Postponed Indefinitely

Deliberating on the  possibility of going to Alibaug

When Bijoy Gupta broke the "bad news" today morning

As surely as night follows the day, a postponement, if not cancellation, is sure to follow every time a picnic is announced. At least one hiccup has become the norm with our Club. And just as you cannot change the laws of nature, nothing can change this unwritten rule of Big Laaf!
The National General Strike called tomorrow in protest against the “anti-national policies of the government” has put a spanner in the works for those of us planning a two-day vacation at Alibaug, beginning January 8 (ref yesterday’s post).
“Even the banks are closed,” announced Bijoy Gupta, breaking the news this morning. “Shiv Sena has also joined the bandh. Chances are there will be no ferry service to Alibaug tomorrow. Why do you want risk going against the toofan (storm)? Better go later, on some other day.”
Having proved himself to be a spoilsport yesterday, Gupta was not taken seriously. Zarina Khan was particularly dismissive and insisted on paying her contribution for booking the hotel, as had been decided yesterday. Others came similarly prepared.
The general refrain was that “having made up our minds to go to Alibaug, there is no question of retracting now”. Otherwise the trip will never materialise. For some peculiar reason, Gupta wanted to scuttle the trip and that must not be allowed to happen.
The group members conceded that one handicap they suffered from was that there was no male travelling with them. “It does not mean that we ladies are incapable of dealing with a problem should it arise,” Zarina argued. “How are we any less than men? We shall cross the bridge when we come to it.”
The heightened sense of optimism received another jolt when news came in on the Gateway of India (from where the ferry services ply) being currently out of bounds. Thousands of protesters were gathered there since Sunday expressing solidarity with the students of JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi) who were brutally assaulted by a gang of 'mysterious' goons.
This sealed the matter. Nobody wanted to take chances now. The general consensus was to “postpone the picnic” till the situation turns peaceful.

Bihari Milwani:
Thank God, the picnic is cancelled. Otherwise there would have been a two-day 'strike' at our club.