‘Day of the Wise’

Khatoon Baig treats everyone to pedas and salties

Khatoon Baig kept her word – if only to prove that we need not be fools on All Fools’ Day. Unlike all others who promised to host a ‘grand party’ on April 1 (see post of March 29), she turned up with a box of pedas and salties today. “It is against my conscience to fool anybody,” she explained in all humility. “So what if others enjoy making April fools of one another? But I'd rather treat everyone as wise people, even on April 1.”
Such a disarmingly simple-minded remark left many dumbstruck. For a moment all our smart alecky pranks and tomfoolery came to a halt as we thanked Khatoon for her affection and generosity. What she treated us to was not as important as the fact that she went against the flow of things and stood by her conviction – however odd it might have sounded then.

Santosh Tyagi

Nahid Khan had already put everyone on guard by declaring early morning that she was leaving for Dubai. Some of us had seen her lugging a huge, brown strolley to the Garden while she explained that she had a flight to catch soon after the exercises. Forever suspecting, Ved Prakash Grover spoke out: “A big aeroplane will land outside the Garden and whisk her straight to Dubai!”
Turned out, the strolley was empty and in need of repairing at the cobbler’s near the Garden gate. But the gimmick was enough to put everyone on high alert and suspect anything anybody said. So when Sunita Jajodia informed (soon after receiving a phone call) that Santosh Tyagi was in bad shape from a bout of food poisoning, nobody believed her. Jagmohan Papneja insisted that Santosh would show up any moment at the Gate, even as Sunita swore (by the Club cap!) that the cause of food poisoning was chhole-bhature. And then, Ruksana Khan got a rude shock when told that someone was waiting for her outside the Garden, but checked herself soon after. Even when Srichand Arora was greeted “Happy Cheti Chand” (today being the Sindhi New Year), everybody was unbelieving!
Clearly, by the end of the exercises, we had all turned 'extra' wise to the attempts at being made fools April 1. To that extent, Khatoon Baig’s reasoning for her treat was not altogether misplaced.
Jagmohan Papneja:
May Lord Jhulelal shower his blessing on BIG LAAF. Happy Cheti Chand!
Harish Wadhwa:
* Happy Cheti Chand to all Sindhi manoos -- especially Arora-ji, the chief. May God bless everyone in the club with good health and prosperity.
* I am sure Santosh-ji had to go with Navratri-ka-khana instead of the everyday kukkad-shukkad. Her body must have resisted something so simple. Wishing you quick recovery, Santosh-ji.
* I hope Nahid-ji has comfortably reached Dubai and is having a good time there :)