Life Imitates Art

Shanti Singh searching for her gold ring

In an uncanny rewind from the play put up on the Club's last Annual Day function (ref post of September 10, 2016), Shanti Singh today enacted Santosh Tyagi’s role in the Garden – except

Happy Birthday, QADEER BANOO

that it was not a gold chain this time. It was a gold ring.
The last Shanti Singh remembered seeing/ wearing the ring was last night. So, even as there were good chances she had misplaced it at home (or perhaps, dropped it on the way to the Garden), she was pretty sure it had fallen off her finger while exercising. But she could not say where.
Along with the Garden watchman, Kiran Prakash, Dilip Babani, Zarina Khan and others rummaged through the grass

Perfect hospitality

around the places she could have been during the exercises. But it was of no use. It was much like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Ultimately we gave up and advised Shanti Singh to retrace her steps and check at home.
But she persisted and long after we had dispersed, she continued to search for the gold ring all by herself. She struck a sad and desolate figure in the large expanse of the Garden, prompting many of us to join her in her search again. Zarina then muttered a mantra she knew (to trace lost articles) and divined that the ring was lying secure in Shanti Singh’s home.

It's party time, yet again!!!

It was not lost.
Now this was going perfectly by script. In the play we had performed, Santosh was to find her gold chain secure in the almirah at home. And that, after all the hullabaloo involving the whole Club. But Shanti Singh was still not convinced. Reluctantly, she left the Garden, crest fallen, refusing to even partake in the birthday celebrations of Qadeer Banoo outside the Gate. It was understandable.
In between, the Club gorged on a sumptuous spread of samosas, chana masala, fruit cake and some spicy savories with Qadeer’s daughter-in-law and two lovely grandchildren in attendance. Mallika Kagzi had brought tea as usual, little knowing that Qadeer would also be doing so. So it was double tea and feast filling enough to take care of both breakfast and lunch together!
Getting back to the missing ring… well, you guessed it. Shanti Singh returned home and sure enough, she was to find her gold ring safe and secure as Zarina had prophesied. Sometimes, life imitates art.
Bihari Milwani:
Had we allowed dogs to come into the Garden, possibly they would have helped in finding the gold ring!
Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Qadeer Banoo-ji. Nasta was very nice with tea.