Variety Entertainment

After Renu Babani gave us a scare yesterday (see post), we were witness to another peculiar spectacle within minutes. At a distance, a middle-aged man lay spread-eagled on the ground, motionless, staring at the sky. We had seen him earlier matching action for action with our exercises. Now he was playing dead. Sure enough, the moment we got to the Lioness and Lion Laughter round, he sprang to his feet and came snarling at us!
This is just one instance of the kind of kinky behaviour we have to put up with every morning at the Garden. Nothing surprises us now – whether it is someone breaking into paroxysms of a break dance, or another sitting at a spot and convulsing like a man possessed, or say, an idiot who keeps pumping air into an imaginary bicycle… or even a young couple, gracefully performing Tai Chi in slow motion.
People exercise in different ways. Some like to walk backwards, while others enjoy talking incessantly into their cellphones. One balding gent can be seen punching the air and clapping while walking. A March-December romance also blossomed before us, till one day, Arora innocently asked the elderly man who the girl was. “She’s my niece,” he blurted and from the next day they were not to be seen.
After all, it takes all kinds to make our mornings. We have exercised to the melody of a lone flute player, practicing under a tree nearby. We have enjoyed the company of film strugglers, including a stand-up comedian. We have suffered assorted yogis and godmen. Today we were (selectively) treated to chocolates by Suresh Samel, a retired sales tax commissioner on his 78th birthday. What his idea for discrimination is, we shall never know. Nor do we care. But Mumtaz Jahan, Sushma Gupta and others, wanted to sing for him (below pic) and they sang.
Amidst all the madness around, two individuals deserve special mention. The first is a tall South Indian man, Subbu (top right), whose mission in life is to poke people’s stomachs. Shekhawat calls him “Anguli Master”. Of late, he has revealed another facet of himself – plucking flowers when nobody is looking (or so he thinks). Even a quiet and composed person like Ved Prakash Grover had yelled at him, but he remains deaf to all protestations and keeps circling around the hibiscus bushes. Then with a swift backhand flick, he picks a flower and it disappears into his pocket.
The other great Garden regular is a huge, black mass of rotundity who comes riding on an old, rusty motorbike. Within seconds, he can be seen waddling against the flow of walkers, dodging them and dashing straight into the toilet at the far end. It could take anything up to an hour for him to relieve himself. But on coming out, he presents a picture of supreme bliss and contentment -- of one having attained nirvana. This is the sole reason for him to visit the Garden, religiously, every morning.
From people like these, we draw comfort in the belief that we are not the only madcaps around (lead pic). There are many, much worse than us.
Bhaswati Bose:
Today was Sunita-ji's (right pic) wedding anniversary. Here's wishing her the very best and many, many years of happy married life.
Harish Wadhwa:
Blog language is superb and so are the contents. I appreciate reading them. Keep it up.