Punctuality Overdrive

Arun Patil impresses upon the need to be punctual for the exercises

Arun Patil today went on an overdrive to enforce discipline in the Club and pulled up every person, one by one, who turned up late for the exercises. He urged them to be punctual from tomorrow and warned that such errant behavior will not be tolerated in future.
Responses ranged from apologetic noises (“I overslept today”) to downright defiance (“I am not a 7’o clock person!”) with a majority conceding that being punctual “is for one’s own good”. As Nahid Siddiqui put it: “It is in our interest that we should be here on time. But what to do, when I cannot wake up to the ring of the alarm?”
In a Club where punctuality is observed mostly in the breach, Arun Patil’s initiative today was long overdue. It started with Nahid Khan remarking casually before the exercises that our daily turnout was on the decline and that discipline had gone to the dogs.
The issue snowballed into the need to enforce punctuality and starting with Bhaswati Bose, every latecomer was upbraided by turn. At one point Yusuf Rassiwala tried to diffuse the situation but kept his counsel

Bijoy Gupta narrates the script of two skits he has prepared for Holi 

upon realizing that the habitual late comers were setting a wrong example and had vitiated the atmosphere in the Club.
Indeed, people like Bijoy Gupta, Qadeer Banu, Khatoon Baig and several others known to be sticklers for time (even coming early on days) have started showing up 10 to 15 minutes late. In fact, both Qadeer and Khatoon objected to being unfairly singled out and challenged Arun to likewise pull up those who’d be coming later. Only Gupta was man enough to admit his lapse and promised to make amends.
But in the end, everybody understands that this is all an exercise in futility. Even Arun realizes that there is nothing he can do if the compulsive late lateefs continue to cock a snook at him. “The biggest tragedy is that everyone here feels that the Club cannot survive without them,” he admitted. "They know very well we will succumb once they threaten to quit." Tara Chand Seth echoed the fear thus: “What will you do when people start leaving the Club one by one?”
So long as this fear persists, nothing will ever come of any disciplinary action.

Bihari Milwani:
Arun should announce that those who come in time will be given Cadbury chocolates. I am sure everyone will become punctual thereafter.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Early birds should be given prizes. Maybe, this will bring about punctuality. All the same, the late-comers are definitely losers. They miss the precious morning oxygen in the air and suffer when they inhale pollutants from the increase in vehicular traffic.