Spoilt for Choice

Mallika Kagzi serves surti naankhatai

Banoo Apa's parallel bash

Banoo Apa made up for her so-called ‘lapse’ yesterday (see post). She remembered to get the curd out of her refrigerator this morning and served us refreshingly chilled dahi-vada after the exercises. If that were not enough, she had brought along flasks of hot tea and biscuits for those who did not agree with curd – and vice-versa.
So far so good. Mallika Kagzi returned from Surat today and as is her wont, came loaded with boxes of nankhatai and two big flasks of tea for everyone.

Banoo Apa has to carry the food back

Spoilt for choice, many were seen wandering around aimlessly till Mallika took position between the two counters and like a traffic cop, directed members with arms outstretched: “Nankhatai this way please. Dahi-wada that way…”
Banoo Apa herself was confused at the swirling crowds, unable to make up their mind.

Happy Birthday, Angad Singh

“This is not just too much, but three much!” she declared, exasperated.
Clearly, the bigger worry was that no food must go waste – even as many non-members and strangers flocked in and a horde of crows waited patiently for their turn at a distance.
“Mauja-hi-mauja”, remarked Ved Prakash Grover, echoing the sentiments of many who alternated between polishing off the cold dahi-wada and gulping down steaming tea with diet biscuits.
Still, more than half the food was left over and Mallika and Banoo Apa had no choice but to repack the stuff and carry the bags back home. Rarely has it happened that we have been faced with such a serious problem of plenty.
But still, in the absence of any reason for such munificence, we attributed the double treat – or at least one of them – to Angad Singh’s birthday today. He is in Mohali and all we could do was raise a raucous fourth laugh for him, as per the Big Laaf tradition. Had he been with us today, chances were many would have collapsed in the Garden out of over-eating.
Let us once again wish Angad Singh many happy returns of the day -- a long, healthy and peaceful life ahead.
Srichand Arora:
Dear Angad-ji, we all wish you a very, very happy birthday and many, many happy returns of the day.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Am I to believe that we all come for exercises to the Garden?
Today: Dahi-wada courtesy Banoo Apa
Today: Surati Nankhatai courtesy Mallika-ji
Yesterday: Wada-without-dahi courtesy Banoo Apa
Day before yesterday: Sweets courtesy Monthi-ji and Bhaswati-ji
Day to day before yesterday: Easter cakes and sweets courtesy Monthi-ji
Upcoming food: Biryani Party
Tomorrow: Surprise... and we gather to burn calories. Wah-wah, kya baat hai! Better idea would be to put up a calender of goodies that will be distributed next week. Just have a good time folks.
* Happy Birthday, Angad-ji. Are you the next to give a surprise?
Sunita Milwani:
Dear Col Saab, though you are wearing the 'party shirt', the real party is over in our club and unfortunately you missed it. The next party is planned for Saturday, 18th April, 2015. Please do not miss that.
* Kiran Prakash:
Dear Lt Col Angad Singh-ji, I wish you a very happy birthday and many happy returns of the day. Hope you are having a great time this evening with your friends at Mohali.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
A very big 'thank you' to all members for the kind courtesy of celebrating my birthday in absentia. How I wish I was with you in this wonderful celebration. I was for about 10 days (during this period) working in the fields. Hence missed the blog. It is only now, on returning, I am seeing it. Again, a big thanks. I badly miss you all.