Video Surfaces

Confused audience: Is the drama real, or an act?

The ‘mysterious’ video shot clandestinely at Darjeeling last week, surfaced in the Garden’s China Hut today. Hitherto spoken about in hushed tones, it was played on a laptop this morning soon after the exercises. However, for all its sensational content, much of its impact was lost due to overcrowding and low sound quality.
Essentially an April Fool joke played on Shekhawat, the video features a mock fight between Fehmida Khan and Bhaswati Bose as the main dramatis personae. Monthi Serrao, Tabassum Gulzar, Laxmi Naidu and a few others lend support while Mohammad Gulzar handled the camera.
Word had already got around that the fight broke out over Fehmida being left behind by the group at Tiger Hill (in Darjeeling) where tourists gather in hundreds at pre-dawn to witness the sunrise over Mt Kanchenjunga.

Dramatis personae

In the milling crowds, contact was lost with Fehmida; but somehow she managed to find her way back to the hotel and squarely blamed Bhaswati for abandoning her on the damn Tiger Hill!
That was when Shekhawat gets into centre frame.

Ramila Mistry resigns from the Club
today for "personal reasons"

It seems he did not go to see the sunrise and was rudely woken up in his hotel room with Fehmida demanding that she be sent back to Mumbai immediately. Along with his wife, he rushes down to the hotel lobby where, surrounded by other group members, he tries to figure out what had gone wrong.
The video captures vividly the fierce cat fight between the two ladies till Fehmida breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Had a Nepali kidnapped me, what would you have told my husband?” she asks, wiping her tears. With others also blaming Fehmida for straying away from the group (“You did the same thing in Kashmir”) matters spiral to questioning one another’s character (“If no Kashmiri kidnapped you, why should a Nepali kidnap you here?”) and Fehmida crying on and on, “Mujhe nahin rehna in logon ke saath. I want to go home, now, this very moment.”
In the video, Shekhawat appears at his diplomatic best, patiently consoling Fehmida and trying hard to restore peace. Finally, Bhaswati bursts out, “What date it is today?” Everybody claps and then realization dawns on Shekhawat as he holds his head – embarrassed, but relieved. Soon he too joins the clapping and laughter. Video ends.
Kiran Prakash:
What comes out clearly is that: (a) our members are good actors; (b) some of them, like Fehmida and Bhaswati can give the top Bollywood actors a run for their money; and (c) even in such difficult and stressful situation, Shekhawat-ji does not lose his calm and tries to resolve the issue peacefully. Indeed, a true leader.
Harish Wadhwa:
Who is Ramila-ji signalling to with this expression? Caught on camera red-handed!