Lost and Found!

Srichand Arora

Yesterday’s Look Out Notice has worked!
Yusuf Rassiwala today emerged from the early morning haze, sporting a parrot green T-shirt and goofy grin and casually took his position in the circle. He was welcomed with warm hugs and soon after the exercises, an extra laugh was raised for his momentous comeback.
But Srichand Arora was a disappointed man. Yesterday, upon seeing the blog post, he rushed to Oshiwara Police Station in the hope of tracing Yusuf-bhai and accordingly, claim the reward money. There, to his infinite horror and dismay, he spotted Yusuf’s mugshot pasted in the midst of other Wanted photos on the police notice board. The Duty Officer dutifully informed him that the 'suspect' bearing resemblance with the wanted man was presently lodged in Parel Police Station.
Arora promptly sounded off Hari Singh Shekhawat, who in turn promised to mobilize the Club’s "ladeej log" and land at Parel Police Station in a couple of hours. Arora got busy organizing the bail for Yusuf-bhai – besides a parcel of mutton biryani. "Who knows, the poor fellow might be kept hungry in the police lock-up," he was to explain later.
The only thing Arora had got wrong was the location of the police station. With biryani in hand, he ran around the whole of Parel (West), little knowing that Parel has only one police station – in the east.
Shekhawat meanwhile had landed there with a group of lady members armed with rolling pins, kitchen utensils and huge brooms. The cop on duty said that Yusuf was caught riding a camel through the busy bylanes of Parel as though he was Asrani perched on an elephant in Malamaal Weekly. He refused to get down, which precipitated matters and both he and the camel had to be arrested.
After repeated requests, when the cops refused to release Yusuf-bhai, the ladies got into their act. Banging their utensils and screaming and shouting, they threatened to pull down the police station… till suddenly, rising above the din, Nahid-bhai appeared in full military gear, AK-47 in hand. Petrified, the cops promptly gave her the keys of the lock-up and Yusuf-bhai walked out a free man.
It would have been a happy ending, were it not for Fehmida Khan getting hold of Yusuf-bhai this morning and landing a solid sock on his face (pics alongside) for getting the Club members in a tizzy yesterday. “Don't you dare ride a camel ever again in Bombay,” she warned.
Disclaimer: The backstory of this post is just that – a story, written in jest and must be enjoyed in the same spirit. (Not a word of it is true.) Yusuf-bhai is absolutely hale and hearty and yesterday, after reading the blog, had responded late night with a text message: “Missing Yusuf-bhai ka pata chal gaya hai. Kal subah Garden mein hazir honge.” He kept his word.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Happy to see Yusuf-bhai in a jovial mood. He needed to be pulled up for not making it regularly to the Garden! God bless him with good health and an everlasting usual cheerful smile.
* Ek to Yusuf-bhai ki filmon ke shots ki tarah, pitai ho rahi hai aur Arora-ji mand-mand, dabe hoton mein muskura rahe hain?!!
Srichand Arora:
Bach ke rahana re BABA, bach ke rahana re!