Chair Effect

Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat (MKS) watches Swati Punjabi massage Kiran Arora's legs 

MKS finally turned up today (ref post of October 29). She looked a little hesitant and stood around for a while, before settling into an empty chair next to Kiran Arora. The two ladies made a pretty picture, chatting and laughing between themselves while the exercises wore on.
Shekhawat was not expecting his wife today. She was supposed to come yesterday and he even booked a chair in advance for her to sit through the exercises. “I have told her to come before the rail-gaadi round,” he said. “Please take out an extra chair for her.”
Time was when the only chair taken out was for Ved Prakash Grover. He was one person who made no bones about requiring a chair to rest his tired knees during the exercises. Soon Ram Shankar Shukla followed suit and then chairs were taken out for Teja Singh Bhambra, Sitaram Hivarkar and so on. Today, no less than seven chairs (on an average) are lined up in readiness before the exercises and not one of them is ever left unoccupied.
Many members initially objected to this practice that (according to them) encouraged “laziness” and “defeated the purpose of exercising”, little realizing that a time would come when they too might need these basic facilities to carry on in life.

Zarina Khan lays out the goodies

Zarina manages to grab a bite

After all, nobody can arrest the process of ageing and if, in some manner, some comfort can be provided, why should anybody complain?
Such gestures do not cost anything. On the contrary, there is the inexplicable sense of gratification when we know that those very lightweight garden chairs are a major incentive for many to be attending the exercises today. Be it Shukla or Sheela Mirani, Arun Patil or Janardan Choudhary, every one of them knows for certain that a chair would await them when they come to exercise in the morning. It is with this trust and belief that Kiran Arora and MKS are making their comeback in the Garden.

Post Script: Zarina Khan today celebrated being a grandmother – six times over -- with a lavish spread of home-made delicacies. Our blessings and good wishes go to Haariz, the new arrival and his parents. And thank you Zarina, for the goodies and your generosity.

Mind Over Matter

Kiran Arora (sitting ext left) joins the exercises 

Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat did not show up today (ref yesterday’s post). But Kiran Arora did – that too, unannounced. And this was a huge deal. For long the lady had been suffering from a crippling knee problem that had kept her virtually home bound.
A knee-replacement surgery two months back could scarcely provide her any relief from the agonizing ordeal. In fact, according to husband Srichand Arora, her problems multiplied manifold after the surgery -- such that over the past four days, she even developed strong inhibitions about being able to walk ever.
So this morning, it was nothing short of a miracle when Kiran joined us

Surrounded by well-wishers

for the exercises after having traversed the distance of 50-odd metres from the Gate on her own. Her husband (who brought her from home by car) was close at hand providing the necessary encouragement and reassurance as she took one painful step after another… and she had a walking stick also for support. The moment she reached us, the exercises came to a halt and everyone broke into spontaneous applause – more out of admiration than an animated morning greeting.
An extra chair had been kept in readiness for her.
Kiran Arora’s turning up at the Garden was no doubt, a testimony to the triumph of mind over matter – of conquering one’s demons by sheer will power. But there was also no overlooking the fact that she was still in great agony. And this is the worrisome part. Less than a month back (when she visited us first after the surgery), she appeared to be relatively at ease and did not require any support to walk. Arora was so overjoyed that he threw a thanksgiving phapda-jalebi party to celebrate her recovery.
Today, the way she kept limping indicated that all is not well. Harbans Kaur was the first to tell Arora that his wife was taking an inordinately long time to negotiate just one round of the Garden. “She is not fibbing about the pain,” cautioned Kaur, having herself undergone a similar knee replacement surgery recently. “This looks to be more physical than psychological. Don’t take it lightly.”

Cold Feet

Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat

The much-touted South India tour from the Club is due to take off in less than a month (ref post of September 11). On this day next month, the 30-member group headed by Shekhawat should be painting Bangalore city red, having covered Mysore and Ooty by then.

Shekhawat is in good company

What would remain is a three-day tour of Hyderabad before everybody takes the return flight to Mumbai on December 3.
All arrangements for the ten-day jamboree, including flight and hotel reservations as well as local transport for sight-seeing have already been booked well in advance.
Now, all of a sudden, a cloud of uncertainty seems to be gathering over the trip, throwing all plans asunder. Apparently not everybody is in the best of health and there is talk of many developing cold feet. Some ladies are simply unable to summon the courage to cope with unfamiliar terrain and climatic conditions, largely due to age-related issues. That cancellation of bookings at this stage would entail huge losses monetarily has put these members in a major quandary.
Significantly, the biggest question mark is hanging on Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat, wife of our group leader.

Shagufta (l) wants to leverage Big Laaf for a marketing event

For quite some time she has been complaining of ailments (ranging from a bad back to stomach upset and vomiting tendency) which, in a sense, prevent her from attending the morning exercises at the Garden. According to Shekhawat, medical tests have revealed nothing – to the extent that on their recent trip to Haridwar, Badrinath, etc., she was absolutely fit as a fiddle. “God knows what happens when she is back,” he remarked. “Now her condition has turned so bad that it is quite unlikely she’d make it to the South next month. And if she does not go, how can I go?”
This has set alarm bells ringing because if Shekhawat drops out, the trip collapses. And since Shekhawat’s presence hinges on his wife, members are making solicitous phone calls home checking on 'bhabi-ji’s health’. Today, a delegation from the Club paid her a courtesy visit and pleaded with her not to leave them in the lurch. They even convinced her that her condition is purely psychosomatic and that she would recover fully once she joins the trip to the south. But first, she must start coming to the Garden for the exercises.
Mrs Shekhawat promised not to let them down. We shall know tomorrow.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
It was nice that the group had called on Mrs Shekhawat to prepare her mentally and psychologically for the journey. She will certainly feel better and fit in the company of the group. Good health and good luck to her.

Indeterminate Age

Eager-beavers want to know Karuna Waghmare's age

Karuna Waghmare turned a year older today. Her birthday was actually on October 25 -- last Sunday. But that’s hardly the point. What mattered most in the Garden as she celebrated this morning was the number of summers she had seen. Let alone the indecorous nature of the question, how her age could be of any concern to anyone anywhere remained unexplained.
Shekhawat was the most curious of the lot and soon after the clapping and singing the 'Happy Birthday' song, he popped the question. “Madam, what is your age?” he asked without preamble (in pic), hands folded and not batting an eye.

Birthday bite... from Manisha Kolhe  

Madam was about to blurt it out, but became guarded the moment she saw half a dozen faces leaning forward, eager to catch every word. She held herself back and joked that she’s still in her twenties and with Monthi Serrao prompting her to say that she had just turned 18

Karuna serves the goodies to the seated guests

(and “an adult”), the subject dissipated into inanities like, “She’s sweet 16!”
The matter would ordinarily have been put to rest there, but Mohar Singh wasn’t giving up. After a good ten minutes, he ambled up to her. “You must be around 50?” he hazarded, as though paying her a compliment. Karuna broke into a raucous laugh: “Ha-ha-ha, my jamai must have already crossed 50!”
Mohar Singh did not catch the joke. “Then how old are you?” he persisted like some clueless cop who had lost his mind. This time Fehmida Khan came to Karuna’s aid and sportingly tossed an absurd number to put Mohar Singh’s investigative efforts to an end.
Hilarious as this might all seem, the unprecedented probing into a lady member’s age proves just one thing: Karuna Waghmare neither looks nor behaves her age. She has an endearing quality of an unsuspecting child out to befriend everybody, often speaking abruptly out of turn, in staccato breaks, almost like making an announcement... Everybody loves her for this. Today, for instance, when she explained why she could not celebrate her birthday earlier, nobody really listened. It was how she said it -- her choice of words and mannerisms -- that everybody found more interesting.
May she retain her youthfulness, childlike innocence, great sense of humor and good health for many years to come.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
Do not ask a lady her age. She is as young as she looks and behaves. Never mind, the jamai raja will certainly break the news! Meanwhile, enjoy the treat gracefully.

Warm Winter

ENTERTAINMENT WITHOUT TAX!

END OF ANOTHER SULTRY MORNING

Winter is upon us. The nights have started to lengthen and everywhere across India, there’s a pleasant nip in the air, especially in the mornings. But in Mumbai, it is still hot as hell.
Here, like the rest of the country, the sun takes its time to rise and it is no longer bright and lighted when we assemble at the Garden. In some areas, the street lights could still be on. But the lingering darkness scarcely provides any relief from the mugginess in the air.
Strangely, on some mornings, it might even seem like the skies are overcast and that we could be treated to a gentle morning shower. No luck though. We are left to stew in our own juices and curse the weather while submitting ourselves to the exercise routine.
But all is not lost. By a happy circumstance, there would always be someone or the other to rescue us from this sordid situation and brighten our mornings. It could be Shekhawat or Bijoy Gupta, Razia Khan or Mumtaz Jahan, Srichand Arora, Mallika Kagzi, Mohar Singh, Nahid Khan… just about anybody, even little Akshat Choudhary.
Nothing is beyond these natural born-entertainers. Something as basic as forming a human train (to mark the end of our free-hand exercises) gets blown out of proportion and becomes a cause of much hilarity. When Gupta accuses Shekhawat of practicing black magic (seriously, ‘kala jadoo’) to perpetuate his hegemony on the Club, no offence is taken. On the contrary, it invites charges of him visiting a certain Radhey Maa on the sly – such is the extent of Shekhawat’s flights of fancy!
The latest is Razia Khan’s rejoinder to Shekhawat’s playful ditty on serenading his mythical saalis: ‘Baharon phool barsaao, Mera mehboob aaya hai…’ He sings these two lines with such gusto and exaggerated emphasis at all the wrong places that Razia is left with no option but to retort in all earnestness: ‘Baharon paththar barsaao, Mera jija-ji aaya hai!’
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
When one enters the Club in the morning for the exercises, one forgets the weather conditions -- more so, when some treat is in the offing. The hilarious antics of some members also serve as a cohesive factor.

Hearty Repast

Those daal-puris were to kill for. Soft to the touch, perfectly cooked, spongy, neither drippy (with oil) nor dry, the daal smoothly blended to fine consistency and not spilling out either…

Preparing the plates

Mummy feeds Akshat

and when combined with equally sublime kheer, they simply melted in the mouth. Blessed were those who got the opportunity this morning to partake in this divine treat.
Neelam Choudhary had to wake up at the unearthly hour of two in the morning to turn out this magic for the sake of son Ajit. It was his wish to treat the Club today, though he himself wasn’t quite sure why. And as he must have also known, neither was it for us to question why – barring Ved Prakash Grover, the only human being among us to have the courtesy of thanking the Choudharys for the wonderful repast.
The rest of us shamelessly wolfed down the puris -- some even wrapping them in take-away ‘parcels’ for sharing with the family at home.

Ved Prakash Grover thanks the Choudharys

In normal circumstances, two puris would have sufficed for a heavy meal, but it was very unlikely that anybody had stopped at two today.

Neelam and Janardan Choudhary

The ‘blog monster’ himself was no exception and unwittingly lived up to his moniker (as monster) by tucking in five full puris and was still looking around hungrily for more. Those puris were just too good to refuse. And the best part: There was no wastage.
It is to Ajit Choudhary’s credit that nothing was found wanting – right from the paper plates and white plastic spoons (distributed by son Akshat), the endless cups for kheer, tissue wipes, the tea turning up on cue, arrangements for clearing up at the end… Nobody will know how many hundreds of puris and the kilos (or litres?) of kheer that were consumed this morning. Still, we shall make one request to the Choudharys: never again to arouse our greed. We had too much of a good thing today. Next time onward, the treat may be tempered to a relatively lighter scale.

Kiran Prakash:
I am still repenting why I had stopped at only three puris when I too could have stuffed myself with five puris. Not able to recollect if I have ever taken such delicious mouth-melting daal-puris. Thanks to Ajit, Janardan-ji, Neelam- ji and Amrita. At the risk of sounding discourteous, I will personally welcome a repetition -- of course, at their convenience.

Day 1790

Pic of the Week

ALL IN THE FAMILY...

If people think that today's generation is not taking care of elders, Akshat is proving them wrong. --Kiran Prakash

Akshat is learning from his dad. Today it is only a chair, tomorrow he will be carrying far bigger responsibilities on his slender shoulders. --Bhaswati Bose

Welcome Relief

Tian Serrao, Raman and Akshat Chaudhury take centre-stage

Festival fatigue has set in, right and proper. Muharram began on October 13 and attendance at the Garden crashed immediately. The nine-day Navaratri festivities running concurrently ended with Dussehra on October 22, making way for Ashura – the most auspicious day of the holy month of Muharram.
Tomorrow, the Durga Puja idols would be immersed and soon after, we shall have a train of mini pujas and celebrations, beginning with Vishwakarma Puja, Laxmi Puja, Jagaddhatri Puja, Kartik Puja

Three Musketeers

and climaxing with the mother of all pujas and festivals on November 11 – DIWALI.
Thus, it is only natural for the daily headcount to drop at this time of the year. We have got used to this by now. But what we are not accustomed to is the spike in humidity conditions during the festive season. Kiran Prakash felt so uncomfortable today that for the first time he wanted to abandon the exercises and go home.

Lion and Lioness Laughter!

Even Ved Prakash Grover kept complaining about the heat and went away eventually. Fehmida Khan paced up and down restlessly, unable to continue with the exercises…
In all this, what came as a welcome diversion was the presence of three little kids – Tian Serrao, Raman and Akshat Choudhary. They were our saviors for the morning, taking centre-stage and regaling us with their antics -- so much so that they kept our minds away from the maddening heat and humidity.
Akshat is of course, a veteran by now, which probably entitled him to turn up fashionably late today. By then, Tian had got us all charged up with Raman matching him step for step. The former is Monthi Serrao’s grandson, and in many ways, Akshat’s senior -- even as both are six years old and studying in the first grade. Tian had made his debut in our midst as a seven-month-old in 2010 and was instantly conferred life membership of the Club. In comparison, 12-year-old Raman is a new entity.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Humidity saps energy very swiftly without letting you know. You should drink lots of fluids. Lemon water is the best remedy.

Bad Times and Good

Monthi Serrao (r) receives Sheela Mirani 

We have just been through the hottest September in recorded history. Now they are saying that October would end up being just as bad, if not worse – all because of an unprecedented El Nino weather pattern resulting in greenhouse gas emissions and the Arabian Sea releasing “immense amounts of heat into the atmosphere”.

Ajit Choudhary (in green tee) wants to host a treat

Translated, this means our goose is cooked!
The oppressive heat (and humidity) has already taken a heavy toll on daily attendance for the exercises. Today, among the key absentees were regulars like Srichand Arora, Sitaram Hivarkar, Razia Khan, Santosh Tyagi, Mallika Kagzi and Mohar Singh among others.
On the other hand, there was Yusuf Rassiwala looking prim and proper, as also Ram Shankar Shukla, Bhaswati Bose and Pushpa Gupta – people who had become scarce of late. But the biggest surprise was the popping up of Sheela Mirani -- the lady who had gone missing for the longest time and for whom we had to (sort of) put out a ‘lookout notice’ a couple of days back (see post of October 21).

Bhaswati Bose's niece, Prateeti (l) meets and greets all members

She had a hearty laugh on hearing this and said that were it not for being heavily dependent on a maid to escort her (because of her physical disability), she would have been regular for the exercises. It seems she was not finding a reliable help to accompany her to the Garden in the mornings.
Meanwhile, Ajit Choudhary declared that he would like to treat us tomorrow to some traditional delicacies his mother makes – the idea being that these are happy times for him and he would like to share his joy with us. The allusion was clearly at his father whose recovery from a paralytic condition has been as much a cause of concern to us as well in the Club. Thanks to being so regular for the exercises and above all, the exemplary perseverance of his devoted son, today Janardan Choudhary can confidently claim to be coasting on the road to recovery. Our good wishes are always with him and his wonderful family.
Post Script: Ajit Choudhary has had to push the date of his treat to Monday, October 26, 2015 on popular request.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Keep treating profoundly, but be careful about the mid-prosperity. Too much treating resulting in mid-prosperity is not only injurious to health but also to Club attendance. This cannot be ignored. Stay healthy and enjoy.

Dussehra 2015

Swati Punjabi plays the gracious hostess for Dussehra party 2015

After all the drama and dispute the day-before (see post), peace prevailed at the Garden today as Swati Punjabi had her way in hosting her Dussehra bash in the China Hut. She invited not only members of the Club, but all others in the Garden as well. What’s more, she got her sparring partners, including Harbans Kaur and Monthi Serrao to help her lay out the dishes and serve the halwa-puri and boiled chana treat – followed by Mallika Kagzi’s famous tea.
However, it was not Swati, but little Akshat Choudhary who stole the show by flagging off the festivity earlier in the morning.

Little Achiever: Akshat

As usual, he came with his parents and grandparents and as soon as the exercises ended, he distributed chocolate bars to announce his having stood second in an English handwriting competition. Sporting a red t-shirt with ATHLETIC TALENT emblazoned across his chest, he posed for

Tea flows from Mallika's kettle

photographs with the ‘certificate of merit’ issued by his alma mater, City International School displayed prominently.
Akshat’s achievement was ably matched by Swati’s triumph in burying all differences and feelings of ill-will within the Club in the true spirit of Dussehra. The festival is ostensibly a celebration of the ‘triumph of good over evil’, the latter represented by Ravana, Mahishasura and some deadly demons. Mercifully, we do not have to deal with these mega forces of evil in the Garden. But still, there are under-currents of petty rivalry and ego clashes that surface at times. Today, Swati could win over these mini 'demons' and vanquish the negativity, if any, simmering among us.
The only ‘evil’ that however, remains invincible and continues to make life miserable in the Garden is the sweltering heat at this time of the year. Ask Arora. The oppressive humidity got so unbearable for him that he had to excuse himself from the exercises and retire under a fan in the China Hut. Only later, when he felt better, did he join us in the celebrations.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Dussehra is one festival enjoyed by everyone with a lot of gusto. It signifies the victory of goodness over evil. The club is lucky to celebrate the occasion with young ones and the ripe aged people joining in. Keep enjoying and stay healthy.

Where Are They?

Najma Sayeed

Sheela Mirani

Sadanand Pawar

Ever since we put a cap of 50 on membership of Big Laaf, attendance for the daily exercises has come under sharp scrutiny. Several members, it would appear, exist only for the record and they couldn’t really be bothered one way or the other about the Club.
A few others, by force of personal circumstances cannot physically be present at the Garden much as they would like to. And then there are those who deign to make an appearance once in a blue moon as though they are doing us all a favour.

Ajit Choudhary announces son Akshat's prize-winning feat

They are chronic late-comers least interested in personal fitness or Club welfare and yet, for some mysterious reason are hell-bent on retaining their membership.
These are broadly the three categories of absentee members emerging while we enter the second half of the financial year 2015-16. Significantly they account for 40 per cent of listed members, which explains why we are left with a daily headcount of 30 out of 50 on an average, at the best of times.
The question that assumes relevance now is what are we to do with those wanting to be members but cannot be accommodated because of the ceiling on membership.
As president, Srichand Arora had brought this up in view of the freshers being typically more regular than most -- not to mention, more punctual and proactive than the old timers. Yet, perforce they are relegated to a so-called 'Waiting List' (see adjacent panel). The worst part is that they will have to hang on there till such time we find a way to get rid of the existing (40%) deadwood. And this is possible only when their membership would run out, i.e. next March – unless of course, someone has a better idea.
Bihari Milwani:
Announce a grand party in advance and everyone will be present!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Every organisation has sleeping partners. Let them also feel happy and become lively whenever they feel so. Hum bhi kabhi jawan the! Let the young ones come forth briskly so that the old timers feel young and relaxed in their company.

Love-Hate Tiff

Shekhawat tries to broker peace

Swati Punjabi shares a hilarious love-hate relationship with Big Laaf. A regular to the Garden, she knows every one of us in person, but refuses to join the Club. She also knows who might resist her membership (should the occasion so arise) and yet, she is so much in love with everyone that she would like to treat us all to good home-cooked food any day, any time for no rhyme or reason (see post of September 28).
Matters reached a head this morning when Swati sought our “permission” for a treat of home-made halwa on the occasion of Dussehra this week-end. Out of politeness many refused, saying that we would not like to take advantage of her generosity, unless of course, she becomes a regular member.

Tara Chand Seth

She insisted that she makes excellent halwa and it would make her happy if we do not stand on formality and instead, get on to appreciating her culinary abilities. In other words, she was making us an offer we should not be refusing in our right minds.
To cut a long story short, Harbans Kaur intervened, demanding why she was being so generous. “We don’t accept parties from non-members,” she explained.

Planning Durga Puja evening with Maitra's invitation 

“Be a member first.”
“But I am already a member,” said Swati. “I am a sleeping member!”
“That is not enough,” Harbans Kaur decided.
One thing led to another, the altercation taking curious twists and turns with even Shekhawat pitching in to broker peace. “Become a member, Swati,” he urged. “What difference would it make?”
Finally the truth came out. “I will be a member, but I refuse to do the exercises,” Swati conceded. “I need my morning walk. And the moment Arora would spot me on the walking track, he will get after my life!”
Everybody burst out laughing. But Swati was not done: “Even when I am not a member, you people are after my life. Damn the Dussehra party. Here I want to treat you people to something nice and you all are punishing me by zabardasti making me member. I must be mad to be getting into this.”
For once, Swati had unwittingly hit the nail on the head.
Post Script: In all this madness, we did not realize that today was Tara Chand Seth’s last day in Mumbai. He leaves this evening for his annual sojourn in Delhi.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Festivals are meant to be celebrated. Pin pricking should be left for some other time. Swati Punjabi is a regular visitor to the Garden and known to everyone. Arora-ji is well known for his leg-pulling. The above incident is a minor aberration and no one should mind it. Enjoy and do not cause any heartburn!

Puja Invite

Invitation Card

Today is sasthi, the sixth day of the ongoing Navratri festivities. The day also marks the start of Durga Puja – the worship of a ten-armed image of the Mother Goddess. To us in the Club, the main attraction has been the Puja in the adjacent Garden No 2, organised by yesteryear playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya.

Siba Prasad Maitra

But this year somehow, the activity there has been on a low key so far. And just when the festival looked to be washout for us this year, Siba Prasad Maitra has come up with a new option.
As member of the North Bombay Sarbajanin Durga Puja Charitable Trust (better known as 'Rani Mukherji’s Puja'), Maitra has given us a formal invite to the celebrations being held at Tulip Star Hotel, Juhu.
The highlight of the four-day fiesta is a star-studded ‘entertainment programme’ every evening between October 19 and 21:

Shekhawat launches his 'red brigade'

October 19: Group ballet in the memory of Bhupen Hazarika
October 20: Bappi Lahiri Musical Nite
October 21: Vocal recital by Shankar Mahadevan
October 22 is Dussehra, the day for immersion of the Durga idol.
Meanwhile, Shekhawat has started what many regard as the Red Brigade – the colour he and his saalis would be sporting every Monday. This would be much like the green we have been wearing on Wednesdays or the white worn every Saturday – just that how well the red would work on men remains a big question.
Shekhawat of course, had a red t-shirt on today (see pic) and for all we know, he wouldn’t really mind wearing red pants too -- if only to match the colour of the ladies’ salwars like what Razia Khan and Mumtaz Jahan wore today. But it is unlikely that any other man in the Club would be as eager to play matching-matching with the ladies – especially on a color like red.
Ajit Choudhary:
Today, we missed the exercises due to some personal reasons. Really, we are so addicted to the Club that we have all become laffaholics. We are still thinking that we have missed something today.
Jagmohan Papneja:
From the core of my heart, I thank Shri Siba Prasad Maitra for inviting us to Rani Mukherji's Durga Puja at Tulip Star, Juhu. I, along with three of my friends (all four) will be extremely happy to attend the puja programme. Please let me know how can I get the entry passes. May Durga Maa bless you all with happiness all the year through.
Bihari Milwani:
'Lal chhadi maidan khadi, kya khub ladi, kya khub ladi, hum dil se gaye...'
Harish Wadhwa:
Thank you very much, Maitra-ji for being so generous with the invitation.
Siba Prasad Maitra:
I gave an invitation for Puja to all the members of the club. After reading a few comments, it appears that there is some misunderstanding. Entertainment programmes are different and I got hardly 5-6 passes from which I could spare 3-4 passes to some of our members because it will never be possible to get entertainment passes for all. But you all could come to the puja, have prasad and bhog with the invitation card. However, if I have hurt anyone due to non-availability of entertainment passes, kindly excuse me. It will always be difficult in such a huge programme, which runs on donations. Wish all of you Happy Dussehra.

Day 1783

Pic of the Week

AND NOW, GUESS WHAT? A HEADTURNER!

Bahut saare logon ke galey mein moch aa gayi hogi... Many necks must have wrenched! --Kiran Prakash

Kiya khoob lagti ho, badi sunder dikhti ho... --Bihari Milwani

Belated Bash

It was a belated celebration, typical of the person whose birthday it was. He was born more than a month back -- on September 15. And it was only today that he decided to tell the world that he too exists.

Banoo Apa greets with flower bouquet

Some members of black-and-white brigade

Were it not for the fear of being consigned to anonymity, chances were Bose Babu would never have celebrated his 59th birthday – not this year at least. And he would have remained a perennial 58 and even gone on to tell everyone that he was hatched, not born. So no birthday ever. Trouble is, this idea occurred 40 years too late -- as usual. However, in retrospect, it would appear that nothing was lost in being truthful and in fact, there was a lot gained this morning. Banoo Apa had already bought a bouquet of orchids and gladioli (so very thoughtful of her) and was waiting to thrust them into Bose Babu’s hands.

Distribution of snack boxes

Three short of a cricket team

Old friends Harish Wadhwa, Kiran Arora, Pushpa Gupta and others came out of hiding after ages. Kiran Prakash was all over the place, armed with a camera. (The photos you see in this post have almost entirely been clicked by him.) Little Akshat was also all over the place, but without a camera. And with Vyanjan snacks and cups of hot tea, the atmosphere could not have been more festive – just perfect for the ongoing Navratri festival. If there is a moral to the story, it is this: Never celebrate your birthday on date. Delay by a month or so… should you desire to be treated special, like a VIP. Many happy returns of the day, Belated Bose Babu!

Cross-section of guests

Festive atmosphere

Post script: A BIG thank you, KIRAN PRAKASH and GITA LATTE for these beautiful, memorable photographs.
Ajit Choudhary and family:
Happy Birthday, Bose Babu. You are so sweet, friendly, lovely and caring. May God shower you and your family with lots of happiness.
Kiran Prakash:
Happy (belated) Birthday, Bose Babu. Many happy returns of the day. The snacks box containing gulabjamun, dhokla, stuffed kachori and plain kachori was delicious and sumptuous enough for a heavy breakfast this morning. I wish you a very long, healthy and happy life. May we have the fortune of your association till we breathe our last. God bless you.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Happy (belated) Birthday, Bose Babu. I have searched for words to express my feelings towards you and how eternally grateful I am for your presence in our midst. Unfortunately, I do not possess the ability to fully express myself on the way you celebrated your birthday -- no fancy venue, no bouncy castle, but a simple and impressive party hosted by you. May your every day be filled with the warmth of sunshine, the happiness of smiles, sounds of laughter and the feelings of love and good cheer. God bless you and your family.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
It is quite imaginative of Bose Babu to celebrate his birthday eleven months in advance. Being an army man, I do not believe in late latiffa. We believe in 'advance', not 'late'! I wish him a very happy, healthy, peaceful and eventful year. May God bless him with good health so that he can be as lively as ever and keep everyone amused. Special thanks to Kiran Parkash-ji for such good photography.
Harish Wadhwa:
All these lovely messages speak aloud on how much everyone loves you, Bose Babu. You are not just our blog monster but also an inspiration to many. Thank you for the goodies too.

‘Redevelopment’

Santosh Tyagi

Razia Khan

The word ‘redevelopment’ holds special meaning for Mumbai. Elsewhere it could mean repair or renovation, makeover, rebuilding, facelift, reconstruction, even remodeling… But here, the moment you say redevelopment, you conjure images of old, decrepit buildings crashing to the ground and spanking new structures rising out of dust and taking their place.
Today, Razia Khan added another interpretation to the word. Santosh Tyagi had come in behaving unusually quiet and crestfallen and was keeping to herself in the China Hut. Out of concern, people stopped by to ask if all was well with her -- more so, because she had not been coming regularly to the Garden of late. Santosh explained she was fine, but for a painful dental job which required extraction of her front teeth.
Razia was quietly watching from a distance, not quite liking Santosh having to repeat the same lines again and again, every time someone stopped to inquire about her health. Santosh too was getting irritated.

Bijoy Gupta hosted a samosa-pao treat for unknown reasons

After a point, Razia lost her patience and came up with a gem. Redevelopment. “Can’t you understand Santosh-ji is going for redevelopment?” she declared without elaborating.
Whether or not this bizarre analogy of a human being with buildings made any sense, everybody related to it perfectly. It became the buzzword of the morning and Santosh was spared any further inquisition.
The very mention of Santosh's 'redevelopment' drew instant guffaws, nobody quite realising that all of us are at that critical age requiring some treatment or the other. Most have blood sugar, cholestrol and heart issues, Arun Patil even getting his diabetic foot removed recently. Many have problematic knees and some like Kiran Arora and Harbans Kaur went for knee replacement surgeries. Khatoon Baig, Bhaswati Bose, Monthi Serrao and many others move around with back support and brace belts while Prakash Motwani and Kajal Babani require timely attention for bronchial issues. Shekhawat underwent a by-pass surgery two years back, but it (the ‘plastic heart’ as Bijoy Gupta presumes) hasn’t reduced his medical concerns. With advancing age and natural wear and tear, there can be no escaping this 'redevelopment' in our lives.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
New phraseology is being coined by members. This is because of their lively attitude and combined efforts. It is a very healthy sign. Keep going... and keep laughing.