Bounced Back

Kiran Prakash (from left), Banoo Apa, Shekhawat, Yusuf Rassiwala and Mrs Shekhawat

A four-member delegation from the Club, led by Yusuf Rassiwala, today called on Shekhawat to inquire on his well-being. He had been keeping indifferent health for the past couple of days and his condition had deteriorated alarmingly by 10:30 p.m. yesterday when Kiran Prakash checked with him last on the phone.
The good news is that Shekhawat has bounced back overnight and appeared cheerful when he opened the door to his guests this morning. He had interrupted his breakfast (of cut apples) and before long, went on to munch on biscuits – this, after being completely off food for two days. “I shall be at the Garden tomorrow,” he promised.
The worrisome news though, according to his wife, was that this could be a temporary reprieve as there is every possibility of him relapsing into the distressful state any moment. “Let us wait and watch,” she cautioned.

Everybody in the Garden is worried about Shekhawat

“His condition has been fluctuating sharply over the past few days. Till 1 ‘o clock last night, he was in bad shape, unable to even talk. And now he looks fine!”
The last we heard of he having recovered was on Monday, after Siba Prasad Maitra organized his medicines (ref post of June 26) as per doctor's prescription.
Two days later, on Wednesday, Shekhawat had to report to the naval hospital in Colaba and following a change of medicines, he was again in distress. He was unable to eat (in spite of hunger), throwing up whatever he took, turned weak and frail, unable to talk or even stand up. He said he felt giddy and would tend to lose his balance whenever he tried to walk.
Sadly, Maitra could not visit him yesterday as he had suffered a second fall, affecting the same leg he had sprained a few days back. Completely immobilized thus, he could just about call on phone but could not talk to Shekhawat who was apparently ‘resting’ then. Today, he will try again during the day.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
As we advance in age, our immune system goes down. We should not ignore our health. The advice of doctors should be taken seriously. I wish Shekhawat-ji early recovery and good health. Be cheerful but please, do not obsess over being present in the Garden every day. Take it easy and keep smiling.

Fortune Smiles

Banoo Apa (l) prepares for today's tea party

Fortune finally smiled upon us in the form of Banoo Apa. It had been raining in the morning since Monday last and if there was one thing we missed badly in the Garden, it was hot tea to keep us warm. Today, Banoo Apa fulfilled that wish.
As usual, she had sensed our desperation and without as much of a hint earlier, came carrying a big flask filled with piping hot tea. What’s more, she had brought along an assortment of biscuits and rusks as well. It was the most pleasant surprise anybody could imagine after the exercises this morning.
The tea party today was particularly heartwarming as it came after more than a month of deprivation -- since

Geeta Latte meets some furry friends

the time Banoo Apa had been away on Ramzaan. All this while, we had quite forgotten what it was to be treated to the hot, refreshing beverage. But then, the weather was incredibly hot and humid and we did not really miss it.
Post-Ramzaan, talk on an Eid party is now gaining momentum. This is an important annual event hosted by the Club for which a budget has already been allocated. We are however, yet to take a call on the date and venue because some key members like Razia Khan and Rukhsana Khan have not yet rejoined. Everybody’s opinion matters.
Meanwhile, Yusuf Rassiwala broached the subject of the Eid party he would be hosting. (This too has become an important annual event.) Till last year, he had been organising it in the compound of his apartment block, but this time around he would like to book a hotel/ restaurant for a change. Several options were discussed this morning without actually arriving at a decision.
For the moment though, it was felt that Saturday, July 8, 2017 should be a good date for the party – be it Yusuf R’s or from the Club.
Dilip Babani:
Banoo Apa brought very nice tea and biscuits. God bless you. Eid Mubarak to everybody.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Ramzaan is followed by Eid which naturally calls for good celebration. It is nice that Eid celebrations are being planned and will befittingly be enjoyed by everyone. Keep laughing.

Monsoon is Here

All ears on a 'pakau joke' in the China Hut

Now that we have decided to stay put in the China Hut, monsoon has arrived. So far we were dithering between exercising out in the open and inside the China Hut. As such, the rains kept playing truant for two weeks.
Today’s downpour was more in continuation of yesterday’s squall and with the Garden turning slushy and slippery, there is no possibility of returning to our old stomping ground -- at least in the near future.
True, exercising in the China Hut saves us from getting drenched; but it also robs us of a “Mahabaleshwar-like experience” out in the open during dry spells. That apart, space is a major constraint. But a bigger issue during the season is lethargy. Nobody in his/ her right mind would ever like to leave the bed/ home with the pitter-patter of the rain going on outside. As a result punctuality, if not attendance, goes for a toss.
And yet, we soldier on. Today, at Banoo Apa’s behest, good friend Bunty entertained us with a few “rain songs” from his repertoire. Some jokes were also narrated to raise a few laughs. There were also the typical jousting and fooling around in keeping with Big Laaf tradition… The show must go on.
Dilip Babani:
Nice weather. We enjoyed the exercises and the rain. Everybody wanted to eat kanda bhajiya and garam garam samosa with hot tea. When will this happen, let us see.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Monsoon's arrival reminds us of our childhood when we enjoyed playing in rain. The rains were also a good opportunity to have kheer and maal puva, a dish that is scarce now. Have fun in the rains and keep laughing.

Fierce Squall

Lull before the storm

It rained like nobody’s business -- just when the exercises started today. The heavens opened up on cue, strong winds lashed the Garden, the tin roof of the China Hut rumbled on and on... A massive tree branch came crashing down outside the gate, bringing down half the tree. Terrified, two street dogs rushed into the Garden and ran around in circles, finally taking refuge inside the China Hut, like us.
Yusuf Rassiwala, Kiran Prakash, Bihari Milawani, Karun Sharma, Bijoy Gupta

Zarina displays 'Samiry tablets'

and many others did not show up. Obviously they did not want to take chances in the foul weather. Yet, we were almost 15 for the exercises today as several ladies returned from their Ramzaan break -- Banoo Apa, Mumtaz Jahan, Zarina Khan and of course, Nahid Khan and Khatoon Baig. Even Santosh Tyagi was there today.
A happy Eid reuinion was however, not to be as it continued to pour relentlessly outside. In this oppressive gloom, Zarina Khan tried to bring some cheer by sharing strips of colourful ‘Samiry tablets’ her daughter had brought from Qatar. Banoo Apa draped a beautiful pink chadar around Mumtaz. And Dilip Babani went around distributing biscuits after the exercises. Finally, it was left to Arun Patil to load his car and drop all the ladies home.
Karun Sharma:
I would have loved to be there and enjoy the post-Ramzaan togetherness. But I am away in Coimbatore on a professional assignment. See you all soon. Keep enjoying.

God Sent

Siba Prasad Maitra

It is not for nothing that Siba Prasad Maitra is often addressed as ‘Doctor Maitra’ in the Club. He is our go-to man for medical advice -- whatever the illness, ailment, or disorder. Such is the faith of our members in him that many simply refuse to believe that Maitra is not a medical practitioner but a marketing professional with long years of experience in the pharma industry.
Shekhawat is one such Maitra acolyte. Over the past week or so, his condition had deteriorated to such an extent (ref post of June 24) that he could no longer trust the Navy doctors treating him. “I am in such pain and they do not realize it,” he complained bitterly. “What is the point of living like this?”
That was on Saturday. Today, the same Shekhawat was on his feet, exercising with gusto like the rest of us. Except for a brief while when it was drizzling,

Tara Chand Seth (r) returns from Delhi

he showed no sign of fatigue or the need to stretch out on a bench. He even challenged Bijoy Gupta (as usual) in the Lion-Lioness Laughter round.
What was behind the magical transformation?
Turns out that Maitra visited Shekhawat on Saturday evening and had asked him to produce the medicines he had been taking. On comparing them with the doctors' prescriptions he discovered that Shekhawat was unknowingly taking double the dosage he was supposed to. He had been gobbling down as many as 11 tablets, three times a day, for at least 10 days at a stretch!
“But then it was not Shekhawat’s fault entirely,” Maitra hastened to add.

When it rained: Shekhawat (l) with Tara Chand and Arun Patil

“The doctors had indicated the generic names of the medicines and Shekhawat was getting them from two different sources, in Colaba and Malad. Usually what happens, a stockist may not have a certain brand supplied by another stockist and substitutes it for another brand of the same medicine. This creates confusion and the patient ends up taking the same set of medicines twice.”
Maitra sat Shekhawat down and made small packages of each dosage, rubber-banding them so as to clear all possible confusion. The effect was instantaneous. “I had chappati yesterday without having the urge to throw up,” Shekhawat confirmed, clearly relieved and upbeat. Timely intervention had brought about this miracle.
Post Script: Maitra attended to Shekhawat when he himself was in great agony. He has twisted his ankle badly after a nasty fall at home. Today he is seeing a doctor to rule out a hairline fracture. Let us wish him a speedy recovery.
Kiran Prakash:
It was so nice of Maitra-ji to help Shekhawat-ji take the medicines prescribed by the doctor in the right dosage and frequency. Compliments Maitra-ji. I wish you speedy recovery too.
Kajal Babani (on WhatsApp):
Indeed, great work!!
Siba Prasad Maitra (on WhatsApp):
Thanks Kiran-ji. But I have done nothing except helping Shekhawat-ji to arrange the medicines to be taken during breakfast, lunch and dinner as per prescription. He was taking medicines in wrong dosage and in wrong time. It's not any great job on my part.
Kiran Prakash responds (on WhatsApp):
You are being modest. True you have not done much, but whatever you have done has practically saved a man's life. That's a very big thing.
Dilip Babani: (on WhatsApp)
Thumbs up, Maitra-ji
Bhaswati Bose:
Maitra-ji ki jai! We are very fortunate to have him with us.
Bihari Milwani:
Having attended to Shekhawat-ji on the eve of Eid, Maitra should be regarded a messiah -- a messenger of God.
Siba Prasad Maitra adds:
Dear Blog Monster, you have made me a hero in today's blog for doing nothing. It is very simple and anyone could have done it. Let us give credit to Mr Shekhawat who suffered a lot and bounced back within two days of right dose in right time as per his doctor's prescription. My salute to Mr Shekhawat for his spirit and enthusiasm.
Blog Monster:
You are being modest, Maitra-ji. Seriously, who among us (apart from you) is capable of correlating generic names of medicines with brand names? That made all the difference. We salute you.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Good health is what we all aspire for. Unknowingly, we take double dose of medicines and suffer doubly. Maitra-ji has certainly come as a messiah and saved not only Shekhawat-ji's life but also restored his health. Three cheers for Maitra-ji!
Yusuf Rassiwala:
It seems there are divine blessings being showered on BIG LAAF. Maitra-ji's knowledge of medicine and his timely visit to Shekhawat-ji's house have enabled our beloved Shekhawat-ji to recover from his illness. Long live Maitra the Saviour and Shekhawat the Warrior.

DAY 2286

Pic of the Week

DEFINITIVE IMAGE OF INDIA'S RESPONSE TO CRICKETING DEBACLE

Don't cry bachcha, if a party was missed because of India's defeat, we will have lots of parties once Ramzaan is over! --Bihari Milwani

What has happened to him?😱?😱? --Geeta Latte

‘Proud Papa’ Party

At the party: Siba Prasad Maitra is at the extreme left, standing

After ‘passport party’, ‘cricket party’ and whatnot, we have discovered yet another major reason to celebrate. Siba Prasad Maitra’s daughter has landed a fabulous job with pharma major Johnson & Johnson and in order to share his joy on her accomplishment, he threw a grand party for us this morning.
“She was actually working with the same company earlier,” informed the proud papa. “She left them and took up another job. Johnson & Johnson called her back and offered her a more senior position with additional responsibilities and naturally, a better pay package. I feel very happy for her.”
Maitra was naturally in high spirits all morning and even before the party began, he was at his playful best. During the exercises, he was no doubt worried about the delay in Dilip Babani showing up with the thaili (bag) of eats, but disguised his concern by deliberately chanting “thaili aa… thaili aa…” instead of keeping count. The moment the thaili arrived, he abandoned the exercises

Shekhawat is unable to even sit up in the Garden

and everybody followed Maitra out like Mary’s little lambs.
Ever the perfect host, he quickly handed charge

Maitra comforts Shekhawat in the party

to the ladies for organizing the plates and was back to his wisecracks and one-liners while attending personally to every guest. He stopped by to have a word with Shekhawat who is not keeping well. In fact, his condition seems to be slipping from bad to worse and for the first time, we saw him unable to hold himself even in a seated position for long. He remained lying on a bench while we exercised.
Maitra advised him to rest at home but obviously, Shekhawat needs to get out in the open at least once a day. “I have never felt so weak,” he explained in a feeble voice. “I cannot eat anything, not even chappati. Whatever I eat, I throw up instantly. I tried a few teaspoons of khichdi yesterday, but that did not help. I don’t know what to do now. The medicines are not working...”
Shekhawat’s next appointment with his doctor is on Wednesday. Maitra promised to call on him during the weekend.
Dilip Babani:
Congratulations Maitra-ji. Party was very nice. Everybody enjoyed. Thank you very much.
Karun Sharma:
Maitra-ji's party was unique -- especially for the items selected. It is good to find enthusiasts for parties and mixing them well with laughter.

Back on Track

Dilip Babani talks calories

Dilip Babani broke the best news of the morning. He has finally given up dieting after his wife yesterday gorged on aloo-tikkis in front of him at home. “I was unable to resist the temptation and wolfed down some with her,” he revealed with a sheepish grin.
The news was greeted with much relief by friends who felt sorry for Dilip stuck to a crash dieting course. He is a man with a healthy appetite and given his constitution, any form of self-deprivation or sacrifice on food was grossly unfair.
Even Yusuf Rassiwala advised him to give up starving and to lead a normal life. “At this rate, you are unnecessarily causing yourself more grief than good,” he told Dilip.

Siba Prasad Maitra (r) announces party tomorrow for his
daughter who has landed a prestigious job

“Better to die eating than die of starvation,” Siba Prasad Maitra added half in jest.
But Dilip was adamant. So obsessed had he become on losing weight that he had ceased to recognize food as food. A samosa to him was

Kajal Babani: Master stroke

supposed to be a deadly “300 calories”, pakoda “400 calories”, gulab jamun “800 calories”… and so on. Everything was getting reduced to calories – so much so that our exercises in the Garden “would help burn only 180 calories”, according to him.
At home, he said he has been barely subsisting on salads, greens, chapatti and perhaps boiled egg thrown in occasionally, but nothing deep-fried or loaded in cholesterol. “You need 1,800 calories only in a day to survive,” he maintained bravely.
Much as this made sense, we did not have the heart to see a good friend suffer. But any counter-argument to justify that calories cannot be the only killer fell into deaf ears. Finally, it took the ingenuity of Kajal Babani to turn her hubby around and bring him back on track. After all, who can resist the persuasive skills of the wife?
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Too much of anything is harmful. It is better to be moderate with age. Do not starve or overeat. Eat healthy, do regular exercises and above all, keep laughing. Laughter is the best exercise.
Dilip Babani:
Everybody should do dieting for good health.
Karun Sharma:
Let us watch what we eat. During the last session, some of us talked about yoga and other healthy practices. Let us reserve a few minutes every day (or bi-weekly) to improve our mental health. Keeping a time limit and maintaining consistency would be extremely beneficial. Even the mental games we had started are being phased out. This is sad.

Mobile Yoga?

Kiran Prakash (on the phone) is lost in his own world

Today we got to witness how a seemingly inconsequential act can be blown out of proportion and become the subject of intense speculation in the Club. More significantly, it was Kiran Prakash, of all the people, who had to bear the brunt of all the needless, yet hilarious hullaballoo.
Kiran Prakash’s only crime was that he had withdrawn from the exercise circle and kept himself occupied with his mobile phone on a bench. Nothing unusual about that though. From Naseer Putani Shah to Shekhawat to Karuna Waghmare, anybody feeling unwell or exhausted would withdraw to a bench to rest. Why, Kiran Prakash himself spent the best part of the morning yesterday resting on a bench.
What made all the difference today was the mobile phone glued to his ears. The ladies were the first to notice and sure enough, they smelled a rat. “He must be speaking to his girlfriend,” was the common refrain. Khatoon Baig put it politely as a “personal matter” and requested everybody not to disturb Kiran Prakash.

Karuna Waghmare demands an explanation from Kiran Prakash

“He has become Majnu,” she remarked. "Surely he must be getting response from the other end..."
Bhaswati Bose added a new perspective by describing the unending phone talk as “mobile yoga” – clearly a fallout from the World Yoga Day yesterday. Dilip Babani launched off on a spiel about the harmful effects of talking on a mobile for long periods. “Kiran Prakash does not realize the damage being done to his brain due to radiation from the mobile,” he said while the exercises continued uninterrupted.
Bijoy Gupta listened intently to Dilip, large-eyed but did not understand a word. He turned around and asked in a loud whisper: “Has Kiran Prakash been made the new president of the Club?” He went on to explain that our past presidents were famous for being a law unto themselves and would never follow what others do. “Why else is he not exercising with us?” Gupta asked.
From where he was sitting, Kiran Prakash had no inkling what was being talked of him. Truth is he has been advised not to exert himself for a few days, following a particularly strenuous medical test recently. But then he is not obliged to explain anything to anybody. Nobody is.
Bihari Milwani:
Kiran-ji has become an evaluator for all of us and would shortly announce who is entitled to receive the prize for doing correct (and disciplined) exercises.

Doppelganger

WHO'S WHO...

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Mohar Singh should better do something to himself and fast – grow a beard, get a wig, wear an eye patch… just about any disguise would do so long as he is not mistaken as one of the front-runners to Rashtrapati Bhavan. He ought to also hire some armed bodyguards before president Pranab Mukherjee retires on July 24.
So close is the resemblance between Mohar Singh and Ram Nath Kovind that it is hard to tell them apart at first sight.

Shekhawat celebrates wife's birthday

Their height, gait, complexion, spectacle frame… even their smile is similar. Predictably, this has given rise to the age-old theory of twins separated at birth and its many variations of losing one another

Karun Sharma speaks of World Yoga Day

at a village mela -- only to surface later in life, one at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the other, at Lokhandwala Garden No 4.
“Mohar Singh only needs to dress up stiff in a safari suit or with tie and blazer and enter the Garden,” opined his friend, Bijoy Gupta this morning.

Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat

“Then watch the fun. There will be total commotion everywhere.”
Strangely, Mohar Singh himself was blissfully unaware of his lookalike and only when told that he might have to take the salute from Shekhawat on Independence Day this year that he got somewhat unnerved.

Dilip Babani (c) treats us all to lassi

“I will go home and check the newspapers,” he said after posing for photographs in the China Hut this morning.
Meanwhile, Shekhawat celebrated his wife’s birthday after the exercises with biscuit packs. Dilip Babani was to supplement this with lassi later. Sadly, Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat could not visit us in the Garden today as she had to leave early morning to collect her husband’s blood test reports (ref yesterday’s post) from the naval hospital in Colaba. Here’s wishing her many happy returns of the day, once again.
Today happened to be World Yoga Day also. To mark the occasion, Yusuf Rassiwala invited ‘life coach’ Karun Sharma to say a few words on what yoga is all about and its benefits. Arun Patil joined him with his own perspective of what he described as a “way of life”. Gupta brought up the rear by speaking, not about yoga but on Chinese tai-chi and the benefits from practicing it. All the same, we returned home a little more wiser than earlier.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
* Mohar Singh has to watch out. During World War II there was a double of Field Marshal Montgomery. He was used to mislead Germany in the war efforts. I am not sure whether Mohar Singh could be of use in a similar fashion.
* Happy birthday to Mrs Shekhawat. May she live a healthy, happy and long life.
* Yoga covers physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person. It also helps in the eradication of ailments. Its training is imparted free almost in all parts of India.

Red Riding Hood

Birthday girl, Nahid Khan

Celebrating with cookies and crackers

Nahid Khan had a rare Red Riding Hood moment today. Turning out in a flamboyant crimson-and-gold ensemble, designed and tailored by her, she no longer looked the ‘bhai” (the dreaded don) we have always addressed her as. It was her birthday, after all.
Still, out of deference to the special position she enjoys in the Club, Yusuf Rassiwala instructed Arun Patil to conduct the exercises today on her behalf. Dilip Babani presented her with the birthday calendar and as always, a fourth laugh was raised followed by the birthday song in keeping

Shekhawat gets a birthday bite

with Big Laaf tradition.
Significantly, Nahid is keeping roza without missing a single day of the exercises during the holy month of Ramzaan. Today was no exception. She had brought us a whole bag of goodies – assorted biscuits, crackers and cookies of different brands – to celebrate her birthday without having any.

Dilip Babani (l) presents Nahid the birthday calendar

She solicitously gave Shekhawat a ‘birthday bite’ as he sat quietly at a distance, detached from her celebration.
Fact is, Shekhawat is not keeping well. He has been visiting the Naval Hospital in Colaba over the past several days for a host of complications that have developed since his open heart surgery in 2014. As he revealed today, the doctors had to extract by syringe the coagulated blood around the suture marks on his chest which was causing him intense discomfort.
That apart, he had to “give nine mls of blood” yesterday for a battery of tests, the results of which are expected tomorrow. Consequently, he looked completely drained out and lost for the best part of the exercises and remained seated on a bench, quiet and forlorn. Only when his old pal Bijoy Gupta turned up did his face brighten a bit, but he was too weak to even talk.
Many scolded him for having to come to the Garden in this state when he should ideally be resting at home. Gupta was especially unsparing. Shekhawat’s only reply was that he didn’t know what to do with himself at home. After all, old habits die hard.
Karun Sharma:
* Excellent birthday, Nahid. A cool breeze blew across to wish you and bring comfort to all of us. As the birthday girl, you looked bright and smiling. It made our day. Biscuits added flavour to the celebration.
* Shekhawat is very supportive towards all of us. He loves Big Laaf from the depths of his very heart. Let us all wish him speedy recovery.
Geeta Latte:
Many, many happy returns of the day, dear Bhai-jaan 💐🎂💐!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
* Happy birthday, Nahid. Wishing you a happy, healthy and long life.
* Dear Shekhawat, please look after your health. Certainly you are the livewire for Big Laaf. However, you are more needed by your family. They remain pre-occupied about your health. Please look after your health. It is the primary concern of everyone.

In Mourning

A minute's silence to mourn India's defeat against Pakistan in Champions Trophy

So Pakistan beat India by a record 180 runs in the match that mattered most and lifted the Champions Trophy in London yesterday.
That India exacted sweet revenge by thrashing Pakistan 7-1 in the Hockey World League Semifinal (also in London), was of no consolation – least of all meriting a party today, as earlier planned.
Not even shuttler Kidambi Srikanth’s victory in the Indonesian Open Super Series final in Jakarta yesterday could lift the pall of gloom that had settled in the Garden since early morning.
We were all numbed, unable to recover from the shock defeat in cricket. Vijay Bhai, the ‘face of Indian cricket in the Garden’ was clueless and strangely directionless, walking in the reverse direction on the walking track today. “How could we lose so badly?”

Vijay Bhai

Siba Prasad Maitra

he asked everyone and anyone who cared to listen, a look of tired resignation writ large on his face.
We observed a minute’s silence after the exercises to mourn the irreparable loss. Siba Prasad Maitra, who was holding his emotions in check till then, suddenly burst out crying. He was inconsolable. Seeing him break down, Bijoy Gupta also started bawling, beating his chest in grief the way female mourners do. “How could this happen to us… losing to Pakistan… in cricket?”
If only anybody had an answer. But soon conspiracy

Bijoy Gupta

theories began to emerge, initially in whispers: “It was a rigged match.” “Word had already got around in bookie circles two days back that India would lose.” “From the body language of the Indian players it was clear they had no intention to win.” “The players had plotted against their coach… all dressing room politics.” “There should be a court of inquiry instituted!”
Nobody, except for Arun Patil said the better team had won. “Look at those boys!” he exclaimed. “Young chaps with hardly any experience, no international exposure, nobody wants to play them in their country… They have to go to Sharjah or some other place to play. They were the typical underdogs in the tournament. But they had FIRE in their belly. And that made all the difference yesterday. They deserved to win!”
Geeta Latte:
Very funny, Ha Ha Ha Ha...😂😂😂😂👆
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
It is very strange how all of us felt so morose on the loss of a cricket match. The better team won. Despite all the rumors from bookies, our team lost to Pakistan. However, Srikanth won the match despite many hurdles. Similarly, our hockey team won against Pakistan. Both these winnings have gone unnoticed. We should have been cheerful and felt happy. After all, our aim in Big Laaf is to be happy and cheerful. Do not be sorrowful.

DAY 2279

Pic of the Week

EXHAUSTED -- A BREATHER (AND A BITE) TO BEAT THE HEAT!

"Hey Bhagwan, thodisi madad karde... thandisi hawa ke roop mein!" --Yusuf Rassiwala

"Yeh Kya Hua, Kaise Hua, Kab Hua, O chhodo... lakdi bhi chhod doh!!!"--Bihari Milwani

Bare Bones

Midway through the exercises: Five members and two birsds in the sky

It was a pleasant morning – dry, partially overcast and breezy in spells. There was no major festival on. In fact, there was no reason to hold anybody back from coming to the Garden today.
Yet, more than three-fourths of the Club stayed away. Right from Yusuf Rassiwala and Shekhawat down to Bijoy Gupta, Karun Sharma, Santosh Tyagi, Shanti Singh, Bihari Milwani, Dilip and Kajal Babani, almost all the regulars did not show up. Attendance was reduced to bare bones this morning.
“What’s wrong with our people!” exclaimed Khatoon Baig, noticing there were three members only in the exercise circle when she came in. “It’s not as though it is dark in the morning these days. It is daylight pretty early…”
The mystery over absentee members deepened, even as the likes of Nahid Khan, Siba Prasad Maitra and Geeta Latte trickled in steadily, taking the attendance to double digits. Perhaps the most baffled was Karuna Waghmare who was surprisingly, the first to report for the exercises today. “Everyone must be snoring in bed now,” she observed. “Let’s scrap the exercises!”
The exercises were delayed by a few minutes, till Kiran Prakash and Arun Patil showed up. But Karuna was unrelenting about her oversleeping theory. “The easiest way to wake up early is to sleep early,” she mumbled to herself.
“But what to do if you don’t get sleep early?” countered Nahid. “Should you beat yourself silly, forcing yourself to shut eye? How do you make sleep come?”
On this, Karuna had no answer.
Bihari Milwani:
Everyone knew today there would be no party. Hence intelligent people did not turn up.

Now, ‘Cricket Party’

Rejoicing India's win over Bangladesh with lassi

After yesterday’s impromptu 'passport party' (see post), the Club today invented another good reason to celebrate. Kiran Prakash announced he would treat everyone to lassi to commemorate India’s emphatic win over Bangladesh in the Champion’s Trophy at Birmingham yesterday.
The odd part was that Kiran Prakash is anything but a cricket fan and by his own admission, had watched only a few overs bowled towards the dying moments of the game. Furthermore, India did not lift the Champion's Trophy. It was merely a semi-final match played yesterday and India will now have to beat Pakistan in the final on Sunday to emerge winner.
But who cares about such nitty-gritties… so long as today’s party was taken care of!
“On Monday, we shall have another party,” Yusuf Rassiwala declared, having identified a sponsor for the celebration, should India win on Sunday. “If India loses, we will have a consolation party. But the booking for Monday is already done!”
Clearly, cricket is only an excuse for ganging up and making merry over refreshments

Siba Prasad Maitra (in pink tee) joins others to comfort Shekhawat (l)

after the exercises. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, any reason is good reason for a Big Laaf party. In fact, we don’t even need a reason since the weather has turned so muggy that everyone can happily do with a swig or two of chilled lassi in the morning.
Meanwhile, we were informed that Shekhawat is unduly disturbed these days because his sister has ‘disappeared’. Bijoy Gupta had been hinting about this for quite some time, but nobody took him seriously. It was believed to be a mischievous joke. After all, whoever knew Shekhawat had a sister in Mumbai? Today, when he conceded this to be a fact, did we realize it was no laughing matter.
But then, there is little the Club can do on this count – beyond empathizing with Shekhawat. We did our bit to comfort him while he sat silently on a bench, glum faced. The best piece of advice was to however, come from Karuna Waghmare: “You should observe karva chauth fast and your worries will vanish instantly!” It is another matter that karva chauth is traditionally observed by women in October-November for the longevity and welfare of their husbands.
Karun Sharma:
The bigger thing is India winning the Champion's Trophy and our happiness together would make this happen. Parties have become the culture of Big Laaf. Even our 'yoga guru', Geeta Latte has said that these parties do not let our weight to be reduced even by one gram.
Kiran Prakash:
Both our 'life coach' and 'yoga guru' are staunch promoters of HAPPINESS. In Big Laaf our happiness is independent of the grams we lose or gain. We do what makes us happy.
Yusuf Rassiwala:
The essence of Big Laaf is to keep oneself merry and happy -- be it by regular exercises or by enjoying parties. My thanks to our 'life coach' and 'yoga guru' for their endorsement of this.

'Passport Party'!

Bhaswati Bose (in blue) narrates how she got her passport

We do not require a reason to party. From celebrating birthdays and marriage anniversaries to observing religious festivals, announcing a newborn in the family, surviving outstation trips, buying a new pair of shoes, kids passing examinations… any reason is good reason for a party in Big Laaf.
So it came as no surprise when Kiran Prakash broke into the birthday song this morning, only that he was chanting “Happy Passport to You!” for a change. The target of his jubilation was obviously Bhaswati Bose, who reported having renewed her passport yesterday.
A couple of weeks earlier, Nahid Khan had received her passport and before that, Geeta Latte ‘celebrated’ getting her maiden passport.
So what’s the big deal about Bhaswati’s passport?
Just nothing, if you were to discount the fact that she did not bribe anyone to get the document in ‘record time’. She put in her application at the Malad passport office on Monday (12/6),

Party time with cake slices and tea

received a phone call from the local police station the same evening, was interviewed by a cop at home on Tuesday (13/6) and in an hour of submitting her photo at the cop station on Wednesday (14/6), she received her passport by speed post!
This was nothing short of a miracle for those of us who have been hearing only horror stories for long. Santosh Tyagi is not even applying for a passport out of fear of rejection.
Geeta had to seek political intervention (ref post of February 17) to get her papers through after being kept on hold for months on end. Yusuf Rassiwala even advised Bhaswati to be prepared to grease some palms to escape harassment. Nahid confessed to having to pay under the table after weeks of endless dilly-dallying…
Against this backdrop, to get a valid passport in 48 hours would seem a major accomplishment for Bhaswati. Although she had nothing to do with this, it did call for an impromptu celebration – even as it was no more than cake slices from a nearby store and hot tea.
Moral of the Story: Stay clean and do not ever pay a bribe, no matter what.
Bihari Milwani:
Bhaswati Bose had a reason to celebrate. Well, it was the birthday of Late Kanta Sharma today.
Karun Sharma:
Sometimes it is easier to extract a bigger treat if it is voluntary. Such celebrations are about togetherness.

Monsoon Picnic

Serious deliberations after the exercises today

Last Sunday, Dilip Babani unwittingly sowed a seed idea in the Club. Welcoming the first showers of the season that day, he commented in the blog: “Everybody will enjoy the monsoon with kanda-bhajiya, garma-garam adrak-wali-chai and also corn bhajiya at Lonavala” (ref post of June 11).
The idea has since gathered momentum and were it not for the large scale absenteeism due to Ramzaan, we would well be hightailing to Lonavala by now.

Naseer Putani Shah suddenly
reported ill this morning

After all, there is no better place around Mumbai to welcome the monsoons than this exotic hill station on the Sahayadris.
But then, Lonavala is not the only picnic spot being mentioned. Saina Resort, where we had been to last year (ref post of November 26, 2016) and had a ball is another option being talked about. So is Royal Garden Resort, besides a couple of other holiday getaways that have come up recently which we are yet to explore.
The issue at stake is however, not so much about getting soaked in the rains. (That, in any case is inevitable, no matter where we decide to go.) The point is whether we would like to return the same day or spend a night out on location. Lonavala, or for that matter, Mahabaleshwar (as some were also mentioning) means ‘night stay’. Going to a holiday resort or beach (such as Gorai) amounts to a ‘day picnic’. Each has its pros and cons, upon which a consensus is yet to emerge.
Consequently, it has been decided to wait for Ramzaan to be over and our absentee members turning up in the Garden. Thereafter, we would take a call on how and where to celebrate the monsoon this year. For the moment though, Lonavala seems to be everyone’s favorite destination – simply because it is more than four years since we had last ventured there. So much for Dilip Babani's tempting treats in the rains -- kanda-bhajiya, garma-garam adrak-wali-chai, corn bhajiya...
Karun Sharma:
It may be better if we plan to stay overnight. Many would get tired travelling to and fro and may not enjoy as much.

Raising the Bar

Santosh Tyagi warms up to her friends

After yesterday’s hilarious confessions on childhood romance (see post), the bar was raised a notch higher today. And of all the people, the target had to be the most reticent and soft-spoken lady of the club, Santosh Tyagi.
She had turned up after nearly a fortnight with no particular reason to explain her absence. “Buss aisi,” she repeated in short sentences. “No, nothing is wrong with me. I am fine. Maybe it’s just lethargy, or listlessness. It could be the weather, who knows.”
A small crowd had gathered, genuinely concerned. Some advised her not to allow this lassitude to get the better of her as it could affect her health. Others inquired if domestic chores were holding her back. Some even suggested she get herself a thorough medical check-up done.
“No-no, it is none of that,” Santosh maintained. “Fact is I’m very eager to come to the Garden. But somehow I cannot get myself to leave home. God knows what happens, I’d invariably change my mind at the last moment…”
“I know what happens,” Bijoy Gupta butted in from nowhere. “All that you have just said happens to young girls

Silent spectators: Arun Patil and Shekhawat

when they turn 15-16. It is nothing serious.

Worried look, when she came in

You don’t have to hide anything from us. Just name the person!”
Santosh blushed pink, but quickly gathered herself when the group erupted in laughter. She made a feeble plea that it is too late in life for anything of the sort, that her hair had turned grey and so on.
“But what has grey hair got to do to with giving your heart to someone special?” Gupta persisted. It was enough for everyone to start pulling Santosh's leg till finally, she conceded that grey hair had really nothing to do with matters of the heart. “But why should I reveal any name to you?” she asked defiantly, having decided by then to play on with the crowd and in effect, inviting another volley of teasers. Nahid Khan started singing, “Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kab hua, kyon hua…”
All this happened after the exercises. When Santosh left the Garden, she had a spring in her step – a far more cheerful person than what we saw of her when she came in.
Karun Sharma:
I know I am missing a lot of fun. All who shared their stories must be feeling happier.
Bihari Milwani:
Nowadays, after the 'laughing exercises', we do 'love story exercises'.

First Love

All ears for Karuna Waghmare

Bijoy Gupta speaks briefly of his past

The rainy season stirs peculiar romantic feelings. Was it any wonder then that a bunch of septuagenarians should now choose to go back, down memory lane and recount with relish their first love affair many eons ago?
Clearly the embers were still glowing. But Shekhawat’s was a short and sweet tale. There were three “equally beautiful and nubile girls” in his village he was seeing at the same time and after what went by the name of dating (‘three-timing’ if you please) in those days, his folks got hold of him and forced him to settle for one. She happens to be his wife today.
Karuna Waghmare’s romance was much more colorful, befitting a Bollywood script. In fact, she was the most forthcoming in the Garden today over what began with a neighborhood boy having an eye on her since she was barely 10 years (Class 5) in school.
“I had no idea he was after me and like others my age in the village, I used to call him ‘dada’ or elder brother,” she narrated with childlike candor. “How would I know why he’d follow me on my way to school? Or why he’d deliberately stand outside my door to brush his teeth every morning? I even sent him a rakhi once and he threw it into the river!”
To cut a long story short, Karuna was to move into a girls’ hostel in Nagpur (for higher studies) while the boy joined the Navy and was posted in Mumbai. By then word had got around in the village. But Karuna was still in the dark and kept rejecting his advances, even as her parents were in the know (through a mediator). Eventually Cupid struck and after an exciting phase of letter exchanges, they decided to tie the knot.
Bijoy Gupta was also eager to tell his story, but had to reserve it for another day. He started out in his typical boisterous style, but soon realized that it was getting late for everybody. “I’ll need an hour to give the full picture,” he declared before winding up for the day. Still, there was one question that hung heavy: How many people, at age 75-plus, are so fortunate as to be able to speak their hearts out to a receptive audience?
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Yesteryear youngsters are today's veterans. All have had love affairs. Being in Mumbai, their affairs take on a lovely cinematic tinge. Do listen to their stories and relish them. Keep laughing.

DAY 2272

Pic of the Week

Darkness descends as rain clouds gather over the Garden

Very nice weather. Very soon the rains will come. Everybody will enjoy the monsoon and have kanda bhajya, garma-garam adrak-wali-chai and also corn bhajiya at Lonavala. --Dilip Babani

Happy Monsoon! ⛈☔🌈🙌👆--Geeta Latte

What a coincidence! I am not aware when this picture was taken but right now, at 10 'o clock this Sunday morning, it is pouring heavily. Monsoon has arrived with a bang. I am sitting next to the window and enjoying the scene. --Kiran Prakash

When there are dark clouds in the sky you should wear white clothes to the Garden. Otherwise your photos will not come out clear. --Bihari Milwani

Dark clouds, harbingers of rain. Welcome monsoon. Hurrah! --Angad Singh

Musical Morning

Musical medley to mark Sitaram Hivarkar's birthday. Do not miss Bijoy Gupta keeping beat by thumping a chair.

Who would have expected a 78-year-old gent, not in the best of health, traveling alone a good 3 – 4 kilometres from home early morning and presenting himself in the Garden,

Sitaram Hivarkar (r) celebrates birthday with luddoos

in time to usher in his birthday with us?
Sitaram Hivarkar did just that today – much to our immense surprise. We were not expecting him, partly because his birthday is tomorrow and secondly, a worsening arthritic condition that keeps him home-bound much of the time. Moreover, he had stopped coming to the Garden after relocating with family to Four Bungalows last year.
So happy were we on getting Sitaram today that even as he tried to excuse himself, nobody was in any mood to let him go.

Sitaram belts out Zohra Jabeen number

Incidentally, he happens to one of the ‘founding fathers’ of our Club. At the behest of Yusuf Rassiwala, he eventually agreed to sit through the exercises and also conducted the prayers in the end.
After that, there was no escape for Sitaram Hivarkar. For old time’s sake, he was made to sing

Geeta Latte (c) treats us to refreshing tea and rusk

his favorite Manna De number, Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen only to be sucked into an impromptu medley of songs with Vasudev Batheja and Mohar Singh, among others, pitching in for good measure.
Suddenly a dull, rained soaked morning was transformed into a fun-filled celebration of croaking and crooning yesteryear hits in the China Hut. For a change, there was no room for jokes, games or gossip today – such was the magic of Sitaram’s presence.
The revelry peaked with Bijoy Gupta taking center stage and rendering a full-throated ditty to the thumps on a plastic chair. Never mind he got his lines muddled midway. But he was soon up on his feet, this time with a hilarious folksy serenade directed at his wife, Pushpa.
But ultimately, it was Geeta Latte who provided the proverbial icing on the cake. Unknown to us, she had brought hot tea and rusk – something that made for a fitting finale to the hour-long birthday celebration. Nobody looked more pleased about it than the birthday boy himself. And that was our biggest takeaway today.
Geeta Latte:
Many, many happy returns of the day, dear Sitaram Uncle! 💐🎂💐🙏
Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Sitaram-ji. Very nice luddoos...
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
It was very nice of Sitaram to come all the way from a long distance and celebrate his birthday in the Club. Hats off to his efforts and stamina. I wish him good health and a long inning ahead. His songs are always welcome. People wait to hear him and Mohar Singh every week.