Life’s Lesson

Tara Chand Seth (in pic) today set into motion this week’s round of celebrations with a box of burfis from Delhi. Santosh Tyagi is bringing kanji day-after-tomorrow and the following day is Holi. On Saturday, there is an invite from the laughter club of Garden No 2 which Srichand Arora and Hari Singh Shekhawat feel we must honour.
Tara Chand’s burfis were ostensibly to celebrate his grand-daughter's success in her medical exams. (He had already treated us to sweets last year when she passed MBBS.) As it turned out, he is leaving for Delhi on March 7 and will not be able to join us for Holi. So this was his way of discreetly wishing us in advance with what were actually ‘Holi sweets’ from his side.
In between, our yoga ‘guru’ Prof Mirajgaonkar joined us unexpectedly and insisted on celebrating the foundation day of the Club today. Out of courtesy, it was agreed to raise an extra laugh for his benefit after the exercises, though everyone knew the official date to be March 14. Midway, the guru-ji demanded a Club Cap. When told there were only a counted few made (as per the membership list), he walked away in a huff. Efforts to recall him (for the laugh he was so keen about) proved futile as he sat sulking in the Chinese Hut and complained of “nobody even looking” at him!
Clearly this childish petulance rose from a desperation to attract attention. Eventually, Tara Chand went across when no one was watching and placated him with a piece of burfi. He even surrendered his cap if that should make him happy. Now here is a simple, self-effacing man of comparable age with no claims to academia or higher learning whatsoever. But we have so much more to learn from him than from any "professor" or so-called guru-ji. Think about it.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"I am so happy today, I feel the need to celebrate. So help yourselves please..."