Hanging Out

Moments of tomfoolery after the exercises today

We were just three when exercises began at 7:00 a.m. today. In the next 10 minutes, five more joined us. At 7:20 a.m. we were a dozen. At 7:30 a.m., we remained a dozen. Then at 7:40 a.m. a miracle happened: We struck 20 and by 7:50 a.m., towards the dying minutes of the exercises, the numbers had ballooned to a mighty 27!
Now, this is nothing unusual. Every day, it is only at the end of the exercises that we receive more than 50 percent of our regular complement -- all smartly togged, many in sneakers, ready to do business. Instead, what happens is nearly an hour of mindless gup-shup and tomfoolery and it is not before 9:00 a.m. that the last of us leaves the Garden!
This is in sharp contrast to our routine not so long ago, when late comers could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Punctuality was of primacy then. And within moments of the final laugh, we would disperse for the day.

Karuna Waghmare (in red) explains the 'Petticoat Game'

Nobody cared to hang around.
So what has changed?
The only explanation to be found is that over the years, bonding between the members has become so strong that exercises have ceased to be a priority. Meeting up in the Garden is more important. For today, we are not just colleagues or friends, we are brothers and sisters and it is critical we stay connected. At no other time of the day, not even at home, do we get to relive our childhood – joke and fool around, pull each others' legs, behave crazily, let our hair down. Big Laaf gives us the license to indulge in all this and more.
Karuna Waghmare’s antics this morning, best illustrate this. She is of the 'Chaar Anna-Aath Anna' fame. So when told to teach us a new game, she came up with the most bizarre caper imaginable – just that you have to wear a petticoat for this one. You need to stand up and place a bowl between your feet and then slip some coins, one by one, down your waist (under the drawstring) aimed at the bowl below. You score every time a coin drops in the bowl.
If this is not madness, what is? More so, because Karuna refuses to clarify whether the petticoat is to be worn over your clothes? Or should you have to be au naturel before wearing it? Before we could ask for a demo, Dilip Babani hastily cautioned against wearing a white petticoat – because it would be “transparent”!!!