Food Fiesta

Naheed Siddiqui (ext rt) serves tea after a round of date-biscuits and wafers

Call it a belated celebration of the International Women’s Day yesterday. Or an exercise in overeating ahead of the Holi festival tomorrow. Either way, it was a joyous spectacle of food, food and more food, even before the exercises began today.
Word had already got around about “free idlis being distributed at Garden No 4” since early morning. And much to our surprise, Naveen Bhai (a garden regular and friend of the club) deposited a big parcel of idlis – two-to-a-packet with chutney – on a bench close-by for us to be consumed after the exercises.
But Naheed Siddiqui intervened and started to distribute ‘date-biscuits’ brought from Saudi Arabia along with potato wafers, followed by hot, home-made tea. In between, Banoo Apa began serving an assortment of crispy bhajiyas and pakoras. And if these were not enough, there was Ashok Punjabi (another garden regular

Ashok Punjabi(l) gets ghewar for us

Banoo Apa(c) prepares plates of assorted fries

and well-wisher of the club) waiting in the China Hut with a box full of ghewar – a Holi speciality. Such was this problem of plenty for us that many like Shekhawat, Kiran Prakash and Qadeer Bano took the easy way out. They quietly slipped away without telling anyone.
But the more engaging part of the morning was Bijoy Gupta getting cornered by Zarina Khan. He had assured her on Saturday (see post) that he would bring a copy of the newspaper

Bijoy Gupta now targets Sayeeda Sayed(c) 

in which Zarina’s photograph presenting a bouquet to Johnny Lever was published.

Zareena Khan(r) warns Bijoy Gupta

Little knowing that Gupta was pulling a fast one, Zarina dutifully informed her people – not only at home but also in the U.S. and Qatar where her sons are based. “Just wait till they get to know how you have fooled their mother,” she threatened Gupta. “They are all 6 feet-plus. My youngest son is 6’3”. He will pick you by the scruff of your neck and simply toss you out!”
Rather than being cowed down, Gupta turned his attention towards Sayeeda Sayed and pulled another fast one: “Johnny Lever was very much impressed by you,” he said in all seriousness. “He asked your name and told me that if this beautiful girl comes every day, I will join the club.”
Gupta assured Sayeeda that he was not lying this time!