Bharat Bandh

Exercises were conducted in the shadow of Bharat Bandh today. Attendance was low. The streets were deserted. A police picket had come up a few yards away from the Garden gate. Bapu Rane came in excited, anouncing that there had been rampant stone pelting near his place.
The nation-wide strike was called by some right-wing and Left parties in protest against the recent petrol price hike.
But at the Garden, it was business as usual. The regular walkers were there, going round and round the walking track. Film actor Om Puri could be seen among them – though initially unrecognisable in scruffy white beard with matching hair. He stopped by to exchange pleasantries with Yusuf Rassiwala (pic above), among others. The latter was in an unusually jolly mood today, as he hummed along with the music playing on Kishor Babani’s mobile during the exercises.
Shekhawat looked equally spirited as he announced that his ‘Kashmir count’ has risen to 36, with Kiran Sajjan’s husband phoning him last evening for two bookings in the hotel at Srinagar. The couple would make their own travel arrangements to-and-fro. Surprisingly, Kiran (right pic) was unaware of this. “I will let you know once we finalise our travel plans… that is, if at all we are going,” she said.
The funny part is that on the one hand, Shekhawat is reluctant to take any more people on the trip because “it would only make things unmanageable”. On the other hand, he is quite thrilled every time someone calls up to join. His initial target was a contingent of 30 and having reached that figure, he announced freezing the list. Now, with one or two new requests cropping up every day, he could well land a 50-strong battalion by August 31. That's exactly three months from today.
Harish Wadhwa:
It is good that more members are willing to take the Kashmir trip. Why not? Our country has so much to offer. Where else do you find so many goodhearted people? Our own tourist spots remain unexplored and therefore make the best of this opportunity. Kal ho na ho! Hats off to the initiative and enthusiasm of Shekhawat-ji.
Today's chai was no good -- especially in those stupid, white, skinny, shapeless, unholdable, environment-polluting plastic cups...

Ants in Pants

The ants are out. In what should be indicative of the rains round the corner, large armies of ants have emerged over-ground at the Garden, crisscrossing the area where we exercise. However, instead of rejoicing at their presence, the ladies kept doing a hop, skip and dance at regular intervals in order to dodge them. Santosh Tyagi and Razia Khan looked extremely distressed, stomping the ground all the while. Twice we had to shift position en-masse for their sake, till there was nowhere else to go. The entire Garden was crawling with ants.
Shekhawat wondered aloud why the ants should selectively bother the ladies and spare the men. Ramila Mistry pointed at the men being well shod (particularly Arora’s new pair of shoes) which could be a deterrent. Bapu Rane said a better deterrent would be applying oil on the legs. Bose opined that the ants would go for anything sweet. Obviously there was no sweetness in the perspiration of men.
As the debate warmed up, Arun Patil suggested that the best way to deal with ants was to ignore them. But Rane was not convinced. He was scared stiff that the ants would climb up to his “important” (whatever that meant). Arora prodded him on why he had not come prepared by oiling himself appropriately -- little expecting Rane to disappear into the toilet just when Shekhawat was to shout, “Rane jahaan pe bhi ho, baith jao!” Before long, Rane came out sporting a shy smile: “I needed to take my trousers off because the ants had attacked my important!”
Watching the tamasha was our new guest, Mrs Grover, who took part in the exercises and later dropped by for tea (above right) with the Badmaash Company. She is on vacation from Delhi, staying with her son at Tarapore Garden. She promised to join us every morning for the time she is in Mumbai.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Never underestimate the might of the small. Ants today proved the point. Well, if you step onto their homes, they are bound to retaliate. Blog Monster, that was a nice title today -- 'Ants in Pants'. Sounds like a killer movie!
* Welcome Mrs Grover! It was also nice to have the company of Mrs Bhaswati Bose and Mrs Ramila Mistry today for the chai.

Calamity Strikes

An unusually cloudy and pleasant morning, marred by a bizarre case of chain-snatching. The victim, an elderly lady (in pic) was on her way to the Garden and had taken the deserted stretch across Green Acres when two young men on a motorcycle struck her from behind. She lost her balance and fell on the sidewalk. By the time she recovered and got to her feet, the motorcycle had disappeared in the horizon. Only then did she realize that the 3-tola gold chain around her neck was missing.
The lady could not take down the number of the motorcycle. She had no description of the men who hit her. She had a cell-phone, but did not call the cops. She did not even try going to the cop station nearby, but chose to walk for 15 minutes to the Garden. All she succeeded in was attracting a sizeable crowd and loads of sympathy. When some of us offered to accompany her to the police station and lodge a complaint, she declined. She did not want to bother the cops as she had no faith in them.
Last year, around this time, there was a spate of similar chain snatching incidents in the vicinity (see post of April 28, 2011). An old and infirm Bengali lady had lost all the jewellery on her person, including gold bangles to motorcycle goons. Neelam Garg was also attacked near the same Green Acres. Shekhawat recounted how a lady, holding two kids on either side, was hit from behind and before she could gather her wits, was relieved of her gold chain and purse. Another man narrated how his wife was robbed of a 5-tola chain on the same street. The stories kept mounting…
Meanwhile, here’s wishing Ram Shankar Shukla (left) many happy returns of the day as he steps into his 77th year. We understand he is at present travelling; but our good wishes stay with him, wherever he is, at all times.
Harish Wadhwa:
* A sad incident. My sympathies go out to the woman who was robbed. It shows how desperate the goons are to amass quick money. It is also a warning to all to shun the yellow metal, if they wanna be safe. Try imitation jewellery instead. You and the jewellery would look no different.
* Happy Birthday, Shukla-ji. May you have many more wonderful and healthy years ahead!
Bhaswati Bose:
Wearing imitation jewellery is not safe either, Harish-bhai. The frustrated chain snatchers will punish you the next day with a tight slap, as one young lady in Lokhandwala found out!

More the Merrier?

So Kolkata Knight Riders have won the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League. We had thought that after watching yesterday’s final with Chennai Super Kings till well past midnight, a majority of the members would skip the exercises this morning. But to our surprise, they were all there in the Garden – so much so that even chronic absentees like Yusuf Rassiwala, Renu Babani and Sunita Jajodia were present before time!
The cricket match had clearly lost its significance after top favorites Mumbai Indians were ousted in the semis. Nevertheless, there were a few analytical minds who persisted on debating the what-ifs of the game, before being made to shut up by Srichand Arora.
Hari Singh Shekhawat broke the news that his Kashmir contingent would have to exceed 30 as he is being “pressurized” by people like Shanti Singh (an ex-member) who want to join the group now. He said he is reluctant to include anyone new at this stage, but Mumtaz Jahan is unwilling to buy this. For her, the more people joining the group, the merrier it would be – even if the number were to exceed 40. In fact, she urged Shekhawat today to “gather 40 bandey at the very minimum”.
Many are viewing this as a potentially scary situation of crowd management. With three months still to go for the trip (beginning August 31), it will come as no surprise if the number hits the 50-mark – unless Shekhawat applies the brakes immediately.
Harish Wadhwa:
I heard from Blog Monster today that Mumbai Indians had lost intentionally as they wanted to wrap up the game early to facilitate the players and fans on getting their cars topped with petrol. I understand that the petrol price hike was the reason for the defeat!

Day 664

Pic of the Week

LOST AND FOUND:
But why
on earth 
are
these twins
playing
'Inky-Pinky-Ponky,
Father had a Donkey...'?
.......................................................................................................................
Renu Babani:
"Hey, you copied me... Why? See we are matching-matching, what a coincidence!"

Harish Wadhwa:
"Meine toh 100 rupaye mein liya, tumne kitne mein liya?"
Both of them in matching-matching dress are looking really nice. It seems they visited the same mega clearance-sale shop at Lokhandwala! The good part is that these 'mele mein bichhdi behene' made it to the Garden on the same date and time. What a coincidence!

Dilip Babani:
"This is called best friendship. What a lovely jodi!"

Anonymous:
"This is the only way to find out whether they are the Seeta and Geeta who were lost in a mela years ago!"

Double Dhamaka

Last night’s IPL match at Chennai had cast its shadow on the Garden today. Only four people were present to start the exercises this morming. Later, some more trickled in. But the total turnout, by the end of the exercises, could barely get past the one-dozen mark – much to the consternation of G.R.Garg and Fahmida Khan.
As May-borns, they were to throw a joint-birthday treat for members in the Chinese Hut today. This had been planned well in advance. Upon Shekhawat’s advice, they had even arranged for 45 party boxes which would cover members of the Yoga Group also.
What they did not reckon was that Shekhawat would clean forget to make an announcement to this effect – thereby leaving them with more boxes than there were takers. Funnily, Shekhawat was himself taken by surprise when Neelam Garg reminded him of the celebration today.
Nevertheless, he promptly got into 'damage control' mode and started making phone calls to all absentees – Yusuf Rassiwala, Sitaram Hivarkar, Razia Khan, the Babanis… As they took their time to arrive, the party warmed up with Rehana Sheikh getting into her impromptu act of belting out songs like “Baar baar yeh din aaye” in chorus. Somebody rushed out to order tea. The ladies got busy distributing the party boxes. The yoga guru blessed Garg and Fehmida…
In the end, it was great fun, as all celebrations are meant to be – more so, when most of us were unprepared for it. But then, it must be said (as many had pointed out) that Shekhawat has become so absorbed with the Kashmir trip that little else seems to register in his mind. A memory lapse was something that could not be attributed to him earlier. Now, it is beginning to show.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
Party time! So much fun being together. Many happy returns of the day, Fahmida and Mr Garg. I am sure it will be a lovely birthday for both of you.
Harish Wadhwa:
Belated 'Happy Birthday', Garg-sa'ab. May you have wonderful years ahead, of good health and happiness.

Loose Ends

Santosh Tyagi (in pic) dropped by on the way back from her yoga classes – only to be greeted with an intimidating “declaration form” (see yesterday’s post) for the Kashmir trip. She became the first member to put her signature on the document. Seeing her, all others like Khatoon Baig, Nahid Khan, Srichand Arora and Hari Singh Shekhawat followed suit. With this necessary formality, the process of tying up loose ends for the September trip has begun.
This was the only highlight on an otherwise muggy morning, marked by a general sense of listlessness and fatigue. Yet strangely, the ladies managed to derive abundant joy and entertainment, much to the amazement of all men. The wisecrack of the day came from (wonder of wonders) Monthi Serrao when Arora wondered aloud how she and her friends manage to keep their conversation uninterrupted even while performing a difficult task like rolling their necks. Pat came her repartee: “Hum thodi na gurdun se baat kartey hain!”
Moments like this make the mornings memorable and exercising, worth our while.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"I do hereby declare and state... thus I sign dutifully!"

IPL-5 Fever

Disappointment writ large on the faces of our cricket aficionados as Team Mumbai crashed out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday. Before the exercises Bapu Rane, Srichand Arora, Bhaswati Bose, Yusuf Rassiwala and above all, Vijay Bhatt (bottom right) mulled over what could have gone wrong for their favourite team. While everyone conceded that the better team had won, Rane insisted that Tendulkar and Co had “eaten money” to throw away their wickets. Yusuf was all praise for the hurricane knock of Team Chennai skipper, M.S.Dhoni. “They deserved to win,” he opined.
The IPL fever will continue for another three days – till the final, this Sunday. Yesterday’s semi-final fixture lasted till late in the night and had its inevitable fallout at the Garden this morning. But despite the mass absenteeism, the crazy capers and tomfoolery which accompany our exercises were not lacking. Nahid Khan had to issue a stern warning to Shekhawat, “Do not disturb!”, but to little effect.
Shekhawat was in an incredibly buoyant mood as he went around announcing that he had hit the magic figure of 30 for the Kashmir trip. The last booking was yesterday, for his daughter, Kiran Rathore. Much as Mumtaz Jahan urged him to carry on the good work, he said the list had been frozen because any further railway booking would get into the Waiting List. Besides, air fares have shot up to prohibitive levels. He handed Mumtaz Rs20,000 as advance for blocking 15 rooms in Hotel Paradise at Srinagar for our group.
Subsequently, Arora read out the text of a Declaration every Kashmir-bound member will have to sign. It states inter-alia that the members are going at their own volition, risk and expense and nobody shall be held responsible for any mishap or untoward incident; that necessary precautions including fitness check-up and medication would be taken individually; that everyone would be morally bound to take care of one another, etc. etc.
Today also happened to be the birthday of Hem Chand Jain (above left). He turned 83. Although he did not show up, this is wishing him many more years of good health, peace and prosperity. Many happy returns of the day to you, Jain-sa’ab!

Survivor

Having survived the peak-summer heat of the Indian heartland, Kishor Babani returned to the Garden loaded with lots of stories, sweets, photographs and a huge smile on his face. He had taken his wife and son on a ten-day vacation – covering Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi and Amritsar. It was no doubt an eventful trip, but exhausting as well. Little wonder, Renu and Prakash chose to rest at home today.
But for Kishor’s return, it was an uneventful morning at the Garden. We reverted to the practice of the veterans conducting the exercises. No one new volunteered to step in the middle. Oddly enough, there's been some resistance from old-timers on inducting fresh blood for conducting the exercises. As Nahid Khan put it, “exercise ki dhajjiyan udayi jati hai” -- the imputation being that the newbies are neither serious nor do they command any authority.
Be that as it may, it always helps to have a second line-of-command in reserve, just in case the regulars fail to show up for some reason. Such a situation is bound to arise once the monsoon sets in.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Welcome back, Kishor-da (and Renu-ji). I can see that you are very charged up and happy from this trip. That's fine, but keep my share of sweets! (How selfish of me...)
* Nahid-ji, mauka milega toh hee log seekhenge. Let the new instructors enjoy their presence and command of the ring.

Having a Ball

The chatterboxes were in their elements today. Shekhawat reveled in the fast ballooning passenger list for the Kashmir trip. Nafisa Sayyad was in a particularly wicked mood as she lampooned the eating habits of Gujaratis. Geeta Sardana refused to conduct the exercises (it was her turn today) and threatened to go home pronto if we insisted. “I come here to enjoy,” she maintained. “Let me enjoy!”
Eventually we had to fall back on the tried and trusted Khan duo, Nahid and Razia for taking us through the morning.
In the absence of Srichand Arora, everybody was keen on having a ball today. Even Sitaram Hivarkar justified the constant chatter. “Talking is a tonic,” he remarked jovially. Santosh Tyagi and Ramila Mistry dropped by from a yoga camp in the neighboring garden. “We come here to laugh because we don’t get to even talk there,” they explained.
Hari Naraiyani (left) tried needling Shekhawat for his anxiety to get more and more people on the Kashmir bandwagon: “What do you mean by saying that those who do not go to Kashmir would regret later? If I were to say that those who ARE going will regret later…” When some ladies gave him a cold look, Naraiyani withdrew, but went about asking everyone individually, “Did I say anything wrong?” He also conceded that it requires real himmat for taking such a huge contingent to Kashmir and only Shekhawat has it in him!
Meanwhile, news comes in of Tara Chand Seth (above, right) not keeping well in Delhi. Some complications have been detected in his heart, following an ECG test. He says that he is under medication and his condition is stable at present. But he will soon have to undergo some intensive tests at the hospital where he had a bypass surgery done some years back. His son will be reaching him from Mumbai the day after tomorrow.
Let us all wish Tara Chand an early recovery and pray that he is able to return in our midst, hale and hearty. He was intending to be back by mid-June.
Harish Wadhwa:
* When it comes to Hari Naraini-ji, he can be very witty at times. We all wish the Kashmir contingent a lot of fun, happiness and memories. May you all enjoy the bounty of nature at its best in our 'crown of India' during this trip.
* May God bless Tara Chand-ji with early recovery and good health.

45th Anniversary

Every second person in the Garden could be seen carrying a jumbo pack of Parle-G biscuits this morning. Such is Srichand Arora’s popularity that he had not only to provide for all of us, but also treat the scores of his well-wishers who had gathered to congratulate him on his 45th wedding anniversary today. What’s more, he had his significant half, Kiran-ji by his side to grace the occasion (right pic).
The couple had kept everyone in suspense till late in the morning. But we had already noticed Arora lugging along an enormous white bag before joining us for the exercises. Besides, he was sporting a new T-shirt with the legend, Heavy Duty emblazoned in front. So everyone knew something was on and after the exercises, all of us shamelessly stood around, reluctant to disperse. Arora too was in no hurry to lift the suspense… till Kiran-ji appeared on the scene. And then things fell into place!
The Aroras happen to be the most enduring couple among us (after the Shekhawats) to enjoy a long and fabulous innings of holy matrimony. We wish them both all happiness, good fortune and strength in taking their relationship forward with every passing year. After all, it is not for nothing that they stand out as role models for many younger couples.
As for the exercises, it was the turn of Hari Singh Shekhawat (left) to take charge in the middle. He had been conducting the laughter sessions off and on and today, he graduated to free-hand exercises. Predictably, he kept everyone in splits with his unending antics – deliberately allowing himself to be corrected by the ladies (rather than he correct others), laughing non-stop, counting back and forth (partly in Hindi and partly in English), shouting at the top of his voice and finally, rounding off the session with a click of his heels and a smart military-style salute!
As they say, once a soldier, always a soldier.
Renu & Kishor Babani:
Congrats Mr and Mrs Arora on your wedding anniversary. May His grace and blessings always be upon both of you today and always. This is a day definitely worth celebrating with family and friends. Best wishes always.
Dilip Babani:
Happy wedding anniversary to Arora-ji and Kiran-ji! God bless the couple.
Srichand Arora:
We both thank our well-wishers who joined us to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. I am also thankful to my better half for taking full care of me during the last 45 years.
Harish Wadhwa:
Arora-sa'ab, you need to replace the words "taking full care of" with "bearing with" (LOL). May God bless you and that we celebrate your anniversary, year after year with more goodies.
Srichand Arora:
Harish-ji, what is this LOL? I have never heard of this.

Day 657

Pic of the Week

A GOLDEN MOMENT [courtesy Prakash Babani©]

"Very nice photo. Pray for all the members of Laughing Club." --Dilip Babani

Laaftertainment

With someone new conducting the exercises every morning, we are being treated to a daily cocktail of laughter and entertainment. Gone are the days when regulars wearily pushed through the routine as though it were some kind of a chore. Infusing new blood has brought about an extra zing. You never know what to expect!
Today was Khatoon Baig’s turn (right) to ‘teach’ us. As a former school teacher, she had readily agreed to step into her old shoes. But this morning, she suddenly developed cold feet. Like a reluctant child playing truant, she tried everything within her means to avoid stepping into the middle – right from turning up late (little expecting we would also start late) to taking an inordinately long time to tie her head scarf. The ladies coaxed and cajoled her and finally escorted her inside the circle as she appeared to burst into tears any moment.
But once she started, she was in full flow – not skipping a move. Who would say this was the same lady having butterflies in her tummy? Of course, Razia Khan’s reassuring presence and timely prompts made a difference. But after those initial moments of self-doubt, Khatoon Baig transformed into a handsome picture of confidence and poise.
So when it came to the second round, we were once again taken aback by her hesitation to return to the middle. Yusuf Rassiwala took pity on her and stepped in to wrap up the day’s proceedings. But someone started the chorus, “We Want – KHATOON-JI!”, “We Want – KHATOON-JI!”... and as everybody clapped and shouted in unison, Yusuf had to retreat to his position. This time Khatoon did not require Razia’s prompting.
For the record, Bapu Rane (above left) got a promotion today as he conducted the main free-hand exercises for the first time. Never mind, if it had to be interspersed with instructions like “panchhi bano, aasmaan mein udo”, “baal mein haath phero”, “mundi ghumao” , “neck-wick dabaao”… Well, that's our Bapu's style!
Harish Wadhwa:
Happy to see new teachers taking charge every day, and why not. It brings more fun and energy to one an all. Today's session from Rane-ji gave everyone a whiff of fresh air vis-a-vis the monotonous old styles. Moreso, people who conduct also feel good and connected to the group.

Another Joke

It was Bose’s turn today to make an ass of himself. After Mumtaz Jahan yesterday (see post), he was called in the middle this morning to conduct the Laughter sessions. And what a mess he made of it! Under the watchful eyes of biggies like Srichand Arora, Nahid Khan, Sitarman Hivarkar and Razia Khan, he fumbled and floundered, goofing at every step, starting and stopping abruptly, made wrong calls… till he was reduced to a bundle of nerves and perspiration.
Of course, there were many who thought that Bose (above) was deliberately playing to the gallery and applauded him with encouraging shouts of “Taaliyan!” But there were also others who got him grounded with equally vociferous shouts of “Gaaliyan!”
At the end of it all, it must be said that this experiment of trying out a new ‘teacher’ every morning is turning out to be somewhat a joke. Apart from providing some amusement value, the freshers are no patch on any of the regulars who require no prompting on the sequence of exercises, know exactly how to pace them and can adjust to any situation. To them, this is almost like second nature. For others, it is a perfect recipe for nervous breakdown. As Nafisa Sayyad put it aptly: “Nahin jumta apun ko”.
Meanwhile, Shekhawat is all gung ho on the Kashmir trip. Today he announced 29 names who had paid him advances of Rs 10,000 each – the latest being an Aggarwal couple (right). So enthused is he about Kashmir that he seems to have clean forgotten about the one-day trip to a resort next weekend. Yesterday he had drawn up a list of members who, in his opinion, could be interested. He did not expect many to take offence on being taken for granted and indirectly “forced” for the picnic – more so, when they are in no mood to undertake a bus trip in peak summer heat. Wisely, Shekhawat did not to raise the issue today.
In conclusion, here’s wishing Vandana Kankanwar (top, left) many happy returns of the day. We could not wish her in person today as she did not show up at the Garden. But we would always pray for her long life, good health, lasting peace and contentment. Happy Birthday, Vandana!
Harish Wadhwa:
* Bose-babu, you were good and conducted the laughter session so well. Don't believe what the Blog Monster says. In fact, I could see you doing the exercises more enthusiastically than your usual self. Your punishment now is that you will conduct them again tomorrow! Hey buddy, you were grrreeaaat! One person who missed all this was Mrs Bose, who is also supposed to conduct the exercise session. Will catch her soon to become a teacherni.
* A Very Happy Birthday Vandana-ji. Your innocently smiling picture is good. May you have a dhamaal birthday today.
* I do appreciate Shekhawat-ji's energy to work for the picnics with cool and patience. Hats off to you Shekhawat-ji!!!

New Initiatives

The old must make way for the new. That’s the way of the world. And so it is with us at the Garden. They are laying out a cricket pitch with proper practice nets on the narrow stretch of land adjoining the nullah. According to Srichand Arora, we might as well start playing regular T-20 matches there -- Ladies vs Gents.
His other suggestion today was however not so well received. In order to prevent the ladies from talking among themselves during the exercises, he tried to foist the men alternatively between them. Much as Shekhawat was delighted, the possibility of members breaking into “jodis” made Arora do a rethink. Following protests from the ladies, he dropped the idea for the moment.
The most important development though, was the initiative taken to raise a second line of ‘teachers’ for conducting exercises. From now on, every morning, we will have a new face in the middle (alternating between male and female), who would be coached by the regulars. So today, under the supervision Nahid Khan, Arora, Razia Khan and other veterans, Mumtaz Jahan was invited to conduct the exercises.
She bravely began with the ‘Bismillah ur-Rahman ur-Rahim’ invocation, followed by utter chaos in counting (while she went on 7, 8, 9, 10… Bapu Rane tried desperately getting her on course with 7, 6, 5, 4…) till good sense prevailed and she started facing Arora, mirroring his actions. ‘Right up-Right Down’ became ‘Light Off-Light on’. Soon others were prompting and making the calls, while Mumtaz continued exercising in the middle, silently – but for some off-hand instructions: “Gardan marodna, Kaan kheechna”!
Somehow, Mumtaz survived the day. Tomorrow is Bose’s turn on the chopping block.
Anonymous:
Hi! I like this website. A lot of beautiful design. Thank you, I think to stay here for a long time.

Picnic Overdose?

For all his good intentions and simplicity, Shekhawat has a knack for getting the wrong end of the stick. The current joke going around is that his over-enthusiasm in organizing picnics would render several members homeless. Just the other day, when he proposed a weekend getaway at Mahabaleshwar end-May, Mumtaz Jahan quipped aloud that “many of us would be given talaq” for blowing money so often on picnics.
The same sentiments were expressed today when Shekhawat revived the Mahabaleshwar idea (above) that would entail Rs7,000 per head. While some stood around amused, exchanging knowing looks, many simply walked away.
Others discussed among themselves: “We have just incurred heavy expenses on Goa and there’s a Kashmir trip coming up which will mean another Rs30,000 at least. With what face can we ask our families for more money on Mahabaleshwar? They will throw us out of home… or else, discourage us from coming to the Garden. Shekhawat does not understand this.”
From all indications, Mahabaleshwar looks like a non-starter, even as Shekhawat insists that this would be the last picnic before the onset of monsoon. For the record though, it was Srichand Arora (right) who had done the spadework on fixing a place in the famous hill-station. It is a sprawling 10-bedroom guest house, let out for Rs76,000 (negotiated down to Rs66,000) for two-and-half days during the weekend.
Taking two to a room -- though more can easily be accommodated, so spacious (left pic) are the rooms -- the costs would boil down to Rs3,000 approx per head for two nights. Arora confirmed that the bungalow was still available for the May 25-27 weekend – but not for one night.
Shekhawat soon came up with another option up his sleeve – Royal Garden Resort (where we’ve been to a couple of times earlier). It would be a day trip, he said, costing “one zero less” than Mahabaleshwar. Still, not a single person evinced any interest in it.

Surprise Treat

The Garden wore a festive look this morning (right pic) -- for the unlikeliest of reasons. Swati Punjabi had ‘tied the noose’ around her neck on this day, many years ago. Or so she was to say (‘galey mein phanda’) -- of course, in good humour -- to explain why she was keen to treat us all on her wedding anniversary.
The celebration took many by surprise. Swati does not belong to the Club. Nor did she inform us earlier. But Bapu Rane probably knew about it because he had come prepared with his dentures on. And then, as the exercises progressed and the circle started getting bigger and bigger, Shekhawat became suspicious. “Aaj koi party hai?” he asked, surveying the unusually big turnout. Soon a tea boy appeared on the corner bench and we knew that something was on.
But Shekhawat had other concerns. While people were helping themselves to Swati’s home-made cutlets and dhoklas (and wafers), he stood in the sun with a small group, finalizing the passenger list for Kashmir. He has already booked tickets for 20 members (partly by rail, partly by air) and has another dozen on hold who are yet to pay up. Many like Khatoon Baig were paying today with additions of two or three names (of family members/ friends). What’s more, some like Nafisa Sayyad, who had no intention of going, are joining in. Even Srichand and Kiran Arora are also confirmed.
Clearly Shekhawat has pulled off a miracle. Just yesterday morning, he had only 15 confirmed names – upon which Mumtaz Jahan threatened to dissociate herself from the trip. She said she was committed to taking 45 people at least and if Shekhawat failed to generate that number, not only would it become "economically non-viable", but her prestige would be compromised. Now she has no such fear. The way things are going, there could be a problem of plenty.
Harish Wadhwa:
* The morning treat was a real surprise and an unexpected one for all of us. Amazing that Swati-ji chose to celebrate the day with us. Well, we wish her many more wonderful years of togetherness so that we continue to get such nice home-made goodies. Nice pic of her getting a peck on the cheek from her well-wisher (on behalf of all of us, who wouldn't ever dare...Oops!)
* From the pics it appears that the women enjoyed the party more than the men!

Volume Control

Ved Prakash Grover (right) finds himself in the eye of a gathering storm. Till the other day, he used to be complimented for laughing the best and the loudest. Now, all of a sudden, he is being blamed for being the "loudest laugher". From Srichand Arora to Sunita Jajodia to Nafisa Sayyed, everyone is pointing out that his is the only laughter that can be heard several blocks away. Nafisa was even advising him how to pipe down and control his pitch – all because some day, somebody, somewhere in the buildings nearby might raise hell for being rudely woken up by our laughter!
Today Razia Khan (above, left), without pointedly mentioning Grover, put the fear of an impending lawsuit and announced that the “laughter club case is with the High Court”. She was obviously referring to the court verdict (see post of May 11) delivered last Thursday and got us to relocate further towards the public toilet. Everyone agreed that it was not proper to disturb residents in nearby buildings, but applying ‘volume control’ on laughing became an issue.
Some members suggested curtailing the exercises – if possible, doing away with one of the two laughter sessions (since those were the noisiest). Razia wanted the first session to be dropped so that our neighbours could sleep a little longer peacefully, before being jolted by our laughs. Yusuf Rassiwala reasoned that the second session should be dispensed with so that the neighbours may wake up briefly and then go back to sleep undisturbed. This would also enable us to ‘warm up’ before the free-hand exercises. To wake them up twice would be quite cruel on our part, he added.
The feasibility of both the options was discussed at length – but no consensus could be reached. The Managing Committee might have to step in and take a call!

Day 650

Pic of the Week

For a change, here's a blast from the past!

* "Kya husn hai! Wah yeh jawani!" --Renu Babani

* "Thanks, very good =)" --Anonymous

* "Iss heroine ko kaun se picture mey dekha hai? Yes, she is Tanuja in Jab Jab Phool Khile. Now she has become a little old. But I am not sure if she is Tanuja or Asha Parekh, Mumtaz or Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi or Shashi Kala, Anita Guha or Hema Malini, Rakhi or Zeenat Aman, Waheeda Rahman or Sharmila Tagore... I am totally confused. --Dilip Babani

* "Ramila-ji is looking great on these billboards. Is the movie in Chinese or Japanese? I am wondering what does the caption above the billboard say?" --Harish Wadhwa

Brand Ambassadors

The Babanis, Renu and Kishor (right) have decided to leave the maddening heat of Mumbai for the ‘salubrious’ environs of the Thar Desert. Together with their son Prakash, they take the afternoon flight to Jaipur today and after covering the touristy spots in and around the city, they would visit Delhi and Amritsar, before flying back on May 22.
Significantly, these are the very same places that the Babani couple had visited barely two months back. In these days of ‘brand ambassadorship’, their repeat whirlwind tour in such a short time should make them eminently qualified to be brand ambassadors of (at least) Jaipur and Amritsar. Delhi is already taken, what with Tara Chand Seth staying put there and refusing to return till the monsoon descends. Ved Prakash Grover and Santosh Tyagi are also key contenders for the face of Delhi as they too have their roots there. In fact, the former is planning a trip to the capital city this month-end.
Come to think of it, we have brand ambassadors from almost all parts of the country in our midst. How else would we know the taste of Lucknow’s famous gajaks, if it were not for Nahid Khan? Or Assam’s rasagullas, if not for Bhaswati Bose? Or say, the pethas of Ludhiana, thanks to Mrs Harbans Singh. Or the delicious pudding cakes of Mangalore, thanks to Monthi Serrao… In that sense, Bapu Rane presents the living face of Ratnagiri, Srichand Arora represents Singapore and Harish Wadhwa is Indore personified.
While on food, the ‘other’ Babani couple – Kajal and Dilip – deserves special mention. They celebrated their silver jubilee today amidst much cheering and backslapping, and of course, the customary photo-op (above). We wish this lovely duo (notice how perfectly they had colour-coordinated their morning wear) many more years of marital bliss, good health and prosperity.
Renu Babani:
Our tour of Jaipur starts at 10 tomorrow morning. I am prepared to arm myself with a bottle of Electrals, if necessary.
Bhaswati Bose:
Wishing Kajal and Dilip a very happy 25th Anniversary. Bhagwan aapko itni shakti de ke aur 25 saal isi tarah ek doosre ko jhelte rahe!
Harish Wadhwa:
Dilip-bhai, silver jubilee requires a bigger celebration. After all, both of you have passed the test of "patience" and "adjustment" so very well. I have heard that after 25 years of togetherness, life becomes very smooth and more enjoyable! Suna hai!

“Naughty Boy”

Hari Singh Shekhawat (right) earned a new sobriquet today. Fed up of his childish antics and being constantly distracted by him, Nahid Khan (left) called for some restraint and discipline while she conducted the exercises. “Aap bilkul naughty boy ho gaye!” she declared.
Apparently, this was just what Shekhawat was waiting for. He redoubled his efforts at pulling off the silly pranks he is known for, deliberately giving wrong cues – skipping the “Doorsa Padav: Kissa Kursi Ka”, calling “Nachh Baliye” before time, and so on… till Nahid finally gave up on him. But it must be said that it is because of his childish qualities that Shekhawat is so popular and loved by all. Belying his age, he is always so full of beans, bobbing up and down like an irrepressible schoolboy. While the rest of us exercised in silence, laboring under the terrible heat, he was all over the place laughing and dancing, invoking Rane’s name and generally, playing the fool.
Adding to the fun-filled morning, there was some good news from Nazma Sayed (left). Her favorite grandson (and a darling to us all), Ali has been promoted to Class 8 and she brought a box of luddoos to the Garden to celebrate his success. Within moments, all the luddoos vanished. Shekhawat grabbed his share before announcing jubilantly, “Pappu pass ho gaya!”
On the flip side though, there’s some disturbing news in today’s papers: The Bombay High Court has issued strictures against a laughter club in Kurla for causing “public nuisance, pain and mental agony”, following a petition by a 78-year-old lawyer: “From 7 a.m., around 10 to 15 members of the group gather and sing and clap. It is followed by loud and vigorous spells of laughter at the top of their voices and each member encourages the others to laugh to their heart’s content. This goes on for 20 to 25 minutes every day and the noisy routine would sometimes be rounded off with snacks.”
Sounds familiar? Well, the High Court has reportedly directed the police to restrain the members from “foisting their high spirits” on those residing in the locality.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Congrats to "Pappu" for passing his exams! How nice that his grandmom was so thrilled that she shared sweets with all of us. May you pass all exams in future with flying colors, Ali. And do cajole your grandmom to distribute more sweets to us greedy guys!
* We need to empathise with people staying near by and make sure that we do not disturb them with our activities. (As long as we can follow this restraint, it's all fine.) Arora-ji will need to use his statement, "Awaaz upar tak jani chahiye!" more judiciously. "Purjosh hansi" also will need to be replaced with "man ki hansi".

Punishing Routine

Mornings are beginning to feel like the afternoon, or worse. So overpowering is the humidity that well before the exercises get started, we are all tired and drained out. Small wonder, barely 17 members turned up today – as against 35-plus present for the pethas yesterday (see post). Let alone any incentive, there is always a real danger of dehydration and ending up on a stretcher for pushing through the punishing hour-long routine.
Shekhawat tried in vain to infuse some life in the proceedings with his madcap antics. Even Yusuf Rassiwala was unusually quiet. Srichand Arora excused himself and went home. Santosh Tyagi and Ramila Mistry, who have been dropping by on their way back from a yoga camp, did not come today. Others like Renu Babani, Harbans Singh and Sunita Jajodia had to perforce take short breaks on a bench during the exercises.
In fact, the Garden benches have suddenly become very popular as members are spending more time on them (see pic), especially before and after the exercises. This is where much hair-splitting takes place – be it over someone’s health problem or on booking tickets to Kashmir or applying for a government housing scheme…
After all, anything is better than getting baked and roasted in the scorching sun.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"We need to do something to beat this heat and humidity and get back to routine."
Harish Wadhwa:
* Renu-ji, the solution is simple: Drink... drink, more... drink by the gallon!!!
* Blog Monster, I liked the intentional pun of cutting "for the pethas" in the text.

Sixth Sense

Some of our members are blessed with powers of extra sensory perception. How else can anyone explain their ability to show up, unfailingly, every time there’s a special treat or party lined up? On all other days they are nowhere to be seen. Not that it makes a difference. But it speaks a lot for the sixth sense working overtime in these enormously gifted people who are not half as serious about the exercises.
Today they were present in full strength, taking attendance from a normal 20-odd to well beyond 35. They kept coming and coming as the exercises progressed, having clearly sniffed out the juicy pethas Mrs Harbans Singh (pic above) had brought from Punjab. There were of course, plenty to go around and many even did a double dive (diabetes notwithstanding) for the sinfully sweet treat – without as much of a by your leave.
Otherwise also, with such a heavy turnout, maintaining order had become an ordeal for those conducting the exercises. Both Srichand Arora and Yusuf Rassiwala were at their wits’ end trying to stop the constant chatter all around, but ended up blaming each other. Whenever Arora was pulled up, he’d instantly point at the person beside him for starting the conversation. And there was Shekhawat, dancing and beating his tummy like a drum, simply because Nafisa Sayyad was curious about what he had done to look so outrageously pregnant!
Twice Yusuf yelled at Ramila Mistry, warning her not to disturb others. The second time he growled “Romilaaaa!!!”, she screamed back at him, “Eiyeeeeeeee”… only to prompt Sunita Jajodia to scold her: “Why did you squeal like that? You are not a child…” “Choop!” Ramila raised a finger, silencing her. By then Arora was telling Yusuf that he’d give a “signed affidavit” stating that the group was beyond all redemption.
In between word came in that Nahid Khan’s friend, Lakshmi (left) had fainted somewhere in the Garden. Vasudev Bhateja came running for a bottle of water, Kishor Babani offered toffees, Shekhawat picked them and rushed… but Arora had already beaten him to it, comforting Lakshmi at a distance on a bench. She seemed struck by the oppressive morning heat. The women stood their ground in silence, amused at seeing the men in a tizzy. Much later, when the exercises resumed, did Nahid leave her position and join Lakshmi on the bench.
Harish Wadhwa:
"Mrs Harbans Singh, ankhon se maar hee dalenge aap kitno ko. Ufff ye gussa!"

Mission Kashmir

The dust has finally settled on the Kashmir trip scheduled this September. After weeks of tireless bickering and mutual recrimination (much of which was sadly, a carry-forward from the Goa experience last month) costs have been slashed by half -- from what was initially estimated at Rs45,000 approx to about Rs22,000 per head. This includes to-and-fro air fare, food and lodging for seven days and sightseeing trips in and around Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pehelgam and Sonmarg.
It is no doubt a fabulous deal, thanks to the initiative (and persistence) of Mumtaz Jahan. But Hari Singh Shekhawat had also some plain speaking to do this morning. He said that much as he is handicapped in using the Internet, it has always been his endeavour to get us the “best deal” on every trip and has never shied away from seeking the help of friends and well-wishers. To impute ulterior motives or suspect anyone of vested interests would therefore be grossly unfair and uncalled for.
The upshot of all this is that Kishor Babani (who brought in info about a Make My Trip package) is now out of the picture and we will instead be following Mumtaz Jahan across the Valley like Mary’s little lambs. Some might opt for the train (instead of going by air) and meet the rest of the group in Jammu, from where they would be herded to Srinagar. This would not only work out cheaper but also help in better acclimatization while travelling up from the plains.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"We stand in twos; makes the discussion easier and less noisy."
Harish Wadhwa:
* Some members, especially the ladies, are quite keen to get photographed and see their pictures on the blog -- like these two, who are striking poses.
* The Kashmir trip seems to be a hot topic of discussion and people don't mind talking about it, day and night. While some are very excited to go, others are unable to make up their minds due to the long distance and travel modalities. I, for one, am happy to see the enthusiasm of many to visit Srinagar and enjoy the bounty of nature God has blessed our country with.

Triple Treat

The World Laughter Day celebrations spilled on to today. What’s more, our good old ‘teacher’, Nahid Khan returned from her Lucknow vacation with a boxful of crunchy gajaks (right pic). And then, there was a proud and smiling Jagmohan Papneja (below, left) giving us yet another reason to celebrate: the birth of his grandson.
Nahid was away on her annual visit to her maikey (natal home) in what was till recently the “city of Mayawati”. This had given rise to many cheeky jokes – right from christening Nahid as “Nahidwati” to suggestions that we erect her statue in the Garden, replete with her trademark cell phone and earplugs. Now they are all after her gold tooth. Being a good-natured lady, Nahid never takes offence and keeps everyone amused by adding to the humour and even laughing at herself. This is a rare quality about her, something we have been missing while she was away.
The Laughter Day treat was thanks to Srichand Arora’s presence of mind (below right) -- since we had missed the event yesterday (being a Sunday, when the turnout is usually low). So this morning, he remembered to bring along a whole lot of pastries for everyone, which were distributed soon after the exercises. At his instance, an extra laugh was also raised to mark the occasion.
Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the Laughter Club Movement, has sent the following message addressed to Big Laaf: “The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship. Laughter is a universal language which has the potential to unite the entire humanity and establish a common link between various countries and cultures to create a new world order... On this auspicious day, let us laugh together by raising our arms and sending out positive vibrations of love and peace to make the whole world an extended family.”
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Talk about exercising to keep fit! We seem to be eating all the time... what with all these treats!!!"
Harish Wadhwa:
Thanks for the triple treat. And just keep laughing -- the best medicine to be fit and healthy!