Freak Showers

The unseasonal downpour this morning had put paid to all possibility of exercises in the open. The sensible stayed indoors, taking the day off. Bose ventured out to find two wet crows at the Garden gate, a sad looking mongrel near the watchman’s cabin and Moti the Blackboard Writer perched on his white plastic chair.
Before long, Santosh-ji and Grover-sah’b showed up, holding on to their umbrellas. Rane Bapu walked in soon after. Between the four of them, it was decided to remain in the Chinese Hut – even as the rains had subsided and daylight had broken. Some people could be seen going about the Garden, while a few (right), afraid of skidding on the wet walking track, lounged about on the benches.
Nahid Khan strode in midway through the laughter session, followed closely by Sandhya Narang. Then came Sitaram-ji, minus pink umbrella. And finally, it was the turn of Dilip Babani, the Club’s certified jack-in-the-box. As Nahid Khan remarked, he has a way of turning up when you least expect him to.
So now, between the eight, the exercises were rushed through – ending with Sitaram-ji conducting the suryanamaskar. The sun played hide-and-seek and it kept drizzling on and off. Nahid Khan introduced a new term for the wrist exercises: “Pehle Bulaao”-“Phir Bhagaao”. She wanted to translate some of the Hindi expressions to English, but stopped at “Hai My Hard (sic)!” (for Hai Mera Dil).
By the time our exercises were over, the drizzle had turned into a relentless shower and we had to bide our time in the Chinese Hut. Vasudev Bhateja (left) decided to entertain us with a mournful Mohammad Rafi song: “Iss bhari duniya mein, koi bhi hamara na hua” (Bharosa: 1963). Luckily, he was to find a willing audience in Lakshmi, who suspended her free-hand exercises and listened to him in rapt attention.
Time to leave…

Bhaswati Bose says:
What about the movie? Are we watching Golmaal 3 on Thursday? Not fair on Yusuf-bhai's part to tempt us first and then do the disappearing act. I have kept my Thursday noon free and so has Santosh-ji. Bahut na-insafi hai!
--Bhaswati

Harish Wadhwa says:
1. It was indeed a dull, cloudy and a wet morning weather and I also ducked my visit to the Garden to enjoy a nice cup of tea at home. Not for long though, as the morning rat race for work took over. Vasudev-ji's song is a nice sentimental number, and I am sure he must have done a good job of it. I am already humming the same now to myself as I can't scare my fellow colleagues away by making it louder...
2. Many of us are working six days a week and that too full day. Can't join the group for the movie. Zindagi mein sab Golmaal hee hai!
Bhaswati-ji, can you please ring up my boss to tell (fire) him that bahut na-insafi hai yeh ki aap Harish ko cinema bhi nahin dekhne dete? And let me be cheeky to suggest Bhaswati-ji cook a good, special meal for my dear friend (her husband), who is sweating out at work -- now that she does not have to go for the movie today!
--Harish

Bhaswati Bose replies:
Harish-bhai, I don't mind cooking a special meal for my husband as long as he agrees to accompany me for the movie on Saturday. Why don't you bring your boss along? Then there won't be any complaints!
--Bhaswati