Metamorphosis

It is not for nothing that she is often called 'Nahid Bhai'. A man among women, Nahid Khan (in pic) is a stickler for discipline, unfailingly punctual and never hesitant at pulling up someone for the slightest lapse while she is in charge. In fact, she is the most regular among the ‘teachers’ who conduct our exercises. The way she hollers “Idhaar!” (demanding attention) would make anyone freeze mid-conversation – which makes her somewhat a terror for chatterboxes like Bhaswati Bose, Santosh Tyagi and Geeta Sardhana. That she flashes her golden tooth while yelling has further enhanced her bhai (underworld don) status in the Club.
Yet, Nahid can be endearing in her own way. This morning she scolded Yusuf Rassiwala in English for sporting an orange cap instead of the prescribed blue club colour (pic below). “Why colour change… this cap?” she demanded. And when Shekhawat (with four others) began to ‘shoot’ at the public toilet during the Slow and Fast round, Nahid looked both confused and bemused: “Yeh kya hua, kaise hua…” She expected Shekhawat to target her, as always.
It is this disarming simplicity (bordering on naïveté) that also makes Nahid so popular and by default, the butt of many jokes. As she hails from Lucknow, the ladies tease her for being another Mayawati (the dictatorial ex-chief minister of U.P.) and have even threatened to erect a statute of her in the Garden. And every time she goes out of Bombay, her friends taunt her for going to inspect some contraband shipment like a regular don!
Significantly, this is the same lady who had not stepped out of her house till about six years back. Only after her husband’s death did she start visiting the Garden. Today, she has not just found her voice, she exudes confidence and is literally going places. You do not mess with her types.
This is what the Club does. There are many like Nahid who had come in with visible psychological scars – being painfully shy, retiring and quiet, lacking social skills. They have all transformed into super-assertive and outgoing individuals, brimming with energy (and mischief)… It is almost like living life afresh.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "Let's put our hands up in the air and show everyone what it feels like to be free."
* "See, I have worn the Big Laaf cap. So why is everyone chiding me?"