44th Anniversary

Happy days are here again. As winter sets in and the morning air turns refreshingly cool, our exercises have become increasingly enjoyable by the day.

First bite of the anniversary cake

Small wonder, the turnout at the Garden had touched a remarkable high of 34 as members like Naseem Khan, Karuna Waghmare, Nahid Siddiqui and even Bihari Milwani showed up today to join the regulars.
Qadir Banoo was also there, back from a six month sojourn in Delhi and Jaipur.

Welcome back, Qadir Banoo

She marked her return with home- made kaju barfi and fried lentil – an unusual but ingenious combination that only raises your craving for more and more.
Sure enough, more was to come.

Just what are they up to?

It was Fahmida Khan’s wedding anniversary – the big event of the morning. She was there with her husband of 44 years and together they cut a pineapple cake from Eden to celebrate the occasion. After sharing the first slice, they laid out an assortment of packaged pastry and wafers, followed by Banoo Apa’s hot home-made tea. Fruit juice was also made available for those who preferred the cold drink to tea.
But more than the refreshments, the no- holds- barred banter and madness that followed were the biggest takeaways of the morning. Rarely have we had such large numbers congregating at one point outside the Garden and with Yusuf Rassiwala, Shekhawat, Fahmida, Dilip Babani and others “in the mood”, it was mischief- mischief all the way.
Mallika Kagzi, in particular, was in her elements,

Fahmida Khan's anniversary celebration

having almost recovered from her dengue spell. At the very outset, she threatened to square up on all she had missed in the “one month and three days” of her absence. “I know you people have all been feasting and making merry while I was away,” she said, squatting on the ground in style. “I am not going to spare anybody. How dare you enjoy when I was in distress?”
Yusuf R tried to pacify Mallika by saying that today’s celebration was in her honour, only to receive a mouthful from her. Dilip Babani also struck a conciliatory note, but to no avail. At one point she stood up and went charging at a startled Kiran Prakash, sending everybody helter skelter in sheer amusement. After all, in such situations, there is always someone or the other to provoke, adding fuel to fire. In sum, this was one morning that ended too soon. Time just flew by!