Final Briefing

On the eve of the Lonavala Picnic, Shekhawat held his customary briefing session outside the China Hut for those headed on the trip. It turned out to be a series of smaller briefings with members of the entourage seeking him out separately after the exercises for clarifications, suggestions and even placing last-minute demands and conditions.
Almost everyone wanted to be seated in the front half of the bus and there is not a single lady who does not want a window seat. Many demanded European- style breakfast with cold sandwiches and cookies before leaving – just that there is no one to even buy the bread. Someone’s husband insists on being provided lunch at 1:00 pm sharp and another man’s wife wants lunch served (sans onion and garlic) at 2:00 pm – that too in air-tight vessels vacuum-cleaned, sanitized and lidded hygienically.
Some wanted to take a route with clean toilets on the way with the bus stopping at them every half-hour. Some wanted to be back in time to catch Sargamiyan on DD Urdu while others wanted to watch Mahabharat on Star Plus upon returning. Some just cannot stand the sight of X, Y or Z and X, Y and Z are averse to the presence of all others in the bus. And yet, they are all going.
Keeping these factors in mind, Shekhawat has drawn up a seating arrangement in the bus that should hopefully keep the peace during the journey. He did the mistake of sharing this ‘master plan’ with some ladies yesterday and today he was seen white-inking parts of it. Breakfast, he said, will be upma sourced from a nearby eatery – eat it or lump it. Arrangements for lunch had been made at a home for senior citizens in Lonavala at 2:00 pm. And the bus booked for the trip would arrive for the pick-up at 7:00 am sharp at the Garden gate. He did not give any time for the return.
Dilip Babani:
The Lonavala trip will be nice. Everyone will enjoy. The gents will drink whiskey with coke and all the ladies will have vodka with Sprite. One or two pegs should be enough to be in a good mood. Moreover the mausam is very nice. A friend who has a shop in Lonavala told me that we will all enjoy the weather. So you should be in a good mood!