Day 351

Sunny days are here again.
What a contrast today was from yesterday… and the day-before. There were sunny faces and sunny smiles all around, as the sun broke through the early morning clouds to spread good cheer and bonhomie across the rain-washed Garden. All those who had locked themselves indoors during the past two days due to the heavy rains, were out today in full strength, taking attendance to a healthy figure of 20.
Even Hari Naraiyani (below, left) was there. He has been keeping indifferent health and was in self-enforced confinement for the past two months or so. Nevertheless, he offered himself as a soft target for the jibes some members habitually take because of his sharp tongue. For instance, during the Laughter Round, Srichand Arora had to admonish him for not laughing out aloud with his eyes! “Why do you always shut your eyes when you open your mouth to laugh?” was Arora’s incredulous query at the droopy-eyed gent.
Arora was his usual jovial self, having quite recovered from the hand injury (see Day 347 post) he had sustained last week while closing his car door. He conducted the Exercise Round and during the now rechristened Lain-Dain (actually, loose-handed rolling of the wrists), he picked on Ramila Mistry for being very brisk while ‘taking’ (lain) and just as sluggish when she had to ‘give’ (dain). “You must be Gujarati?” he quipped jokingly, only to be faced with Razia Khan’s retort, in like vein, on the Sindhi community. Razia obviously did not know that Arora happens to be a blue-blooded Sindhi.
Such light-hearted banter, we have realized, does not occur with as much freeness within the confines of the Chinese Hut. Exercising out in the open is uplifting to the spirit and releases the mischief and wickedness within ourselves to make the mornings so much more entertaining for all. Most importantly, we are able to breathe easy.
Says HARISH WADHWA:
Nice to see Grover-sa'ab laughing his heart out. His expression is great and so is that of the other ladies. (Is Nazma-ji sharing a joke with the crowd?) The picture of Arora-ji inspiring the photgrapher to laugh, is also very natural. Seems like everyone had a great time this morning.
Says RENU BABANI:
Today the attendance was good and we should be grateful the rains spared us. I guess a little cheer was required today and the weather just added to the atmosphere. I am glad I attended this morning, though was a bit late. My original plan was to sleep, but a guilt trip set in since it wasn't raining alongwith the realisation that I was just being lazy. A great start to the morning no doubt, and tomorrow shall be better!