Any Place Picnic!

Zarina Khan

A special 'any-place-will-do picnic' is being organised for the benefit of Zarina Khan. She has to leave for Qatar on October 17 to be with her grandchildren and before that, she wants a day picnic from the Club by hook or by crook. After much deliberation, it was decided to zero in on Madh Island on October 14 (next Monday).
To be fair, Zarina is not the only one insisting on a local picnic. Bijoy Gupta, Banoo Apa and a few others are equally eager to set out, simply because it’s been quite some time since we last went on such an outing.
With Zarina, things have been slightly different. Ever since her efforts to join a rival group to Amby Valley were rebuffed (ref post of October 7), she has turned

Bhaswati Bose distributes Bijoya sweets

exceptionally determined at making a picnic happen.
Interestingly, our earlier plans of persuading Shekhawat to sponsor the trip were not even discussed as we could lose time in the process. Gupta was sanguine that it would be futile making any such attempt. Instead, it would be better for members to contribute equally towards the expenses once the destination was decided.
Silvassa was a hot favourite after Yusuf Rassiwala visited the place recently, but the four-hour bus journey was a deterrent. Alibaug was also discussed and again the journey, whether by boat or road, looked formidable. In both cases, the excursion would entail overnight stay – something not many were keen on.
Ultimately, after considering all odds, Madh Island seems to be our best bet. The question now is at which resort (if at all) and the per-head costs. But then, these are matters of detail which should be resolved tomorrow, hopefully.