DAY 2853

Pic of the Week

PROOF: MONSOON HAS ARRIVED... WITH A BANG!

Rain tests your consistency. I am happy that in spite of the rains, I am able to reach Big Laaf grounds, complete my exercise in 6 inches deep water and meet my walking targets as well. --Karun Sharma

Well said, Sharma-ji. It is in the spirit of true sportsmanship that you have been coming in the rains for the exercises. Others should follow your example and enjoy the monsoon. --Angad Singh

Wet Weekend

Waiting for the rain to stop...

Incessant rainfall all through yesterday and the night and this morning had turned the Garden into one vast shiny expanse of slush and slime. Not a soul was visible on the walking track.

Left high and dry on a wet morning

At one point, half way into the exercises, there were counted eight individuals in the Garden – all from our Club!
The low attendance led to what we were dreading most – scrapping of the Eid Party at High Point Restaurant scheduled this morning.
There were of course, voices of dissent with many ladies demanding indirectly that they be ‘rewarded’ for braving the inclement weather and reaching the Garden on time. Shekhawat and Karun Sharma were restrained from leaving immediately after the exercises.
Some like Nahid Khan and Rukhsana Khan insisted upon sticking to the original plan of setting out to High Point, regardless of how many people reported for the exercises. Some others suggested we schedule the party next week when hopefully, the weather would improve.
Eventually Bijoy Gupta took over the discussion and proposed that instead of High Point, why not combine the Eid celebration with a picnic? “In any case we haven’t gone on a picnic for a long time,” he pointed out. “So let us put the money budgeted for the Eid Party into the picnic and the balance expenses be collected from members.”
Somehow, the idea clicked instantly. Zarina Khan was even prepared to put in her contribution right away. The place was also decided there and then – Saina Resort. It is now for Shekhawat how he wants to take this forward.

Karun Sharma:
Picnic is long awaited. There should not be any x/y/z-cuse now. Only date is to be decided.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Monsoon is a season for celebration. A picnic is quite relevant on this occasion. Enjoy and keep laughing.

Distressing

Bijoy Gupta (file photo)

The effects of advancing age, domestic neglect and extreme weather conditions are telling on our Club members. More importantly, a sense of utter helplessness has seized us all and robbed many of their natural ability to laugh.
Take Bijoy Gupta’s example. He is 75-plus and has contracted what he describes as "a mysterious disease”. Consequently, his visits to the Garden have become erratic. Today he woke up in time but realised he could not take even a step from bed. His knees had given way. Using the toilet, bathing, wearing clothes, etc. have become excruciating.
It all started in mid-April when he developed sleeping problems that kept him awake during night and listless through the day. When the “English medicines” prescribed by doctors

Shekhawat narrates tale of woe

did not work, he resorted to self-medication with ayurvedic pills. Miraculously, they helped and he could get his full night’s sleep.
Meanwhile he developed another problem – joint pain which he ‘somehow managed’ with pain killers. Soon their effect wore off. Again he took to self-medication ("half English dawai and half desi dawai") and now admits he has landed himself in a major mess. “Which doctor to trust?” he asks helplessly.
Shekhawat presents another case in point. Of almost the same age as Gupta, he has been running from pillar to post for relief from the skin infection in his chest (ref post of May 7). In between, he started to lose weight rapidly such that he is no more than 40 kilos today. He feels nauseous, weak on the feet and looks a pale shadow of his former self.
Yesterday, his son referred him to a dietician who promptly prescribed “medicines worth Rs6,000 and charged Rs3,000 as fees”. Thereafter she directed him for a series of pathological tests that cost him Rs4,000. He will be visiting her again today with the test results, only to be punished by another load of medicines and a humongous bill.
Shekhawat has smelt a rat as the medicines are nameless concoctions the dietician prepares herself. He is also at his wits' end as to how the earlier lot of medicines were prescribed prior to any medical test. “But then, what can I do?” he pleads.

Bihari Milwani:
The lions, after fighting each other, are injured and almost 'caged' at present.

Karun Sharma:
Both the gentlemen were most active and lively. It is extremely important, but difficult to remain healthy in all aspects -- mental, physical, social and spiritual. Physical discomfort affects us most. We pray they both recover from their low phase and live like the kings they were.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
We all have to undergo physical ailments. It is always better to consult a good physician for such issues. At the same time, it is very important that with all our problems we should have some activity to keep ourselves busy. The Club is one place where we can indulge in a number of pranks and be happy. Be regular in for the exercises, keep a pet, play with children do some social service or any other creative work. If nothing else, learn a language. But most important keep coming to the Club and keep laughing. This is free medicine, available in abundance.

Late and Low Key

Rukhsana Khan presents Nahid (in black) the birthday calendar

Nahid Khan today received a special birthday calendar from the Club commemorating her first international tour. She was part of a 15-member group that visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (ref posts of June 22 and 23) earlier this month.
The design and formatting of the calendar was a deliberate departure from the norm of showcasing events and incidents in the Garden involving the birthday boy/girl during the 12 months just gone by.
Rukhsana Khan did the honors in a brief and low-key presentation ceremony this morning.
For the record, Nahid Khan had celebrated her birthday last Thursday with regular fun and fervour (ref post of June 20), even as she did not receive her calendar on the occasion. This was because of an inordinate delay in sourcing photographs on the trip and compiling them, followed by a long-drawn printing/ production process.
The week-long delay, thankfully, has been worth it.

Harbinger of Rain

Zarina Khan (c) treats us to a box of chocolates from Doha, Qatar

Today, a potential subject for Travellers’ Tales (ref post of June 22) turned up, but we had to abandon the idea. Zarina Khan distributed chocolates to mark her return from Doha, Qatar and insisted she would not speak about it.
“Frankly, I do not know what to say,” she said matter-of-factly.
Zarina explained that she had not gone there as a tourist because Doha is much like a second home to her. Her elder son is settled there for years and ever since, she has been dividing her time between Mumbai (where she is with her younger son) and Doha on a regular basis.
This time she had gone to spend the month of Ramzaan with her grandchildren there.
“Doha is not new to me,” Zarina elaborated. “That apart, I had no reason to stir out-of-doors as I am quite content being with my grandchildren. The kids are growing up and have become very attached to me. But then, there are my grandchildren here also who were missing me. So I needed to come back for them.”
Zarina is back at a good time because the worst of summer is over. The weather has turned quite pleasant now – in fact, it was dark and cloudy this morning and if news reports are to be believed, monsoon should descend upon us any moment now. In that sense, the lady is proving to be a harbinger of rain.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Qatar is a small country. But it is an oasis of peace to those who visit it for the first time to enjoy its scenic beauty.

DAY 2848

Pic(s) of the Week

Singapore... and Kuala Lumpur, here we come!!!

Night Safari -- tram ride

Gardens by the Bay

Sentosa Merlion

Royal Guard

S.E.A. Aquarium

Sultan's Palace

Outside Singapore's oldest Chinese temple

Outside Batu Caves

Batu Caves

War Memorial (Kuala Lumpur)

Cable car ride

Where there's a will...

Catching up with breath

Chilling out on the streets

Holiday in Singapore... and Malaysia (June 10 - 15, 2019)

Lovely... 😍 all pictures 👍👍 --Geeta Latte

Wow! Trip of Ladies, for Ladies, by Ladies. Dekho ji dekho, sunlo ek baat, jeewan mein ek baar aana Singapore! --Bihari Milwani

Wow! Paisa wasool and more! --Muhammad Farookh

Wow! Lovely pics of Singapore! --Harish Wadhwa

Travellers’ Tales: 3

Bhaswati Bose (from left), Nahid Khan and Nahid Siddiqui 

In continuation of our series on ‘phoren returned’ members (ref posts of March 25 and April 1), it was the turn of Bhaswati Bose, Nahid Siddiqui and Nahid Khan today to speak on their recent trip of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. They were part of a 15-member group that toured the two cities between June 10 and 15, 2019.
As expected, the discussion took off on the ground they could cover – an itinerary that included the usual touristy sights of Sentosa Island, Gardens by the Bay, night safari (in Singapore) and Genting Highlands, Batu Caves, city tour, etc. (in Kuala Lumpur). They also spoke of their hectic time table, shopping opportunities, hotel stay, food they got to eat and so on.
But what impressed the audience at China Hut this morning was the sense of humour these ladies exuded while narrating the ‘side shows’. Nahid Khan, for whom this was the first overseas trip, had still not got over the “small date palm trees” she saw in Malaysia, the huge litchis she gorged

Session in progress at the China Hut

on, or the fact that unlike others, she could travel on the upper deck of a double-decker aircraft to and fro.
Her biggest concern though, was of getting separated from the group on foreign soil. “Every time we stopped for shopping, I was seized by panic,” she revealed. “What would happen if any of us got separated from the group? At Genting for instance, the moment the cable car stopped, everybody rushed out and bikhar gaye (scattered away). Some went for shopping, some to the casino, some simply disappeared… I tried to keep track, but it was impossible. Sure enough, Gulzar’s family and Rani were missing when we left the place.”
Nahid Siddiqui, in contrast, was struck by the discipline and civic sense of the locals. “You won’t hear any car honking, however heavy the traffic. There was no garbage, no dirt, no litter on the roads. Even public toilets were spick and span, no foul odour at all. You won’t find a beggar

Checking tour photos on Bhaswati's mobile

anywhere or a person in tatters. No wonder those from India who have settled there, do not want to come back.”
However, she had suffered a nervous hiccup when the Customs and Immigration authorities at the Malaysian border did not allow her in. Her finger prints did not register on their system. In the process, the group was left stranded for an hour or so. She was put through multiple checks till a senior officer took pity when she complained of her “shoulders aching” (by repeatedly pressing her fingers on their machine) and let her through. “But they held back two foreigners who were in our coach,” informed Bhaswati Bose.
As group leader, Bhaswati too had her moments of anxiety, mainly at keeping her flock together. But unlike the rest, she managed to savour some local cuisine (eg. 'curry cut rice') and play at the casino (and lose). For more details on the trip, don’t miss the photo montage in tomorrow’s Pic(s) of the Week.
Post Script: Today's session was hosted, courtesy Karun Sharma and Banoo Apa (as well as Saroj Muni). They were the ones to treat us generously to hot-hot tea and savories. Banoo Apa also wrapped up the session by expressing her happiness on the trip going off well and that everyone could return safe and sound.
"I hope I would be able to join you all on your next trip," she added in her concluding remarks.

Kartika Rani:
Thanks for the lovely blog. Even I was mentioned in the travel story. A big thank you and hug from my side. Will try to connect on more of such international tours.

Karun Sharma:
It was a well-organized, structured and well-delivered travel talk. We were able to visualize the positives of the trip and felt like accompanying the group on a future trip.

House Full!

Siba Prasad Maitra (r) compliments
the two Nahids

After ages, we were witness to the China Hut being packed to its rafters. Siba Prasad Maitra, Kiran Prakash, Fahmida Khan, Nahid Siddiqui and many others who were not to be seen (for various reasons) since long, suddenly showed up this morning.
This came as a pleasant surprise, but the happiest was no doubt, Shekhawat. "What has happened today!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "What brings so many people to the Club today? So far we have been going through a drought... This means we are in for good times!"
The man who has made a habit of keeping count of the daily attendance had been bemoaning the progressive decline

Shekhawat happily makes his way out

in numbers of late, largely due to Ramzaan and the onset of monsoon. The change in weather had also left many members indisposed. So to find a full house this morning was beyond his expectations.
To top it all, there was his bumchum Bijoy Gupta also (though he turned up late). As Nahid Khan put it, "Shekhawat khush ho gaya!"
There were other reasons to be happy also. Nahid Siddiqui was reporting after a recent trip to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and had brought us chocolates to mark her return.
Her namesake (and also co-traveller in that group tour), Nahid Khan was celebrating her birthday today and she too had a good treat for us -- packeted biscuits and a refreshing bottle of cool, flavored milk.
What more can anyone ask for after a gruelling one hour of exercising in terribly humid conditions?

Another Milestone

Bihari Milwani (second from right) distributes chocolates

Today we crossed another milestone.
Significantly, none of us were aware of it, but for one man. And it was only after he text messaged the Blog Monster last evening that we woke up to the realisation that this blog is completing nine years: "We do clapping 108 times. On 19th June 2019, our blog will be completing 9 years i.e. 108 months (9 x 12 = 108). This calls for a fourth Big Laugh. I will come to the Garden in time with a packet of Perk tomorrow!"
You guessed it -- the man to send this message was none other than our human computer, Bihari Milwani. He kept his word, brought double-double chocolate bars for each one of us and we raised a fourth laugh to mark the occasion. Had it not been for his timely reminder and the celebration that followed, today would have been like any other day at the Club.
But more than that, what does not cease to baffle us since is how can it be humanly possible for someone to keep track of something like a blog completing 108 months and that too, correlating it with the 108 claps we wrap up our exercises?
Incredible as this may seem, it is a word inadequate to describe Bihari Milwani. We are all aware of how he keeps track of everybody's birthdays and wedding anniversaries in the Club. We are told that he is similarly cued on the landmark events in the lives of his office colleagues. Today he casually mentioned that he is also aware of the birthdays of the people residing in his building complex -- all this when most of us are at pains to remember our own anniversaries.
When asked about this extraordinary talent, his reply was typically dismissive: "It's god's gift!"

DAY 2844

Pic of the Week

In keeping with the spirit of Eid... at BIG LAAF

Is Eid a festival for females? Why are only ladies hugging each other and gents just watching??? --Bihari Milwani

Personality Traits

Banoo Apa

Yusuf Rassiwala

So it was the last day at the Garden for members of the Singapore-Malaysia group (ref post of May 27) before they take flight tomorrow evening.
Mohammad Gulzar and family, Lakshmi Hadimani and a few others joined Bhaswati Bose, Naheed Siddiqui and Nahid Khan for a general briefing and tete-a-tete ahead of the week-long trip.
Banoo Apa, ever kind and considerate, treated them all (as also the rest of us) to glassfuls of chilled litchi and guava juice by way of a ceremonial send-off.
But the highlight of the morning was a fascinating game of character study played in the China Hut with Banoo Apa and Yusuf Rassiwala unknowingly revealing their personality traits. Ostensibly an entertaining time-pass, the game probes into the sub-conscious and proved quite revelatory to the participants themselves.
For those keen on the details, here’s a peek into mental make-up of the two participants:
Banoo Apa: Comes across as deeply family-oriented, valuing loyalty and good looks (particularly the eyes) over all else. She places a premium on fairness of complexion and the beauty of white as a colour. She is also conscious of her looks and the kind of impression she makes on people.
Yusuf R: Unlike Banoo Apa, looks do not matter to him. Instead intelligence, usefulness and loyalty are values he cherishes. He knows he is regarded as a person who is “useful from all angles” and cannot easily be “taken for a ride”. Being smart and active, meaning no harm to anybody and having a good sense of hygiene are other personality traits associated with this gentleman.
For reasons of individual privacy, further details are withheld.

Back to Normal

Bijoy Gupta and Shekhawat are at the far end... confronting each other

As is well known, Bijoy Gupta never misses an opportunity to get on Shekhawat’s case. And now, having fully recovered from whatever was ailing him (ref post of May 31), he is back to being his belligerent self and giving Shekhawat a hard time.
Today, for some strange reason, the latter's t-shirt raised Gupta’s hackles. It was a plain, old maroon t-shirt that Shekhawat has worn to the Garden at least a dozen times. But to Gupta, it was special. In fact, he found it obnoxious – a “goonda t-shirt”, as he put it.
“How dare you come wearing this goonda t-shirt?” he charged Shekhawat, just as

Eid Mubarak: 'Imperial Highnesses'

the exercises started. “You think you can run your goonda-giri here? Go home right now and change that t-shirt!”
Shekhawat initially protested, even accusing Gupta of shamelessly wearing (his wife) Pushpa’s t- shirt today. Before long he succumbed to the feral attack and meekly picked up his little sling bag while making his way out. “I am going home,” Shekhawat said.
Naturally he wasn’t allowed to and with the intervention of Yusuf Rassiwala and Rukhsana Khan , Shekhawat quietly retraced his steps. He had won a moral victory, not to mention the sympathy of all those witness to his plight.
But Gupta wasn’t letting go easily. He launched a fresh onslaught, weaving a cock-and-bull story of Shekhawat going shopping last evening and buying himself the maroon t-shirt, primarily to impress some of his lady friends.
Nobody of course, believed Gupta. But the way he kept insisting, narrating the story time and again to whoever cared to listen, held us on stitches all morning.

Eid Reunion

Banoo Apa (standing) is also back... with a box of soan papdi

Ramzan is over and as expected, things have got back to normal in the Garden. Many who were fasting (or otherwise compelled to remain homebound) during the holy month have started reporting for the exercises from today.
China Hut buzzed with activity, laughter and loose talk rent the rafters and a sweet aroma filled the air. Everybody was in a merry mood. Banoo Apa distributed sweets to celebrate what was more like an Eid re-union for Big Laaf.
“Moonh meetha karo!”

Bihari Milwani

she said affectionately, proffering a box of soan papdi.
“I feel so liberated today,” remarked Nahid Khan, as usual one the earliest to turn up at the Garden. “Over the past month it felt so suffocating indoors – one couldn’t step out, the heat was so unbearable... uff it was sheer torture.”
Shekhawat however, had a brief appeal to make: “It is nice to have you all back. I cannot say how shameful it was for us last month to be no more than three or four to start the exercises. I request you all to be more regular and on time from tomorrow.”
One person we have been missing all this while (and not because of Ramzan) is Bihari Milwani. Turns out his wife, Sunita has hurt herself badly at home and he has been nursing her since. “She misjudged the distance of the wall while reaching for support and crashed on the floor, taking her body weight entirely on the right shoulder,” he narrated. “Luckily there has been no fracture or serious injury. But I have to tend to her before leaving for work in the morning.”
He promised to drop by in the Garden tomorrow.

Eid ul-Fitr - 2019

After a particularly desultory month, Eid ul-Fitr dawned at the Garden on a happy note. Not only had attendance hit double digits, we got to sample a special sweet dish from Tripura to mark the occasion. Bhaswati Bose treated

Bhaswati Bose treats us to special sweet dish from Tripura

us to the delectable chhanar payesh upon her return from Agartala.
The past 30 days have been as challenging as it were distressing. There were mornings when we almost abandoned the exercises for want of participation. Ramzan had robbed us of a sizable chunk of members and to add to our grief, the weather had turned intensely hostile. The heat wave continues unabated.
If we could survive this spell (without casualty or a single break) it was purely because of the whole-hearted dedication and commitment of a handful of senior members. They were the ones to have held fort all this while and kept the show going – even as attendance had dipped to an embarrassing three at times!
But then, there is also the proverbial silver lining in the form of a few new entrants who have kept us company off and on. The most consistent among them have been Saroj Muni, Manoj Motwani and Kamla Trivedi. They appear serious and are also enjoying the exercises. But whether this would translate into regular membership, only time will tell.

Day 2839

Pic of the Week

Why is he trying to frighten everyone?
(Photo Credit: Kiran Prakash)

Unlikely. He is the most lovable person. Seems he is frightened. But why? --Kiran Prakash

Tirchhi nazar wale, tera moonh kala... sorry, sorry, Tera beard kala! --Bihari Milwani