Look, Who’re Here!

WELCOME BACK: Saying it with love... and a rose!

They are back. After 10 gruelling days of travel, braving extreme temperatures, inclement weather, bad food and a punishing schedule, the five fittest, sturdiest and most conscientious of the 21-member Himachal group showed up this morning at the Garden. Promptly they were christened ‘Panch Parmeshwars’ of the day: Hari Singh Shekhawat, Srichand Arora, Ved Prakash Grover, Arun Patil and Nahid Khan.

Arora greets Sunita Jajodia

They were not expected today. A reception of sorts had been lined up for Monday (see yesterday’s post) as it was only appropriate that they (having arrived last evening) would take the weekend off to cool their heels. But, as Teja Singh Bhambra remarked, they were all “looking smart”. And on behalf of the Club, Bhaswati Bose greeted them with a red rose as an expression of happiness in having them back again.

The 'saviour': Arun Patil

The group had left on March 27 (Holi day) and headed straight for Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple and Wagah Border. From there, they hit the road to Katra (Jammu) and after a helicopter hop, got their darshan at the Vaishno Devi shrine. Thereafter, en route to Chandigarh, calamity struck. Something they had consumed on the way, revolted and the entire group, barring Arora and Arun, were down with food poisoning. (It pays to be in Badmaash Company!)

Teja Singh greets Grover

The freezing cold and evening showers in Shimla further dampened their spirits and it was their tenacity and sheer luck that brought them back to Mumbai safe and sound.
Through those trying moments, if there was one man who deserves special mention, it was Arun Patil. According to Arora, he was “truly godsend”. Right from taking care of the ill and running about for medicines to physically lifting the infirm up steep inclines on the hilly terrain to being seated upright on a stool beside the bus driver throughout the road journey (they were one seat short), to diligently checking on everyone every night in hotel rooms, to preparing all their beds in the train… Arun was THE MAN.
Indeed, as Tara Chand pointed out, “God always sends someone in times of crisis!”
Harish Wadhwa:
Welcome home. Nice to read about Arun's helping nature. He is indeed a very helpful and caring person. Aakhir Badmaash Company ka khaas hai, iss liye. Sangati ka asar hona hi tha... LOL. Nice of you Arun-bhai to be so caring to one and all. Bahut duayein aur asheesh milengi.