Ugly Catfight

The Club was abuzz with conflicting reports of an ugly fracas breaking out between Mumtaz Jahan and a lady called Tasleem (not a member) soon after we had left the Garden yesterday morning. What the cause of the flare-up was, nobody knows. Opinion is also divided over who is at fault. But everyone agrees that the two fiercely headstrong ladies suddenly went berserk as they charged at each other, mouthing the choicest abuses in Hindi and Urdu and had brought all activity in the Garden to a standstill. According to eye-witness accounts, had they not been physically restrained by the crowd that had gathered, the situation would have turned uglier.
“Their drama was much like the heated exchanges we see on television where ladies of a mohalla get into trading filthy language and tearing one another’s hair,” narrated a highly amused Hari Singh Shekhawat. “Had I not been there and separated the two, they would probably have ended up gouging each other’s eyes out!”
Like many others, Shekhawat feels "hostilities from the past" had “resurfaced after a year” and taken such a violent turn. However, neither he nor any member dared to bring up the subject when Mumtaz (right) turned up for the exercises. Clearly she was still in a foul mood and bristling with scary words like “behuda” and “zaleel” while confiding with Razia Khan and other ladies.
Shekhawat had a more important issue on his agenda though. Soon after the prayers, he got into a huddle (top pic) with Yusuf Rassiwala, Monthi Serrao and Razia Khan to “review the membership list”. After prolonged discussions, they took a call on the inclusion of a new entrant, dropping one member who shows up only for parties and adding one whose name had been erroneously deleted from the list. The decision has been kept in abeyance, pending the approval of the fifth member of the managing committee, Srichand Arora. He should hopefully be joining us on Monday.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "Yes, I certainly understand what you say and I think we all agree as well."
* "I am always right and have won again. Can't you see how happy I look?"
Harish Wadhwa:
Panch Parmeshwar's decision is final and we shall accept it. Come on, this a simple social group. Have the flexibility to embrace kind and good people who wish to be a part of it. The list can always be corrected/ modified/ names added/ deleted. Does it concern everyone so much?