Chudail Chasing

Harish Wadhwa (below, left) is nurturing a new hobby. This morning, on the way to the Garden, he got lured by what Shekhawat was to deduce a chudail – a shapely apparition that takes the form of a beautiful maiden. This one was in mini skirt and tight top. He gave her a good chase, but failed to get anywhere close. After nearly an hour, he realized he had bypassed the Garden and was in the middle of nowhere. He had lost his way!
With some difficulty, Harish managed to retrace his steps and could somehow make it to the Garden gate, just in time when the group was to disperse. The incident brought a sense of déjà vu to Shekhawat, who stood at a distance, listening in silence. The moment Harish finished, he muttered something to himself and rushed back into the safety of the Garden!
The chudail experience deprived Harish the pleasure of witnessing the example he had set of being a murga. Geeta Sardana emulated his act of sitting on the haunches with arms under her knees and holding her ears – all because she reported late for the exercises. But she was quick to get back at Razia Khan, today's ring masterni.
“Ab chuja (chicken) ban ke dikha,” she challenged her.
“I am already a chuja,” Razia retorted amidst rousing laughter.
But there was serious business transacted as well. Srichand Arora, who had returned from Lonavala with a bagful of ckikki boxes (lead pic), handed over cheques to Monthi Serrao for three ads appearing in the side panel. With these payments, revenue from the ads has just about crossed Rs15k.
Mumtaz Jahan (right) also showed up this morning, mainly to revive interest in the Kashmir programme. Arora declared pointblank that he would not pay 45k for the trip. Mumtaz agreed that it was an exorbitant sum and suggested taking the Jammu Tawi Express (instead of flying) for a fare of Rs1,200 approx -- with an added 50 per cent discount for senior citizens.
As for stay, Mumtaz recommended a B&B (bed and breakfast) arrangement in family cottages, instead of going for hotel accommodation. This way, costs could be cut to under-10k per head – of course, subject to the duration of stay. Her suggestions met with unanimous approval.
Harish Wadhwa:
I wish I could have outrun the chudail and befriended her... but for my bad luck. Still looking for one, hee hee! Well, I was surprised as to how Shekhawat-ji/ Bose came up with the chudail story since I had gone to Lokhandwala for some personal work this morning. It was entertaining though and they were successful in pulling my leg. I don't mind skipping the Garden exercises and chase chudails, effectively landing up doing brisk walk exercises.