In Fool’s Paradise

BIJOY GUPTA...

BIJOY GUPTA...

BIJOY GUPTA ALL THE WAY!

Bijoy Gupta is nobody’s fool. As MC of today’s Mahamoorkh Sammelan, he steered the proceedings the way we wanted -- drawing upon his sense of humor and fair play. Before anybody realized, he got himself elected without even standing for the election!
In the end, all four contenders – Yusuf Rassiwala, Kiran Prakash, Siba Prasad Maitra and Dilip Babani – had to withdraw from the contest, licking their wounds.
But they put up a tough fight.

Gupta conducts today's proceedings of Mahamoorkh Sammelan

Yusuf R went hilariously anecdotal to prove he was the biggest fool of them all while Maitra

Kiran Prakash

recounted in jest how fate and foolishness conspired in his career choices. Dilip narrated how gullible

Dilip Babani

he can get at times and had once, on April 1, fallen prey to a silly ruse from his wife, little realising it was All Fool’s Day.
The biggest surprise was to come from Kiran Prakash, who had

Santosh Tyagi garlands Gupta

obviously invested considerable time and effort in his bid to claim the mahamoorkh title. He displayed an old, yellowed parchment roll (in a brittle state) to prove that his ancestors were proclaimed ‘khandani moorkhs’ in some bygone era and to further bolster his claim,

Shekhawat congratulates Gupta

produced a laminated certificate to establish the he has kept the moorkh gene alive to date.

Refreshments at the end of the show, courtesy Banoo Apa

If these were not enough, he insisted on being the recipient of two very prestigious ‘medals’ also and promptly slung a pair of black slippers around his neck as proof!
Kiran Prakash would have been the sure-shot winner today had not Gupta got in his way. For the latter was on a roll from the word go, starting out on (by now, his favorite topic of) the recent Rajasthan Tour. He recounted how he was fooled by a ‘foreigner’ in our group and tried to hit on her, little realizing that she was “Naseem Khan dressed as Miss London”.
On another occasion, he caught sight of a beautiful “real foreigner” in a museum, only to be rudely interrupted by his wife, Pushpa. Having failed with females on all counts, he was returning peacefully from Jaisalmer by bus, when he was woken from

Photo op with the winner of Mahamoorkh Sammelan

his reverie with loud chants of “Bhaswati Mata Ki Jai!
Switching to our everyday interaction in the Garden, Gupta went on to explain why there cannot be another laughter club in the world like Big Laaf. But instead of stating the obvious, he began to mimic how some of us perform our exercises – Nahid Khan, Kiran Prakash, Yusuf R, Banoo Apa… The best was reserved for Shekhawat’s antics, exaggerated manifold as everybody cracked up like crazy.
In the end, when the votes were counted, Gupta was declared the rightful claimant of the Club’s first mahamoorkh title – much to Shekhawat’s undisguised joy. He now has a new stick to hit Gupta with every morning. But today, he congratulated his friend by showering flower petals on him while somebody placed a dunce cap on Gupta’s head and Santosh Tyagi felicitated him with a bright marigold garland. A fun-filled morning came to an end with light snacks and tea, principally sponsored by Banoo Apa.

THE ALSO RANS: (from left) Yusuf Rassiwala, Kiran Prakash, Siba Prasad Maitra and Dilip Babani concede defeat gracefully

Kiran Prakash:
* Gupta-ji was rightly voted Mahamoorkh. What hidden talent... Thanks to Big Laaf, it is now surfacing. He has an ocean of talent within him. Congratulations Gupta-ji. You are just too good!!!
* I have no words to offer Maitra Babu. His last sentence touched my heart. A very large-hearted person indeed.
* Yusuf Bhai and Dilip Bhai too entertained us with their anecdotes. We really enjoyed this morning. And Banoo Aapa is feeding us too frequently. Please take some rest Banoo Aapa.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Members of Big Laaf club laugh to glory while indulging in some pin pricks as well. During the election of Mahamoorkh even passersby watched keenly the lively proceedings and enjoyed the function. Members who were absent missed a rare opportunity. Hats off to Mr Bijoy Gupta who possesses amazing talent the depth of which is yet to be gauged. Many thanks to Banoo Apa for the delicious homemade snacks.
Dr Muhammed Farooq Khan:
HAPPY HOLI TO BIG LAAF FAMILY!