Pass the Cap

With barely two days to go, preparations for Holi have begun in right earnest. In yet another first for the Club, the hat cap was passed around for members to voluntarily pitch in towards the expenses. Like last year (see post of March 20, 2011) we shall be celebrating in the Garden with dry colour, followed by thandai and eats. The on-the-spot collection yielded around Rs350 in a few minutes as everybody put in whatever they pleased.
Earlier on, a certain amount was fixed as individual contribution, which had led to widespread dissension among members. (The amount was inclusive of costs being incurred on the caps and ID cards.) What started with light-hearted comments (“As it is we are forced to wear caps, now we are being made to pay for them!”) soon snowballed into strong voices of protest: “We never asked for caps; I am returning mine today itself!” “I have decided to stop coming to this Club; I get unnecessarily delayed every day.” “The Club was never like this before. Everything seems to be money-oriented nowadays!” “The 4,500 rupees they are collecting, is not a small amount." “No, the collection should be much higher, almost Rs6,000…”
Sensing the mood of the members and in order to avoid a confrontation, Shekhawat (on Bose’s suggestion) returned all the money collected earlier, but warned everybody on indulging in “loose talk”. He said it was only in the fitness of things that Club expenses should be spread out evenly, rather than be a burden on one or two people. Yusuf Rassiwala then spoke up, voicing popular sentiments: “Whatever you are doing is not a collective decision. This is what people are objecting to. When they were not consulted, how can you ask them to pay?”
In between, Harbans Singh (left) dropped by to say her goodbyes as she leaves for Punjab tomorrow. Later, Tara Chand Seth (right) wished everybody well as he too leaves tomorrow – for Delhi. And Sunita Jajodia distributed sweets in absentia for reasons that still remain a mystery. Thus life goes on...
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "I hold the box of sweets, so whatever remains is all mine to take home."
* "Goodbye dear friend, have a safe trip. Do come back soon. For you shall be missed."
* "A walk in the park alone as I observe everything around me."