Morning Haze

The dust haze that hung over Mumbai the whole of yesterday, had yet to lift. Not knowing what to make of it, many members quoted newspaper reports indicating that the “suspended particulate matter in the air” was a result of sandstorms in Rajasthan… or was it Saudi Arabia? The papers weren’t even clear whether to describe the phenomenon as “smog” or “dust plume”. Either way, it was supposed to dissipate within 24 hours. But visibility was still low and the sun appeared as a big moon on the eastern horizon when we started our exercises.
Bapu Rane (right), who came in scratching himself because of the layer of dust on his body, was all the more irritated since India would not be playing in the Asia Cup cricket final today. He has a conspiracy theory about Sri Lanka deliberately losing to Bangladesh the day before and that today, it would be Pakistan’s turn. Nevertheless, when he was invited to conduct the laughter session, he was his usual jolly self, jumping all over the place like the proverbial jack-in-the-box. Amused at his pranks, Yusuf Rassiwala goaded him, “Rane, naach ke dikha!” And again, he did his frisky number. So spirited was he this morning that he even produced a peculiar gibberish that effectively meant, “Now for Laughter No 2, Thlow and Faath!”
Adding to the morning cheer was Purushottam Sharma (lead pic), making a surprise visit to the Garden after more than two months. He no longer resides in the neighborhood. He has taken up an apartment at Goregaon for the time he is in Mumbai and for the best part of the year, operates out of Gurgaon, near Delhi. He would be leaving next week, but as one of the Club’s founders, dropped by to make sure his flock was together and doing well. What a pleasure to have this gentleman in our midst – even for that brief one hour!
Harish Wadhwa:
* As a mark of respect, can we not give a cap to Sharma-ji? He and his late wife used to conduct the exercises meticulously for many years? I would be delighted to give mine. Welcome Sharma-ji, to the Big Laaf club!
* In his cap, Rane-ji is looking young. Given his passion for cricket, he has to be the Sachin Tendular of our club!!!
Bhaswati Bose:
I agree. Sharma-ji and his wife were founder members of the club. He deserves the cap more than anybody else.