Post-Diwali Bash

It was a Diwali celebration like none other. Where else will you find an eclectic group of geriatrics and wannabe youngsters celebrating the festival of lights on a bright, sunny morning by raising a din… without lighting a single firecracker (or lamp) and rejoicing at slow, melancholic Mukesh songs?
But it is always fun to get off the beaten track. So what if Vasudev Bhateja cannot sing to save his life? At least he had successfully made mincemeat of the departed playback legend in his own inimitable style. Ditto for Sadanand Pawar (left). To his credit though, he regaled all present with an amusing skit of a traffic offender being chased by a cop in the dead of night and singing, “Mujhko iss raat ki tanhai mein, Aawaaz na doh!” to his heart’s content.
And what can you say of Sitaram Hivarkar (bottom left) and his (hold your breath!) “Oh meri Zohra zabeen” number? Seriously, somebody should bring in a law to prosecute anybody who attempts singing this song – at least till Manna De is alive. After all, who in the Club is NOT sick and tired of it? Sitaram-ji has such a rich and varied repertoire, and yet, time and again, he insists upon inflicting this number on unsuspecting ears.
Still, it was good fun with all the sniggers, singers, pee-jays and leg-pulling around. Srichand Arora and Kishor Babani quietly took off midway through the exercises to fetch the eats from Four Bungalows and return with packed boxes in time for the rest of us to assemble at the Chinese Hut. They were the backroom boys who, silently and unobtrusively, organized this get-together at short notice, making it a success.
The unfortunate part of the morning was that Khatoon Baig, Mumtaz Jahan, Zarina Khan and Rehana Shaikh were not to be seen. They were conspicuous by their absence.

Renu Babani says:
Too bad for those who didn't or couldn't attend. It went pretty well and looks like everyone had fun. Diwali came and went and things are now back to routine. So, hopefully attendance will be back to normal. Let's wait and watch.
--Renu

Harish Wadhwa says:
Hey, I seemed to have missed the fun, since I was out of town. How about another celebration soon? It is so heartening to see the "young" rejoice at the post-Diwali bash, setting a perfect example of brotherhood. Long live people of MY club.
--Harish