Final Rehearsals

Shekhawat sings lustily, 'Roop naya hai, Rang naya hai...'

Mallika cries over spilt keema outside the Garden gate!

Rehearsals are in full swing for the variety programme scheduled for the Biryani Nite tomorrow evening. Every day after the exercises, a group of ladies can be seen huddled together in the China Hut clearing their vocal chords and singing along with recorded music playing from a laptop. Occasionally a couple of males, namely Shekhawat and Sitaram Hivarkar would stray into their midst, if only to prove that they too are capable of singing off-key.
The Biryani Nite, as mentioned earlier (ref post of April 9), is Kiran Prakash’s brainchild, mainly to showcase select photographs from this blog to members and their families. It would be the first “big function” ever for Big Laaf. Small wonder, it has generated much enthusiasm and excitement all around, with even the most reticent members eager to pitch in. Already the biryani order has been placed and a ‘welcome banner’ delivered yesterday. The lighting, sound and projection equipment should be organized by this evening. The photographs have also been lined up. According to the programme made available, the evening should unfold somewhat like this:
6:30pm to 6:35pm – Welcome Song
6:35pm to 6:40pm – Jokes by Santosh Tyagi
6:45pm to 7:15pm – Housie Session
7:15pm to 7:30pm – BREAK
7:30pm to 8:15pm – Slideshow Projection
8:15pm to 8:30pm – Jokes and Shayari
8:30pm to 9:00pm – Antakshari
9:00pm to 9:50pm – Music, Songs and Dance
9:50pm to 9:59pm – Vote of Thanks by Shekhawat
Packed biryani would be made available on a counter (manned by Arun Patil) from 7:00pm onwards to be consumed on the spot, or taken home.
If anybody is super-thrilled by all this, it is Shekhawat. He has managed to appropriate a singing slot for himself and went around rehearsing the lines in his raucous tone that scared away all the crows from the Garden. The only dampener though was Mallika Kagzi losing all the mutton keema she had thoughtfully brought for the ladies rehearsing. The bag she was carrying it in broke open just outside the Garden and all the crows that Shekhawat had driven away, descended on the keema, en masse. Mallika was left crying helplessly, like a baby.
Dilip Babani:
WE WILL HAVE NICE BIRYANI AND NICE LIVE PROGRAMME. HOPE ALL WILL ENJOY A LOT!
Harish Wadhwa:
A small practice session could lead to the crows feasting on keema. Tomorrow, when the decibel levels will be much higher, hope it would not be the turn of cows.
Kiran Prakash:
I am super-excited about tomorrow's programme. What a preparation!
Bihari Milwani:
Looking at the programme menu, my mouth has already started watering.