MRM 2038-2014 GBBSD

THE Certificate: Click on image to enlarge

This is the number to which our collective destiny shall be bound from now on. It is the magic number that affirms our identity as a registered body and by which the State shall recognize Big Laaf for posterity. This, in fact, is the number Srichand Arora has been chasing for the past year or so and after moving heaven and earth, has finally laid his hands on yesterday.
In true Club tradition, we celebrated this happy event by raising an extra laugh while Arora circulated a laminated copy of the Registration Certificate among those present today. Jagmohan Papneja explained its fine print to members curious to know (the document is in Marathi and required translation for some) and lest the morning pass by without sweets, Bhaswati Bose distributed gourmet coffee and elaichi mithai toffees to mark the occasion. Arora made a special mention of Arun Patil, thanking him profusely for standing by him at every step, through thick and thin, and in eventually obtaining the registration certificate.
Somehow Mallika Kagzi felt that she also deserved credit and buttonholed Arora for ignoring her in his moment of glory. “Only after I joined the Club, you have been able to get it registered,” she reminded him. “Admit it, were it not for me, you could not have got this registration. Could you get the registration even six months back, before I joined? Be honest!”

Token celebration with toffees

Members study the certificate 

Arora noted that in all this talk about registration, members have been infused with a new sense of enthusiasm and discipline. He observed that attendance has been good during the past few days, there were fewer late-comers and most important, everybody now wears the Club cap with pride. He spoke about introducing a uniform for all members to wear every Saturday – green or white T-shirts for the men and “something similar” for the ladies. The trouble is the ladies themselves do not know what suits them. Uniform may be fine for female western wear, but with salwar-kameezes and sareeswe could get uncomfortably close to looking like BMC personnel, hospital staff, even conservancy workers. Our ladies deserve better.
Jagmohan Papneja:
The Registration Certificate is an enduring symbol of pride. There has been a remarkable difference in the attitude of members before and after the registration of Big Laaf. Earlier some were reluctant to wear the cap. But now they feel proud to wear what gives them a sense of purpose.
Harish Wadhwa:
Nice and creditable to get the certificate but more important is how we leverage it to the benefit of one and all. That's a long and unending street ahead.