Raksha Bandhan 2015

Mallika celebrates with home-
made tea (on popular demand)

Teja Singh Bhambra celebrates
with authentic rosogollas

Srichand Arora celebrates with
prasad from gurudwara

Call it poor planning, lack of foresight, or sheer bad luck… We were robbed of the spectacle of Shekhawat being chased around the Garden by a band of women determined to tie rakhi on him.

Mallika and Prakash fail to subdue Shekhawat

That was what the ladies had lined up for Raksha Bandhan today. But a sudden downpour put paid to all their plans.
Now, Shekhawat’s aversion to playing brother to any female is well known. Equally well known is the eagerness of several women to be his sister. The closest they could get so far is being his make-believe sister-in-law – or saali. Shekhawat is supposed to have acquired four such saalis already.
But there is a HUGE difference between sister and sister-in-law. And for the ladies, the only way to bridge this gap was to tie a rakhi on Shekhawat’s wrist and solemnize a brother-sister relationship on Raksha Bandhan day. In a way, it was also to curb his ‘waywardness’, not to mention the possibility of receiving a gift from him on the occasion.
But Shekhawat is too clever by half and had come doubly prepared and alert.

RAKSHA BANDHAN: Party time in China Hut

“No rakhi for me,” he warned upon entering the China Hut. This predictably was to embolden Mallika Kagzi, the only lady to have braved the rains and make it to the Garden till then. The problem was she wasn’t carrying a rakhi.
For a while, she toyed with the idea of shredding her dupatta and using it as a rakhi. She inquired about the rakhi shops opening in the vicinity. There too, she drew a blank. Finally, she took off her hair band and without any warning, pounced upon Shekhawat, trying to force the elastic band up his wrist. What followed was an unbelievable scuffle with Kiran Prakash joining forces with Mallika -- but all to no avail.
The fauji in Shekhawat prevailed and Mallika conceded defeat. Effectively, Shekhawat retains his exalted status as the alpha male of the Garden and the ladies would now have to wait another year to perhaps rope him with a rakhi.
Kiran Prakash:
We can't ask for more than what we get in those precise 45 minutes at the Garden. It is a superb blend of serious exercise, leg-pulling, humour, sharp-edged wit, snacks, cake, tea and what not. If people wish to see seniors at their best, they just have to peep into our activities in the Garden.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
The sessions of Big Laaf are occasions for enjoyment, no only for the participants but also those witnessing the events. It has a positive and healthy impact on everyone.