Parting Shot

Don't miss the group exercising at the far end!

Housie session in progress

A sudden cloudburst during the exercises caught us unawares, creating a rather piquant situation. One half of our group had to exercise under one tree and the other half, under another. There was no time to rush to the China Hut (as we usually do) for shelter without getting drenched on the way. Nor was there enough space under one tree for all of us to gather and exercise together.
But we weren't complaining. We recognized the freak shower as a parting gift of an exceptionally robust monsoon (ref post of September 29) this year. Besides, it did not rain the entire week and the weather was gradually getting warmer. The unexpected downpour, accompanied by a cool, westerly breeze came as a welcome relief during the exercises.
Small wonder then, nobody was in any hurry to return home. A spot decision was taken to hold a Housie session, if only to prolong our stay in the Garden. After all, it was the week-end. And Mallika Kagzi had brought along a flaskful of hot tea and snacks. Her grandchildren, Farhad and Sheefa were also there.
Dilip Babani scampered home to fetch his Housie board and within minutes, we got cracking in the China Hut. Who won what and how much was inconsequential given that everybody had a jolly good time in what was absolutely heavenly weather – something that is hard to come by in Mumbai. At times, such spontaneous actions turn out to be much more enjoyable than scheduled activities with the best laid out plans.
Still, there can be no stopping people from making plans. Once again, the weather became the trigger and talk of a day picnic gathered momentum. Mallika would like a trip to Juhu Beach (“not necessarily on a Saturday, so long as we get to go!”) but Dilip had a different idea: “Why not Versova Beach? It has been spruced up beautifully, it is closer than Juhu, the eateries there are open early morning… Once you go there, you’ll forget all other beaches.”
For the moment, we are looking at October 5 (next Wednesday) for this picnic.