Thursday, April 14, 2011

‘Garden’ Angels

Now you see them, now you don’t. When you do, through the dense foliage above, you’ll discover an army of them, peering down, beady-eyed. Dark, shadowy figures, perched on the branches and flapping their wings… Look harder and you could even spot a nest of dried, old twigs.
They are the guardian angels of the Garden.
But Kishor Babani does not like them. He would have nothing to do with them, even as his brother, Dilip assures him that the prasad they drop from above is “nice and warm”. He has been told also that he must consider himself incredibly “lucky” should they shower their blessings on him. Indeed, it would require a sharp sense of precision timing to target his bald pate and grant him the benefit of their benevolence.
Clearly, Kishor-bhai over-estimates the capabilities of these raucous characters. For the past week or so, he has been ceaselessly trying to dodge them while exercising under the tree that is their home. But then, he is not alone in their range of a direct hit. At least half-a-dozen people have been positioning themselves around him (ostensibly to gain proximity to the music of his mobile phone) in the hope of getting "lucky" some day with the aerial droppings.
On Kishor-bhai’s immediate left is Bose who makes no secret of his desire to have “breakfast” delivered straight into his mouth. He plants himself strategically beneath a populated branch and on the pretext of exercising, keeps gaping upwards in vain. On Kishor-bhai’s right, Shekhawat has been similarly hopeful, but keeps advising him not to bother about angels: “Kuchh nahin honey wala!”
Today, Kishor-bhai decided enough was enough. He is convinced that these angels are up to no good and not only he, but the whole lot of us could become victims of a possible carpet bombing. So he got us all to migrate to a spot close-by, but away from the tree and its blessed denizens. Here on the right, he is seen waving them good-bye -- for good.
Renu Babani says:
Yes, it is quite funny seeing these gentlemen doing their exercise while keeping a close eye on the 'visitors' on the trees. Despite trying to convince each other that none of them is going to get a free breakfast, each one of them is alert. Today they finally decided to move away from standing under the tree and I am sure they will be missed.
--Renu
Harish Wadhwa says:
Hello Kishor-bhai, are you listening? How about a birdie shot on some chosen ones below? We know you don't need a golf club to do that. Just perch on the right branch above and pot!
Harish

2 comments:

Renu said...

Yes it is quite funny seeing these gentlemen doing their exercise, but keeping a close eye on the 'visitors' on the trees. Despite trying to convince each other that none of them is going to get a'free breakfast', each one of them is alert. Today they finally decided to move away from standing under the tree and I am sure they will be missed.

Anonymous said...

(Kishore) Hello there...are you listening ... How about a Birdie shot on some chosen ones below ?. We know you don't need a club to do that. Just perch on the right branch above and pot. Regards Harish