Anti-Climax

After an action-packed Saturday morning, today was an anti-climax. The Garden wore a deserted look with not even half of those who had attended the prize-giving and the joint birthday celebrations turning up this morning. Prime absentees included Srichand Arora, Geeta Sardana, Yusuf Rassiwala, Kishor Babani et al.
Still, Hari Singh Shekhawat managed to raise adrenalin levels by exhuming the Kashmir trip idea. He has a new proposal now that covers the touristy spots of Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg over seven days with to-and-fro airfare, local transport for sight-seeing, food and lodging thrown in… all for an unbelievable Rs27,000 only.
It is no doubt a steal – even if the trip has to be pushed to September. But Mumtaz Jahan herself is not too happy about it, saying that she would have to be in Mumbai around that time. Others are raising health issues, possibility of accidents, the distance factor, emergency situations, etc. Razia Khan wants to travel by train. Many want to know what is wrong with a trip to some nearby hill-station like Matheran or Mahabaleshwar. A few are also saying that if we can wait till September, we might as well go on an overseas trip within the same budget.
The trouble is that nobody wants to make up his/her mind. And yet, everybody is eager to put spokes in the wheel. At this rate, no matter how much pain Shekhawat takes in making the Kashmir trip attractive, chances are it would be a non-starter. He must realise that it is impossible to please everybody every time.
Dilip Babani:
"We all should have a picnic in the train, Palace on Wheels, covering Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab. It will be fun being treated like maharajas with nice non-veg food and hot drinks. Somebody told us that this is the most expensive trip. But all members have reached old age. They deserve maharaja treatment. Life meih ek bar maharaja hona chahiye. Hard earned money should be spend like this."
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Time for discussions, as always. So, as usual, announcement time!"