In Fits and Starts

Kiran Prakash conducts another meeting for the Annual Function

It’s been a fortnight since the Club took the decision to hold its Annual Day function on January 16 and things have been moving in fits and starts after that. Now, with just about another fortnight left, Kiran Prakash made a valiant bid yet again (ref post of December 23) at mobilizing members for the event and called a meeting after the exercises to finalise matters.
As it turned out, the discussions that followed proved to be placing the proverbial carriage before the horse. Midway through the meeting Shekhawat revived the question of deciding on the venue and whether the Celebration Club (which is the custodian of the Garden) had granted us permission to hold our function in the China Hut.
Of course, we have an alternative, as suggested by Siba Prasad Maitra to use the facility in his housing complex for a nominal rent of Rs500. But that option was voted out by a show of hands earlier in the morning. Clearly, most members were averse to leaving the premises of the China Hut –

Mallika holds aloft the new tea flask

the venue of our last Annual Day function on April 2015.
After prolonged discussions it was decided

Show of hands over fixing the venue

that a small group representing Big Laaf would call on the secretary of Celebration Club today itself at 12:30pm and apprise him of the situation. The delegation would comprise the two chairmen (emeritus) Yusuf Rassiwala and Shekhwat as well as Kiran Prakash, Monthi Serrao, Swati Punjabi and Dilip Babani among others. It was felt that only after getting the green signal from Celebration Club would we proceed with preparations for the Annual Day function.
Nevertheless, for the record, there were some interesting points that came up in the first half of meeting. The most fascinating one was mooted by Monthi who described a classroom situation (for the function) with all of us playing ‘students’. Shekhawat was so bowled over by the idea that he started clapping hysterically when Monthi declared that she would play the ‘teacher’. Later, she added, she would perform a ‘step dance’ also.
Kiran Prakash:
We met the Secretary of Celebration Club this afternoon. He had no objection to our holding the Annual Function on Saturday, January 16, 2016. He only wants a request letter from us giving details of the proposed programme. He has also requested us to hand over food packets, etc. to members as they leave the Garden and not to consume the same within the premises.