Moonstruck!

A huge full-moon hung over the Garden this morning. Bapu Rane said it was Margasheersh Poornima last night. But the effects of the golden orb in the pre-dawn sky were already evident from the behaviour of some of our members as they trickled in one by one.
Hari Naraiyani (below right)looked unusually sprightly while twisting and turning his wiry frame like a bharata- natyam dancer and matching steps with the music playing in Kishor-bhai’s pocket. It was a sight to behold. For an 80-year-old, Hari-bhai is exceptionally flexible in the body and nimble on his feet. Besides he has grace and fluidity in his movements and a brilliant sense of rhythm. Later, he did a repeat performance, this time going through the paces of a garba dancer!
Actually, much of this light-heartedness is triggered by the music that accompanies our exercises. Kishor-bhai has an extraordinary collection of re-mixed numbers from yesteryear films (that often sound better than the original) which he has been playing for the last couple of days. Shekhawat-ji does not normally comment on film songs, but he too had to say, “Gaaney achche baj rahe hain.”
At one point when the song, Pehli pehli baar milata hai yahi… was playing, Nahid Khan (left) turned the key phrase, Dil toh pagal hai into Bambaiya Hindi – “Dil toh yeda hai!” Thereafter, every time the line played up, everybody would burst into laughter. Not to be outdone, Razia Khan (below right) added her line to rhyme with Dil toh yeda hai: “Tu kyun teda hai?” And so it went on with Yusuf-bhai also chipping in… if only to prove that even in such crazy moments, members don’t lose their creative spark.
Yusuf-bhai however, had to bring some unpleasant news – which probably explains his coming today. After the exercises, he informed that Zarina Khan (of the Yoga Group) lost her husband last night and his body has been brought to their residence at Building No 19, Millat Nagar. The jokes session was suspended and instead, a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect for the departed soul.