Feast Before Fast

MALLIKA'S PARTING TREAT: Tea after breakfast 

Today also Mallika Kagzi kept her commitment of daily treats. But this was to be her last. Ramzan begins tomorrow and like all devout Muslims, she’d stop coming to the Garden for a month. So, in a way, today’s was her parting treat and as expected, it was special.
Mallika brought not only tea, but also mutton keema and vegetable curry, to be had with loaves of pao. Since many were absent today (because of the rains), there was more to go by than could be consumed. Almost everybody stuffed themselves with two or more helpings and still there was food left over enough to feed a hungry elephant. It was a veritable feast for all this morning.
But it had to be earned.

Keema-pao and potato curry

Mallika devised a little game by coming unusually early to the Garden and as one by one people showed up, she declared that she had forgotten to bring her bag. (The all-important ‘bag’ is the first thing we shamelessly ask her about in order to figure out if there are any goodies in store after the exercises.)

Kiran Arora

Later, she directed them to go search for the bag. “Dhoondo, Dhoondo,” she said.
So one group scoured the China Hut, peering behind the stack of chairs and broken furniture and drew a blank. Another group went up to the Gate, checked at the now defunct drinking water station, excavated a bundle of old clothes at the garbage bins and came back disappointed. A third was about to venture out to the cobbler and milkman, when Mohar Singh pointed at a huge green package – the type construction workers keep debris in – sitting close to Mallika. Out came the steel containers and flask of tea!
Today’s treat was to also make up for Kiran Arora’s birthday celebration. She is holidaying with her husband, Srichand in Manali, gamboling in knee deep snow. In her absence, we raised the traditional ‘fourth laugh’, wishing her many happy returns of the day. Later in the morning, the couple were to inform on phone that they are having a whale of a time in absolutely heavenly conditions and had even made it to Rohtang Pass yesterday. The weather is also celebrating with the ‘birthday lady’. Once again, we wish her all happiness, robust health and good fortune in times to come.
Bihari Milwani:
From tomorrow members coming to the Club will be on fast as there will be no Mallika or Banoo Apa.