani encouragingly.
Pat came Arora’s remark: “Aap jab hanstey hain toh ghoda (horse) lagtey hain!”
Shukla did not know which way to look and ultimately gave up. He understood that on their day, Arora and the Babani brothers combined can be more than a handful for him and it would be prudent to rather shut-up. The "ghoda" tag however, seems to have stuck, replacing his earlier calling card – "Qutab Minar"!

Renu Babani says:
The poor gentleman must have been a bit embarrassed and that is understandable. However, I am sure it was said in good humour and even he took things in his stride. Since we know each other by now, seems like we are getting to learn so much about one another and the atmosphere gets more comfortable and easy.
--Renu

Washed Out

Now we know what a cloudburst means. One moment it is warm sunshine and the next, the heavens open up. We had to abandon the exercises midway through the breathing round and run helter-skelter to take shelter under the trees. When the downpour persisted, we had no option but to converge at the Chinese Hut, dripping wet.
Nobody had come prepared with an umbrella and worse, for the forced confinement. The hut was packed to the rafters. Arora-sah’b tried to enliven the atmosphere by putting on some music, but it only increased the jostling inside. Outside, the rainfall only got worse with every passing minute. Even after an hour, when it showed no signs of abating, people started venturing out, one by one.
But then, as they say, there’s a silver lining to every cloud. And the forced confinement turned to be a blessing in disguise for many as they got to interact with one another. Names could be put to some faces we get to see every morning. Ladies united over discussing the fate of clothes hung out to dry, while men bonded over the possibility of ordering chai (if not booze) with pakoras while it rained. The next door Celebration Club is supposed to serve cheap liquor!
The biggest discovery though, was the hidden talent in Harish Kumar Wadhwa (left), who showed up today after a long time. In the course of conversation with Yusuf-bhai and Bose, this engineer from BITS, Pilani revealed that he is a proficient actor who had done stage plays, street theatre, etc. during his student days. He is a big fan of the theatre legend, Badal Sircar (incidentally, another engineer) and had staged Pagla Ghoda, one of his most difficult plays. If there’s one thing Harish-bhai misses after coming to Mumbai, it is doing theatre. Pressures of work do not permit him to pursue his pet love.
Such enlightening conversations would perhaps not have been possible had it not rained the way it did this morning. Talk of turning adversity into advantage!

Renu Babani says:
Yes, what a downpour! I can imagine everyone running everywhere for shelter. However, it has turned cooler, so that is a relief. I do apologise for not attending, but somehow seem unable to get up in the morning. Anyone with a remedy, please let me know.
--Renu

Bhaswati Bose says:
We have good singers and some very good dancers. Now we have an actor amongst us. This Club is full of chhupey rustoms!
--Bhaswati

Youthful Spirit

Ramila Mistry (left) set the mood of the morning by swaying and clapping to herself as she cut across the Garden from the Gate and danced her way to our group. “Hansta hua nooraani chehra” (the Lata Mangeshkar-Kamal Barot duet from Parasmani) became our theme song on the music system. And as usual, Srichand Arora, Razia Khan, Yusuf Rassiwala and Nafisa Syed kept the youthful spirit soaring.
What made Ramila-ben appear so full of beans and playful today, we shall not know. But it was nice to see her behave half her age as she refused to concentrate on exercising… till Arora let out an angry animal growl, which sent her scurrying back to her place. (She had skipped two places to confabulate with Santosh Tyagi, thus distracting everybody.) Of course, true to style, Arora apologized afterwards.
The liveliness was however, not restricted to Ramila-ben alone. It was infectious. If Yusuf-bhai was lip-synching song after song, Nafisa actually enacted the scenes, eyes closed and arms flailing in the air, unmindful of the attention she was drawing to herself. Even Mrs Harbans Singh was seen repeatedly exchanging high-fives with the ladies around. And when the Parasmani number came on full-blast, everybody went berserk. The exercises became incidental as everybody, including Motwani and Khatoon Baig joined the crazy banter.
We reproduce here the lyrics of the first stanza of that yesteryear hit to give you a sense of the leg-pulling that went on, especially since Yusuf-bhai, Razia and Nafisa were at their comic best. Sing along and picture them:
“Hansta hua nooraani chehra
Kaali zulfein rang sunehra
Teri jawaani tauba tauba re
Dilrooba dilrooba, dilrooba dilrooba (2)
Pehle teri aankhon ne loot liya door se, pehle teri --
Pehle teri aankhon ne loot liya door se
Phir yeh sitam tan tan ke dekhna guroor se
O deewaane, O deewaane
Tu kya jaane, haan tu kya jaane
Dil ki beqaraariyaan hai kya!
Hansta hua nooraani chehra
Kaali zulfein rang sunehra…”
Arora tried to wriggle out of the situation by declaring he was no longer young. “Sirf chaar saal kam hoon 50 se,” he clarified, only to attract all the wagging fingers at him: “Teri jawaani tauba tauba re / Dilrooba dilrooba, dilrooba dilrooba”!
Thus it went on. And another week came to an end on a high note.

Renu Babani says:
Old is gold! These old songs have so much meaning and sound melodious as well. Despite all the latest songs(who can forget Munni badnaam hui?) we revert to the sweet music of Kishore Kumar, Lata-ji, etc. These are the true songs of yesteryears that reveberate till today and no matter how many times one hears them, they always sound beautiful. We, maybe, are getting on in age, but will always remain young at heart. Our spirit and energy, no one can change, and it will always remain that way. Way to go members, let's show everyone how much fun we can have no matter what!
--Renu

Funny People

Nafisa Syed (right) took us by surprise by showing up on her birthday. She is the sort who, by her own admission, loves her morning slumber. To leave the bed early and start this special day with us was indeed very nice of her. We wish her more regularity in attendance, early relief from diabetes and eternal contentment. Also, a very happy birthday, Nafisa!
It is the unpredictability of this lady that has endeared her to so many of us. She can do a take-off on anybody at any time, without warning. A brilliant mimic, she is able to imitate the peculiarities of a person, mannerisms, behaviour, talking style, laughter… She has also come up with quaint nicknames for some members. And it is always funny, not insulting.
Come to think of it, we seem to have more women than men in the Club who are able to be funny. Among the latter, only Srichand Arora and Dilip Babani are blessed with a natural sense of humour. Their witticisms and smart repartees are more in the nature of slapstick – loud and boisterous, bordering on the burlesque. The rest of the men are mere spectators, applauding when required to.
Subtlety is what must be learnt from the ladies. From Mrs Harbans Singh’s earthy one-liners. Or Geeta Sandana’s wisecracks delivered with a placid smile. Or from Santosh Tyagi’s typically deadpan humour which can be devastatingly hilarious. Or a casual, off-the-cuff remark from Monthi Serrao that would keep you in splits for hours.
Even Khatoon Baig and Nahid Khan are capable of pulling off an occasional rib-tickler, not to mention Sunita Jajodia who can go on and on and on, without realizing that her style of narrating (otherwise mundane affairs of life) by itself, can be uproariously funny.
But the one to ultimately take the cake (and eat it too!) is Kajal Babani. She is the most gifted of the lot. There is something about her presence that automatically brings a smile to the lips -– even before she’s uttered a single word. And should she perchance make a remark, be assured, it would be funniness unplugged!
So, must we really blame the ladies for laughing and giggling among themselves during the exercises? They must be the happiest among us. God bless them!

Renu Babani says:
I feel it is always important to keep the wit and humour in our lives. This is what keeps all of us going in an otherwise stressed out life. We are constantly on the go, our minds running ahead of us and the never-ending routine does get to us at times. So, when we meet in the mornings, the crazy banter and constant laughter fill the air. Isn't this what life should be all about? Why not enjoy it the best way we know and let others join in as well? Let us enjoy the moments of fun and laughter because life is too short and who knows when these moments come again. Cheers to everyone for keeping this Club together no matter what!
--Renu

All’s Forgiven

Sunita Jajodia (left) must have had the shock of her life this morning when Srichand Arora (below right) went running across to her at the beginning of the laughter round and stood abruptly in front, hands folded. Her eyes popped out. We wondered, what now? But Arora-sah’b had other ideas. “Moonh khol ke toh hansiyeh!” he commanded.
Immediately, her face broke into a wide grin and we all rejoiced with her. At that very instant all the misgivings she might have had about being persecuted (see blog post, Sullen Protest of October 5) were laid to rest. This is Arora’s style of diffusing tension. He kept at it through the exercises, urging her jokingly, at times, to raise her arms higher (when there was no need to) and she refusing to.
Today belonged to Arora. In the absence of Shekhawat-ji and Yusuf-bhai, he was the man in charge, never missing an opportunity to pull a fast one. Tara Chand-ji tried to match him with his one-liners, especially on the songs being played. And then Dilip Babani came to add fuel to fire.
“Iss gaaney mein Sharmila Tagore ki saans kaisi bhari ho jati hai!” he commented, referring to the erotic Roop tera mastana number (from Aradhana) playing on the music system.
“Haan, saans badi zaroori hai,” was Arora’s ready rejoinder. “Ask the wives here and they’ll tell you.”
Some of the ladies went red in the face and Razia Khan quickly changed the topic: “Bilkul, saans mein sab kuchh hai. Now for full-rotation-of-the-neck, first clockwise, then anti-clockwise.”
Dilip-bhai stood by, hands on his waist, grinning mischievously.
When Sunita-ji left, she too had a big smile on her face. Looks like all's forgiven -- if not forgotten.

Renu Babani says:
Mr Arora is a wonderful man and good human being. He knows how to thaw a tense situation and get things back to normal. His attitude towards everyone is of being friendly and ensuring everyone does the same. Congratulations Mr Arora, another feather in your cap...
--Renu

Srichand Arora says:
Renu -ji, I appreciate your concern about me and am really very thankful to get such comments from you. But let me tell you, in case someone is tensed up in our group, all of us ought to try to release the tension by hook or by croooooooooooooook. That way all of us get congratulated. Yes, your remarks in my favour are welcome and ya keep it up! God bless you.
--Arora

Positive Vibes

Warm, sunny morning. Good attendance. Lots of positive vibes. Srichand Arora sharing his tube of mosquito repellant with those wearing half pants. A surprisingly well-behaved Hari Narayani sporting a benevolent smile. Razia Khan asked to pay personal attention to a new lady having difficulty with the exercises. Bhaswati Bose dropping by to inform she’d be away on vacation till the 15th. Yusuf Rassiwala, in bright maroon T-shirt, singing along with the music system…
The ladies suggested that he also change his black cap to perhaps, a matching red, if only to stop Kishor Babani from addressing him as “Kali Topi Waley Pandurang Baba”. But Yusuf-bhai obviously takes pride in his black cap. And while singing Nakhre Wali with Kishore Kumar on the player, he kept mischievously pointing at the ladies in general, till the part when the song came to, ‘Beraham, Bewafaa…’
“Dekhiye Razia-ji,” he called. “Kishore kya keh rahein hain!”
Razia Khan thought he meant Kishor-bhai. “Renu ko keh raha hoga,” she snapped back.
Today’s music had obviously a lot to do with the general bonhomie among members. Even Arora-sah’b could not hold himself from taking pot shots at unsuspecting members, till everybody felt encouraged to play the fool with one another instead of exercising. And then, he had to show his true colours by suddenly shouting, “Oyyyeee, khamosh!!!” A pin drop silence descended. But only for a while.
What a wonderful way to start the day.

Renu Babani says:
Although I didn't attend this morning, looks like everyone is back to their usual selves. I am sure Mr Shekawat must have been remembered today alongwith his wife. However, as long as everyone gets along and has fun in the process, what more does anyone want? I am sure things will continue this way and with such great weather, attendance will be good as well.
--Renu

Sullen Protest

What’s a Club without a little intrigue, mutual recrimination and petty politicking among members? Maybe, it's even necessary; because in order to appreciate the good, we need to take a bit of the bad as well.
Sunita Jajodia was in an enormously foul mood this morning. Somebody had supposedly made some loose remarks about her leaving the exercises midway yesterday and that has reached her ears. What those remarks were, nobody knows. Nobody had heard anything offensive said about her. But she named some names. And to register her protest, she refused to take part in the exercises today.
Now, it is not uncommon for Sunita-ji to leave the exercises just before the beginning of the second laughter round. We all understand that she has domestic compulsions for doing so. There is nothing in it to make fun of. On the contrary, just to tell her that she’d be missed, Arora-sah’b once commented within easy earshot, “Dekho, ek gaddaar hamein chhor ke ja rahi hai.” She laughed. And we all laughed with her.
What could have been any more serious than that which all of us had missed yesterday? Obviously someone has poisoned her ears. And being an over-trusting and sensitive person, Sunita-ji has made two-and-two ten, without even cross-checking with anyone else. She has concluded, rather unfortunately, that there’s a conspiracy against her and we have been rejoicing at her expense.
It took Yusuf-bhai’s immense convincing powers to get her on her feet and join the exercises. “How are you bothered about who says what?” he consoled her. “As far as you are concerned, you are here for your own health. So do your exercises and go home.” When Sunita-ji was still sulking, Nahid Khan joined in: “Look at me. So many people say so many things about me. Do you think it bothers me? I care a damn!”
Well, that’s the spirit...

Renu Babani says:
I do not understand why should anyone comment in regards to other members. Everyone has their own commitments and reasons. Let us respect each member as we do not know there situations personally. We come to the Garden for the exercises, meet and have fun. No one should be teased in such a way that it gets offensive to the other person. Let us leave snide remarks aside and have fun. People can be sensitive at times and every individual should be treated with respect.
--Renu

Exodus Begins

The nine-day navratri festivities (preceding Dussehra) are round the corner. And already the exodus of Club members from Mumbai has begun with Hari Singh Shekhwat announcing this morning that today is his last day before he proceeds to his home town, Jalawar in Rajasthan. He will be followed the day-after by S.R.Rane, who plans to celebrate with his folks in his village near Ratnagiri. Sunita Jajodia too is packing her bags, for Indore, where a family function awaits her. Bhaswati Bose is leaving this Thursday for her mother’s place at Dibrugarh, Assam and there’s P.Motwani also, who’s got to attend his guru’s birthday celebrations at Pune.
Of them, Shekhawat appears to be most excited. He would be out for the longest period and like any bright-eyed school boy looking forward to his annual vacation, has everything lined up to the last detail till he returns on October 28. He spoke at length of his travel plans, the visit of his son in between, the temple atop a hill near his village where animals are still sacrificed during the festival, the evenings he would spend over booze and friends… He also extended an open invitation to members of the Club to visit him whenever they please, adding that he would send a jeep to Jaipur railway station, if required.
Surely, Shekhawat’s going away would leave the Club headless for some time. There’s of course, Arora-sah’b and Yusuf-bhai we would be rallying around. But it is not going to be the same. The kind of liberties we are used to taking with Shekhawat will have to be contained to some extent. Besides, there’s one thing about this man: Even if nobody comes in the morning, you can count on him to make an appearance as surely as night is followed by day. This speaks of his military background.

Renu Babani says:
Mr Shekawat will be missed for sure. His comments on those who do not attend regularly, not forgetting the fact he is on his mobile all the time (most probably with one of the members). However, everyone needs a break and looks like many members are getting ready to head out to different locales. I am sure all of you will have a great and safe trip. Come back soon all of you, each of you will be missed!
--Renu

Strip Tease

We’ve all heard about the strip tease in cabaret joints, pubs and sleazy bars. Some of us have even seen it staged. Today, in the Garden, Hari Naraiyani demonstrated what the show is like by exposing his beautiful body in all its grizzly glory.
This stern-looking, elderly gent (right) can be quite a cat. In many ways he is instrumental in lightening the monotony of the exercises with his constant jabbering, irreverent comments, singing off-key with the music system and refusing to adhere by anybody’s instructions. As Nafisa Syed reasoned, “Time-pass karne ke liye aate hain Harey Bhai (sic).”
This morning Hari-bhai was in an exceptionally garrulous mood. Twice, he was ticked off, but to no effect. He kept at his non-stop banter, not realising that before long, others were taking the cue from him and fooling around during the exercises. At one point during the silent laughter round, Arora-sah’b pulled up Razia Khan (much to Yusuf-bhai’s glee) for engaging the ladies in an impromptu mini-conference.
But Hari-bhai, being a law unto himself, was above all this… till someone pointed out that he was wearing his green T-shirt ulta. Without a moment’s hesitation, he walked out of the circle, took off the shirt in front of everybody, reversed it and walked back. It was a sight to behold, taking everybody by surprise.
Jokingly, Arora-sah’b remarked that he’d now take off his trousers as well. “Woh toh main apni bibi ke saamney kholunga,” was Hari-bhai’s prompt reply. Now, what can you say of such a person?

Renu Babani says:
Frankly speaking, everyone was dumbstruck at Hari-bhai's surprising actions this morning. We certainly had no intention of watching a strip tease this morning (or any other day). Hopefully it will not be repeated. Mr Arora is right in ensuring that the exercises are done with no interference and talking/discussions take place after the exercises are over. However, as usual, everyone was back to their usual wit and things resumed to normal.
--Renu

Derek Bose says:
Are you sure this was not Hari-bhai's style of Gandhigiri? After all, it was Gandhi Jayanti. And it was only fitting that he had attempted the 'naked faqir' act (to the best of his ability) on October 2!
--Bose

Kishor’s Slideshow

Why are the pictures so small? Can’t I get a CD of all these pictures? But I want prints of some of the photographs to send home. Double-click on the pictures and you’d get bigger images. Suchh-muchh, mast hai!
Renu Babani was right. Indeed, the after-effects of the Lonavala picnic won’t leave us for a long time. This feeling of collective joy got a further boost this morning when Kishor-bhai laid out his laptop in the China Hut and played the slideshow of the trip for the benefit of all those who hadn’t already seen it on the blog.
Mrs Harbans Singh could not figure out what was so special about the camel close-up. When told it was Dilip-Kajal on top, she simply cracked up. That appears to be the funniest and most popular picture on the slideshow, though Yusuf Rassiwala would like to credit Dilip-bhai for taking the “best photograph” of the picnic – the Boses getting close and mushy, a la vintage Rajeissss Khanna and Sharmila Tagore!
Mr and Mrs Shekhawat caught in almost a similar pose came for equal appreciation, prompting the former to request for prints to take home (in Rajasthan). “I want prints of all the good pictures to show my people there,” he said. "I am leaving on the 5th (of October)."
The bad news of the morning was that the CD (containing the pictures in high resolution) could not be played as it got inadvertently reformatted. The good news is that nothing had got deleted since it was not a re-writable CD. The pictures are now showing up in perfect condition. But by way of abundant caution, 10 copies are being burned right away and would be distributed among those who need the CD.
So Kishor-bhai, don’t feel bad: We’ll play it some other time. And we won’t need to go to Lonavala again, only to take pictures!

Renu Babani says:
What a relief! The pictures are in tact. Hopefully we will get a copy of the CD tomorrow and enjoy watching it at home. Each picture holds a certain memory, recalling the incident, all of which are worth remembering. I am sure, another picnic like this will be planned in the near future and those who were unable to attend will definitely come for the next one. Who likes to hear about it but not enjoy the fun too?
--Renu