DAY 2427

Pic of the Year

'BIRTHDAY BOY' HERALDS A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY, MAITRA-JI. THE WHOLE WORLD CELEBRATES YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY. LUCKY YOU! --Bhaswati Bose

Dafli wale dafli baja, Meri Big Laaf bulati hai. Tu hasaa, hum hasenge... --Bihari Milwani

Happy Birthday Maitra-ji. You gave a nice party yesterday. God bless you. --Dilip Babani

Happy Birthday Maitra-ji. Many happy returns of the day. --Kiran Prakash

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. A special thanks to Blog Monster for his idea of clicking me with the dholok in Assam's Bihu Gaan style. It was really an enjoyable day for me. --Siba Prasad Maitra

Year Ender

A rose from Malika Kagzi...

and from Karun Sharma...

and from Dilip Babani

Presenting the Birthday Calendar

SAYING IT WITH ROSES... TO SIBA PRASAD MAITRA

Eager beavers checking the b'day calendar

2017 came to a close with a predictable bang. It was Siba Prasad Maitra’s birthday celebration today. He was ‘supposed' to be born tomorrow, but such was our eagerness to make a feast of it that we could not wait that long. Moreover, tomorrow happens to be Sunday.
Maitra did not disappoint. He came loaded with goodies like samosas, cupcakes, cake toast

Host of the most

and chaklis – to be downed with hot tea – and treated us also to a variety of songs,

Treating us to some beautiful Hindi and Bengali numbers

in Bengali and Hindi. We reciprocated with a chorus of the birthday song, clapping and dancing, raising a fourth laugh after the exercises and by presenting him his birthday calendar. Bijoy Gupta belted out a cheesy yarana song and before long the train of roses began...
The accompanying pictures capture the all-consuming bonhomie and merriment that marked the occasion.

A rose from Fahmida Khan

Another from Rukhsana Khan

Also from Razia Khan

Geeta Latte:
Bar bar ye din aaye, bar bar ye dil gaye, Aap jio hazaaron saal, Ye hai hamari aarzu... Happy Birthday, dear Uncle 💐

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Maitra-ji, wish you a very happy birthday and an enjoyable year ahead! It was a nice get-together.

Jinxed

Akhles Kumar (r) tries out the toy synthesizer

That the Annual Function is jinxed is beginning to sink into the Club. We missed 2017 when its date was shifted from December 16 to December 23 and then, onward to January 13, 2018. Now that Lohri has got in the way (ref yesterday’s post), a huge question mark hangs over if and when the event is to be held.
Shekhawat however, refuses to take the blame for any of this. He was the one who complained initially for being excluded from the play and had even warned us that the Annual Function cannot be

Shekhawat is possessed by Kadak Singh

held without him. So the ‘Jailor Kadak Singh’ role was given to him, but on the specific condition that he must never enact it in public beforehand so as to retain the element of surprise on stage. “Should you break this vow of silence, the play

Siba Prasad Maitra (l) gets us nalen gurer sandes from Kolkata

will fall flat,” he was told.
Shekhawat listened carefully and forgot all about it the next day. Since then, he has been all over the place parroting his lines to anybody and everybody, as though he was possessed by the ghost of Kadak Singh. Today also, he did the same, least bothered about the uncertainty over the Annual Function. “How am I responsible if Lohri has to fall on the same day?” he reasoned.
But then, nobody is giving up. Yusuf Rassiwala indicated today that January 20 should be a good date to look at in present circumstances. Banoo Apa has got the toy synthesizer working (ref post of December 27) and our music composer, Akhles Kumar turned up in the morning to try it out. Clearly, he was not happy, as the instrument has its limitations.
He has volunteered to bring his 40-kilo synthesizer from home one of these days for the ladies to practice on.

Another Date Change?

Is Angad Singh (in striped tee) 'comfortable' with his lines?

The possibility of our Annual Function being held on schedule receded today when a little bird warned us that January 13 happens to be Lohri. A festive bonfire would be lit up at the Garden in the evening, as has been the practice every year.
Furthermore, if the local Multani Sabha is to have its way, half the Garden would be taken over for the annual Makar Sankranti celebration with religious discourses, blaring loudspeakers and community feasting over the weekend. “In that event, we’d have to push our date to the following Saturday,” opined Yusuf Rassiwala. “But we will have to check with Celebration Club first. Let Kiran Prakash come back on January 3 and thereafter, we shall take a call.”
Everybody agreed this is a “serious matter”, but it should not

Yusuf Rassiwala and Banoo Apa

in any way slacken the pace of our preparations. “Let us continue the way we have been rehearsing so far,” urged Banoo Apa. “Pushing the date by one week will hardly make a difference.”
Banoo Apa had brought two pairs of mojris (“whichever fits”), white sherwani and a majestic ‘Farooq Abdullah cap’ for Yusuf R to wear for his Zohra Zabeen act.

Shekhawat finds a new audience for his Kadak Singh act

So thrilled was the latter that he instantly got into character and started posing around in the tall grey cap. Now he only requires a hanky and a black waistcoat, which Karun Sharma has volunteered to provide.
Meanwhile, Bijoy Gupta narrated the lines he intends to give Angad Singh in the play and in effect, seek everyone’s approval. However salacious and funny they had sounded, Angad Singh did not cringe for a moment. Like a consummate artiste, he dismissed all suggestions of “not being comfortable” with the lines and asked Gupta to pen them down earliest.
As for the synthesiser (ref yesterday’s post), Akhles Kumar did turn up in the morning as he had promised, but could not play for us. Fahmida Khan’s toy keyboard was without power. The batteries had conked out (from disuse) and the instrument will also have to be properly tuned. Akhles Kumar will show up once these problems are fixed.

Kiran Prakash (from USA):
Lohri is an important festival celebrated with much fanfare in Lokhandwala Complex. Even if there were to be no celebration in our Garden, the blaring loudspeakers from adjoining areas will inevitably cause distraction. We should certainly give this a thought.

Karun Sharma:
All for the good if the Annual Function gets postponed from 13th to 20th Jan. Gupta-ji got in drama mode the moment my niece, Priyanka introduced herself. He asked, "Are you Priyanka Chopra?" Before the smiles could die, Kadak Singh arrived.

Trouble Shooting

Trouble shooters discuss possibilities on band-bajaa-baraat

Preparations for the club’s Annual Function next month have reached a point where all that remains now is tying up the loose ends and perhaps, a bit of trouble-shooting. “Pappu pass ho gaya!” exclaimed Nahid Khan today after Bijoy Gupta approved her performance in the skit written for her. She was verily echoing the sentiments of all those engaged in the preparations.
A spot of trouble has however, cropped up over the band which was supposed to perform at the function. Now it appears they are trying to back out on one pretext or the other.

Banoo Apa

After all, we had been expecting them to play for free.
At their instance though, a so-called ‘band manager’ in Navi Mumbai was contacted on phone and this lady sounded somewhat obliging – at least till now. She has however, not made a firm commitment yet.

Shekhawat is relentless... rehearsing his Kadak Singh act 

Efforts are also on to check out our ‘garden friend’ Bunty’s convenience and whether it would be possible for him to perform with his band in our function.
Meanwhile, Shanti Singh today got hold of a music composer, who introduced himself as Akhles Kumar to us. He delineated on what makes an ‘A-grade keyboard specialist” like him ("who plays along as you sing") as against C-graders “who play the instrument independent of what is sung”. All went well till he was told that we would be unable to compensate him financially.
“But we are giving you a platform to perform and you would get a lot of exposure,” explained Banoo Apa, seeing that he had suddenly developed cold feet.
When he did not react, Banoo Apa tried another tact: “You would be treated with respect and introduced on stage,” she persisted.
He remained unresponsive. “We will felicitate you formally…” Banoo Apa continued.
Still no response. “We will give you tea and snacks and treat you to dinner also.”
Akhles Kumar departed, promising to show up tomorrow – but without a keyboard. Fahmida Khan has agreed to get her granddaughter’s toy keyboard for the gentleman to demonstrate his skills before us.

Karun Sharma:
Things are shaping up well for the Annual Day. All acts and dances are now getting sharpened. New group songs and dances are being identified, thanks to Banoo Apa, Nadira-ji, Anees Sir and the dedicated team of Bhaswati, Kajal, Gupta-ji and all Big Laafeans. Enthusiasm is at its peak. Angad Sir is joining us for dance rehearsals and performs with an innocent smile. This is going to be a hit show!

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Everyone is putting his/ her best foot forward to make the event a success. Finance is certainly a drawback. All the same, every possible source is being tapped to obtain the desired resources. Time will tell how far we succeed without splurging.

Taking Charge

Arun Patil holds chai pe charcha outside the Garden date

Arun Patil seems to have taken over from where our former president Mallika Kagzi left. He has a favorite tea shop in Goregaon selling nagori chai. Yesterday he brought some of that tea and shared it selectively with those hanging around after the exercises for the Annual Function preparations. Today, he filled up a huge steel flask and like Mallika, plonked himself right outside the Garden gate and started distributing the tea in styrofoam cups to all and sundry.
On a cold, December morning, nothing could have been more welcoming. But the result was that all those inside the Garden rehearshing their parts abandoned their posts and made a beeline towards the gate before the tea got over. In no time, a large crowd gathered at the spot and Arun was seen holding durbar over cups of steaming hot tea. It took a good deal of persuasion for Arun to be drawn back into the Garden and break the crowd. Needless to mention, half the tea drinkers left for home from there.
But there was also a salutary effect of this disruption.

Abrar, Eram and Ali harass their gran'ma, Nahid Khan this morning 

Arun has now been saddled with a new responsibility for the Annual Function. Given his film background, he has been made in-charge of the make-up and costumes for all the artistes. Most of it will of course, be sourced in-house. For instance, Karun Sharma has already rustled up the props and dress for his highly acclaimed Raj Kapoor act while Banoo Apa is loaning her son’s mojris for Yusuf Rassiwala’s Zohra Zabeen number. By and large, the ladies are managing among themselves. And their make-up should largely be taken care of by our choreographer, Nadira Khan.
The real problem though would arise for the get-up of the jailor and prisoners. According to Arun, no professional ‘dresswala’ (supplying costumes for movies and TV shows) would hire out such dresses because of law and order issues – unless our requisition is accompanied with a film industry card. Arun holds that all-important card. Only he is competent enough to stand guarantee should any prisoner or the jailor in uniform be out on the loose and perhaps, try entering a bank. Wish Arun luck!

Karun Sharma:
I was reminded of a truism upon observing the unalloyed joy of those innocent grandchildren of Nahid. When children are happy, we teach them how to be unhappy. And when they grow into adults, they take lessons on how to be happy. We must learn to be happy from these little children.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Our behavior has changed a lot towards children. Whether we are looking after them at home or helping out in their school activities, we have brought havoc upon them. The result is that our children have lost their childhood. Their innocence has vanished. It is high time we nurture them, give them time and allow them to enjoy their childhood.

Boring Christmas

The Garden was cloaked by a thick fog cover

It’s Christmas once again. While the world celebrated the yuletide spirit, we woke up to a dark, dreary morning overladen with heavy fog. There was hardly anyone in the Garden – just two of us to start the exercises. Later, as the sun rose and people started trickling in, Arun Patil sparked off an animated discussion on whether we were under the cover of fog or smog.
That was all we had by way of Christmas entertainment today. Shekhawat made an attempt to bring some cheer by reciting his “I am Jailor Kadak Singh” lines,

Geeta Latte (l) plays Santa Claus

only to be cut short by Bijoy Gupta. He insisted Shekhawat revise the opening line to “I am a beemar jailor, Kadak Singh”!
A more pertinent issue is that Gupta has yet to hand over Angad Singh’s lines for his role as a sex offender (ref post of December 22). This has only left the army veteran to rue his fate: “They promised they would make me chief guest at the Annual Function and look where I have landed! And still he is not giving me my lines to practice.”
In earlier years, Christmas in the Garden was marked by much merrymaking, cake-cutting and sharing goodies. It used to be always spontaneous and enjoyable. The only saving grace today was some crispy, wafer thin ‘potato biscuits’ Geeta Latte treated us to. She had brought two boxes. Arun appropriated one for himself and decamped.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
This year, X'mas has fallen on a long weekend and many people have gone away on vacation. This is one reason why there was thin attendance in the Garden. Notwithstanding this, Big Laaf had its share of a vibrant session which was enjoyed by everyone.

DAY 2420

Pic of the Week

AT THE 9/11 MEMORIAL IN NEW YORK CITY

On September 11, 2001, extremists flew two aeroplanes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing hundreds of deaths and bringing down the towers. The destruction of the twin towers transformed the city's skyline forever. We are standing at the spot where the twin towers once stood. --Kiran Prakash

'Mujhe thand lag rahi hai, mujhse door tu na jaaa' --Bihari Milwani

Before his time

'Birthday Boy' BIHARI MILWANI (fifth from right) flanked by friends and well-wishers 

Siba Prasad Maitra (r) gifts the birthday rose

People are normally identified by their names. At worst, we recognize them by their physical traits – facial features, voice, even touch.

Karun Sharma gives a birthday hug

But who on earth would identify people by their date of birth?
Well, Bihari Milwani does. His digitized brain reduces cognitive data into numbers and birth dates. So when he had to seek Yusuf Rassiwala out from a crowd this morning, he inquired aloud:

Peering into the birthday calendar

“Where is that 23rd July?”
Seriously. No joking. And believe it or not, Yusuf R responded promptly at the mention of his birth date!
Quite clearly,

Receiving the birthday calendar

Bihari was born ahead of his time – long before anybody could even have thought of something like a PAN or Aadhar number to establish a person’s identity. “You can change your name but you cannot change your date of birth,” was his simple

Cake cutting: Nahid Siddiqui is second from left

explanation.
We ushered his birthday today in the Garden with

Arun Patil (l) gets his share of chocolate

the usual fanfare – from raising a fourth laugh to presenting him the birthday calendar, singing the birthday song and being treated to almond-crusted chocolates.
But there were three stand-out incidents. First, Siba Prasad Maitra thoughtfully brought Bihari a special ‘birthday rose’ to mark the occasion. “He is the only one to gift everyone with beautiful hand-crafted mementos on their birthdays,” reasoned Maitra.
The second incident was fortuitous. In all her wisdom, Nahid Siddiqui had to get a big brown dundee cake which served as a bonus treat. Sure enough, the ‘birthday boy’ did the honours of cutting the cake.
Third, Arun Patil made a surprise appearance this morning. He had disappeared for more than three weeks, pending replacement of his prosthetic leg (ref post of December 20). Till the day before, there was no hope of him getting the new leg any time soon. Obviously, he got lucky since and could make it today.
Bihari’s birthday celebration was a great way to welcome Arun back in the Garden.

Geeta Latte:
Happy Birthday, dear Uncle! 💐🎂💐!

Kiran Prakash from USA:
Happy Birthday, Bihari-ji. And many happy returns of the day. May God shower His choicest blessings and you continue to grow in your personal and professional life.

Karun Sharma:
It was really unique that the Birthday Boy remembers people by their date of birth. May he have a stronger memory, but not forget names also. Cake by Nahid was tasty and timely. Good celebration at the fag end of 2017. One more birthday to close my first year with Big Laaf.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Bihari-ji, wishing you a very happy and healthy birthday. May the Almighty bless you and all your family members and shower good luck in the coming year.

Childhood Recall

Angad Singh is ecstatic

Ever since Shekhawat has been on auto pilot as ‘Jailor Kadak Singh’ (ref post of December 19), his stocks have shot sky high in the Garden. The way he recites his lines at the drop of a hat has won him many admirers, particularly among females, according to Bijoy Gupta. And if anyone should be jealous of the newfound fan following, it appears to be Siba Prasad Maitra. “After all, Shekhawat could get to play the jailor only because I refused the part,” he reminded us this morning.

Shekhawat and Gupta make peace

“The role was offered to me first.”
But this was not the highlight of the morning. It was actually Lt Col Angad Singh’s moment of misplaced glory when Gupta created a special role for him in his play – a prisoner arrested for eve teasing. Now here is a highly respected octogenarian with a regimented army background being made to play a proclaimed sex offender on his stage debut. As Gupta put it, he would be introduced to the audience as “a 90-year-old budhdha nabbed for outraging the modesty of a girl”!
Angad Singh burst out laughing.

Siba Prasad Maitra (l) says he was the 'original' jailor

But he was to soon sober down and narrate an incident from his childhood in a remote Punjab village. “I remember I was in Class 7 and even then I did not know the difference between boy and girl,” he recalled. “There was this girl in my school I was very friendly with as I always took her to be a boy. Imagine my shock when I discovered she was actually friends with my sister and only later, told that she was a girl. I was devastated. But then, those were different times… It was an age of innocence.”
Meanwhile, Gupta and Shekhawat got into a mild scrap over news reports of a notorious godman arrested in Delhi yesterday. Gupta was convinced it was Shekhawat’s name he had read in the papers. And Shekhawat kept correcting him that the name mentioned was “Bijoy Gupta” and wondered how he could show up in the Garden today. Before things took an ugly turn, the two shook hands and patched up.
But this was only a temporary truce, as regular readers of this blog would know.

Siba Prasad Maitra:
I am not at all jealous of Mr Shekhawat. Rather, I am very happy for him and his fan following. Truly speaking, I did not reject the role but considering my irregularities for rehearsal, I suggested the name of Mr Shekhawat, who is more regular. Moreover, I felt he is very much suitable for the role as he is an ex-naval person.

Kiran Prakash (from USA):
I am keeping myself involved with the Club through this blog. Col Angad Singh's childhood story is hilarious. I will not be surprised if Shekhawat-ji, in his usual Republic Day salute, begins with: "I am Jailor Kadak Singh Shekhawat...'!

Karun Sharma:
It was so special to see Col Angad Singh laugh like a child. The innocence was evident in his long laugh. We know what he said was possible 75 years back. Today of course, children at six years of age know a lot about gender differences and sex. Juvenile age has gone down everywhere.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
My introduction in the play in such an innocuous part was so unexpected that I was totally flabbergasted. I could never have imagined myself in such a situation at my age and having rendered meritorious service in the armed forces. I could not contain myself in the precarious predicament, and instantaneously burst out laughing. The girl wearing the dress of a Sikh boy (with a turban to conceal her long hair) used to sit alongside me on the same desk for a couple of years. There has since been a sea change in the children of those days and today.

Life's Lessons

Shanti Singh's son, Sunil fine tunes our singing talent

There are good reasons why preparations for the Annual Function on January 13 assume top priority – more than any other activity in the Club. Even the exercises, the main reason for gathering in the Garden, have ceased to matter.
For one, the function is being held on a shoestring budget and if anything, we are learning to cope within our means. All talent is being sourced internally and wherever external support is required (eg. sound system, band, etc.) efforts are being made to rope them in for free. Whatever is not affordable is being dropped.

Mumtaz Jahan treats us to walnuts

Today, Shanti Singh’s son, Sunil (a professional music composer) gave our wannabe singers valuable tips to sing on scale and in tune. Every evening a choreographer, Najma Sayyed’s sister, Nadira is teaching our artistes their dance steps…
Another important life lesson we have gathered is that it is never too late to learn. Most of our members are hitting 70 (or thereabouts) and none of them

Shekhawat has found an ingenious way to source his jailor's costume

can claim any exposure on professional stage ever. In fact, till the other day, they’d have died a thousand deaths (out of sheer stage fright) at the very mention of having to perform before a live audience. Surely, it takes more courage than conviction for these seniors to now step into the spotlight and showcase some hidden talent.
This is however, not to discount the fun and games accompanying the effort. So excited is everyone that many have already made their own arrangements for their costumes and make-up. Shekhawat, for instance, revealed today his plans to abduct his building watchman and strip him of his khaki uniform which will serve as the dress of a jailor. Yusuf Rassiwala advised him that he might as well get a new outfit stitched as it would save dry-cleaning costs and might even come to use in future.
Shekhawat saw some logic in this, but suddenly did a double take: “Then what about those playing the prisoners? Should they also stitch their own uniform because it might come to use in future!?!”

Karun Sharma:
It's been long that Arun Patil has not joined us. We wish he keeps his patience till he finds his movement. Angad Sir is extremely pleasant and active. I seem to have met him earlier for a small time. I am encouraged by his good health and positivism at this age. Nadira is very good as a choreographer and we all find immense value in her expertise.

Kiran Prakash (from USA):
It was really nice of Sunil to come and help fine-tune our group's opening songs and other music-related items. Shekhawat-ji's ideas are really innovative. I am missing all this.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
The enthusiasm exhibited by participants at the rehearsals, their efforts to get guidance from professionals gratis and the fact that they are willing to help our artistes are healthy signs. We hope the efforts will pay rich dividends on the big day for which everyone is eagerly awaiting.

All Male Show

When the ladies are away...

Disruptions during exercising have become the norm these days. Ever since the Annual Function has been upon our heads (ref previous post), it is fairly common that a bunch of members would abruptly break away from the exercise circle and converge in the China Hut for the rehearsals. As a result, there can be no saying who all would last till the end of the exercises.
Today, we found ourselves in a piquant situation with all the ladies trooping out, leaving only the males to wrap up the exercises. “Never before, in all my 15 years in the Garden, have I seen all the kanyas abandoning the exercise like this,” said a visibly disappointed

Arun Patil

Shekhawat, who was obviously taken by surprise by the sudden exodus.
But there was little he could do about this anyway. The men could not join the females because there was nothing for them to rehearse for, except perhaps Bijoy Gupta’s play. But then, Gupta himself has not been coming to the Garden for the past three days due to ill health. With Kiran Prakash also away (ref post of December 18), the remaining members of the cast are currently on a loose end.
The continued absence of Arun Patil is also being strongly felt. We are told that his prosthetic leg would require a replacement and till the new limb “arrives”, he shall have to remain home-bound. It is now more than three weeks since he has been rendered immobile thus and stopped coming to the Garden. Now it seems that “the leg is coming from the U.S.”, according to his closest neighbour Rukhsana Khan. It should hopefully reach him by this week-end.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
These are days of women empowerment. Nothing to crib about though. Their absence was to make the Annual Function a memorable event. Let us await the big day.

Hilarious Asides

Shekhawat rattles off his 'Kadak Singh' lines

The core group meets to delegate off-stage duties

It would appear like an upcoming family wedding. Almost every member in the Club is now neck-deep preparing for the Annual Function on January 13. Rehearsals are on, morning and evening for over a month. Nothing is left to chance. Bijoy Gupta’s play has been finalized and the actors have memorized their parts. Likewise, the ladies (and a few men) are all geared up with their song-and-dance act. The live band has also been suitably briefed...
Today a decision was taken on delegating off-stage duties – from technical support, programming and sequencing to fixing the caterer, distribution of food boxes, ushering and attending to special invitees and so on. The purpose is to make this a fully participatory event with every member in the Club involved in one way or the other.
The upshot of this is that all those who were hitherto acting hard-to-get have suddenly turned over-friendly in their desperation to be featured in the function. Nothing wrong with it, but for the unpleasant task of weeding out sub-standard ‘talent’. For instance an elderly lady, with pretensions of a Lata Mangeshkar, had to be told tactfully to banish the thought of being a singer. She insisted on sitting for an audition, but couldn’t sing to save her life. Instead of telling her bluntly that she had murdered her song, Banoo Apa pointed out gently: “Yes, you can sing, but you are singing in a different tune!” How much more polite can anyone get?
Meanwhile, a gag order has been imposed on all actors of Gupta’s play – the idea being to retain an element of surprise till the actual enactment on stage. But Shekhawat is so excited with his role of a bumbling jailor that he simply cannot be restrained into keeping his mouth shut. Given half a chance, he would take off like a loose cannon: “I am Kadak Singh Jailor, I shall set everybody right…”
The ensuing performance has become the cause of much hilarity these days.

Kiran Prakash (from USA):
Reading today's blog gave me immense satisfaction and pride. The participation of every member will certainly make the event great. I may be away but my heart is always there with all of you. I am also carrying the script of my skit to prepare before I join you back.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
It is good that all members are taking a lot of interest in making the Annual Function a memorable one. Certainly it will be appreciated by everybody.

Back and Forth

Lt Col Angad Singh

Welcome back!

Kiran Prakash

Our dearest and most revered senior, Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) was back today in the Garden after nearly a year. He had left us abruptly under extremely unfortunate circumstances upon receiving news of the death of his son-in-law in Bangalore. Within days, his wife passed away. He has since been shuttling between Bangalore and his home town Mohali and only now, was he able to join his son here in Mumbai. Having obviously weathered many battles in life, the army veteran did not let his emotions play up this morning and took part in the exercises, his face beaming as always. He even brought us a box of delectable date barfis to celebrate the reunion.
On the other hand, we had Kiran Prakash saying his good-byes yet again as he sets forth on a trip to the United States. He leaves tonight to celebrate Christmas with his son’s family in New Jersey and is expected back on January 2. We wish him and his wife an enjoyable and safe journey.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
I feel very happy and proud to be in the company of my dear colleagues of Big Laaf. It gives me immense pleasure to be back. Thanks everybody for welcoming me open-heartedly after a long gap.

DAY 2413

Pic of the Week

Arrey, why fight? Just wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY today... and make up.

They are not fighting. They are only asking for proof of birth as everyone is wondering how Kajal Babani could be born on a Sunday when everything is closed. --Bihari Milwani

Many, many, many happy returns of the day, dear Kajal-ji. --Geeta Latte

Happy Birthday, Kajal-ji. God Bless. --Siba Prasad Maitra (on WhatsApp)

Happy Birthday, Kajal. --Pushpa Gupta (on WhatsApp)

A very Happy Birthday Kajal ji. Wishing you a long and happy life. --Harish Wadhwa (on WhatsApp)

Happy Birthday, Kajal. --Kiran Prakash (on WhatsApp)

Happy Birthday, Kajal. --Bhaswati Bose

Wishing Kajal-ji a very happy, healthy, wealthy and enjoyable birthday. --Angad Singh

Dense Fog

Exercising on a foggy morning

A thick blanket of fog hung over the Garden early morning, reducing visibility to near zero. But that did not bother anybody. It was after all any day better than the wet spell following a cyclone scare mid-week. Who likes to exercise in the rain on a cold, winter morning?
The improved weather conditions ensured a fairly decent turnout for the exercises (or maybe, this was because it happened to be the week-end). Still, there were many who were missed this morning. Nahid Khan, we hear, is away to attend the wedding ceremony of her friend, Laxmi Hadimani’s son at Mahabaleshwar. Yusuf Rassiwala apparently hasn’t yet recovered from the back problem for which he’s been advised complete bed rest.

Manisha Kolhe

Naseem Khan has just got herself a pacemaker for her heart. Arun Patil is still home-bound as the replacement for his prosthetic leg has not yet arrived… And Manisha Kolhe, it appears, has vanished into thin air.
Last heard,

Iyengar cake boxes for everyone from the Boses

Manisha had gone to her maternal home at Nagpur and was supposed to show up at the Garden soon after Diwali. She did, but only for a couple of days, driving to the gate in a spanking new scooter. That was more than a month back and since

Siba Prasad Maitra

then, there has been no trace of her (or the scooter). The reason we all missed her this morning was that it happened to be her birthday today.
The other cause for celebration today was Siba Prasad Maitra’s 43rd wedding anniversary. Once again, it had to be in absentia while we raised the customary extra laugh after the exercises. Significantly, were it not for Bihari Milwani and his timely reminder, we could have missed out on the occasion. Hats off to his phenomenal memory and above all, here’s wishing the Maitra couple once again, many years of joy and togetherness ahead.

Kiran Prakash:
Happy Birthday Manisha and many happy returns of the day to Mrs and Mr Maitra. We missed you all. May God grant His choicest blessings on you.

Siba Prasad Maitra:
I just saw today (12/12/2017) after Milwani-ji told me about my picture in the blog. My sincere thanks to all the members (especially Milwani-ji) for remembering my wedding day and celebrating with an extra laugh in my absence. Your love and remembrance has really touched me. Thanks once again.