Boys Will Be Boyz

A youngish, somewhat attractive lady today walked into our group and took part in the exercises. The moment she took our permission to join, we knew she’d create a minor flutter, especially among the males. And there, within minutes, she had got the most quiet and subdued of them blabbering and shouting out of turn. Those known to be sticklers for discipline also began to shoot their mouth, exchanging wisecracks across the circle. Even Hari Naraiyani, who was sitting quietly on a bench, suddenly stirred himself erect and took his chance at being the alpha male. He stretched up and down, twisted left and right, breathed deeply in and out... all the while counting aloud – something he normally does not do.
Sensing the commotion she had caused, the lady abruptly pointed at the gate, excused herself and was gone. Instantly, the chatter subsided and everything was back to normal. Hari-bhai retired quietly to his bench, back to his brooding self. The men exercised in silence, but for a mischievous Bapu Rane, who exclaimed, “Ladki bhaag gayi! Ha-Ha-Ha!!!”
On a serious note, the question of adopting some of the exercises of the adjoining laughter club (see post of March 10) was thrown open to discussion. The subject, raised by Srichand Arora (in pic above), met with all-round approval. But when it came to the nitty-gritty -- which exercise to accept and what to reject given our limited time frame -- people started having second thoughts. Sitaram Hivarkar and Nahid Khan vehemently opposed the idea, arguing that “our exercises are the best” and "what they do is a joke". The discussions remained inconclusive as everyone tried to outdo one another at mimicking some of the seemingly idiotic acts which pass off for exercises.
Finally, for the record, ‘our ladies who movie’ went for the afternoon screening of Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani at Cinemax. With Vidya Balan in the lead, this unusual thriller about a seven-month pregnant woman searching for her husband in the alleyways of Kolkata, has been receiving rave reviews. How could Santosh Tyagi, Sunita Jajodia, Bhaswati Bose, Renu Babani, etc. give it a miss?
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Hey, remember that exercise in Garden No2? We should add that to our routine! What do you think?"
[Kahaani was a great movie. Will not reveal anything, or else it will spoil the fun for those deciding to watch it.]
Bhaswati Bose:
What a film! So many twists and turns. Vidya Balan, as expected was good, but the supporting actors were equally good. The IB officer Khan was excellent. Would recommend that everyone in the Club watch it. Men, please note, there is no item number in the movie!
Harish Wadhwa:
* I am sure many 'boyz' will be eyeing the gate tomorrow to see if she returns for the exercises. Let us monitor the roving eyes! Arora-ji, Nahid-ji, Yusuf-bhai, Razia-ji -- there is no harm in including some nice and jazzy exercises which make the sessions interesting and new. It is NOT a question of our exercises being ‘better’ or ‘enough’ or their exercises being a joke. Anything that brings variety, novelty, cheer and a smile should be welcome. Many people will recall how the claps of “Very Good, Very Good – Yeah” were included long back. One should always be open to adopt good from others without any commotion.
* Bhaswati-ji, if there is no item number, we're not interested. Paisa wasool nahin hota hai, kharch bahut jyada ho jata ha. A movie has its own superfluities like popcorn, samose, cold coffee, dosa, moongfali, etc.
Dimas Geel:
I haven't watched it yet. But it looks interesting!