False Bravado

Gupta is badly cornered by Mallika Kagzi

Collection drive for the February 14 picnic

Since the time we shifted location to the concrete surface outside the China Hut, starting the exercises every morning has been a real ordeal. Long after it is seven, there would be Sunita Jajodia still holding durbar with Mallika Kagzi, Nahid Khan, Santosh Tyagi and Razia Khan among others in the China Hut. For these ladies exercising is obviously secondary and the daily dose of morning gossip has become their primary reason for dropping in the Garden. No amount of prodding and persuasion has altered this situation.
Earlier, Srichand Arora used to throw his weight about to get those ladies to join the exercises. Later Shekhawat tried pulling them up, but soon gave up. Today Bijoy Gupta, in an sudden surge of false bravado, took them to task and instantly dug a hole for himself. (Clearly, the idea of 'Club chairman' has got to his head.) For no sooner had he yelled at the ladies than the whole lot of them came charging at him. “What do you mean by shouting like that?” they demanded.
“The exercises have started,” he stuttered, least expecting such a well-orchestrated attack from so many fierce females. “When you were at school, would you then also turn up late?” he managed to say.
“When you were at school, would you then also run away at half time?” accosted Sunita, referring to Gupta’s habit of abandoning the exercises half way.
“I have to go to…” he was searching for words.
“Don’t talk!” Mallika walked up wagging a finger at him. “In what school did you study? What school allows you to be absent for days together?”
“Why were you absent yesterday?” Nahid Khan and Sunita piped in from behind.
“Where were you yesterday?” Mallika persisted. “Now why are you quiet?”
Gupta found himself isolated. The harangue continued relentlessly as the men watching around tittered at his plight. Tongue-tied, he looked around helplessly and finally, with folded hands, surrendered to the ladies: “Okay baba, from tomorrow come late or don’t come at all, do whatever you like, nobody will bother you!”
“That’s better,” Mallika said, striding back and taking her position in the circle.
Kiran Prakash:
Today a new chapter was written in the history of BIG LAAF. What Shekhawat-ji failed achieve in so many months, his four saalis have easily accomplished - disciplining Bijoy Gupta. The impact was so emphatic that he could not leave the place even for a moment. He was left gasping for breath!
Jagmohan Papneja:
Bijoy Gupta's remarks on the late-coming of women stirred a hornet's nest. There was absolutely no need for him to behave like a school teacher. Soon he realized his mistake because he got a bitter taste of it. I am sure he will never dare to do this again.