Cock and Bull

Bijoy Gupta phones Shekhawat

These days, Bijoy Gupta drops into the Garden not to exercise, but to entertain… and be entertained. We all look forward to his arrival every morning, however late it may be (ref post of September 18). And he never disappoints.
Invariably, it is Shekhawat who is the scapegoat – the target of Gupta’s long-distance prank calls. For he is currently on vacation at his village in Rajasthan. Gupta, for his part, has made it his mission not to allow his friend to spend his mornings in peace.
Shekhawat’s crime, according to Gupta, is to have raised "false hopes" in all Club members for a free road trip to Rajasthan during the Dussehra festival (ref post of August 30). Even the date of our departure was fixed for September 23 – that is yesterday.
So today, with a vengeance, Gupta dialled Shekhawat to inform how people in the Garden felt let down. “They are calling you dhoke-baaz, a cheat,” he charged. “Many of them took up membership on your assurance of showing them your village. They are now demanding their money back.”
Gupta went on to mention some names who have become

Tara Chand Seth is back from Delhi after a year... with a box of crispy cookies

particularly hostile and “have stopped attending the exercises”. He even indicated that Yusuf Rassiwala had stepped in to salvage the situation and pay up the troublemakers from his own pocket!
The background to this is a hilarious cock-and-bull story Gupta created over a series of phone calls to Shekhawat. He painted a rosy picture of how club membership had ballooned to an unprecedented 60-plus with the neighbouring “juice wallah, cobbler, banana sellers, bhaiyya-logs and five beautiful women” wanting to avail of the free trip. “They are all singing praises of you,” he had told Shekhawat.
Whether or not Shekhawat believes all that Gupta says is hard to tell. But one thing is certain: Shekhawat has been taking all his calls and never disconnects. Clearly, he looks forward to Gupta calling him every morning and in effect, derive some entertainment.

Bihari Milwani:
This is called 'Lion-Lioness Laughter' through telephonic communication.

Lt Col Angad Singh(rtd):
It is good that one of the two lions/ lioness is here. Had both been present, they would have torn the China Hut apart and created a huge scene. Wait till Dussehra and let Shekhawat be back. Take them both for raj kachoris! It is nice to also see Tara Chand Seth back. Congrats to him. I wish him a healthy, long life.