North-East Bound

Banoo Apa (l) wishes Kiran Prakash a happy trip

The Club today gave a warm send-off to a small group leaving tonight on a week-long tour of the far reaches of north-eastern India. Led by Bhaswati Bose and comprising Kiran Prakash, Naseem Khan, Zarina Khan and a few outsiders (read non-members) the group would embark on a nature trail from tomorrow morning and is expected to return to Mumbai on March 15/ 16 (post-midnight).
Broadly, the tour would cover some of the most remote but picturesque locales for nature lovers – including Cherrapunji, the Dawki river basin, Mawlynnong, Kaziranga, Umium Lake, etc. with a jeep safari, a Brahmaputra cruise

Tara Chand Seth

and an elephant safari thrown in at places. For those unfamiliar with the hidden treasures of the North East,

Arun Patil (ext left) explains too much

this could be a trip of a lifetime. There would also be city sightseeing tours of Guwahati and Shillong as an added bonus, by default.
Meanwhile, a minor scrap broke out this morning in the Garden with Arun Patil tightening the screws on recalcitrant members. For some reason, an otherwise reticent Qadeer Banu took umbrage (believing she was being unfairly singled out) and took Arun head-on after the exercises.
Amused at the spectacle, Tara Chand Seth couldn’t help speculating if Arun’s aggression these days was the effect of some goli (pill) he could be secretly taking every morning. “Do tell us what goli you are taking,” he chided Arun. “I too will start taking it from tomorrow before coming to the Garden.”
The lighthearted remark from a respected senior was enough to diffuse the situation, especially after he was made to repeat his query.