Teachers’ Day 2013

Hearty felicitations to Nahid Khan on Teachers' Day

That we make for an unashamedly famished and greedy lot is a well-established fact. Shorn of all civility, we do not hesitate to remind one another for birthday treats well in advance. Should a birthday girl or boy come empty-handed, s/he is promptly needled, “Looks like you forgot to get something.” (Ask Monthi Serrao, she had to encounter this once!)

Nazma Sayed is overwhelmed by all the attention on her birthday

And when you come lugging a box of sweets, there are people who would mischievously pop the question, “What’s in that box?”
Today, Nazma Sayed was to discover that the bar had been raised for her birthday. Her friends wanted to know why she did not organize a lavish phapda-jalebi party. The lady had come with a box of barfi and explained that she did not want to hassle anyone with running up and down for freshly-fried phapda-jalebi. “Besides, Grover-sah’b said we don’t have parties in the Garden any longer,” she added.
Grover denied saying anything of the sort, which was only to give Razia Khan & Co a handle to tease Nazma further until it was settled that anybody could celebrate with any number of parties and there would always be takers among us. The point is, such liberties can be taken only with a person who shares a certain emotional closeness with us and is not offended by the playful jibes. Nazma not only retorted gamely to every teaser but was so overwhelmed (see pic) by all the love and affection showered on her that she nearly broke into tears.
But the high point of the morning was really the surprise felicitation accorded to Nahid Khan – today being Teachers’ Day as well. Of all those who conduct our exercises, she is by far the most consistent, diligent and disciplined teacher – so much so that even while fasting during Ramzaan, she was regular at the exercises. The moment her name was called out, she jumped up with childlike glee and gracefully accepted the red rose presented from the Club as a token of appreciation. For once, the earphones were not plugged to her ears!
Jagmohan Papneja:
* Nazma-ji, your kaju barfi tasted good. You see smiles and laughter here every day and not just on your birthday. Many, many happy returns of the day.
* Nahid-ji, thanks for being such a good teacher of exercise always. So the award goes to you. Happy Teachers Day.

Ghost Story

Jagmohan Papneja distributes Shirdi Sai Baba's prasad 

Jagmohan Papneja today bailed out Razia Khan (see yesterday’s post) with two boxes of luddoos and pedas from Shirdi. It was no party, but a wonderful treat nonetheless. That he had thought of us and brought the prasad all the way from the Sai Baba shrine was by itself no small blessing.
What however kept the laughter flowing all morning was the ghost story Bhaswati Bose had to narrate. Yesterday, on her way from the Garden, she picked a kilo of apples and returned home, only to find the fruit bowl on her dining table already full with apples.

Yusuf Rassiwala checks on Sunita's health

She swears the bowl was empty when she had left home. So where did those seven big apples come from?
Nobody entered the house during her absence because she alone had the keys. (The neighbors keep a duplicate set, but they were away to Kashmir on a holiday.) And her husband would be the last person ever to buy apples. Besides, he did not have the keys to the apartment.
Always on the lookout for something sensational, the ladies simply took off on Bhaswati. One after another, they grilled her and conspiracy theories followed – ranging from suggestions of dementia to the possibility of super-natural phenomena. Monthi Serrao was convinced it had to be the husband’s mischief and that he had ‘somehow’ smuggled in the apples the previous night and hidden them.

Animated discussions on the mysterious apples

Some even suggested that the husband was trying to prove Bhaswati ‘insane’ so that he could obtain a divorce – a theory Geeta Sardana endorsed fully.
Soon the men joined in to resolve the whodunit. Ved Prakash Grover suggested the apples be distributed in the Garden, but when told those were ultra-sweet apples unlike anything sold in Mumbai, he developed second thoughts. Shekhawat, with his experience of chudails, declared it was the handiwork of a bhootni and the apples best be left uneaten. Bhaswati herself recalled a Ramgopal Varma film when mangoes keep piling up in a fridge mysteriously.
Meanwhile, Sunita Jajodia registered her presence in the Garden by exercising from a chair while seated next to Shekhawat. She is fast recovering from her gallstone operation last week. Shekhawat too appears to have recovered from his bypass surgery and for the first time since April 12, 2013 joined our circle for the second laughter round. Ghano Chokho-Ghano Chokho… Wah!
Jagmohan Papneja:
There are only two ways to look at Mrs Bose's ghost story. One, this is a case of failing memory. The other is that there has been a miracle!

Just for Kicks

Is it party time?

Fund generation in progress

Bad boys cry wolf. Good girls cry party – or so Razia Khan would like us believe, if only to ensure full attendance for the exercises. The promise of a party, like the proverbial carrot, was dangled today to induce maximum attendance tomorrow morning.
It all began with Srichand Arora accusing Razia of being a tough taskmaster while conducting exercises and how her scolding had resulted in a low turnout today. “What to do?” replied Razia. “When people come hungry, not eating enough in the morning, daant toh khaana hi padta hai.”
Razia then went on to complain that we haven’t had phapda-jalebis in a long time and asked why parties have stopped nowadays. “People have stopped being born nowadays,” was Arora’s ready reply.
He however, went on to add that we can have a ‘surprise party’ any time. “Announce a surprise party tomorrow and then see the raunaq here,” he told Razia. “News will travel so fast that you will have full attendance tomorrow... Guaranteed!”
That did it. Soon after the exercises, Shekhawat and Arora egged Razia to make the party announcement just for kicks. But upon seeing how some members (who came in late) foolishly hung on to her every word, Razia couldn’t hold herself from laughing out loud and gave the game away. Still, a suspicious Geeta Sardana challenged her: “Just watch out if there is no party tomorrow.”
On a serious note, the fund collection drive has gathered momentum with eight members today paying their monthly subscription in advance till the end of this financial year, i.e. March 31, 2014. The remaining are likely to follow suit over the next few days. Somehow, this arrangement is considered more convenient than having to pay Rs50 every month. Meanwhile, Monthi Serrao is expected to make an announcement on what she plans to do with the corpus thus created.

Cap is Culprit

Razia Khan

Razia Khan had a lovely story to narrate. She had gone for a wedding reception the other day, appropriately decked up, only to find everyone eyeing her with suspicion. A few friends hesitantly acknowledged her greetings, but by and large, most of them kept a safe distance from her. Later, much later, she was to discover the reason for their discomfiture. She had come for the wedding, the blue Club cap proudly perched on top of her head!
This is what happens when wearing the cap is made mandatory for the exercises every morning. In time, it becomes a compulsive habit -- something Bose Babu was to also realize when one day, he left home for work, formally dressed as usual with bag in hand, but feeling a strange heaviness on the head. Before he could become a laughing stock for all and sundry, he quickly figured out the culprit. It was the blue cap.

Morning musings over club discipline

But then, it has to be said that all members have happily taken to the cap and wear it with pride every day while exercising. The only exception is Geeta Sardana. She has mulishly resisted this imposition, regardless of repeated pleas by Srichand Arora and the fact that she sticks out like a sore thumb in the group.

Geeta Sardana

Geeta’s reason for defying club discipline is that if Sikhs viz. Harbans Kaur and Teja Singh Bhambra can be allowed to come uncapped (for religious reasons), why not she? But the funny part is that while behind her back everyone would criticize her for such misplaced obstinacy, once she turns up, no one can dare utter an unkind word to her. This is precisely what happened today when we had a near 100 per cent compliance on wearing the caps.
The other niggling issue of discipline is attendance. For the first time, a daily roster has been introduced to monitor the comings and goings of the nine members placed ‘under observation’ by the last general body meeting. Beginning today, this roster will be maintained by a very senior and regular member of impeccable integrity and credibility. His identity is being deliberately kept under wraps.

Day 1110

Pic of the Week

BHAJI BUYING: Fresh veggies from China Hut... at rock bottom prices?

This is the sale at China Hut mart. People do not lose any opportunity. They make hay while the sun shines.--Jagmohan Papneja

It is RAASTE KA MAAL SASTEY MEIN, JO LEGA WOH BHI MAZEY MEIN, AUR JO NAHIN LEGA WOH BHEE MAZEY MEIN. --Srichand Arora