Day 780

Pic of the Week

SEIZED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE PRIMORDIAL GODDESS... Welcome back from Kolkata!

Mein khoonkhaar sherni hoon. Mujhse bachke raho! -- Renu Babani

JAI MAA KALI, KALKATTEY WALI! --Anonymous

Kali Ma on a full moon night. --Bhaswati Bose

Madam ke andar devi hai, jisko problem hai! Jaldi se poochho uska problem door ho jayega. Jai Kali Mata!!! --Dilip Babani

Mein Kali-ma hoon, saare dushmano ka vinaash kar doongi! --Kishor Babani

A great transformation into a moonlit poltergeist woman. (Wow, good electronic brush-work, Blog Monster.) All comments are contrary to her actual personality. Very cool, calm, soft spoken and humble. --Harish Wadhwa

Tea Party

It was a tea party with a difference. For the first time, a post-exercise treat was given with the spoils of what started as an insider joke in the Club. Shekhawat took it a step further (see post of September 27) and happily paid the price for his impishness. And so it fell upon Bhaswati Bose to organize tea and biscuits (lead pic) this morning with the prize money.
The fun part was however, reserved for the last as an ayurveda camp was held in the Chinese Hut. The vaid-ji was a little late, by which time most of the members had left. Dr Jaswant Chauhan, it turned out, was a practitioner of acupressure (but prescribes ayurvedic medicines) and did his diagnosis with a battery-operated laptop-like machine (bottom left) that gives a sharp shock the moment he touches anyone's finger tip with an electrode.
Shekhawat was his first willing victim. All that this brave ex-military man wanted to know was the damage his drinking had caused to the liver and kidneys. But the machine did a detailed ‘Body Composition Analysis’ for 15 minutes and finally, threw up a report mentioning a minor issue of the liver. On all other parameters, Shekhawat was fit as a fiddle.
By the time Bose Babu’s turn came, the machine’s behaviour had become fairly predictable. But Dr Chauhan made up by asking some probing questions,eventually concluding: “Aapke mastishq mein kharaabi hai” (You have a brain defect). With a vengeance the wise doctor shot off a prescription making three big crosses against ‘Right Brain’ and one small cross against ‘Left Brain’ and handed a bill of Rs5390 for treatment.
Q.E.D.: We have a certified nutcase running loose in the Club. Harish Wadhwa:
* Stupid analysis by the machine. We know the nutcases and don't need a battery-wali shock machine to give weird replies. Eh, who is footing in this bill of Rs5390? Anyone who has some extra paise can remember us friends.
* The biscuits were yummy and so were the three categories: Bhoodon ke liye fibre-waley, Jawano ke liye badam waley and Bachchon ke liye chocolate waley! As I know, everyone tried a mix of two!
* Big kudos to our Blog Monster, the Big Laaf blog and the club behind it. We have crossed the viewership mark of 150,000 hits. Good work!
Bhaswati Bose:
Wasn't it already evident that there's golmaal in his mastishk? Surely, we don't need a machine to tell us that!
Harish Wadhwa adds: Mrs Bose, there is golmaal, even bhoosa-maal in many heads I know of, but not in 'his' mastishk. Apun ke dost be barey mein kuchh nahin bolne kaa, kya... Bhai logon ko bulana padega!

Holy Trail

Having organized a successful trip to Goa – and then to Kashmir – Shekhawat is now training his sights on what he calls 'Vishnu Devi'. All plans of going to Patayya or Kerala or even Lonavala have thus been put on a slow burner – at least for the moment.
According to the itinerary he has drawn up, the trip is scheduled for the middle of March 2013 and would last eight days. The idea is to fly to Jammu from Bombay and then take the road to Katra, a township in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountain. From there, the Vaishno Devi shrine (pic above) is an uphill climb of 12 km.
Thereafter, returning to Katra and following a night’s rest, the tour bus would head to Manali with brief stoppages en route at Vasuki Nag temple, Chamunda Devi temple, Kangra valley, Baijnath temple and Mandi.
At Manali, the tour would cover the Rohtang Pass, Solang valley, a Buddhist gompa, Manu’s temple and Hadimba’s temple. Following another night’s rest, the bus would head towards Jwalaji temple, 56 km away in Jwalamukhi town.
Up next would be Bhakra Nangal Dam, onward to Naina Devi temple and back to Jwalamukhi for a night stay. Thereafter, the bus would move on its last lap towards Amritsar (224 km) to cover Chintpurni, the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana temple, Ram Tirath, Mata Mandir and finally, Wagah Border.
No doubt, the tour would be physically demanding and logistically, much more complicated than anything Shekhawat has handled so far. But he has taken it up as a personal challenge and is confident of getting 15 members (enough to fill a mini bus) on board – failing which, he says, ‘outsiders’ would have to be roped in. But go he must.
The Club had a surprise visitor this morning – Hari Naraiyani’s son ( bottom pic). The two shared some warm moments on the bench watching us exercise, before Sunil Naraiyani was introduced to us by a proud papa. Since they do not stay together, Shekhawat requested the young man to visit his father more often in the Garden.
Renu Babani:
* Jai Vaishno-devi!
* We unite families too.

Thanksgiving

If proof were required for a party having gone down well, it was there for all to see this morning. Half the Club was absent – Yusuf Rassiwala, Jagmohan Papneja, Khatoon Baig, Renu Babani, Harbans Singh, Pratap Bhatt, Prakash Motwani, Sunita Jajodia… Of those who turned up, a majority were late. One even went off to sleep midway through the exercises (right pic).
Clearly, after yesterday’s binge, nobody was in a mood to exercise. We were all victims of over-indulgence at the Eid bash, if not chronic indigestion… Or so would Razia Khan like to believe.
Nevertheless, Shekhawat (pic below) thanked her formally on behalf of all members for having organized what shall go down as the best party in Club history. He profusely thanked the other hosts as well for the great food, wonderful arrangements and in general, the most enjoyable time we had together. “There was absolutely no room for any complaint,” he remarked.
Sitaram Hivarkar however, had a grouse about poor service at the restaurant – somehow feeling that vegetarians like him were discriminated against. He complained further that he did not get water to drink, let alone wash his hands. While Razia apologized for the lapse, Shekhawat made light of the situation by advising Sitaram to have beer and non-veg the next time around. “I had beer and non-veg and did not face any problem with water,” he said.
Shekhawat also announced an ‘ayurveda camp’ at the Garden this Saturday wherein members would be briefed on treatment of common ailments by this traditional system of medicine. The session would be accompanied by tea and biscuits, courtesy Bhaswati Bose, who has to spend the Rs500 she won from Shekhawat yesterday (see post). In other words, we would enjoy at Shekhawat’s expense while Bhaswati takes the credit!
Anonymous:
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Harish Wadhwa: I thank our Muslim brethren for hosting the lunch. Bhaswati-ji, can you host another one for us as the same location now that you are richer by Rs500?

Eid Party 2012

 

The long-awaited and much-discussed Eid Party proved to be a major success with nearly 40 members of the Club (the yoga group included) turning up in the afternoon at Masala Mantra, an upscale eatery known for its superb north Indian cuisine.
It was a buffet lunch with a lavish spread, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian – chicken and paneer starters, soups and salads, vegetable chops, fish fry, prawn curry, baigan bharta, rice and rotis… the entire works.
The credit for the enjoyable afternoon goes to Razia Khan who, on behalf of our Muslim members (lead pic), had initiated and organized the event so well. Equally significant, but keeping a low profile were Yusuf Rassiwala, Rehana Sheikh, Nafisa Sayyad, Banoo Khan, Khatoon Baig, Fehmida Khan and Zarina Khan. In all, 12 members joined hands in hosting the lunch this year.
The run up to the party was no less eventful with Shekhawat suddenly announcing this morning a spot prize of Rs500 for anyone who could identify the ‘jodi’ (couple) among the dozen hosts for the lunch. It was a ruse to draw out Razia and Nafisa Sayyad who are always seen together – almost as though they were inseparable and wedded to one another. But the lure of the prize completely disrupted the exercises with everyone making wild guesses -- even confusing hosts with ghosts and guests with invitees. The quibbling ended with Bhaswati Bose turning richer by Rs500 for guessing correct.
Significantly, the very same couple (right pic) were party to an aborted chain snatching incident while on their way to the Garden this morning. From a distance they could see the robbers tugging at the bracelet of a woman who was crying for help. At first Nafisa thought that they were trying to snatch a baby from the woman and involuntarily let out a volley of abuses at the men. “Haraamzaade” she screamed and charged towards them, Razia in tow. Alarmed at the sudden display of aggression, the scoundrels simply let go the woman and fled!
Bhaswati Bose:
I had a great day! Money in my pocket early morning and a wonderful lunch thanks to our wonderful hosts. The only person we missed though, was Nahid Khan.
Kishor Babani:
It was a delicious lunch. My hearty thanks to all the hosts. Eid Mubarak!
Dilip Babani:
Lovely food. All the members enjoyed the party. I am missing Arora-ji. Hope he is fine with his family at Singapore and also enjoying life.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Bhai log, hum bhi hain is Mumbai sheher mein! By the way, khane mein kya kya tha? I missed it since I was out of town. Maybe I'll take a separate lunch/ dinner some day with all those who missed the celebration!
* When the food was so good, some of you should have stuffed your pant pockets, sari pallu, purses, hand bags... for the ones like me who could not attend!

Margaret Hotel!

“Margaret Hotel?”
“Yes, Margaret here,” the voice at the other end crackled. “How can I help you?”
Shekhawat’s face lit up (pic right): “Ladki bol rahi hai!” Then clearing his throat, he spoke businesslike: “How many rooms do you have?”
Turned out that this was no hotel, but the personal telephone number of a lady who, minutes earlier, Shekhawat had been told, worked for a guest house in Lonavala. How it showed up in his cell-phone, he had no clue. Or maybe he knew, but the way some members were pestering him for a picnic in Lonavala, Shekhawat was clearly at his wits’ end. He had to find a way out… and fast. From October 4, he would be away at his village in Rajasthan and nobody was prepared to wait till he returned at end of the month. So the only weekend coming up before he leaves is September 29 and 30 and after much deliberation, it was decided that the best option open now is Lonavala – just that the guest house we had stayed in earlier is still under renovation.
Shekhawat spoke to the manager there and was told that only four rooms were in a habitable state at present. But there was a similar guest house nearby, details of which would be made available later in the day. Margaret too assured Shekhawat that she would make inquiries and let him know today. So as things stand, Lonavala is once again in the reckoning and in the event no accommodation can be identified, it will be a day trip – leave early morning and return by night. And lest anyone should start imagining that we have nothing better to do, here’s proof (bottom pic) that we exercise also!
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* The travel bug has bitten everyone real hard, can't sit in one place!
* Exercises? A pretext to meet and have fun!

‘Patawwa’ Promise

Hari Singh Shekhawat today kept his promise on “Patawwa” by tossing a proposal (side pic) for a conducted tour of Pattaya (with Bangkok thrown in for good measure) between 25 and 30 November, 2012. He however, clarified that the Club has nothing to do with the trip and all those interested would have to contact the organizers at Senior Citizens’ Brotherhood in the neighboring Garden No 2.
The trip, being conducted by Inorbit Tours, entails a two-day stay at Pattaya during which a speedboat ride to Coral Island, the Alacazar Show and a visit to Nong Nooch village will be arranged. The Bangkok segment covers city and temple tours, wildlife safari, visit to Marine Park, the Chaophraya dinner cruise and a Thai massage session (not exceeding two hours only). The cost of the package per person is pegged at Rs44,117 – which includes airfare to and fro, visa charges, hotel accommodation (on twin-sharing basis), breakfast and sightseeing.
Many members found the cost to be “exorbitant”-- more so when the papers were full of ads by tour operators offering similar packages at a fraction of the price. Even Indian Railways is organizing a six-day tour of Thailand for Rs32,000-odd all told. Planned individually, the trip should not exceed Rs25,000 per head. On his part though, Shekhawat announced that it was not for him to influence anyone on whether or not to join the tour.
Meanwhile, the ‘ladies who movie’ have lined up today’s afternoon show of Barfi (left pic), India’s entry at the next Oscars. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz, the film revolves around a deaf mute with two girls, one of them autistic, providing the romantic foil. Santosh Tyagi, Monthi Serrao, Renu Babani, Bhaswati Bose, Geeta Sardhana and Kajal Babani are ganging up at Cinemax to watch this peculiar feel-good romcom together.
Renu Babani:
* Another trip in the making... Here we go again!
* Enjoyed Barfi thoroughly. Acting was great. A well-deserved entry into the Oscars.
Kishor Babani:
Three cheers to the ladies. Hope they enjoyèd Barfi and turn as sweet as barfi at home. It surely was their day. Why should men have all the fun? Right ladies?

Day 773

Pic of the Week

NOW WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND HIM!

"Taaza aur kadak chai... aur sastaa bhi!!!" --Renu Babani

"Sar jo tera chakrae/ Ya dil dooba jae/ Aaja pyare paas hamare/ Kahe ghabraye... Taazi taazi garam masalewali chai peeyo, chai ka nasha sabse danger hai. Agar lag jaye toh nahi peechha choregi. Chai chai, chai garam, garam tazi-tazi chai peeyo!" --Targola

Chai ka nasha sacch-muchh danger hai. Janey kitne badmaash ban gaye isske chakkar mein. (Dlip-bhai, chai ki gumtee kab aur kahan kholi?) --Harish Wadhwa

Party Postponed

The Eid party slated for Sunday, September 23 (tomorrow) has been pushed to Wednesday, September 26. The timing remains the same, 1:00 p.m. But the location would now be Masala Mantra – the popular Punjabi restaurant at the road junction close to Versova Telephone Exchange.
Making the announcement this morning (side pic), Razia Khan said that plans had to be altered in order to ensure the largest possible participation of members at this special lunch hosted jointly by our Muslim colleagues. Evidently, Sunday did not “suit” some members. Moreover, the restaurant selected is reputed for its delectable and varied vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, besides of course, excellent service.
Shekhawat had one niggling doubt though: whether drinks would also be served at the restaurant. Razia assured him that there would be ‘welcome drinks’ (comprising Coke, sherbet, jal-jeera, etc.) for all, but should anyone require ‘something special’, s/he would have to pay for it individually. Moreover, should a member want to bring a guest along, a cover charge of Rs500 would have to be paid separately.
Meanwhile, Santosh Tyagi has very graciously offered a treat to a screening of the movie, Heroine, released yesterday. This is actually her son’s idea. Manoj Tyagi (left pic) happens to have scripted this film and regardless of what others might have to say about it, he is keen to know the opinion of his mother’s friends. Thing is, the ladies were anyway planning to watch the movie on their own, as they usually do in a group. Still, it was heartwarming for the offer to come from a deservedly proud mother.
Harish Wadhwa:
Waise to Santosh-ji aur baki sab mahilayein Heroine se kam nahin, par aap phir bhi agar special screening karvaa rahe hon, to sare 'Hero' bhi picture ka anand le sakenge. Manoj-ji may your movie rock and be a blockbuster. Best of Luck!

Kashmir Closure

The hype and hoopla over ‘Mission Kashmir’ was brought to formal closure today when Hari Singh Shekhawat distributed keepsake photographs to all those who had gone on the trip earlier this month. With this, memories associated with it, the preparations, journey and most significantly, the highs and lows of those momentous eight days in the Valley would be relegated to Club history. It’s time now to look ahead.
The distribution of photographs met with predictable chaos and confusion as Shekhawat unwittingly opened the packets (marked separately in each individual’s name) and asked for them to be circulated around for all to see. In the melee that followed (pic above) many ended up with multiple prints of the same photo while some were left empty-handed. The wisest one was Santosh Tyagi who made a dash home after collecting her packet, not waiting to open it.
Shekhawat committed another hilarious goof when he was requested to intervene in the ruckus raised by an unruly group (right pic) occupying the enclosure adjacent to the area where we exercise in the Chinese Hut. Everyone was getting distracted by their heated arguments on politics – more so because Bapu Rane was also chipping in with his comments while pretending to exercise.
 We had all expected Shekhawat to restore order by asking those men to shut up. Instead, much to our surprise, Shekhawat engaged them in a lengthy discourse on political ethics, why politicians cannot be trusted, what they say in his village... in effect, adding fuel to fire. Exercises were temporarily suspended as everyone stared at him in utter disbelief.
Finally, Shekhawat returned with a gem of an explanation: “I have made them understand -- apne tarikey se!”

Low Turnout

Yusuf Rassiwala, Sitaram Hivarkar, Geeta Sardhana, the Babanis, Harish Wadhwa, Pratap Bhatt… more than half the Club was missing this morning. Blame it on the pre-dawn downpour or the effect of over-indulgence during the Ganapati festivities yesterday. Or perhaps the fear psychosis preceding the nationwide strike called by political parties today.
And yet, there was enough to keep us going, what with a round of chocolates soon after the exercises, courtesy Sushma Gupta whose daughter has come visiting from the U.S. And Razia Khan breaking away from the exercises time and again as she got busy preparing for the Eid party scheduled this week-end. Apparently there could be a change of plans since Sunday does not suit many members.
And Shekhawat being uber-excited about the slideshow on the Kashmir trip (appearing on the sidebar of this page) and ordering three copies of all his pictures because, as he says, he has three saalis (sisters-in-law) to cater. He appealed to everyone to also place their requisition for prints and to those, whose pictures do not show up in the slideshow, to submit the chip from their cameras for uploading on this blog.
The only dampener was an otherwise cheerful Ved Prakash Grover (left) looking under the weather all through the morning. He could not take part in the exercises and for the best part, kept to himself. It seems he had a hard time yesterday travelling between Mira Road and Bandra and Oshiwara because of the Ganesh festivities.
Meanwhile, Ramila Mistry (right) has taken off for Dalhousie to attend a discourse of her spiritual guru. Shekhawat entrusted her with checking the tariffs of hotels at the hill station and negotiate the best possible deal for booking 15 rooms on March 2013. Ramila has promised to connect Shekhawat with the concerned people on telephone.
Srichand Arora (from Singapore): Razia-ji, this is not good. How can there be a party without me? You have to postpone it -- after October 7. Otherwise whatever you people eat in the hotel, make a parcel which I will collect from you upon reaching Mumbai. I do not mind baasi khana, but I must get my share. Good that you understood what I want?!? Okay, you could not understand... Never mind, I will make you understand once I reach Mumbai. (Hi, I am just kidding. Please carry on with your Eid party.) All the best to everyone there!

Ganesh Festival 2012

Today is Ganesh Chaturthi. For the next ten days, the whole of Mumbai will go berserk celebrating the birth anniversary of the elephant-headed god – the lord of beginnings, the harbinger of good, remover of all obstacles... Schools and offices are shut today, buses are plying 24 hours, there are no security alerts, the rain gods are supposed to be on hold and most importantly, no ‘dry day’ has been declared.
Many did their puja early morning before coming to exercise in the Garden. Sunita Jajodia, for one, was already in a celebratory mood with a large tika emblazoned on her forehead and later joined the Badmaash Company for tea (below). Sitaram Hivarkar did not turn up as he has installed a Ganesh idol home. Harish Wadhwa too is having an elaborate puja at his place and has invited everyone to drop by and seek the blessings of “Ganapati Bappa” during the day.
In keeping with the festive spirit, Razia Khan today made an "eylaan" (announcement) after the exercises, formally inviting all members to an Eid lunch this Sunday. Last year also, she was the one to initiate this get-together on behalf of our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Club. This time things got a little delayed because many of them (including herself) were out on the tour of Kashmir. But surely the gesture speaks volumes of their magnanimity and large-heartedness at drawing members of other communities in their midst. The party is at Shreeji’s Restaurant, Oshiwara at 1:00 p.m., September 23, 2012.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* Ganpati Bappa Morya!
* Another feather in their cap: Badmaash Company did the impossible, got Sunita to join them! Anonymous:
Hey, your blog design is very nice, clean and fresh and with updated content. It makes people feel at peace. I always like browsing your site.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Ganpati Bappa Morya! Happy Ganapati to all of you. I pray for the good health of one and all to Bapppa. You are welcome.
* Renu-ji, everyone is badmaash in some ways. It is just that some are perpetual badmaash (like the BC gang) while the others show and exercise it selectively. The perpetual badmaash are more honest... as they don’t have to show it for an occasion. It comes naturally. Moral of the story: Be proud to be a badmaash and join the gang. 
* The Kashmir pic slides are too good!

House Divided

A minor drizzle in the morning became the cause of a major dispute that threatened to split the Club through the middle. On the one hand were ladies like Renu Babani, Bhaswati Bose and Nazma Sayed who insisted on having the exercises in the Chinese Hut – lest it rained later.
On the other hand were people like Pratap Bhatt, Bose Babu and Khatoon Baig, equally adamant that the exercises be held in the open, now that the skies had cleared. According to them, it made no sense being constrained for space in the confines of the Chinese Hut and be deprived of the fresh air and sunshine outside.
In turn, the ladies argued that even if it did not rain, their clothes could get soiled in the slush and puddles outside. With both parties digging in their heels, the issue reached a flashpoint while Tara Chand Seth pleaded for the ladies, “Kabhi toh inki baat sun liya karo!” It took Kishor Babani to eventually break the deadlock as he walked out of the Chinese Hut and the rest followed suit.
Renu went home in a huff. Bhaswati and Nazma decided to stay put in protest, thereby sparking speculation on the fate that awaited Kishor and Bose at their homes. “There will be no food for them today,” announced Bapu Rane. “They will be beaten up badly,” opined Yusuf Rassiwala (left pic) and went on to pacify Bhaswati (when she joined the exercises later) by suggesting that she use a “big danda” for Bose. “I will blast him with a toap (cannon),” she promised. “Then use Kishor as the cannon ball,” was Yusuf’s sage advice.
Watching the fun was Hari Naraiyani (right pic), who showed up today for the first time after his hospitalization last month. He looked much better than what we saw of him last on his birthday (post of August 9). Barring a minor skin irritation – a reaction to the medicines he had been taking – he claimed to be fine and fit as a fiddle. Welcome back, Hari-bhai!
Renu Babani:
Rain or shine, the show must go on. And rest assured, I didn't leave upset. My back pain was the trigger and so I decided to head home.
Harish Wadhwa:
Kishor-da and Bose Babu, always listen to the wise counsel of Tara Chand-ji. You may have won the battle of exercising out in the open, but you have a war to fight at home. The former was a better and cheaper option -- cheaper because both of you might have to buy your wives some gold/ diamond stuff to cool them down. Hee hee... And Renu-ji and Bhaswati-ji, you need to teach these men a lesson by keeping them hungry for a day. (This, in Hindi, is called 'aaag mein ghee dalna!') Bhugto ab...
* Welcome back Hari-bhai. May you have a long and healthy life.

Paranormal Activity

The daily ‘parties’ continued uninterrupted. Taking off from where we left on Saturday, Khatoon Baig today celebrated the job promotion of her son with a round of sweet pattice (lead pic). With this treat, our breakfast was taken care of for the eighth day in succession!
Naved Baig is a bright, young HR professional who works for an online portal and has been doing exceptionally well for his age. Readers would recall that last year, when he landed a new job, Khatoon hosted a similar celebration. This time around, she had an additional reason to celebrate. Her favourite niece, Ruhi has just qualified as a chartered accountant in her very first attempt at cracking the ICAI finals. Our heartiest congratulations to both Naved and Ruhi.
Earlier, during the exercises, members were seized by a strange phenomenon for which no one had an answer. Out of nowhere, a faint fragrance hung in the air for a while and then it was gone – only to return, again and again. Many had sensed it. The odd part was this had been going on for a few days with no definite frequency or pattern. It seemed as though there was a meta-physical presence hovering ominously, keeping a watch over us.
Razia Khan surmised that it must be a “wandering spirit” that had taken a sudden fancy on us. But it is a good spirit (“neik rooh hai”) she added, lest anyone got paranoid. Others made light of the situation by pointing out that we should be getting the stink from the nearby drain rather than the aroma of a fleeting spirit. Nahid Khan (right) had another theory – about “bhatakte dil” (disembodied hearts) on the loose, only to be corrected by Yusuf Rassiwala: “Dil bhatakta nahin hai”!
Finally, the real culprit was identified: Arun Patil (left). Some people observed that for the time he was in the Garden (he usually comes late and leaves before most others disperse), the so-called rooh hung over us. And it was no coincidence that it had the same fragrance as the perfume he wears.
Harish Wadhwa:
Yusuf-bhai ne sachh kaha hai. Baki hum poora kiye dete hain:
Dil bhatakte nahin hai, unhen ladkiyan bhatka deti hain.
Dil toh sirf dhadak-te hain, khubsoorat auratein unhen dhadka deti hain.
Lekin phir bhi hamari himmat toh dekho: Hum toote huey dil se bhi sabko muskurah dete hain!!!
* Congrats to Naved miyan for his promotion at naukri.com and to Ruhi for the ICAI exams. Ruhi you must be a genius to clear the ICAI finals with flying colours. May both of you be highly successful in life.
* Arun-bhai, tum lagey raho. Axe Effect kabhi na kabhi toh zaroor hoga.
* This is one of the nicest pics of Nahid-ji smiling. Good pic!

Day 766

Pic of the Week

HERE COMES THE TIGRESS RIDING A TIGER!

"Main hoon Singh! Dum lagake haiyya... (Yeh tractor bbuddha ho gaya.)" --Renu Bababni

"Aaja meri gaddi mein baith jaa... Kashmir le chalti hoon!" -- Bhaswati Bose

"Yeh tractor ki battery chori ho gayi hai. Agar kisi ko mil jaye toh wapas kar dena, nahi toh dhakkey se kaam chala loongi!" --Dilip Babani

"Mannu bhai motor chali pum-pum-pum!
Lokhandwala jayenge, fafda-jalebi khayenge,
Achchi achchi suraton se panja(!) ladaayege,
Hulla machaenge, Gulla machaenge,
Dhakka-dum marenge, hum hum hum!!!" --Harish Wadhwa

* It seems Mrs Harbans Singh is enjoying the ride of a 'Tiger' Woods golf car. Just take care it has 'leveled' many heads and grounds. --Harish Wadhwa

* "Dum laga ke... Haisha!
Sawari bahut bhari hai... Haisha!
Arree yeh to 'sarkari' gadi hai... Haisha!
Aise thodi na chalne wali hai...Haisha!" --Harish Wadhwa

"Mein nikli/ Gaddi leke/ Beech sadak pe/ Ik modh aaya/ Mein uththey/ Dil chhor aayi!" --Kishor Babani

Super Saturday

The week-long revelry of daily food, fun and laughter reached its climax this morning with a clash of two birthday celebrations. While Pratap Bhatt (bottom right) moved closer to a ripe and respectable age of 80, Bose Babu (bottom left) entered his adolescence. Being the week-end, everyone was prepared for a major blast and had turned up at the Garden in full strength (lead pic). They were not disappointed.
The mood of the morning was set during the exercises with Ramila Mistry holding centre stage and Yusuf Rassiwala intent on putting a spanner in the works. Soon others went berserk with wisecracks, leg-pulling and tomfoolery. The ladies became a law unto themselves, constantly laughing and joking despite strict orders from the centre: “No talking business!” But Nafisa Sayed, who had returned after a long gap, made it her mission to distract the teacher by repeatedly calling out, “Ramila Beinnnn”!
Meanwhile Kishor Babani took out his tablet PC and started filming the proceedings, only to make Nahid Khan suspicious whether he would be sending the clip to “Boss” in Singapore. Mrs Harbans Singh just shook her head, remarking that when the cat is away, the mice will play – words to that effect. And then, Ramila suddenly let out a banshee cry, “Eiyyyeeeee, Eiyyyeeeee…” which startled an otherwise composed Kishor to involuntarily bark aloud – “Out, Get Out!”
It was fun, great fun. All those watching from the walking track must have given up on us as a pack of lunatics on the loose. So nobody was surprised when the bag containing the food packets disappeared mysteriously. Someone had hidden it behind the hedges. But when Bose was caught prancing about with white flowers tucked behind his ears, even Yusuf started having doubts. “He needs urgent medical attention,” he advised gravely.
There were some touching moments too – like when Ramila presented the birthday boys with a red rose while conducting the exercises. Or when Shekhawat sprinted across the Garden like an excited school boy, just to wish them. Or the many times they were seen hugging someone or the other, shaking hands, backslapping, hitting high fives… Suddenly the world had become a beautiful place.
Renu Babani:
Celebrations galore! Everyone seems to have just gotten out of their cages. Memories no doubt.
Srichand Arora (from Singapore):
Dear Bose-ji and Bhatt -- Happy Birthday to you.
Dilip Babani:
Happy birthday, dear Bose Babu and Bhatt-ji! Bose Babu, you are looking 100% Kishore Kumar, the singer-cum-comedian. Our club has some very talented members. That is why people in the Garden are attracted towards us.
Bhaswati Bose:
* Dilip-bhai, you mean as mad as Kishore Kumar?
* A very Happy Birthday to Mr Bhatt and Mr Bose -- one of the founders of Badmaash Company. May it prosper and expand under your able badmaashi!
Harish Wadhwa:
Old habits die hard. A badmaash cannot live without badmaashi -- with special reference to Bose's pic. But a nice pic. While Bhatt-sa'ab is a the sober, cool and humble kind, Bose complements by being a fun-loving prankster and true badmaash. Happy Birthday once again to the two musketeers and thank you for the yummy goodies. BTW can you not celebrate your birthdays twice or thrice in a year? Who cares for the dates anyway. Hamein toh sirf badmaashi se matlab hai!
* Both the birthday boys(?) have their heads tilted at 10 degrees in the opposite direction. Kya similarity hai!

Dramatic Twist

L’affaire food continued, but with a dramatic twist today. Out of the blue, Nazma Sayed remembered to celebrate her birthday (never mind, she was being nine days late) and came to the Garden carrying a big box of chocolate cake. Somewhere along the way, she dropped the knife she had brought to cut the cake.
Trouble started when Shekhawat had to leave for Colaba midway through the exercises. Nazma summoned Shekhawat and asked him to take a bite before leaving – only to realize she was without a knife. As she struggled with the scotch tape trying to open the cake box, Shekhawat hovered around hopping mad while his car kept honking outside. Some ladies rushed to Nazma’s aid and finally tore open the box. By then Shekhawat was gone.
But that was not the end of Nazma's misery. A search party of ladies, headed by Nahid Khan set out to find the knife amid the tall grass of the Garden, even as the exercises continued. Nazma sat on a bench, guarding the exposed cake and directing the search party on the route she had taken from the gate. Clearly, she was on the verge on tears.
Enter Harish Wadhwa (left). Seeing the lady in distress, he promptly strode out of the Garden without uttering a word. In 15 minutes he was back, holding aloft a deadly 18” dagger he claimed to have borrowed from a grocery (that only he found open) nearby. But it looked every inch a butcher’s knife. Yusuf Rassiwala, in fact, commented that it had just been used to slit open a goat’s throat, throwing Ramila Mistry into spasms of ‘Ram, Ram, Ram…’
Thus, with dagger drawn, the cake was cut and served. The search party returned and posed for this keepsake pic -- of a memorable birthday celebration. All’s well that ends well!
Harish Wadhwa:
* These women seem to be enjoying a picnic. Blog Monster, you have dramatised the knife incident so much that readers must be wondering, what these folks were up to. It was an action-packed morning and fun-filled.
* Missed Arora-ji and his terror. Grapevine has it that he has fled to 'Pattawa' (from Singapore) for enjoying the beach. Is Arora-ji reading this... LOL

Itchy Feet

You have to give it to them. These elderly ladies and gentlemen of the Club have just returned from a whistlestop tour of Kashmir and even before they could catch their breath, they are talking of the next big tour. If anything, Hari Singh Shekhawat has got the travel bug into them, nice and proper.
This morning he announced (left) that he had a ‘scheme’ for a tour up-north covering Jammu (mainly Vaishno Devi), Uttarakhand and Punjab – right up to the Wagah Border. Scheduled for March next year, the tour would involve travel by air, rail and road. He said that those interested should give their names along with a cash advance so that bookings could be confirmed well in time.
Funnily, Shekhawat has additional plans for a trip to ‘Pattawa’, a mythical no-where land that exists only in his imagination. Since long, he has been getting the whole Club charged with this promise, just that many do not have passports (he included) yet. The idea of applying online and standing in queues for a passport has proved a deterrent and pushed his plans into the long grass.
And then there is Kerala, a proposal initiated by Monthi Serrao. Yesterday, Shekhawat accosted Ramila Mistry and for some reason told her in conspiratorial tones, “Kishi ko mut batana, we are going to Kerala.” The lady promptly excused herself and declared she was already committed to her guru for a religious discourse at Dharamshala. “Chalo, phir sab mil ke wahin chalengey,” he assured her.
In all this, Srichand Arora (above) has already packed his bags for Singapore where he’d be celebrating the Ganesh Festival -- as he does every year with his son’s family. From there, he intends visiting Australia – mainly Sydney and Perth – and would return to Bombay on October 7. This is wishing him a happy and safe journey.
This is also wishing Harish Wadhwa (left pic) many happy returns of the day as he steps into adulthood today. To celebrate the occasion, he brought us a box full of sweets and saved himself some cake-in-the-face, not to mention birthday bumps. But yes, we enjoyed the sweets and thanked him by laughing one extra. Happy Birthday, Harish!
* Harish Wadhwa:
Bon Voyage and have a great time Arora-ji. I am sure you must be very excited to be with your loved ones and grandchildren.
* Thank you so much for the blessings you all gave me so generously. Means a lot to me.
Bhaswati Bose:
Happy 21st birthday, Harish-bhai! Now you can legally have some fun!!!
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* Don't they ever stop for a breather. Another trip!
* "See I brought sweets, I know how to celebrate and not just eat! (Please save some for me.)"
Anonymous:
Awesome blog! I couldn't have written this any better than you if I tried super hard... he-he. I like your style too. It is unique and refreshing.

Eat Eat Eat…

The day before (Monday), Monthi Serrao celebrated her birthday with a generous treat of fresh fries and sweets. Yesterday, there were apples from Nahid Khan and dry fruits from Shekhawat. Today, everybody gorged on laddus (right pic) courtesy Kishor Babani’s birthday. Tomorrow, yet another celebration awaits us – Harish Wadhwa’s birthday. Then comes Bhatt’s birthday and Bose’s on Saturday. In effect, by the end of the week, we’d have ingested more calories than we can ever hope to burn (with our daily exercises) in an entire year!
But Kishor’s (right) birthday was special. From the time he set foot in the Garden this morning, he was mobbed by friends and fans eager to grab his hand and wish him Happy Birthday. It says a lot about this man's popularity and goodwill that we had full house today with almost 30 members attending the exercises and thereafter, joining the chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You!’ Kishor reciprocated by singing ‘Happy Birthday to Me’ and silenced everyone by stuffing their mouths with laddu after laddu – without having a single one himself.
At times like this, we realize how closely we have bonded as a family (especially in the last two years) and how much we are into one another’s lives. This is a unique club we have that has no room for any ill-will or malice. The sense of love and sharing is expressed not just in sweets and celebrations. It shows in many small but profound ways – like the way, Santosh Tyagi (left) today thanked Srichand Arora, Monthi and of course, Shekhawat (all by name) for standing by her when she was robbed in the train to Kashmir (see post of September 10). She was speaking from her heart, not because she had to. Where else would you find such fine human beings?
Harish Wadhwa:
* Happy Birthday, Kishor-da -- once again. Can I get another glistening orange stuff also once again? Ishara kafi hai merey dost... May you have many healthy and cheerful years ahead.
If you see the blog picture of today, what stands out is that glistening orange stuff which the three gentlemen are holding!
* Chamak rahe ho, Kishor-da, iss photu mein. Nice smiling pic.
Srichand Arora:
'Kishor the Great', we wish you a very happy birthday and many many many many happy returns of the day. God bless you!

Relentless Rains

This was the scene (right) early morning in the Chinese Hut, minutes before exercises were to start. The area, which usually buzzes with activity at that time of the day, remained dark and desolate – but for Nahid Khan waiting patiently for people to arrive. They were held up as it had been raining all night continuously and there were no immediate signs of abatement.
Gradually, one by one, they trickled in and after an hour, there were 15 members to wrap up the exercises. For their effort, Nahid rewarded them with an apple each brought from Kashmir. Shekhawat too had brought a load of goodies – walnuts and almonds neatly sealed in cellophane bags. And for all those who missed Monthi Serrao’s birthday treat yesterday, the lady had kept packets of sweets and savories ready separately.
So, even as it was wet and gloomy, there was enough to bring warmth and cheer for those who had turned up at the Garden today.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Come on, it did not rain all night and that too heavily. After all, the masterni (Nahid-ji) could still reach the Garden in time. A rainy day is one when masterni cannot reach school (garden) and all members end up with Badmaash Company for chai instead!
* Thank you Nahid-ji for the fresh fruits (green apples) and thank you Shekhawat-ji for the dry fruits. Nice of you both to have remembered us in Kashmir. Also, birthday greetings (though belated) to Monthi-ji.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"I sit alone patiently as the rain gods play outside."

Mission Accomplished!

The Kashmir mission has been a resounding success. Members of the group walked in valiantly this morning to a heroes’ welcome – just that they were not back from war, but from a pleasure trip that had transported them to the seventh heaven. “We all had a great time,” gushed Hari Singh Shekhawat, at whose initiative the 33 predominantly senior citizens could venture out for the Club’s first-ever upcountry expedition.
On this man (in yellow T-shirt, above) rests the credit of making the impossible, POSSIBLE.
“Everything went absolute first class!” endorsed Srichand Arora, who also had a special word of praise for Mumtaz Jahan to have organized the stay and sight-seeing in and around Srinagar so efficiently. “The people she had entrusted the job with took good care of us,” he added.
The group had left Bombay by train on August 31 (see post) and reached Jammu the following day. After a 10-hour bus ride, they checked into their hotel in Srinagar from where trips were lined up for Gulmarg, Pahalgham and Sonmarg. Only at Pahalgham did they face inclement weather and had to perforce remain indoors.
There were some initial hiccups as well, particularly when Fehmida Khan (left) did the vanishing trick at Jammu and delayed the bus ride to Srinagar by over two hours. According to Ved Prakash Grover, on another occasion, she placed an order for ten plates of pakodas from a roadside vendor (who mistook her for a film heroine from Bombay) and disappeared without taking delivery or paying!
On a sadder note, Santosh Tyagi (right) was robbed of Rs15,000 and other valuables from the train to Jammu. Around 3.00 a.m. (between Agra and Mathura) when most passengers were fast asleep, a rascal entered her cabin and on the pretext of checking seat numbers, spotted her purse unattended and decamped with it. By the time she could gather her wits, it was too late.
We understand what Santosh-ji must have gone through – to be left without cash at the very start of the trip and not be able to talk about it. But more than the loss of money, the feeling of utter foolishness and helplessness can be completely devastating. Our heart goes out to her.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Welcome back friends. I am very happy for them to have met and enjoyed with our brethren in Kashmir. There is no doubt that Kashmir is the 'Crown of India' and no less than Alps in Switzerland for us Indians.
* Santosh-ji, we can empathise with what you must have gone through when you lost your purse. But don't worry for the money loss. What you have got and seen from this trip is far more valuable. It also goes to say that Delhi has more thugs than other parts of our country.
* Thanks also to Mumtaz-ji for making the arrangements so well, as I hear.

Day 759

Pic of the Week

FIRST LOOK OF KASHMIR: See what they were up to!

Taaje-taaje Kashmir gulab ke doh phool hai /Arora-ji yeh toh photo best hai! --Dilip

Kashmir Ki Kali with Pardesi Babu --Renu Babani

Iss Nepali munde naal, soni kudi kaun hai? --Kishor

Lovely and charming couple! --Kajal

Kya khoob lagtey ho/ Bade sundar dikhtey ho! --Bhaswati Bose

"Kashmir ki kali hoon main/ Mujhko (na) chhedo O Babuji..." --Harish Wadhwa

"Hum aur tum, aur ye samaa/ Kya nasha, nasha sa hai.." --Anonymous

Khullam Khulla pyaar karenge hum dono/ Iss duniya se nahin darenge hum dono...
Aise kyon muskura rahe ho bhai, biwi hai meri! (from Arora-sa'ab).
Really a nice picture, Sir-ji! Deserves to be made a wall hanging for your home. --Harish

Thank you dear Dilip-Kajal, Renu-Kishor, Bhaswati, Harish and all others for appreciating the photograph. But the real credit goes to the photographer for taking such a nice and lovely snap. So thanks to the photographer -- again, that is me only! --Srichand Arora

Crying Wolf

Yesterday’s build-up over the first batch of the Kashmir group landing in the Garden (see post) proved to be a false alarm. Nobody showed up. Turned out that all 19 of them were still at Srinagar and would be taking an Indigo flight only in the afternoon today.
Likewise, the second batch would be boarding the Swaraj Express at 11:15 a.m. and should be in Bombay tomorrow by around 6:00 p.m. These 14 members had already checked out of their Srinagar hotel yesterday and have reached Jammu by bus.
Speaking from Jammu on phone, Yusuf Rassiwala informed that the trip had “gone off very well and everybody enjoyed”. Barring a visit to Pahalgham (which was washed out due to intermittent rain), everything had been on schedule. The weather was great and everyone in the group was fit and fine, he added.
Nevertheless, yesterday’s 'Hitler phobia' continued to traumatize some of our members who could not get their eyes off the Garden gate, lest he should turn up by chance. Bapu Rane (right pic) even started hallucinating as he pointed at an innocent-looking stout old man in spectacles and orange T-shirt on the walking track. “Woh aa gayaa,” he announced seriously.
Kishor Babani sensed the paranoia around and tried to lighten the atmosphere by assuring everyone that there was nothing to be afraid of. “I am not scared of him, even as I know that he has planted his spies among us!” Kishor declared. When that did not work, he revived his jokes’ narration (main pic), if that should put some people at ease.
Earlier on, we raised a special laugh for Monthi Serrao (left pic) on her birthday today. We know that a grand celebration awaits her at home when she returns from her Kashmir odyssey in the evening. On our part though, we wish her many happy returns of the day – a long, healthy life, good cheer and many smiles, as always.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Aaaah, an extra day of freedom... Today is my turn to speak. Let me enjoy the moment!"