Festive Fervor

A CELEBRATION OF WEDNESDAY GREEN

NAVRATRI, the festival of ‘nine nights’ is already upon us and oddly enough, there is still no sign of any festivity or celebration anywhere among members. Nobody is even getting us prasad -- or any sweet by any other name.
By Navratri every year, the road outside the Garden would be decorated with streamers, ceremonial arches, banners and buntings for the Durga Puja celebration in the garden adjacent to ours. This year, all seems to be quiet and deserted on that front also.
Furthermore, by this time every year, at least half a dozen members would have left for their ‘native place’ to celebrate Dussehra with folks back home. Among them would be Shekhawat, Sunita Jajodia, Sitaram Hivarkar and Santosh Tyagi among others. Their absence made for what we called the ‘festival exodus’, thus forcing a lull in Club activities.
This year none of this has happened. But that has not in any manner dampened our spirits because attendance remains consistently high. With more than 30 members present every morning for the exercises, there cannot be a dull moment in the Garden.
Another factor that has helped in keeping things upbeat is that none of us cares to wear our religion/ faith on our sleeves. Navratri or Dussehra is as important to all of us as Muharram and Eid – or Gurpurab or Christmas. In that sense, Big Laaf has always stood for a robust secular and cosmopolitan culture – even as there could be occasional jibes made by pranksters in jest about some godman or the other.
For instance, Shekhawat has been teasing Ram Shankar Shukla for his reclusive nature, often comparing him to the controversial godman, Asaram Bapu. Now Shekhawat himself is the target of Bijoy Gupta’s barbs for being an “ardent devotee” of Radhey Maa, another tainted religious figure. We all know that there is no truth in all this. But still, we can never have enough of their mindless leg-pulling... well, just for kicks!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
The presence of members in large numbers is an indication of the magnetic attraction Big Laaf exerts. This is a healthy sign. Keep it going.