In Ishtyle

Nahid Khan

Left to herself, she comes across as quiet, reticent, reluctant to stick her neck out in an argument. But when she gets going, there can be no stopping her. In true ‘bhai ishtyle’, Nahid Khan becomes a law unto herself, oblivious to what anyone might think or say of her.
Today was one such day, when she got “into the mood”. Ramila Mistry said it in as many words when Nahid decided to laugh off-key, regardless of the commotion she was causing. So every time we were to let out a guffaw in chorus, hers was the only voice that sounded like a cracked record on slow speed. And when we were to let out a loud roar, hers came as a baby’s whimper. Likewise, when we were to burst into an exuberant Ha-Ha-Ha, she would switch to stop-start mode with Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… and just not stop. “Apni-apni ishtyle hai!” she explained, all the more determined not to toe the general line.
If anything, such antics tend to generate more natural laughter and bonhomie than what our forced outbursts can ever achieve and nobody really minds the liberties Nahid takes.

Making mountain of a molehill

In fact, this is in (mock) acknowledgment of the authority she commands as “bhai” (underworld don) with many actually hanging on to every word she utters. So when she turned “Dado Sutho” to “Attu-Putho”, at least Grover’s day was made!
A cheerful day was marred by an avoidable flare-up over Razia Khan collecting a ten-rupee fine from those defaulting on wearing the Club cap (see post of May 10). Today Jagmohan Papneja became a willing victim (as he had his cap in a bag) and he paid up in the spirit of remaining disciplined with a bit of fun on the side. Ten rupees hurts no one, but when it was the turn of Monthi Serrao, she put her foot down. A mountain was made of a molehill needlessly as it became evident that unlike many others, both Razia and Monthi had the interests of the Club in heart -- just that they were speaking in different voices. Both want discipline to be enforced – even to the extent of penalizing all irregular and recalcitrant members. Perhaps the time has come to sit together and resolve this issue once and for all.