DAY 2685

Pic of the Week

What does she want? Why's she behind bars???

She wants somebody to bail her out for the only single murder she has committed. --Yusuf Rassiwala

Are you sure it was not a DOUBLE MURDER? --Bhaswati Bose

OMG!!!😱😱😱😱😱 --Geeta Latte

She is not behind bars but inside beautiful bungalow and asking Auto Driver not to park in front of the gate. --Bihari Milwani

Wife Wanted!

Bijoy Gupta

Rukhsana Khan

Rukhsana Khan today jumped out of her skin when Bijoy Gupta, in full public view, accosted her with the question: “Will you be my wife?”
Anybody, in any other place, would have immediately taken offence. But Rukhsana smiled. She understood Gupta's compulsion. And all others within earshot figured out the context in which he had made such an 'indecent proposal'.
Gupta is desperately short of actors for his play to be staged at the Annual Day function this December. It is a husband-wife comedy (with a sultry, seductive girlfriend thrown in) and over the past one week, he has not found a single person willing to play any of these parts.
Rukhsana however, agreed to sit for a 15-minute narration of the script outside the China Hut and finally gave her verdict: “I won’t be able to memorise any of those lines,” she declared. “The lines are too long.”
This was neither here nor there. “Nobody is saying ‘no’ to a role, nor is anybody saying ‘yes’,” Gupta flared up. “What am I to make of this? If none of you are interested,

Unusually low attendance for a Saturday morning

why do you tell me to keep on writing? This is not some kind of joke. I have three plays ready right now. I can’t possibly be acting in all the parts. Where are the other actors?”
Gupta’s concern is genuine. We were supposed to have a crucial meeting today (ref post of September 22) to take stock of the talent available in the Club, but in view of low attendance, it proved a non-starter. “Don’t compel people into something they are not interested in,” Banoo Apa warned. “Otherwise they’ll back out during the rehearsals or make your life hell. We faced this problem last year.”
In the absence of any initiative, interest, aptitude or ability, Arun Patil came up with a simple Plan B. “Why don’t we utilize the funds for Annual Function on a paid picnic to Khandala?” he suggested. “You can have your play, skits, songs and dances… whatever you like there. You may even combine a few sporting events and celebrate Sports Day as well. This way, we’d kill two birds with one stone!” Coming from the Hon'ble Secretary, this certainly provides food for thought.

Punishing Humidity

Sitaram Hivarkar returns

Sitaram Hivarkar finally made it to the Garden (ref post of September 26). But it was a bad day to show up. A brief downpour last night had turned the morning air heavy with humidity. It had become near impossible to exercise – so drained out were we. Never before – at least, in living memory – had we been literally reduced

Invoking the sun god on a humid morning

to a pulsating mass of sweaty bodies, desperately gasping for breath.
Yusuf Rassiwala suggested that we rather disrupt the exercises and migrate to the China Hut en masse to exercise under the fan. As expected, Arun Patil vetoed the idea. But had we moved out, we would have got to meeting Sitaram inside the hut and saved him an arduous 20 minute extra walk to the spot where we were exercising.
“It took me almost an hour to walk down from home,” Sitaram said. “I needed to take a breather in the China Hut as my knees were giving way. After an autorickshaw accident last year, I am no longer able to walk as before. The pain is excruciating. Much of the time at home, I have to remain supine on a bed.”
Still, like the good old days, he led the prayers this morning and even managed to perform a few tai-chi numbers with us. We raised an extra laugh to formally welcome him back. “Now that I have shifted here, I shall be regular for the exercises every morning," he promised. “This is like another home-coming.”

Old Age Blues

Santosh Tyagi

Khatoon Baig

Tara Chand Seth

Sitaram Hivarkar did not come today (ref yesterday’s post). Something would have got in his way or else, he had clean forgotten. He wasn’t taking calls in the morning to say if all was well with him.
At age 79, Sitaram is no longer in control of his life. Like Shekhawat, he is a Navy veteran and draws a handsome pension. But domestic pressure, doctors’ restrictions, personal insecurities, etc. have robbed him of the ability to decide for himself – something that affects us all when we hit the threshold of dotage and dependence.
Take Khatoon Baig, another senior who has stopped showing up for some time. We are told that she is undergoing physiotherapy and on doctor’s orders, must not continue with her morning routine in the Garden. So even as she wants to (incidentally, she used to be among the most punctual) she cannot join us these days.
Tara Chand Seth offers another case in point. Nudging 90 years, he used to be the fastest walker on the walking track till recently. A nasty fall

Naseer Putani Shah (l) celebrates the birth of his 'chokre
ka chokra' with aflatoon

in the bathroom earned him a walking stick. But he remains cheerful as ever and had even made a trip to Delhi last week. He has however, lost the strength in his legs to climb the incline of the road bridge that leads to the Garden. Still, every other day, he promises to visit us.
There are several others in the same boat – all victims of circumstances with age catching up slowly, but inexorably. This is a reality forced upon us, without exception. Some are able to successfully fight the blues, as Santosh Tyagi did. She had developed an inexplicable mental block that kept her homebound for months on end. She even wanted to discontinue her Big Laaf membership.
“I used to dress up every morning, all set for the Garden, but change my mind midway and take the lift back home,” Santosh would narrate. This continued till one fine day, she “forced” herself to break out of the inertia. Much to her surprise, she was welcomed with open arms and upon being invited to play an active tole in the Club activities, a sense of belonging set in.
Today, Santosh stands out as not only a regular, but more punctual than most of us.

Bihari Milwani:
Someone should arrange surprise parties early morning. All will become youngsters then and be present in the Garden before the start of the exercises.

Good News, and Bad

Sitaram Hivarkar (l) greets us outside the Garden

Shekhawat curses his fate over breakfast at home

First the good news: Sitaram Hivarkar is back and will be exercising with us again. “I have shifted to Shantivan,” he said, greeting us outside the Garden gate. “I’ll try to join tomorrow itself for the exercises. How is everyone in the Club? I have been missing you all."
As a ‘founding father’ of Big Laaf, Sitaram used to conduct our exercises regularly till about five years back. Domestic compulsions made him relocate to Four Bungalows from where it was obviously difficult to commute to the Garden daily. Nevertheless, we kept in touch, allowing him to retain his membership and had also felicitated him on his 75th birthday (ref post of June 20, 2014).
Today, for his age, Sitaram looks unusually bright and more robust than what we had seen of him last. He has developed a knee problem though and requires a walking stick to move about. “Otherwise I feel fit and fine,” he said, flashing his trademark smile.
Now for the not-so-good news: The problem in Shekhawat’s chest (ref post of September 18) has relapsed. So acute is the pain that after leaving for the Garden this morning, he had to retrace his steps back home. “I cannot bear it any longer,” he gasped over the phone. “How much more do I have to suffer? I do not know what to do about these doctors.”
A small group from the Garden, led by Banoo Apa, paid him a courtesy visit. He was having his breakfast, but appeared to be in a belligerent mood. “I have a good mind to file a case of medical negligence against the doctors,” he said. “It’s been five years since I had the bypass surgery. And till date they cannot set right the problem of removing sutures. My son also insists on going to court.”
Shekhawat’s wife however, is against any litigation. She believes that the priority should be to address the problem at hand and later on, after full treatment, go to the press. She recounted the harassment the family has been through due to sheer incompetence on the part of the doctors. “They ought to be exposed in the media,” she asserted.

Bihari Milwani:
To remain happy, my personal experience has been to keep away from doctors and advocates. It is not advisable for Shekhawat to go for litigation. Further, in the event he loses the case, it will be more painful.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is nice to know that Sitaram Hivarkar is back. It will be good to have him as a regular member. So far as Shekhawat is concerned, for him the priority should be to get proper treatment. Health is more important than going to court. He should not waste his time and rather get proper treatment.

Surround Sound

Keeping count during the tai-chi round

Rukhsana Khan has, for long, held the distinction of being the loudest among us while counting during our tai-chi round. No one can outshout her in the Club. Naheed Siddiqui attributes this extraordinary feat to Rukhsana religiously gobbling two hard-boiled eggs daily, before coming to the Garden!
Whatever the truth behind this, Bijoy Gupta has taken Naheed’s word seriously. For, he too now believes that it is impossible to deliver a full-throated shout until your stomach is full.

Movie Poster: Stree

So when a painfully shy and soft spoken Urmila Sinha was doing her count during the tai-chi round today, Gupta pounced upon her: “How many times have I told you to eat something before coming to the Garden? How can you count on an empty stomach? We can’t even hear you.”

Movie bugs plan today's outing

The sudden outburst startled Urmila, instantly sending ripples of laughter all around. Arun Patil took over, followed by Banoo Apa also doing what she called a ‘full-belly” count. When it was Bhaswati Bose’s turn next, Yusuf Rassiwala opined that she had been starving since last night. “She is dieting,” Siba Prasad Maitra corrected him.
Quite clearly, the emphasis of the tai-chi exercises has shifted to volume control in a competitive surround sound scenario. Everybody is expected to raise their voice during counting to level with the loudest in the circle and in a peculiar way, reveal personal dietary habits. How this pans out shall make for good entertainment and much hilarity in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a delegation is setting out to watch Stree, the current blockbuster in town. Billed as a “horror comedy”, it has Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in the leads and credits Amar Kaushik, a newbie as director. Shekhawat, Yusuf R, Bhaswati, Santosh Tyagi, Banoo Apa and Gupta, among others are heading to PVR Icon (Infiniti Mall) today for the noon show.

Bihari Milwani:
The best and surest way of making loud sound is smoking. It is my personal observation that those who smoke have a very loud voice. Further, vegetarians can’t have eggs but they, as well as non-vegetarians, can smoke. Thirdly, how can Gupta-ji suggest anyone to have eggs during the shradh period?

Surprise of Surprises

Bobby (l) and Nadira (r) give Nazma a bite of birthday cake

Nazma Sayed dropped in today to celebrate her birthday with us. It was an excuse. And a big surprise to us. Her birthday had come and gone about three weeks back. Given her delicate health condition we did not make an issue of her absence then (ref post of September 5). But we surely missed her, just as much as she did. As she was to tell us later, she could not

NAZMA SAYED

summon the confidence to make it to the Garden and spend time with us.
Today was a different day. Much to our astonishment, Nazma was

Shekhawat gives Nazma a bite

there in the China Hut -- wheeled in by son, Bobby and sister, Nadira – even before we could get over with our exercises. They waited patiently, ready with a big birthday cake. Since it was drizzling off and on, Shekhawat was already there to give them company.
The explosion of joy on meeting Nazma after what would seem like ages was a sight to behold. It was verily a reunion of sorts. A table was hastily drawn up to her

Rukhsana distributes pedas from a trip to Ajmer 

for cutting the cake, the

Yusuf R thanks Nazma for everything

shutterbugs got cracking, everybody pulled up a chair, candles were lit and amid a lively chorus of the birthday song, Nazma cut her cake. And then began the medley of film songs led by Banoo Apa, Karun Sharma, Bijoy Gupta and others.
The joie de vivre and spontaneity of it all made the celebration special. It was full of heart. So overwhelmed was Nazma that she could not hold back her tears. “I have never been so happy in years,” she sobbed. “If only I knew this was to be how you would all receive me…”
Yusuf Rassiwala and Banoo Apa comforted her saying that the feeling was mutual -- that we were as much pleased as she was. Once again, let us all wish her good health, happiness and the very best in life.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is nice to see Nazma after a long time. I wish her good luck and great health. May God keep her happy.

DAY 2678

Pic of the Week

QUICK, ADD A CAPTION PLEASE.

THE PIED PIPER? --Bhaswati Bose

Pani ki botal mein daru bharta, phir bhi Arun kehta, 'Mein teatotler hoon'! -Bihari Milwani

Inhaling energy for the week! --Angad Singh

Set the Ball Rolling

Siba Prasad Maitra (second from left) conducts the meeting

A preliminary meeting to explore possibilities for the Annual Function in December was held today. Convened by Siba Prasad Maitra, it was marked by low attendance, mainly due to the untimely rain early morning. Nothing was lost though, the idea being to set the ball rolling for the event less than three months away.
At the outset, Banoo Apa registered her protest against the non-cooperative attitude of a section of the Club during the last Annual Function and the gaalis she got to hear. “I too had to take a lot of flak,” added Kiran Prakash while Bhaswati Bose complained that no one took her side when she was being repeatedly badmouthed. "That was what hurt me most," she said.
Maitra however, tried to make light of the situation saying that in every group, anybody in the forefront or taking some initiative should be prepared to face criticism. “But we must leave all that behind and look ahead,” he urged. “Otherwise we shall remain stuck in the past and there will be no progress.”
To this Banoo Apa’s suggestion was that in all fairness, everyone

Banoo Apa treats us to Muharram Sharbat after the meeting

ought to be given a chance and fresh blood be inducted to organize the function this year. “That way, we shall have the benefit of new ideas and inputs,” Bhaswati chipped in. “Left to ourselves, we shall repeat the same ghisa-pita ideas and remain stuck in the past. We would rather step aside this time.”
It was also pointed out that holding the Annual Function is meant to strengthen the bonds our members share together rather than to drive a wedge among them. Reacting to criticism would only have led to bitter altercations and even split the Club. We must therefore desist from abusing anyone as also picking up someone for selective praise. The function, after all, is the result of collective effort and nobody deserves to be slighted or unduly complimented.
In conclusion, Maitra announced that we need to invite all members who would like to volunteer their services (rather than pressurizing anyone) and out of the pool of talent available, chalk out a programme for December 8. A meeting in this regard may be convened next week-end.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is good that a beginning has been made by convening a preliminary meet. Surely it will fructify in a good celebration of the Annual Day. Best of luck!

Practical Jokes

Santosh Tyagi checks on the woman
lying under a tree on a bench 

Bijoy Gupta did not show up today. The only conclusion we could draw was that he had chickened out after Santosh Tyagi’s unexpected challenge yesterday (see post). Gupta does not usually take a day off. He is among the most regular and punctual members of the Club. So all conjecture on his failing to get hold of the ‘mythical boy’ was not completely off the mark.
Still, Siba Prasad Maitra attempted a face-saver by declaring during the exercises that he had spotted Gupta outside the Gate, apparently on the lookout for the young chap. “I saw him looking around frantically,” he informed amidst rousing laughter.
Clearly, Maitra was making a point: Gupta alone does not have a monopoly on cracking practical jokes. We all have a funny bone and are capable of pulling a fast one on others, once in a while. For instance, someone today inquired about a white cat seen lying immobile under a bush.

Siba Prasad Maitra (c) calls for a meeting tomorrow to
discuss plans on the Annual Function in December

It was the same stray Khatoon Baig used to get milk for till recently.
We were dreading the worst when Arun Patil came up with an instant answer: “Don’t worry, it is pregnant!”
True or false, nobody went up to check. But the explanation was comforting and more importantly, it established that nothing escapes Arun’s hawkish eyes and that he had a ready answer to everything. So his attention was immediately drawn towards a woman in the distance, lying immobile under a tree.
By association, we were expecting Arun to be once again dismissive and perhaps, even call her pregnant. But no such luck. Before he could open his mouth, everybody burst out laughing and Arun kept his counsel. Later, Santosh and Urmila Sinha went on to check the lonely, bundled figure in red under a tree. It seems there’s nothing to worry. All’s well that ends well.

Turning the Tables

Santosh Tyagi throws a challenge at Bijoy Gupta

For a change, Kiran Prakash conducts exercises today

For all his natural exuberance and joyfulness, there’s one aspect about Bijoy Gupta that defies explanation. He is never one to ever give up on anything easily. If something gets into his head, he would pursue it relentlessly to its logical end.
The latest bee in his bonnet is the prank he had played on Santosh Tyagi last week (ref post of September 12). Little did Gupta expect that the latter had turned wiser since then. And by reviving the ruse this morning, he would only be walking into a trap of his own making.
As in the past, he created an air of suspense, promising to disclose some “good news” after the exercises. When the exercises were over, he started playing for more time – in effect, raising everybody's curiosity. “No, I’d rather keep it for tomorrow,” he teased.
Finally, when Santosh insisted that he come out with it there and then, Gupta hesitantly informed that he had met the same boy this morning and he looked quite haggard and heartbroken.
“He said he had not slept for several nights and if only I could get him an intro…” Gupta narrated sheepishly. "If Santosh-ji agrees, I will give him her telephone number."
“No problem,” Santosh shot back. “But don’t give him my telephone number. Most of the time, I keep my mobile phone locked in an almirah. Better bring him here in front of me. Let me check him out in the Garden itself.”
Taken aback, Gupta was at a loss for words. That Santosh had suddenly turned bold and brash and could turn the tables on him was something he had never bargained for.
He mumbled some gibberish about getting the boy to the Garden tomorrow and quickly changed the subject. His awkwardness was however, not lost on anyone. Now, for better or for worse, he must produce that mythical boy in front of Santosh, or else...

Bihari Milwani:
The 'Tenali Rama' of BIG LAAF at the receiving end? Very bad!!!

Wet Wednesday

Shekhawat leads the prayers in the China Hut

Mumbai is not yet done with the monsoon this year. At 5:00 in the morning, the heavens opened up. And it continued to pour heavily for the next two hours, thereby causing in a severe dip in attendance.
We were just three in the China Hut at the start of the exercises. Slowly, one after another, people trickled in, Shekhawat among them. He had kept his word (yesterday’s post).
“I said I’d be in the Garden early morning,” he declared with an air of triumph. “The operation is over and there was no reason for me to hang around in the hospital. I will go next on October 3 to get the stitches cut and a final dressing. Till then, I am not supposed to exercise, but I shall be coming to the Garden every morning without fail to check on you.”
Much as this ‘fauji bravado’ raised many eyebrows, nobody wanted to dishearten Shekhawat. Only Nahid Khan had a word of caution, advising him not to take chances at his age especially during the rains when the roads are slippery.

Bijoy Gupta (l) has loads of questions for his friend

“You ought to be taking rest at home,” she counseled. “How could your family let you loose in this weather?”
But Shekhawat was undeterred. He held a mini durbar after the exercises, detailing plans of going to his village (in Rajasthan) next month and leading an entourage of 15 old ladies to Ayodhya, Mathura, Vrindavan, etc. He would return in the first week of November and resume his exercises only thereafter.
Clearly, Shekhawat was trying to make light of his operation as though it was no big deal. He explained that the infection and pus formation on his chest were due to the sutures (after his cardiac by-pass) that did not dissolve and were not removed either. Day-before-yesterday, the raw sore was cleaned up in 45 minutes and now he is fighting fit. There was no skin grafting.
Bijoy Gupta however, had a load of questions for his friend: “Is it true that you had made a pass at a young nurse in the hospital and the doctors chased you out yesterday?” “Why is it that you are suddenly looking so youthful and handsome?” “Can’t I get the same operation done on myself?” “I also want to look young and sexy...”
Unprintable as they were, Shekhawat’s replies may best be left to imagination.

Karun Sharma:
Shekhawat's smile broadened when he saw his buddy coming in. He was quite restrained today as taking breath even could stretch his wounds. We must mentally prepare ourselves for such discomfort as this could happen to any of us, anytime.

Bihari Milwani:
Why did Shekhawat not exercise today? Was it because none of his saalis were there?

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is good that Shekhawat is back as a cheerful person. We all wish him good health. At the same time, he must understand that he cannot fight age. He ought to be careful now. It does not pay to be foolhardy.

Operation Successful

Shekhawat (file photo)

Shekhawat’s operation has been a success. The inflammation arising from the infected sutures on his chest was cleaned up last evening and he is currently recuperating at INS Ashwini, the naval hospital in Colaba.
“The operation was done at 3:30 p.m. under local anesthesia,” Shekhawat informed on phone. “There had been a major pus formation and I lost a lot of blood also. But the worst part is the

Siba Prasad Maitra (second from rt) explains the medical procedures
 Shekhawat is likely to undergo

throbbing pain after the operation. I am in terrible agony. I do not know what to do. And the doctor has left for the day.”
Apparently the attending nurse on duty had been instructed to give a painkiller and sleeping pill only after dinner – at bedtime. Shekhawat’s wife, the only person from the family to be present by his bedside, was at her wit’s end and pleaded helplessness.
However, this morning Shekhawat sounded better as he could get a good night’s sleep (under sedation, of course) and had a proper breakfast as well. He was being administered an injection (for the pain) as he spoke, his voice still breaking in short, labored gasps.
“The surgeon is expected to drop in before lunch,” he said. “They haven’t said how long I am supposed to stay in hospital or if there are any more procedures to follow. Hopefully, I should be discharged in two or three days. I will know for sure after the doctor sees me.”
Let us hope and pray for the best. Shekhawat has suffered enough.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is good news that Shekhawat has been successfully operated upon. I wish him speedy recovery. Hope he will be able to join the club soon.

Bihari Milwani:
It seems Shekhawat-ji did not get his dream nurse. Hence he has recovered very fast and will be back in the garden with his old saalis.

Breaking News:
SHEKHAWAT IS BACK HOME -- AT 6:00 P.M. HE WILL BE AT THE GARDEN TOMORROW MORNING!

Unscheduled Treat

Banoo Apa treats us to a refreshing round of lassi after the exercises

The ladies gang up to tease Bijoy Gupta for his youthful looks

The turnout today was a joke. From a total of 22 on Saturday, the number dropped to less than half this morning, instantly setting several tongues wagging.
No names were mentioned, but amid all the snide remarks and knowing smiles it had become patently clear how membership in the Club had become a ‘meal ticket’ for many – particularly, the habitual last comer(s). For they are the ones least interested in the exercises.
“I know of many who carry a birthday list with them,” explained Banoo Apa, as she poured us an ‘unscheduled treat’ of chilled lassi from home this morning.
Luckily for us, we could have more than one refill because of fewer people today. And as always, there was more than enough to go around. “What should I do taking any leftover home?” she said, as she poured out the last drop among us.
More than it being unscheduled, the treat came as a pleasant surprise to us. And the credit, if any, should go to Bijoy Gupta.
For once, he showed up in the Garden without a cap, displaying a full head of hair, much to the astonishment of the ladies. They all crowded around him fawning over the manner he could maintain a rich crop without a single strand of grey.
“You have kept yourself exceptionally fit and youthful,” Banoo Apa complimented him. “Your wife ought to be mighty impressed by your looks!”
As is his wont, Gupta started complaining that she, like all wives, never had a kind word for him and for the most part sits on his “head and shoulders” dictating terms day and night.
Before he could go any further, Banoo Apa cut him short and consoled him with an invitation to the Gate for a round of lassi. We became beneficiaries by default.

Karun Sharma:
Yes, Gupta-ji was at his handsome best. Fortunately for him there were more ladies than male admirers today.

Bihari Milwani:
Gupta-ji unwittingly gave us a very good hint: Allow your wife to sit on your head and you will look young and handsome with dark black hair!

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Dear sir(s) -- Wives are always sitting on the head. They exercise full control by virtue of being married to you. Let them continue to do so and you also, must enjoy life.

Day 2671

Pic of the Week

THE ENCHANTED GROVE

Kiya khoob lagti ho, badi sunder lagti ho! --Anonymous

Even Sun God admires 'Miss Beautiful' of BIG LAAF --Bihari Milwani

Chehra toh nazar nahi aata, bande ko kya khubsoorat aur kya sunder laga?--Yusuf Rassiwala

A Saturday Birthday

'Birthday Boy' Bose with wife

Unlike yesterday, there was no downpour today. Neither did we have to put up with a monsoon shower of mosquitoes and assorted flying insects. Instead, it rained love… and more love in the Garden as Bose Babu celebrated his birthday with friends and well-wishers this morning.
A Saturday birthday is rare -- and always special.

Siba Maitra presents a red rose

Banoo Apa presents two stalks of lily

For, whenever it happens, we usually have a blast. And so it was today. Being a week-end, nobody was in any hurry to leave. We had all the time in the world to play the fool.

Shekhawat leaves to be hospitalised
tomorrow for a critical surgery

Bijoy Gupta belted out one filmy hit after another, followed by Banoo Apa coming up with a rare vintage melody. She had yet another surprise in store as she produced two large stalks of cream white lily with a beautiful message, on behalf of Big Laaf, penned in Urdu.

A warm hug from Ved Prakash Grover

Bijoy Gupta belts out a film song

Earlier on, Siba Prasad Maitra gifted a red rose amid the usual chorus of singing and clapping to the birthday song. But more than anything else, it was the spontaneity of feeling and generosity of affection on display that made the celebration memorable.
The only dampener was that Shekhawat had to say his goodbyes today before he gets himself admitted to the naval hospital in Colaba tomorrow evening for his long-overdue surgery (ref post of September 1) on the chest. We wish him good luck and a speedy recovery.

Bihari Milwani:
New work starts after invoking Lord Ganesha and seeking his blessings. New day starts with inviting Bose Babu and seeking his laughter. Coincidentally, this year Lord Ganesha and Bose Babu share their birthdays within the same week in a gap of 48 hours!

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Happy Birthday, Bose Babu. It is nice that everyone enjoyed the get-together. A healthy sign. May you live long. And the Club members and others enjoy the blog. Keep smiling.

Siba Prasad Maitra:
Today's birthday bash was exceptionally well. A big number of members attended the party after exercise. It speaks of the love and affection of the members towards Mr Bose. Happy Birthday, once again. Stay blessed.

Geeta Latte:
Lovely birthday party 🎂👍 Happy Birthday dear Bose Uncle 🎂💐💐

Power Play

Clapping under a tree -- defying Lord Varun, the rain god

How can you celebrate Ganapati (yesterday’s post) without the rains? Raining during the festivities is taken to be a sine qua non. It did not rain yesterday, but today the weather gods more than made up for it in the morning. They tried to disrupt our exercises, but we dug in our heels. At Arun Patil’s instance, we continued defiantly – briefly taking shelter under a tree towards the end. It was, as Bihari Milwani observed, Lord Varun versus Lord Arun!
Emboldened by his triumph over the rain god, Arun began to throw his weight around. Today his target was Nahid Khan, who, for some reason had been needling a meek middle-aged lady, Urmila Sinha. The latter is not a member, but joins us for the exercises

Arun and Banoo Apa pacify Urmila Sinha (c)

every day without fail. Since she is new, Arun has been taking pains in correcting her at every move, which, in Nahid’s opinion, is a total waste of time. She believes that the lady is a bird of passage and there’s no point paying special attention on her.
Apparently this morning, Nahid had said something hurtful to her and she, with folded hands, said she would rather not come to the Garden from tomorrow. It was a trivial matter which could be resolved on a one-to-one within minutes. But Yusuf Rassiwala, followed by Banoo Apa, stepped in to console her and then Lord Arun rolled in to put his weight solidly behind Urmila Sinha. Nahid had meanwhile disappeared. In effect, what emerged by way of damage control was an emphatic assertion of who’s the boss and why nobody’s opinion matters during the exercises -- least of all Nahid’s -- except Lord Arun’s.
Amused, Yusuf R tried to put the latter on check, but to no avail. “I am the master,” Lord Arun insisted.
“You may be master of the school,” Yusuf R retorted. “But I am the principal here!”
The poor lady beat a hasty retreat, confused as ever by the inexplicable power play.

Bihari Milwani:
I am glad that positive vibrations overpowered the negative vibrations and brought a big smile on poor Urmila.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2018

Bal Ganesh

It was Ganesh Chaturthi today – the day the elephant-headed deity was born. For the next ten days celebrations would continue, culminating in a mass immersion of

Rahman with mother, Nahid Khan

hundreds of thousands of Ganesh idols across the country. In between, smaller idols installed by the devout in their homes would be immersed every other day in a phased manner.
In the Club we know that Santosh Tyagi, Siba Prasad Maitra, Kiran Prakash and a few others have brought Ganesh home. So their absence in the Garden this morning could be understood. But what about the rest? We were no more than three to start the exercises.

Banoo Apa (r) brought us revdis from Ajmer Sharif

All those like Yusuf Rassiwala, Bhaswati Bose, Khatoon Baig and Rukhsana Khan, who would otherwise be present, were nowhere to be seen today. Even Hari Singh Shekhawat had done the vanishing act – reportedly, to answer an urgent call of nature!
But there were two positives. Banoo Apa, who was away in Rajasthan for the past few days, returned with a bag of crunchy revdis for us. She had visited the shrine of Ajmer Sharif with her sister (who is here from Paris) and family. She also had a lot of interesting stories, both good and bad, to narrate on the trip.
The other interesting development was the visit of Nahid Khan’s son, Rahman for the first time. A tough looking, but (actually) shy young man, he is a fitness freak and happened to drop by since his gym was shut on account of Ganesh Chaturthi. He did not want to miss his exercises. Nahid proudly introduced him to us and insisted on posing together to be photographed.
So here they are -- mother and son in the same frame, for keeps.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Ganesh Chaturthi is not only a religious function, it played an important role in our struggle for Independence. It is good that Nahid's son was present today for a change. Good news.

Anticlimax

Bijoy Gupta (in green t-shirt) pulls a fast one on Santosh Tyagi (second from left)

It was typically a case of mounting suspense, ending in an anticlimax. Till that bathos occurred, we were all on the edge, wondering if things were fine with Santosh Tyagi. But Bijoy Gupta kept reassuring us that there was nothing to worry about. “On the contrary, you'd be overjoyed when you hear the news,” he spluttered. “Wait, I'll tell you after the exercises.”
Gupta even made us raise a fourth laugh in anticipation of the “good news”. Ordinarily we do not take the man seriously. But today, his wife Pushpa was present. And Santosh was behaving rather strangely, an inscrutable smile on her lips adding to the mystery. She neither dissuaded nor encouraged Gupta from keeping the suspense alive.
Finally the moment came. As we eagerly gathered around to catch the ‘breaking news’, Gupta revealed (with much drama) that he had met a young, handsome man near the Garden this morning. “He wanted to know about a certain tall, fair and beautiful lady who exercised with us daily,” Gupta informed. “He wanted her telephone number.”
By then many had guessed that Gupta was pulling a fast one. “He even compared her looks with Madhubala,” Gupta persisted. “And here, I kept wondering who he was talking about. Then it struck me in a flash. There is only one person among us who fits the description perfectly!”
Santosh blushed as everybody broke into applause. Gupta’s narration skills had won us all. No offence was taken -- just that Santosh turned her back to Gupta with a dismissive wave, “You are just…” She did not complete her sentence.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Mr Gupta is a past master at playing pranks and creating suspense. It is not easy to beat him. He proved his skills today also and everyone enjoyed. Well done. Be always humorous.

Anonymous:
I have read that love knows no law. Today I discovered that love has no age bar also.

Dress Code

Bijoy Gupta (l) showing off in front of Shekhawat

Yesterday, Bijoy Gupta appeared rather quiet and withdrawn, probably out of concern for his friend’s health (see post). But today, upon seeing Shekhawat hale and hearty, he was back to his exuberant self. It was clearly out of joy. And how does he display this?
He pulls up Shekhawat, questioning him on his sartorial taste!
“Why are you in your bedroom clothes?” he hollered. “Aren’t you ashamed to be in a vest? And what is that chaddi (shorts)? I can’t bear the stench. You wear it to the toilet and come wearing the same chaddi to the Garden... Stay away from me!”
Shekhawat is not one to argue with Gupta and obediently moved to a bench – knowing well that Gupta would soon gravitate to him in the course of the exercises. But Nahid Khan and Arun Patil had already got the excuse to reprimand Shekhawat for not turning out “decently dressed” – more so, when there were women present in the group.

Praveen Bhai (r), a Club friend celebrates
his birthday with chocolate bars

Tara Chand (c) treats us to cookies from
a popular bakery in Delhi

This gives rise to the question of what constitutes being “decently dressed” and by extension, whether we ought to abide by a specific dress code? Who decides?
In the first place, it was not as if Shekhawat was in his underwear. He was in normal brown shorts and white collarless T-shirt that he had worn countless times to the Garden earlier. All Gupta needed was an excuse to pull Shekhawat’s leg and make an issue out of a non-issue.
As of now, the only imposition we are putting up with is the blue Club cap to be worn daily. There is also an old and almost forgotten diktat of having to wear green on Wednesdays and white on Saturdays. By and large, we are free to wear what we like, when we like, regardless of any consideration of uniformity, appearance, decency or indecency. Each unto his/ her own. And this is how things have been for 15 years.

Bihari Milwani:
Today Shekhawat was in mourning over the 9/11 terror attack. That is why he came in a white t-shirt. Due to Arun’s uniform cap code, he also put on the cap. We must appreciate this old man’s memory.

Anonymous:
Shekhawat-ji is stepping into the shoes of Gandhi-ji.