No Taking Chances

Kishor Babani (below) likes to play safe. Unsure about how the picnic plans for Mahabaleshwar would play out, he wants to book his tickets right away. Shekhawat today announced that we can wait till Monday (October 3) before finalising bookings. Kishor feels it will be too late by then. Chances are the bus seats and hotel rooms for October 14/15 will evaporate by then.
Meanwhile, Ved Prakash Grover became the first member today to make his contribution of Rs2,500 for the trip. Santosh Tyagi, her friend Mrs Chandra and Razia Khan have also verbally confirmed. Others who can be counted on are Mrs and Mr Shekhawat, Mrs and Mr Bose, and Kajal and Dilip Babani. So if it is a question of numbers, in a worst case scenario we can rustle up a dozen-odd members who should be ready to make the trip.
Problems however, lie elsewhere. According to Kishor, the last Volvo bus leaving Mumbai at 9:30 p.m. would reach Mahabaleshwar around 6:30 a.m. the next day. (Members like Santosh Tyagi and Bhaswati Bose, who suffer from acute travel sickness, are already contemplating a train trip.) Check-in time there is at 10:30 a.m. After the nine-hour bus journey, expecting everybody to wait for another four hours in the open would be cruel. In any event, the day would be wasted because it is highly unlikely anybody would be in a mood for sight-seeing. And then, next morning, at 9:30 would be check-out time! Surely, this is no way to enjoy a holiday.
One way out, as suggested by Dilip Babani, is to save sight-seeing for the second day i.e. after checking out (“Mahabaleshwar is a small place”) and then continue with the night bus back to Mumbai. For that, we leave Mumbai at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and reach there after 3:30 in the evening. Another possibility is to extend the trip by a day so that nobody feels rushed. (A couple of members might opt out, not to mention, per head costs going up.) A third option is to coordinate with train timings so that we get to rest at night.
All this requires serious, in-depth discussions – something we are not having.
Renu Babani:
Many members do not seem too keen in regards to the trip. However, as decided, best is to wait till Monday and then do the needful. Waiting for everyone to respond will take time, thus resulting in cancellation of the trip. So, let's hope that those interested do pay up and things can be finalised. Let's hope for the best and surely it will work out.

Ctrl+Alt+Del

We seem to be getting increasingly forgetful by the day. Yesterday, Sitaram Hivarkar needed constant reassurance that he was on the right track while conducting the exercises. Today, it was Razia Khan who needed to be corrected each time she got the sequence wrong. Worse, Santosh Tyagi wanted to repeat an exercise no sooner than we had done it. Kishor Babani remembered to switch on the music of his cell-phone at the end of the Laughter Round. Shekhawat was the best: He kept vigorously 'shooting the air' for the Slow-‘n’-Fast number, having clean forgotten that his prime target, Sunita Jajodia was standing bang opposite him!
Such things happen – more so, when there are too many distractions and everybody talks at a tangent. In all this, the idea of taking forward the Mahabaleshwar picnic plans was lost. All Shekhawat could say was that it would cost about Rs2,500 per head (inclusive of Rs1,000 on travel and Rs500 for accommodation) and that check-in time at the MTDC guest house would be 10:30 a.m. The response he got left him wondering: “Yesterday, everybody was gung ho about going, today why have they turned so cold?”
Kishor helpfully suggested that we could perhaps defer the trip to Shekhawat’s wedding anniversary, in which case he should pay for us. Shekhawat agreed, but it would have to be on his 75th anniversary. “I will take you all to Mahabaleshwar, but you’d have to wait for 12 years,” he declared.
“Chalega,” Razia said. “But how many years of your marriage have you completed?”
“Sixty-two years,” replied the 70-year-old confidently.
Now, what can you make of this? Memory lapse, slip of tongue… or a case of cradle snatching?
Renu Babani:
Yes, the trip to Mahabaleshwar seems to have lost its enthusiasm. Let us wait and watch for a few days. Going to a hill station that far is bound to cost. But it is upto members to decide what next.
Distractions seem to be all over since everyone feels the need to talk incessantly. The topic could be of no importance, but it has become a habit. Someone suggested that it is time to bring back 'disciplinary man' Mr Arora. Yes, Mr Arora, we do miss you. But I am certain you have been enjoying yourself with the family and there is nothing more important right now than celebrating together.
Harish Wadhwa:
* What mood to capture on the pic! Good timing, Blog Monster. The pic shows this exercise to be really scary to shoo away opponents. The only other person I know who has mastered this exercise is Dilip Babani-ji... Ghar par woh bhi babbar sher se billi ban jate honge! Kajal-ji can give us an authentic feedback. LOL.
* I liked the subtle title of this blog. Simply "reset" Sir!

Impasse Broken

The impasse on the club excursion has been broken. Today, in an unpreceden-ted show of unity and drive, the ladies suggested we dump the Lonavala idea and make a trip to Mahabaleshwar instead. Surprised at the near consen-sus among members, Hari Singh Shekhawat agreed instantly.
The groundwork for the trip had actually been done by Kishor Babani earlier. Seeing that Shekhawat was unable to make any headway in organising the Lonavala trip, he started checking out other options on the Net. He zeroed in on this quaint hill station 220 km from Mumbai and worked out the logistics. As he informed us this morning (pic above), all we need to do is jointly book our hotel accommodation and reserve our seats in a public (Volvo) bus in advance.
“This would save us the hassle of hiring transport to-and-fro and ensuring that we get a certain minimum number of members on board,” he explained. “All those interested are welcome to join. And based on the cash collected, the bookings will be made online. For local travel, we can always hire a mini bus at Mahabaleshwar…”
This made sense to all. So as of now, the trip is scheduled for the October 14-16 weekend with October 5 set as the cut-off date for confirming bookings. Meanwhile, Kishor will be checking on the bus fare while Bhaswati Bose will explore the possibility of reserving 15 rooms in the MTDC guesthouse at Mahabaleshwar.
Renu Babani:
Let's hope our plans do materialise. Once the dates are fixed and collection done, there should be no further hassles of others who decide to join last-minute. There has to be a deadline fixed whereas all those interested pay the required amount so the tickets for the journey are booked at one go. Also, once the MTDC lodging is confirmed, it will be a simple procedure of booking the required number of rooms. So, hopefully this way it will not be a burden on one person to call members and constantly ask them whether they are interested and if so, to kindly pay up soon.

SRK to Bhaloo

Bose Babu (right) has taken a massive demotion – from hero to zero. He got promoted a few weeks back when Dilip Babani (below, right), in his infinite wisdom, called him Shah Rukh Khan! How he detected a similarity between the Bollywood superstar and this half-pant wearing, black, bespectacled Bengali bumpkin, only Dilip should know. But the appellation stuck and went viral. Soon, even Razia Khan started saying, “Hamare club ka Shah Rukh Khan”. Not one to question the perceptive powers of our members, Bose has been happily basking under major delusions of grandeur ever since.
Then Pratap Bhatt (left) stepped in to spoil the party. Days before Durga Puja, he started pretending to be Bengali and instead of saying, “Good Morning” or “Namastey” like all others, began wishing Bose publicly, “Bhalo Toh?” (Are you well?). It was totally unnecessary. Being a Gujarati, even a “Kem Chho” would do; but no, Bhatt obviously had secret ambitions of stepping into Bose's shoes (they share the same birthday) and be another SRK. Hari Singh Shekhawat had only to overhear his “Bhalo Toh” and promptly turned it around to “Bhalo Chhey” in reply.
This went on for a while till Nafisa Sayed tried to correct him: “Aap kya Bangali-Gujarati bol rahein hain? Gujarati mein ‘Saru Chhey’ boltein hain. Ya ‘Majama’…” But Shekhawat turned a deaf ear to her and insisted on telling Bhatt “Bhalo Chhey”. Irritated, Nafisa pointed at Bose, saying: “Bhaloo toh yeh hai!”
That did it. At one stroke, by adding a single ‘o’ to bhalo, she cooked Bose’s goose – turning him into a bear. This morning he came wearing full-pants in an effort to regain his lost glory, but even Sunita Jajodia was not impressed. Seeing him at the gate of the Garden, she blurted “Aaj Sarva-pitro Amaavas hai… ghar jana hai,” and disappeared, not caring to attend the exercises. If only Dilip had been around today to salvage the situation!
Dilip Babani:
Hamare Laughing Club ke hero hai Bose Babu. "Shah Rukh Khan", Bose Babu ko naam mila at Lonavala, where we all have a photo. Lovely photo tha -- Bose Babu, Bhaswati ke saath, jaise Shah Rukh Khan aur Preity Zinta. Tab se Bose Babu ban gaye SRK. Bose Babu ki 100% qualities hai Shah Rukh Khan mein: sab ko hasate hai, caring hai, loving hai...
Renu Babani:
Has anyone seen the TV serial Mind Your Language? Well, looks like language lessons have started amongst the group. Whether the sentences are used in correct format is another story. At least we all have a good laugh. Regarding Mr Bose being called SRK, well with no offence to either of them, I am speechless. However, knowing Mr Bose, I do admit he is a true gentleman, accepting the title rather modestly. The turnout was rather low. Now there should be no excuses in regards to the erratic weather. So please everyone get back to the Garden pronto!
Harish Wadhwa:
Bose Babu, lovely pic -- smiling and jovial. Who wants to be SRK anyway? Our Bose Babu has an identity much bigger and profound than SRK. A thorough gentleman at heart, very forthcoming to help, Club ki jaan, co-chairman Badmaash Company, an artist, writer, painter, doting husband (as it shows – Bhaswati-ji is impressed!), most punctual and regular member in the group... qualities that deserve making him a “king” as SRK. So when we call him Shah Rukh Khan of our group, we actually mean a person possessing qualities of The King. SRK may be the king of cinema, but Bose Babu is the king of our hearts! God bless you.
Dilip Babani:
Bose Babu, Harish has written 10000000% correctly. There is no doubt in that you are the king!
Bose Babu:
Dear Dilip and Harish, you are both being kind. But I neither deserve the praise nor need to be consoled. This was all in jest. A man is known by the company he keeps. I am privileged to have you as friends.

Sunny Days

Sunny days are here again. Looks like we are finally done with this year’s monsoon and as indicated by the weather office, it should be clear skies and warm from now on. Indeed, it was nice to see the Garden bathed in bright sunshine after a long time – though Sitaram Hivarkar (left) was found to be a little exhausted and looking for shade after conducting the morning exercises.
Dilip Babani counseled him to stay put in the sun for some time as it was a natural source for Vitamin B. Ved Prakash Grover corrected him, saying it was Vitamin A. Before long Harbans Singh intervened, insisting it was Vitamin D to be derived from sunshine. Poor Dilip did not know what to believe and finally decided to join Sitaram in the shade of a tree, rather than argue on the A B C D of vitamins.
The sunshine has also brought out tiny (almost invisible) gnat-like flying insects that leave large, red welts on the skin – worse than mosquito bites. And they itch like hell. These insects were never there before. We will have to figure out how to protect ourselves from their onslaught... better still, get rid of them.
RENU BABANI:
Whatever vitamin(s) given by the sun, one thing we can be assured of is a natural tan, whether we like it or not. The insects are definitely a challenge. The best solution is to wear long track/regular pants and socks/shoes. Otherwise the insects shall have their morning feast at the expense of their victims!

Day 423

Pic(s) of the Week

..................EID LUNCH 2011

Great party! We all enjoyed ourselves, thanks to Razia, Rehana, Nafisa, Fehmida, Zarina, Abbas-bhai and above all, hamare chahite Yusuf-bhai. -- Bhaswati Bose

Really, the party was nice. Everybody enjoyed thanks to Yusuf-bhai, Zareena, Razia, Rehana, Nafisa, Abbas and Fehmida. -- Dilip Babani

Eid Party Announced

Razia Khan has finally had her way. Together with Rehana Sheikh, Nafisa Sayed, Yusuf Rassiwala, Fehmida Khan and a few others, she is hosting an Eid Party for members tomorrow, i.e. Sunday, September 25 at Shreejee's Restaurant, Oshiwara.
The announcement (pic left) comes after three weeks of hectic behind-the-scenes’ parleys with many members wanting to tone down the celebration, or else, back out. Faced with such resistance (see post of September 22), Razia could have easily settled for one of the two options, but she dug in her heels and is now turning her resolve for a “grand Eid party” to reality. She has however, stipulated one rider to her invite: Only members who come regularly for the morning exercises are welcome.
Earlier, during the exercises, she and Nafisa Sayed (right) regaled everybody with their wisecracks and smart one-liners. Once, they picked on Hari Singh Shekhawat and Bapu Rane (of all the people) for not “doing a single exercise correctly”. This was only to put the gentlemen on the defensive and a minor discussion broke out on what is correct and what is wrong. Seeing that the argument was leading nowhere, Nafisa intervened with a priceless piece of advice: “Jaane bhi doh… Hil toh rahein hain, wohi kaafi hai!”
On another occasion, a dispute broke out on the correct way of performing the Kissa Kursi Ka exercise – whether to go half-way down on the knees or rest comfortably on your haunches. Nafisa cleverly withdrew from the discussion (as she does not perform this exercise anyway) leaving Harish Wadhwa, Santosh Tyagi and Geeta Sardhana to debate on how best to lift yourself up from the half-sitting position. This time Rane had the last word: “Crane mangta hai!”

Rain Again

What can be said of yet another rain-soaked morning when you have to perforce remain confined to the Chinese Hut and exercise – except that Geeta Sardhana is back from an “emergency visit” to Delhi; that Najma Syed showed up to celebrate her turning into a proud “nani” (pic right); that Nafisa Sayed had a bad fall on the way to the Garden and bruised her knees; that the ladies are largely confused over whether it was Saif Ali Khan’s mother or father who had passed away yesterday; that Hari Singh Shekhawat is keeping alive the prospects of a Lonavala picnic since another guest house has been located nearby, at Khandala…
But the funniest part was of Harish Wadhwa acquiring the identity of a movie star, following his picture published in last Sunday’s Pic of the Week (reproduced alongside). “Aap acting kartey hain?” was the common query this full-time engineer had to field this morning from some star-struck members. Razia Khan tried to raise his stocks by egging him to say that he was also a movie director and producer, till Harish explained that the photograph was a working still of a character he had once played in a tele-film to oblige a friend. The instant disappointment on the faces of his “fans” was palpable!
The death of cricketing legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was another topic of animated discussion during the exercises, as not many ladies were familiar with the name. Bapu Rane describing him as “Sharmila Tagore ke aadmi” scarcely clarified matters, until somebody explained that he was “Saif Ali Khan ke papa”. By then, a few like Nafisa had caught on to the mention of Sharmila Tagore’s name and began to speak of her in the past tense – only to deepen the initial confusion. Before long, good sense prevailed as everybody decided to go home and consult the newspapers -- on whether it was Saif Ali Khan’s mama or his papa who’s no more.
Renu Babani:
Confusion, confusion all around. Please don't bury people who are alive and well. I am sure by now everyone must be aware of the facts, but I suppose it was a matter of discussion. Interesting, so much happened this morning. I guess we are capable of events occuring amongst ourselves, be it big or small. What a group!

Small Is Beautiful

Our members are hardly great ones for punctuality. But today, there was something in the air that brought Kishor Babani to the Garden, 15 minutes ahead of time. So also was Pratap Bhatt seen well before the exercises were to start. He was followed by other traditional ‘late birds’ like Razia Khan and Nafisa Sayed. And wonder of wonders, Harish Wadhwa was also there on the dot!
With Nafisa’s “Taakte rehte tujhko…” cue, Kishor switched on the music on his mobile and the morning session of laughter and games began.
Razia, (below) however, looked a little disturbed. A few days back, soon after the Ramzan break, she had wanted to organize an Eid party on a “big scale” for members. It now appears that many of her friends do not share the same level of enthusiasm, thereby putting an enormous financial burden on her and the few contributing to the bash. Undeterred, she declared this morning that she would keep her promise and even if it were to be a “small party”, she shall have it any way.
Word has also come in of Monthi Serrao enquiring if the proposed party of September-borns is being held up because of her. She has just been discharged from hospital and is recuperating at home (post of September 17). Still, she is prepared to come to the Garden once a call in taken on the date for the joint-bash. All we can say is that there's no need to hurry; she should first recover fully and only when she feels up to it, must she come to the Garden. Thereafter the party can be worked out.
We might further add that hosting a party should neither be an obligation nor formality for anybody. It kills the very spirit of a celebration. We have passed that stage in life when we looked forward to parties. Party or no-party, it makes no difference now. If anything, members are increasingly complaining about “wasting money” and the “snob value” attached to such indulgence. Still, should anybody be deriving an emotional high by treating friends at the Garden, try to keep it small. Set a precedent so that others may never feel the financial pinch when their turn comes. After all, small is always beautiful.
Renu Babani:
I am in total agreement in regards to birthday or any other celebration. I believe to each his/her own. Everyone is entitled to celebrate how he/she likes. Celebrating in a big or small scale is entirely upto the individual. Other members should never feel that it has to be competitive. The intention is to share in the happiness of others. So why does there have to be the feeling of a burden to also celebrate at par with others or more? I am certain no one compares his/her celebration to others. What is the use of celebrating with the group if one has to hear disturbing remarks the next day? We are all grown-ups here and such things are too petty. Live and Let Live!

Fox’s Wedding

Srichand Arora wanted to know from Singapore (his Comments of September 19) if it is still raining in Mumbai. The picture alongside, taken this morning, should give him a fair sense of the fox’s wedding-like situation we are faced with everyday as the monsoon simply refuses to recede this year.
To compound matters, auto-rickshaws in the city are on an ‘indefinite strike’ since yesterday. Lady members like Santosh Tyagi, Razia Khan and Nafisa Sayed who stay at a distance from the Garden, are particularly distressed, as they have to now walk up and down, negotiating puddles and slush, while it rains.
A semblance of normalcy was however, brought in by Kishor Babani when he made an appearance after three days. In his absence, we were deprived of not only our daily dose of jokes, but also the music he plays on his mobile handset during exercising. Today, for a change, he played a medley of old devotional numbers.
But in the end, it was the cussed weather that played a dampener. It is now almost four months that we have been putting up with the monsoon and it has started to get irritating. The rain gods should know that they have overstayed their welcome!
Renu Babani:
Looks like the weather enjoys playing games with us. It rains sporadically and stops abruptly. I guess being the end of the monsoon, it is like saying a fond, but wet farewell till next year. We have gotten used to umbrellas and constant complaints of the potholes and muddy roads. In the morning we would be looking up at the heavenly skies and debating whether it would rain in order to give us some relief from the heat. Strange, never satisfied as always. And now, with the weather changes, a new debate: When will it get cooler?
S.V.Arora (from Singapore)left:
Here also it is raining continuously. Even this morning I was held at the beach-side (where I go for my morning walk) due to heavy rain. When I found that the rain was not going to stop in the next few hours, I walked back in the rain. We all like moving about in heavy rain, but in S'pore, because of the lightning and thunder, people do not come out at all. I too was told by many morning walkers to go back home as rain might start in a couple of minutes. The walking track at beach-side became like a desert. Could not find even four people on the track, whereas in the normal course, there are 200 to 300 people. I feel, by now the rainy days should be over at Mumbai.

No More Fun?

A casual remark by Sunita Jajodia (below) triggered a serious discussion on why we show up at the Garden every morning. Harassed by swarms of mosquitoes, a peculiar stink rising from the nearby nullah and Shekhawat’s insistence that she stays on till the end of the exercises, the lady grumbled to herself: “It is no longer fun coming to the Garden.”
Imagining that he was being targeted, Shekhawat rose in defence: “Let me hear you say this one month from now. Monthi-ji has been in hospital, Nafisa is down with diabetes, Razia had a tooth extraction yesterday… I myself am suffering. Everyone has a problem because we are getting old. But we still come here to exercise.”
“Don’t say we are getting old,” interjected Razia. “Abhi toh hum jawan hai!”
“We come here for a very selfish reason – to improve our own health,” declared Sitaram Hivarkar, hoping to cut short the discussion and continue with the exercises. But it was only to give rise to several dissenting voices: “I come to the Garden because I have nowhere else to go”; “I come here by force of habit”; “What else shall I do when my eyes open automatically at 5’O clock?” “Frankly, I come here for gappe-ladaney”; “So-and-so comes here only when there is a party…” On and on it went, till an irritated Bapu Rane snapped in his school-masterly voice: “Make all these talkative people stand on the bankde (bench) as punishment!”
The discussion ended abruptly. But the thing about Rane is that he himself can be quite a chatter-box when he chooses to. Within minutes, he started a new thread of discussion on kadwa tel, its price, whether it is sold in small bottles, etc. with Sunita Jajodia and Ramila Mistry joining in. Somebody has advised Rane that applying unrefined mustard oil on his body is the best antidote to mosquito bites in the Garden. And so life goes on…
Renu Babani:
Yes, looks like things are back to normal considering the chattering and snide remarks. No matter what anyone says or retorts in anger, everyone invariably returns. Nothing stops anyone from returning each morning and resuming the routine as if nothing happened the previous day. Strange, one would say, but that is how we are as Family. We somehow deal with issues and prove our strength of togetherness as a unit. Nobody can really explain this.

Slow Start

As usual, a slow start to a new week with a majority of members missing. In fact, there was nobody to even start the exercises, till Shekhawat offered to conduct the Laughter Round himself. Seeing the low turnout, Bapu Rane had one explanation: “Aaj koi birdday-buddey nahin hai!” He had to be told that maybe it wasn’t anybody’s birthday, but surely he could see many “buddeys” around.
The good news though was that we had the company of Purushottam Sharma (pic alongside). Whenever he’s in town, he makes it a point to join us for the exercises. He had been away to the U.K. for a while and will be leaving for Delhi in about 10 days. Till then, he assures us, he would be coming to the Garden regularly. After all, the Club owes its existence to him as he is one of the founding members.
As for the picnic to Lonavala next month, Shekhawat informed that we might have to abandon the idea for the present. The guest house he had identified is undergoing renovation, with the top floor being converted into a prayer hall. That leaves us with only five or six rooms on the ground floor, which would be quite inadequate. Another guesthouse had been suggested a few kilometers away, but that too has only six rooms to spare. Rather than be split into two groups, Shekhawat feels we might as well give up on Lonavala and explore some other option.
Members, please send in your suggestions.
Renu Babani:
Yea, Kishor and I didn't attend this morning. My flu got the better of me this weekend and I was in no shape to get up. Kishor decided to stay home as well. Since Lonavala is not feasible, perhaps we should just go for a day-picnic like we usually do, but of course, the question arises, where do we go? So let's put our heads together and come up with a place which is agreeable to everyone.
Bhaswati Bose:
How about Mahabaleshwar?
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Nice to see you, Sharma-ji. But since when are you there? Why were the Laughter and Physical Exercises not conducted by you? As far as I remember, you know all the steps of both. Our dear Shekhawat-ji has just recovered and I think he should not be burdened. Anyway, I thank Shekhawat for showing such BAHADURI!
Why are so many people missing these days? Is it still raining there?

Day 416

Pic of the WeekLet's get at him... no prizes for guessing who His Royal Highness is!

Kishor Babani:
Kya maze hain apne Harish Sadhu-baba ke! Apun ko bhi sadhu ban-ne ka hai. HAHA HA HA!

Bhaswati Bose:
Lucky Harish-bhai! Two pretty girls all over him -- one whispering sweet nothings into his ears and the other caressing his daadhi!

Anonymous:
"Let us check his real face: You pull off his beard, I'll take off the turban!"

Renu Babani:
Budda Hoga Tera Baap! This is the 'Axe Effect'... Such a perfect gentleman, bet mom and dad would approve.

Dilip Babani:
Harish-bhai toh jawan hai, dadhi-aur-muchcheh safed hai toh kya? Dil toh jawan hai -- Rajasthani gabroo jawan hi... The two young girls love him so-ooo much. I think they both are mad after Harish-bhai. Mubaarak ho!

Repeat Treat

Human beings are generally born. Some are occasionally hatched. A few just germinate or sprout from earth. And then there are those funny cases of ‘immaculate conception’ which are beyond the realm of human understanding.
Kishor Babani will have to decide which of these possibilities apply to him for the party he hosted this morning at the Chinese Hut. He had already celebrated his ‘birth’ day a few days back – on September 12 (see post). Many like Ved Prakash Grover and Razia Khan rationalized that that was only a ‘trailer’ for the ‘real show’. Some argued that it must have been his son’s or daughter’s birthday he had celebrated earlier and today it was his turn. As the confusion grew, Bapu Rane insisted that rather than count the trees, we should be concerned with enjoying the mangoes. But that did not put to rest the mounting speculation, as everybody came up with a new theory for the celebration this morning.
Our two-bit theory (for whatever it is worth) is that Kishor had hosted today’s party as an excuse to settle scores with wife Renu. Just study the picture alongside: Look where his fist is positioned and the grimace on Renu’s face, after having taken it on her chin. Somehow, Kishor seems to be simply enjoying it – a la Mike Tyson. Now check the picture on the September 12 post and you’d get the answer for today’s repeat treat.
The other big news is that Monthi Serrao gets discharged today from Kokilaben Hospital where she had been undergoing treatment for a severe bout of malaria (see post of September 14). She claims to be fine now and insists on having a joint-birthday party with other September-borns when she resumes her exercises at the Garden. Should that happen, well… Kishor will require a third excuse for yet another treat!

“Poor and Illiterate”

We escaped the rains by the skin of our teeth. We wrapped up the exercises in record time, raced through the 108-claps, hit the big-fives on the run and prayed to the sun god (pic alongside) to emerge from the clouds. It did not. Instead, it poured like hell.
Were we delayed by another minute, we would have been drenched beyond recognition. No wonder, Sitaram Hivarkar was in a tearing hurry at winding up the exercises and got irritated every time there was a distraction. He kept scowling at Bapu Rane, who was in a particularly playful mood this morning as he joked, mimicked others and needlessly brought up issues of political corruption during exercising. Even the so-called 'Neelam Exercise' had become a distraction. So when Razia Khan suggested a minor variation over it, Sitaram suddenly stopped conducting and implored with folded hands in his military English: “We are poor and illiterate people in these matters. You please guide us!”
What made Sitaram say that shall not be known, but it was surely the quotable-quote of the day. And lest Razia should take offence, Bapu Rane promptly diffused the tension, quipping: “Karo, ya na-karo, koi farak nahi padne wala.”
Whatever may be the outcome of this banter, one fact remains eminently clear: Life at the Garden is fast getting back on track – even as the monsoon persists. One major reason could be the return of Hari Singh Shekhawat (left). He is calling up members every day, ensuring their presence at the Garden. He has also resumed his famous 'siren calls'. He does the goli-marna act with aplomb. He looks to be in fine fettle. Very soon, he should start his daily ‘announcements’. Most importantly, he is lining up a picnic at Lonavala for October 15 and 16. Watch this space.

Double Delight

Today was that rare day, which comes but once in a year, when two members sharing the same birth date, celebrated together in the Garden. Pratap Bhatt and Bose Babu distributed sweets and biscuits, following a round of singing and clapping by all and an unprecedented three-plus-two ‘big laughs’.
For the Club, it looked more of a rare celestial phenomenon – somewhat like the Mars and Venus coming in conjunction – marked by a carnival-like atmosphere after the exercises. While the two ‘birthday boys’ kept stuffing each other’s mouths, Harish Wadhwa and Dilip Babani struggled with the camera to capture the moment. Being a dark morning (it having rained minutes before the exercises), this was no easy shot. But well, here it is… The only other date in the year with an overlapping birthday is that of Geeta Sardhana and Razia Khan: August 27.
RENU BABANI:
Oh my goodness me! We seem to be having too many birthday treats these days. But we sure are enjoying ourselves and if we cañnot share such happy events together, then what is the point of meeting every morning? It is not the sweets or biscuits or anything else, but the need to share special moments together. I am sure Mr Bose and Mr Bhatt will have a great day today and our best wishes always. The picture shows the sheer joy of being with The Family.
DILIP BABANI:
* Happy Birthday, Bose-babu. May God bless you. Hope Bhaswati will take you out for dinner to a hotel. The 5 Spice Resturant is very nice. It is opposite Mega Mall, next to Meera Society, Oshiwara. Have a nice time. And yes, the pedas were nice.
* Happy Birthday, Bhatt-sa'ab. God bless you. The kaju biscuits were nice. So have a nice time!
HARISH WADHWA:
Bhatt-sa'ab turns 76 today, while Bose-babu turns 21. Now we know their real ages! I am unable to understand why Shekhawat-ji is so curious to know what the two of them are offering each other. Is it the same stuff which he and Sitaram-ji are seen enjoying (see pic)? On a lighter note please...
MEZDA & JULIE:
Tum jeeyo hazaaro saal... Many happy returns of the day!

Pound of Peda

The ladies extracted their pound of pedas (right) from Harish Wadhwa this morning. Not that the men weren’t expecting the sweets. Harish's absence from the exercises yesterday had become a cause of lingering disappoint-ment for all who counted on a birthday treat from him. Many looked longingly at the Garden Gate through the morning session, awaiting his arrival. Some like Bhaswati Bose and Renu Babani registered their protest in the blog (see yesterday’s Comments). Santosh Tyagi considered going to Harish’s house. “Ghar pahunch jayenge!” she threatened.
It is not on everyone’s birthday that an issue is made over sweets. Harish, being one of the younger members and naturally, much adored in the Club, raises such heightened expectations. Moreover, he is a known foodie and quite upfront in complaining every time he misses out on anybody’s birthday treat. So on his birthday, nobody was going to let him off easily. And surely, Harish knew that as he came suitably prepared today.
Incidentally, the joint-party of the September-borns will have to be pushed beyond this week-end. Before leaving for Mangalore on August 30, Monthi Serrao (above) had said that she’d like to join the (astrological) "virgins" of Badmaash Company in their celebration, scheduled for September 17. We now learn that she is down with malaria. It seems it was so bad that she had to be hospitalized at Mangalore and that her daughter had to rush over to bring her back to Bombay. Let us wait for Monthi to recover fully before even thinking of a joint-party.
Meanwhile, Nahid Khan (right) has started to sing, “Sawere wali gaadi se chale jayenge!’ She is off by the early morning train tomorrow to spend a fortnight with her folks at Lucknow. Today was her last day at the Garden, before leaving. We wish her a safe journey and pleasant stay at her maikey.
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Bose-ji, Happy Birthday my dear. Wish you very many happy returns of the day. May God bless you -- the dearest to all of us.
Also, Happy Birthday dear Bhatt-ji. I presume that again you have stopped going to the Laughter Club. For the last so many days, nothing is written about you and you are not seen in recent photos. Hope you are alright.
Monthi-ji, please take care of your health. I wish you an early recovery.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Yesterday, I consciously stopped by the mithai shop to ensure that I reach the Garden next day with some goodies. I am touched by the warm gesture from members, who make me feel so special.
* Monthi-ji, wish you a quick and healthy recovery from malaria. We will of course, wait for you (as also indicated by our Blog Monster) for the joint celebration. By the way, you look great in this picture with ruffled and windswept hair.
* Tomorrow, two of my dear friends Bose Babu and Bhatt-sa'ab will celebrate their birthday. I want to be the first to wish them a very Happy Birthday and great years ahead -- full of peace and prosperity.
Renu Babani:
Yes, we did it! The surprise this morning was that Harish-bhai came in earlier than expected, with box in hand. I guess he knew had he come empty-handed, no one would have spared him. The sweets were expected and highly appreciated. As a group, we have developed a comfort zone in ourselves and yet, respect one another. Otherwise, who'd have the audacity to literally demand a birthday treat?
Hope Monthi-ji recovers quickly so that she gets back to the Garden and celebrates her birthday with the rest. Also, wishing Mrs Khan a safe and enjoyable trip, considering the amount of double duty she was stuck with. She deserves this break!
Srichand Arora adds:
Harish-bhai, don't you think some unfair things are happening in the Garden? Pedas are being distributed in my absence. How about my share? Please keep some pedas in your fridge so that when I come, I should get my share. Don't say then that you will buy fresh ones for me. I know by that time we both will forget this. So better I get some baasi peda. This way I would be getting something at least. Bose-sa'ab and Bhatt-ji, these instructions are for you too!
Harish Wadhwa responds:
Renu-ji, you all have a right to command/ demand anytime. Actually, I am the beneficiary in all this. Exchanging simple sweets with tons of invaluable blessings is a great bargain anyday. Cannot ask for more.
Arora-ji, enjoyed your comments. Treat is pukka when you return. Instead of pedas, I am going to put away some fresh "fruits", which will transform into "dry fruits" till your return.

Telephone Effect

They are calling it the ‘telephone effect’. Till barely a week back, attendance at the Garden seldom crossed a single-digit figure. Today, we were 23. As Razia Khan put it: “What could I do when Shekhawat-ji was so persistent on the phone?”
Razia was among the dozen-odd members who, for various reasons, had disrupted their morning exercise routine for the past month or so. Now, with daily reminders over the phone from Hari Singh Shekhawat, they have all realized that lying low is no longer an option. “Aap kam-se-kam apne shakal toh dikhaiye,” Ramila Mistry quoted Shekhawat as saying, which resulted in her making an appearance yesterday.
Significantly, Shekhawat himself has been keeping indifferent health. But as always, he is more concerned about the health of the Club’s members and keeps impressing on the benefits of daily exercise. At present, he is particularly worried about Yusuf Rassiwala, another long-term absentee: “He keeps promising on the phone that he’d be coming to the Garden, but does not show up.”
Now, more members means more women… and more chatter (above pic) during exercises. They gave Razia a hard time today while she conducted the exercises, till Dilip Babani took up for her by making “Ssssh… Ssssh” noises (and a “Do not disturb” order) only to invite the wrath of Sunita Jajodia and Co. Thereafter, he clammed up.
One person everybody missed was Harish Wadhwa (left). Of late, he has been quite regular at the Garden; but on his birthday today, he had to do the disappearing act. Nevertheless, we all raised an extra laugh for him in absentia. This is once again, wishing him a rollicking life ahead – with complete wellness, fabulous career and a wonderful future. Happy Birthday, Harish!
Srichand Arora:
Harish-ji, Happy Birthday and Many, Many Happy Returns of the Day (in advance)!
Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Harish-bhai. May God bless you. Have a nice time with your wife and children!
Bhaswati Bose:
Janamdin Mubarak, Harish-bhai! We missed you and the sweets today. The shernis of the Club won't let you escape so easily. We will wait for the goodies -- aaj nahi toh kal sahi!
Renu Babani:
Many happy returns of the day, Harish-bhai. I am sure you had a great birthday and celebrated with your family. Unfortunately you didn't come to the Garden, but you seriously didn't think that you will get off that easily, did you? The members have increased today and it is all thanks to our Principal whose determination continues. Despite his own health issues, he ensures that he constantly calls the absentees so that they eventually turn up. Hopefully everyone turns up soon and we shall be back to the usual numbers.
Harish Wadhwa:
Thank you so much, for remembering me on my birthday and for that extra laugh. It means a lot to me. Could not make it to the Garden today, as I had some urgent assignment. Special thanks to my dear "Monster" (I mean Blog Monster), Arora-ji, Dilip-bhai, Bhaswati-ji, Grover-sa'ab, Renu-ji and others. I seek blessings from everyone who is elder to me and the good wishes from my peer group.

Bee…zzzzness!

Today, Harish Wadhwa scared Santosh Tyagi (right) out of her wits. While exercising, he invited her to inspect what looked suspiciously a pancake clinging to the tarpaulin of the Chinese Hut. Instantly, she recoiled in horror. Watching her, everybody burst out laughing, little knowing the cause for such a violent reaction.
The pancake-like object turned out to be a beehive swarming with red, dangerous-looking bees. Far from causing panic, it became the subject of much speculation and amusement with all kinds of conspiracy theories tossed around. The best one came from Nahid Khan. Referring to the bottles of honey distributed some days back (see post of September 6), she opined that this had to be the handiwork of none other than Razia Khan. “You people don’t understand,” she exclaimed. “Where else does she get her honey from? This is her bijiness!”
Why bees, with the monsoon on the wane, the Garden’s resident wild life are now coming out in the open and having a field day. There are so many of them flying and crawling about that we might as well take Srichand Arora’s cue and start bottling them: pickled centipedes, earthworm chutney, fried grasshoppers, caterpillar soup… That too is good “bijiness”. In fact, before Arora left for Singapore, Kishor Babani had offered to cook caterpillar stew for him as a send-off treat!
Jokes apart, we had two newsmakers this morning. One, Ramila Mistry (above, left) turned up after more than a month with holy water from Mansarovar lake and stories of her expedition to Mount Kailash. She looked pretty exhausted and asked for time to acclimatize before being able to resume her daily routine at the Garden.
The second event of the morning was the birthday celebration of Kishor Babani. We laughed extra for him, wished him, sang and clapped for him... and he distributed special Hyderabadi-Karachiwale biscuits around. Here he can be seen (left below) being the perfect gentleman and loving husband, giving wife Renu a bite. But pray, what is she trying to do? Why on earth does she look so determined to gouge out his right eye?
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Happy Birthday and Many, Many Happy Returns of the Day, dear Kishor. May God bless you.
Harish Wadhwa:
Well, I have had a bitter experience with those red bees and can swear that their sting hurts (like all "female" bees)! I wanted Santosh-ji also to keep a distance from them.
Nice pic of Kishor-da and Renu-ji trying to pull out the Karachi delights from each other. Must say they made a great treat today.
Renu Babani:
Oh my God! Was I so transparent that my mere look and position of the fingers gave it all away? Why do you all think I was giving him the biscuit? The idea of him feeding me was to divert everyone's attention. But I guess, it didn't work out. All said and done, thanks to everyone for wishing Kishor a great birthday. Each one of you made it a special day. These are the moments we cherish the most -- a simple but memorable celebration.
Great to see Ramila back. Hopefully, after a few days of rest she should be regular. And Mrs Bose, hope you recover soon. No matter what anyone says, we do miss your constant chatter. No wonder it was so quiet today!
Bhaswati Bose:
Happy Birthday, Kishor-bhai! May this day bring you as much happiness as you give to everybody every morning!
Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Kishor-bhai. Many, many happy returns of the day. May God bless you -- and of course Bhabi, Harsha and Prakash.

Day 409

Pic of the Week

Today is Anant Chaturdashi, an auspicious day marking the end of the annual Ganesh festival. Here's a sneak peek of a ceremony at Singapore.

Renu Babani:
May His blessings be upon each one of us. Aren't we lucky to get a glimpse of Him all the way from Singapore!?!

Dilip Babani:
Ganapati Bappa Morya! Nice photo of Arora-ji with Ganapati Bappa. May God Ganesha bless all members of the Laughing Club with good health and wealth.

Bhaswati Bose:
Nice to see Arora-ji and Kiran-ji performing Ganesh Puja at Singapore. Who are those cute little girls praying with them?

Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Bhaswati-ji, the girl in white T-shirt is our grand-daughter. The other one, behind us, is again a cute girl -- our maid from Indonesia.

Harish Wadhwa:
Amazing that we take our culture and festivals wherever we go -- even to Singapore. Very nice to see the family seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. May He fulfil all your dreams and manokamnayen!

Reflected Glory

We had the rare pleasure of basking in the reflected glory of BMWs at the Garden today. So what, if they were second-hand! Harish Wadhwa was the first to walk up and strike a James Bond pose in front of one of those luxury sedans. Ved Prakash Grover and Nahid Khan followed quickly. And then, five of our most glamorous in-house “models” took their place, flashing their best professional smiles and displacing the others. Grover and Nahid went out of frame and Harish receded to the background. From James Bond, he took the place of a chauffeur within seconds!
It was all for kicks. Early morning showers had rendered much of the Garden soggy, leaving us with no option but to make the most of the patch available near the Chinese Hut. Luckily, of the six cars occupying that space yesterday, there were only three remaining this morning. And by some coincidence, all three were of the BMW 7 Series model – their showroom prices pegged at anywhere between Rs 24 lakh and a crore.
Hearing the price, Nahid gamely “booked” one for herself and announced that others were free to choose between the remaining two. Sunita Jajodia arbitrarily hiked their price to two crore. Somebody said four crore with a four-year waiting period for delivery. Nobody knew what they were talking, but Shekhawat’s eyes kept popping at the mention of every figure. Suddenly, each car began to assume a larger-than-life dimension with everybody wanting to be “seen” next to them.
Hence these pics.
Renu Babani:
Looks like we decided to have our own car sale, stating the prices to whatever satisfied us. Yes, several members wanted snapshots with the cars. The poses were funny but everyone had a good laugh. At least there was a topic of discussion amongst everyone and all in jest.
The weekend has finally arrived and everyone's mood was joyful and plain happy. Strange, just being together is enough for us!
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Harish-ji, how much did you pay for this BMW? You must have paid in black. That is why you are putting your shoe on it!
Harish Wadhwa:
My name is Harish, Harish Wadhwa (read "Bond, James Bond")! These are a few of my BMW collection of cars. Some of the other makes are parked behind. As a generous and large-hearted person, you are free to take any of them. I mean pictures!
By the way, I cannot and will not pay anything, black or white, for these BMWs -- Behen Maya Wati's treasure. Yuck! Who's interested in BMWs anyway? They are too cheap and low-class for me. I prefer vehicles worth a few millions -- like Volvo buses, trains, luxury yachts and aircraft.

Blessing in Disguise

We have been unceremoniously ousted from the tiny patch of land outside the Chinese Hut. Six gleaming monstro-sities stood parked there this morning as the Car Bazaar in the Garden (see yesterday’s post) spilled over, making it impossible for us to exercise in that space.
But it was a blessing in disguise. For, we were back to where we belong – right in the middle of the Garden where we used to exercise before the monsoon had set in. The grass has been neatly cropped and in the mild sunshine, with a gentle breeze blowing across, we couldn’t have asked for anything better. The feeling of being cramped for space was no longer there.
This surely was liberating for all. And on popular request, Shekhawat (left) revived his practice of post-exercise “announcements” – which was rather in the nature of a health bulletin today. He spoke at length of his ailment which had rendered him weak and to lose weight, the blood test reports which have come in as “normal”, the medication he must take which leaves him drowsy, how he has kept off hard liquor, the feeling of being famished before lunch and dinner time… While some ladies like Harbans Singh advised him not to worry too much as these are age-related issues, others like Kishor Babani indicated that there was a lesson to be learnt from all this: Shekhawat must banish the thought of ever going to his village in Rajasthan!
The suggestions, made in jest, were taken in the right spirit as the common intent, which remained unsaid was one: We all want to see this man back to being his former sprightly self – in robust health, bubbling with energy and getting everybody charged around. For ultimately, he is the driving force behind the Club.
Renu Babani:
Yes, despite being forced to change our exercise spot, everyone was in high spirits. The weather proved lovely, a strong wind blowing, thus no one would complain about the heat or humidity. Everyone was on Mr Shekhawat's case on the Lonavala picnic. The poor guy kept a brave smiling face and said that he is not yet upto it. We are hoping that he gets well real fast so the picnic takes place soon. It was a cheerful morning no doubt and nothing spoilt the atmosphere. Where are the remaining members? Come back soon, everyone remembers you guys!

Gun Man

Geeta Sardhana gave Shekhawat a new name today: "Gun Man". She was being polite. For, no sooner had the Slow-‘n’-Fast Laughter Round started than he was on his toes, breaking into the circle and going “Ho-Ho-Ho” with his forefingers trained on the ladies. Knowing Geeta, she’d have liked to call him “Quick Gun Murugan”. But she held herself short.
Significantly, Nahid Khan was in the direct line of fire. Initially Dilip Babani and Bapu Rane (yes, he’s returned from his village today) tried to restrain Shekhawat, but they soon joined him in a little human-train (above) formation. It was a wonderful sight – more so, when it had become obvious that Shekhawat was trying hard to get back to his impish self (prior to hospitalisation) and he was being ably assisted by friends.
Such harmless pranks make a huge difference at enlivening the morning’s proceedings. Moreover, the weather is improving after weeks of sporadic rains and an all-pervading sense of gloom. The turnout is also getting better by the day. Very soon we should be having a full house and seeing happier times.
Today was Mother Mary’s birthday – and of course, that of Monthi Serrao (left). Others sharing her birthday include Heather Thomas, Asha Bhosale and Bhupen Hazarika among others. So she is in august company and more importantly, celebrating with her folks at Mangalore. This is just to say that we remember her on this day and wish her a long, healthy and rewarding life ahead. Many happy returns of the day!
For the record, a section of the Garden has been converted into a Car Bazaar. So those wondering about Renu Babani’s comments yesterday, here’s the answer: A dealer of second-hand cars has booked the entire Garden for himself effective 8-10 September. Little did he know that nobody has the right to prevent the public from entering a designated “public park” in Mumbai. His run-down cars will have to co-exist with us!
Harish Wadhwa:
Many, many happy returns of the day, Monthi-ji. We are waiting for your return to celebrate with other Virgos.
And today's shayari from Kishor-da is worth posting on the blog. Kishor-da can you please give the required inputs to Blog Monster?
Renu Babani:
Yes, today was laughter galore throughout the exercises. I guess everyone has gotten so used to the regular chatter that no one even tries to bring order to the noisy group.
The cars exhibited this morning was a piece of interest to everyone. Some of us figured we might as well book our cars now before they are sold off. Assurances of reaching the Garden in the evening in the hope of acquiring even a second-hand car became the joke of the day. Mr Shekhawat has definitely brought about a different atmosphere. What a difference one member can make!
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Happy to see our dear Shekhawat in the Garden. Things are improving, which is really a good sign. Please Mr Shekhawat, do take care of your health and avoid all exertion.
Monthi-ji -- many, many happy returns of the day and may God bless you. If you are throwing a party, please remember to keep my share separate.
Kishor-ji, I'm still waiting to receive your jokes!

Tickety-Boo

There are days when the morning comes and goes without anybody realizing it. The exercises start on the dot, progresses on schedule and ends with the customary prayers facing the rising sun. Everything goes tickety-boo. No untoward incident, nothing to celebrate, nothing to write home about.
Today was one such day.
Hari Singh Shekhawat came in all suited-booted to start the exercises and disappeared 15 minutes later for his appointment with the military hospital at Colaba. Razia Khan, who dropped by to distribute bottles of honey yesterday, did not show up today. Nahid Khan, as usual, did ‘double-duty’ – conducting both the Laughter and Exercise rounds. And as always, Kishor Babani (left) wrapped up the day’s proceedings with a battery of scintillating jokes, which only he knows how to narrate.
Everything was tickety-boo.

Renu Babani:
Guess, it was a normal day. The discussion amongst the ladies was the notice which was put up yesterday in regards to the Garden being closed effective 8-10. It was not there this morning. Shall see what happens when I go to the Garden this evening.
We should be grateful to Nahid Khan for being prompt on a daily basis. Where are the other members who also conduct the laughter and exercise sessions? Everyone seems to have disappeared for quite a while now. To all those absent, time to get back to the routine. Besides you are being missed!
Harish Wadhwa:
There may not have been untoward incidents, but for sure, there were some nice moments:
a) Bhaswati-ji joined the Badmaash Company. Thanks Ma'am.
b) Renu-ji refused to join the Badmaash Company. Maybe, we need some more buttering to make her believe that we are not such bad people after all!
c) Kishor-da generously gave away salted ribbon biscuits to us (yummy!) including the dogs who stood wagging their tails as we were enjoying our chai.
d) Bhatt-sa'ab wants to celebrate his birthday this month and enquired for a good day to do it.
e) Chatterboxes could chatter some more to make their mornings normal.
f) Sources tell us that Razia-ji decided to enjoy shahad (honey) herself at breakfast and so could not make it to the Garden and that she will be back with more goodies soon... (greed!)
Anonymous:
Just making my first send at biglaaf.blogspot.com, which seems to be a wonderful forum!

Freedom of Speech

Today, Santosh Tyagi gave vent to a grouse that probably concerns all women in our group: “We come here to talk and you make us exercise!” The accusation was made to no one in particular, but it left the men speechless.
Geeta Sardhana, who is more vocal about such matters, had raised the issue to a Constitutional level. “Baatein karna is my birthright,” she said, much to the delight of Sunita Jajodia, Bhaswati Bose, Neelam Garg and all other compulsive chatterboxes. “Nobody can stop me from talking. If I don’t talk, I cannot digest my food.”
As the women were in two-thirds majority this morning, the men thought it prudent to shut up. Even Nahid Khan, who conducted the exercises (above), did not protest – only to prompt Harbans Singh taking a dig at her: “Why is it that every time you take our classes, there are unruly scenes?”
Finally giving up on her ‘students’, Nahid declared that she would be better off going on a holiday. She said she was planning a trip to Lucknow from September 15 – by which time, somebody like Razia Khan would take over.
Razia was present today, having returned from her Ramzan break of more than a month. And to add a dash of sweetness to her arrival, she distributed fresh honey bottled by her company, INNOTEK INGREDIENTS (P) LTD. Here you see members posing with the honey bottles (above, left) for a perfect plug of this internationally reputed dealer of nutraceutical and cosmaceutical formulations.
Renu Babani:
So now we are in the advertising business! Well, one member suggested to hand out various items and we shall be more than happy to do more of this. The photo says it all. Am sure Razia shall now get customers for this product and the rest.
Let's face it, whether we outnumber the males or not, does it really make a difference? We still have our say and ensure that everyone hears us loud and clear. Hopefully our principal returns tomorrow and so, maybe the students behave. Yea, wishful thinking!
Bhaswati Bose:
Nahid Khan is my favourite teacher. She has all the qualities of a good teacher. She is tolerant, patient, good-natured and allows students to develop their inherent talent of non-stop talking. She should have been awarded on Teachers' Day (yesterday). Maybe next year...
Harish Wadhwa:
Razia-ji was suggesting that all chatterboxes should consume honey (which she so generously distributed) and speak good-and-sweet of their bahus, rishtedars, kaamwali-bais and padosis!
Dilip Babani:
I agree with Bhaswati Bose.

Return of the 'Native'

Hari Singh Shekhawat is back. Belying all apprehensions of a relapse of his ‘depression syndrome’, he walked in smiling, holding aloft his multi-coloured umbrella to the early morning drizzle. He took part in the exercises from start-to-finish, joined in the jokes’ session (right) and enquired about those who did phunti during his absence. Kishor Babani updated him and added that we all were waiting anxiously for him to recover and take us to Lonavala on a picnic!
Indeed, the 13-day hospitalization and extended bed-rest that followed, has taken a toll on the man. He looks pulled down – weak and frail. According to him, the cause of his ailment remains a mystery and in spite of having recovered fully from chest congestion, he has been prescribed drugs that effectively put him to sleep for the best part of the day. Worse, he has been steadily losing weight – from 63 kilos to 58 kilos (today) in less than a month. While Harish Wadhwa and Harbans Singh assured him that all is well so long as he felt well, he insisted on paying a visit to Bombay Hospital for a second opinion on his condition.
Meanwhile, Sitaram Hivarkar extended an invitation to all to visit his house this evening for Ganapati – before the idol is taken for gauri visarjan tomorrow. Sushma Gupta also invited everybody to her housing complex opposite the Garden gate, where a Ganapati idol has been installed. Many members joined her after the exercises to offer prayers.
Today also happened to be the birthday of Nazma Sayed (left). Although she is yet to resume exercising after the Ramzan break, let us wish her the very best on the occasion. May the Almighty relieve her of her arthritic pain and bless her with a long and happy and fruitful life.
Harish Wadhwa:
Welcome to our dear Shekhawat-ji, the pillar of our Club. I am sure that with each passing day, he will not just regain his weight, but will start the "announcement" sessions, which we have been missing for some time now. His smiling picture today speaks volumes of his enthusiasm at getting back to normalcy.
Many happy returns of the day, Nazma-ji, for turning 21 again today! May you too recover soon and join the group for rejuvenation exercises.
Renu Babani:
Yes, our principal is back and how! It was so good to see him. Apart from looking a bit frail, he was all set to be part of the exercise routine. Am sure he felt better after that. They say 'Laughter is the best medicine'. Besides being among friends makes a difference too. I am certain he will be back tomorrow morning and of course, start calling up members who are absent.
Wishing Najma-ji a very Happy Birthday and many more to come. I am sure she will have a wonderful day with her family.