Overlapping Festivals

Today was Eid Milad-un-Nabi, the day that commemorates the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad and celebrates his teachings. It was also Makar Sankranti, the day that marks the transition of the sun into Makara or the zodiac sign of Capricorn. It was also Pongal for the Tamilians. And Bhogali Bihu for the Assamese. And Uttarayan for the Gujaratis. And Shishur Saenkraat for the Kashmiris…
But Srichand Arora, in his infinite wisdom, decided to turn the calendar ahead and designated the day as Cheti Chand (which actually falls on April 1 this year). With so many tongue-twisting festivals colliding on the same day, who were we to dispute, least of all, the president of the Club? And so we willingly allowed ourselves to be 'April fooled' before time and obediently clapped and chanted “Cheti Chand-Cheti Chand Waah!”

Digging in Mrs Shekhawat's bag for tilgul luddoos

Our willing suspension of disbelief was well worth it. For, we were soon rewarded with the most sought after delicacy of the season, tilgul laddoos prepared by Mrs Shekhawat. The soft, crunchy confection (made of sesame seeds and molasses) is a must-have on Makar Sankranti. But more than that, meeting Mrs Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat after a long time was by itself a blessing. The gentle, soft-spoken lady has been keeping a low profile because of indifferent health and an undiagnosed problem akin to vertigo -- except that the giddiness seizes her even when she is not at any height.
Meanwhile, Khatoon Baig has raised a pertinent issue. For long, she has been wanting to give us a treat to celebrate her son, Naved’s birthday. She says it is overdue and that she owes it to us. But she is unable to find a suitable “slot” because the daily morning treats have been scheduled almost back-to-back since the New Year’s.
After great difficulty, Khatoon managed to reserve January 15, i.e. tomorrow for her son’s treat. But now, as it turns out, it is Jagmohan Papneja’s birthday tomorrow. He says he has “already made preparations” and cannot possibly shift his treat to any other date. Nobody wants two treats to clash and so Khatoon will now have to look out for another “slot” for herself. Tentatively, she has settled for January 16 – provided nobody now gets in her way.
Harish Wadhwa:
Til-gul dhya/ Gad-Bad bola!(corrupted deliberately)
Jagmohan Papneja:
TIL hum hai aur gul aap/ MITHAI hum hai aur mithas aap... SAAL ke pahale tyohar se ho aaj SHURUWAT, Aap ko hamari taraf se "Happy Makar Sankranti". ALSO Eid Milad-ul-Nabi... sab ko mubarak ho.