No Laughing Matter

Shekhawat exercises in white vest

Shekhawat unwittingly submitted himself to being the butt of many jokes when he turned out in a white vest this morning. He obviously thought nobody would notice, but Yusuf Rassiwala was the first to catch him out: “You believe that’s a t-shirt you are wearing? It is a ganjee. What were you thinking when you left home wearing this?”
“Who cares?” Shekhawat said dismissively. “Chalta hai!”
“Does your wife know you were wearing this to the Garden?”
“She must have been fast asleep when he left home,” Nahid Khan interjected. “He leaves at 5’o clock in the morning, when it is still dark. He saw something white hanging in the darkness and came wearing it to the Garden.“
Before long other ladies turned up and they were even more unsparing. “What is this Shekhawat-ji, you forgot to wear your shirt today!” Bhaswati Bose exclaimed unbelievingly.
“At this rate, one day you will forget to even wear your pants,” another lady remarked cheekily.
Shekhawat decided to turn a deaf ear to the comments flying thick and fast.

Dwelling into matters of serious concern

He had realized by then that there was no point trying to defend the faux pas. “Let’s hope he’d have the good sense to at least keep his undies on, or else…”
To be fair, memory lapse is not Shekhawat’s monopoly alone. As most members in the Club are well into their seventies or thereabouts, we have been witness to instances of forgetfulness (in varying degrees) with everyone every day, just that nobody talks about it. Muddling up names, places or dates is all too common, not to mention failure to recognize faces or say, forgetting to zip up.
It would be inappropriate to name names here. But on a more serious note, it is time we consider introducing, as part of our daily regimen, certain brain games or exercises to stem memory loss and sharpen mental alertness. After all, a healthy mind is as important as a fit body.
Bihari Milwani:
This is an expression of 'love' for the Club. It is much like (if not identical to) the show put up by the great Greek scientist, Archimedes when he jumped out of the bath tub and ran across town stark naked, shouting 'Eureka'! The rest is history.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Forgetfulness is normal with advancing age. However, its effects can be curtailed with certain brain teasers and by doing mental exercises. There are examples of people appearing for post-graduation examinations at the age of 97. So there is nothing to worry. Use your brains, stay active and remain mentally alert.
Karun Sharma:
Many of us fail to remember a name or number. Rather than punishing yourself for the loss of memory, do slow down a bit and stay happy. Small meditation exercises also help in controlling the riot of stray thoughts. Focus instead on important thoughts.