Picnic at HARSHGIRI

There was neither any "harsh" (happiness) nor a "giri" (hill) at Harshgiri yesterday. Whatever happiness was derived, we drew from within ourselves. And if there was a lake somewhere, we did not see one. Instead, what we saw was a sprawling wasteland of ugly boulders and shrubs with an apology of a resort located in their midst. The toilets had run dry and were stinking to high heaven, no clothes’ hooks were visible in the changing rooms, the two swimming pools were slightly bigger than bathtubs, and dirty… Clearly, whoever named the place Harshgiri Lake Resort, must have had a terrific sense of humour.
But that did not deter us from having a blast. This was a major outing after six months and having survived a three-hour bus journey, we were determined to make the most of the situation. Within minutes of arriving and having breakfast together, the 53-member entourage broke into small groups and went their way.
Sitaram, Rane, Pawar and others formed one group and headed for the rain dance. Monthi Serrao, Harbans Singh and Santosh Tyagi constituted another group while Geeta Sardana, Ramila Mistry, Renu Babani and Bhaswati made for yet another. Harisingh Shekhawat, Bose and Dilip Babani chose to enjoy their spiked Pepsi together (right), play table-tennis, sit on the carrom table and generally spare about. Kishor Babani moved from one group to another, as did Tara Chand Seth and Ved Prakash Grover.
Generally everybody did their own thing, chilling out – whether it was getting drenched or scouring the resort, listening to old, soulful melodies (yes, Srichand Arora had loaned us the music system) or stealing guavas by the bagful from some god-forsaken place. And when Yusuf Rassiwala convened the Housie Session soon after lunch, they were all back in the picnic hut, only to concede much of the proceeds to Tara Chand and Kishor. Sitaram Hivarkar (left) too had his share of applause – particularly from an ecstatic female audience, who sang along with him till sundown.
The best was however, reserved for the last. During the trip back, for three full hours, Rehana Sheikh regaled us with her power-packed singing and antics. What’s more, she had Shekhawat this time, matching her song for song, act for act. The two were a total hoot! There was not a single person in the bus who did not crack up at their high-pitched drama. What more can one expect for Rs460?
(Out of Rs600 collected per head, the spillover of Rs140 was refunded at the end of the picnic.)
Renu Babani says:
Yes, as usual we know how to make the most of any situation. Despite the place, everyone was determined to have fun and definitely enjoyed themselves. I guess going in a group makes a difference. Apart from the fact of various complaints, ranging from the unhygenic conditions, heat and food that wasn't appetising, everyone returned home exhausted, but happy. Special thanks goes to Mr Shekawat for working so hard in organising the picnic, and also thank you Mr Bose and Mr Yusuf for helping out in every way possible, be it ensuring everyone was on that bus or each one got their respective refund. Unity is so important and this was definitely proved by everyone. Good job guys, keep it going. We rule!
--Renu
Dilip Babani says:
The picnic was not very nice because of the hot weather. But Pepsi and chhach were there to provide relief. Hope everybody drank enough Pepsi and chhach. I enjoyed the carrom board, table tennis, Housie and Sitaram's songs and bhajans. Nobody danced to Munnibai and Sheela ki Jawani. That was 100% missed by everybody. But Shekhawat-ji danced very nicely in the bus and that was great fun. We had a very good time drinking -- Bose, me and Shekhawat. It is true that the resort was very far and everybody became tired. Otherwise, the trip was nicely arranged, thanks to Shekhawat, Bose and Yusuf-bhai. For the next picnic, the place should be decided after some thought.
--Dilip