April Fooled!

Harish Wadhwa: Suspension of Disbelief 

It has taken 10 days for the cat to be out of the bag. This morning, the Club finally fell for the April Fool joke (see post of April 1) when Harish Wadhwa walked into the Garden dressed in a crisp white kurta-pajama, his hair dyed black and a serious look on his face. He appeared a complete stranger. And yet, there was a ring of familiarity, which raised a few eyebrows -- even as Srichand Arora introduced him as Harish’s brother, Manish Wadhwa.
“You need not introduce him,” Monthi Serrao insisted. “He has met us earlier.”
“Bilkul twin lagtey hai, hai na?” said an amused Khatoon Baig.

The 'original' Harish Wadhwa

“Ek dum same-to-same!” agreed Nafisa Sayyad.
“We will believe only when he brings Harish-bhai along,” interjected Razia Khan, but still not very sure. “Both brothers must present themselves together.”
The men however, had no such doubts and exchanged pleasantries, even enquiring where he was staying in Mumbai and why Harish was not to be seen these days. Shekhawat, looking like an enlightened monk with close-cropped hair, went to the extent of informing about the Club’s picnic plans (see post of April 5) at the resort in Alibaug. “We will need around 30 rooms because it would involve an overnight stay” he explained.
“How many rooms does your resort have?” chipped in Geeta Sardhana, suspicious as always.
Pat came the reply: “About 500 rooms. And there are acres and acres of land around…”
“Baap re!” intoned Shekhawat, suitably impressed.
But the penny had dropped. At that very instant, the myth about Manish Wadhwa was demolished and prospects of the picnic at Alibaug went up in smoke. The ladies exchanged glances, not knowing what to say. Only a few die-hard optimists (Shekhawat included) clung on to the hope that there could be some truth in whatever Harish had said.
For those who came in late, please go back to the post of April 1 – All Fools’ Day!