New Fillip

Shekhawat’s long-distance call yesterday has given a new fillip to the Darjeeling-Gangtok trip scheduled next year. Several members suddenly woke up after the exercises this morning and rushed to submit their names to Monthi Serrao and Bhaswati Bose – the two who have been entrusted with organizing local stay and travel for the Club at both destinations.
According to Bhaswati, not more than 20 people can be accommodated on this trip because only 10 rooms could be booked (on a twin-sharing basis) last night in certain premium hotels at both destinations. Even as the trip is well six months away, it being peak tourism season, rooms in good hotels are getting rapidly sold out. “Somehow, we could grab only 10 rooms for ourselves and that too, after readjusting the dates from mid-April to March 28-April 2, 2015,” Bhaswati informed.
In effect, this would be a six-day trip with two nights at Darjeeling and three nights at Gangtok. “Members will be accommodated on a first-come first-serve basis, the cut-off point being at 20 because beyond that we will not be able to take a single person,” Monthi elaborated. “Our first priority will be Club members, then the yoga group and after that, depending upon the availability of rooms, will outsiders be considered. Since a token advance has to be paid to the hotels, please pay 50 per cent of the tour cost and confirm your bookings by October 15. Otherwise we’ll have to let go these rooms also.”
Significantly, Shekhawat would be returning on October 18 and it seems he holds a list of 22 people committed to go on the trip. The list with Bhaswati and Monthi stops at 18, though there are some like Yusuf Rassiwala and Srichand Arora who are yet to commit. How the two lists would be reconciled is anybody’s guess. Only after that would Shekhawat be booking the air tickets to and fro.

All’s Well

Hari Singh Shekhawat

Razia Khan

Shekhawat called from Rajasthan early morning to check if all was well in the Garden during his absence. He wanted to know whether everyone was attending the exercises regularly, that there were no problems and on his part, he informed he was having a gala time there with his childhood friends, even though he had to remain indoors because of heavy rains.
More specifically, Shekhawat wanted to know if there had been any development on the Darjeeling trip front. When told that Khatoon Baig, Naseem Bano and three other ladies were ready with cash and had taken a ‘look out notice’ for him, Shekhawat was overjoyed. “Look, I had predicted that the Darjeeling picnic will be a success,” he chuckled. “I shall be returning on the 18th and in two days I shall complete all collections.”
Shekhawat’s joy was however, short-lived when informed that Razia Khan, his sparring partner for the exercises, had contracted conjunctivitis.

Bihari Milwani purchases Lotto sports shoes from Geeta Sardana

His concern was genuine as he inquired if she was taking proper medication, since when has she been suffering, if she is able to visit the Garden and exercise, etc. He also wished her early recovery and promised to call her later during the day.
Actually it was only today that Razia showed up at the Garden, wearing dark glasses and looking every inch a female don. She said that her eyes had started hurting since Eid (September 6) and after that she has been home-bound. But then, she has taken it well in her stride and in fact, appeared quite cheerful this morning even as many like Monthi Serrao and Geeta Sardana were a little worried about getting too close to her lest they get infected by the virus.
Geeta incidentally, was to make a lovely presentation to Bihari Milwani this morning. She had a pair of Lotto sports shoes to spare, just that no one she knew fitted into the No 10 size. The relief on her face was palpable when Bihari smilingly extended one foot – clearly, the only human being in the Club to have such giant flappers for feet. More importantly, the shoes had found their rightful owner!
Srichand Arora:
Here are three heart-touching statements of Charlie Chaplin I would like to share with everybody:
1. "Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles."
2. "I like walking in the rain, because nobody can see my tears."
3. "The most wasted day in life is the day in which we have not laughed." Keep smiling!

October Rain

Back to concrete, near the China Hut

It never rains in October in Mumbai. But today it did. It was not a ‘thunderstorm’ as predicted by the papers – just a light shower, yet persistent enough for umbrellas to be out. The Garden had also turned wet and slushy, making it impossible to exercise in the grass.
But more than all that, the wet grass made everyone do a rethink on the Cleanliness Drive proposed by Srichand Arora yesterday (see post). Even if it does not rain on Saturday, there will be plenty of dew on the grass to make sweeping difficult.

Monthi Serrao

As Arun Patil suggested, it would make better sense to undertake the sweeping exercise at sundown. “After all, people who litter the Garden come in the evening,” he pointed out.
Santosh Tyagi, who was not present yesterday wanted to know why the Garden sweeper was paid a salary, if we were to do his job. Arora himself has a problem: Where will all the brooms come from? He does not know anyone using stick brooms these days. At home he uses a plastic broom for wet surfaces and in his estimate a stick broom should cost at least Rs100. “If we were to provide brooms to even seven or eight members, it would be a huge burden on the Club’s finances,” he brooded.
Besides, where are the brooms to be stored? Or will they be for one-time use only? If Jagmohan Papneja’s advice is to be followed, we ought to sweep the Garden clean every Saturday. That will put the brooms to good use and also justify the expense. But how many people would agree to the sweeping every Saturday? And will anybody be really serious about bagging a ‘Sweeper of the Year’ trophy, as someone suggested yesterday?
Meanwhile, Monthi Serrao is contemplating another novel proposal: an Annual Day for the Club. “We can have a full day programme of food and entertainment, a fancy dress competition, housie and so on,” she suggested. “Prizes will also be given…” The proposal is still at a nascent stage, but Monthi intends to firm up on it when Shekhawat returns from his vacation on October 18.
Jagmohan Papneja:
It is really terrible to see people throw around waste instead of using a dustbin. We think and discuss cleanliness. The least we can do is to promise ourselves that we won't litter anymore. This should become a part of life.

Cleanliness Drive

Heated debate on Arora's Cleanliness Drive

Inspired by prime minister Modi’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign, Srichand Arora today initiated a cleanliness drive for our immediate surroundings. “Why not start with the Garden?” he suggested. “Let us get brooms from home and sweep the Garden clean of all litter. For how long should we be dependent on others to clean up for us?”
The response was electrifying. From instant wails of severe backache and arthritis to dust allergy and being out of practice, everyone seemed to have a ready excuse to avoid lifting the broom. “I don’t mind picking up things from the ground, but I cannot sweep the Garden,” pleaded Khatoon Baig, echoing the sentiments of a majority of the ladies.
“Why make a show of coming to the Garden wielding a broom?” a male member remarked cheekily. “At home we will not be caught dead with a broom in hand. We leave all the cleaning work to our maids. First clean up your own homes yourselves and then come with brooms to the Garden. Charity begins at home!”

Prasad from the puja/ last rites of Moti's wife

But there were also some voices of reason. “Unless we set an example by cleaning up ourselves how can we expect others to do so?” Geeta Sardana explained. “Otherwise the Garden shall continue to remain littered and nobody will ever be bothered about cleaning up. This way at least we shall be making other people conscious about keeping the place clean.”
Dilip Babani could not find too much dirt and suggested we wait till perhaps, Diwali when the Garden would inevitably become properly dirty. “No-no-no,” Monthi Serrao intervened. “If we have to do it, we should do it now, this Saturday.” “But don’t we require time to practice?” Khatoon complained. “We need a rehearsal or else, we’ll all fall ill.”
Soon questions arose on how we are to go about the exercise. Should we all set out as a group with brooms, as they do on TV, sweeping the same place together? Or should someone sweep one stretch, hand over the broom to another person to clear the next stretch and so on… like a relay? Or should areas in the Garden be demarcated and each section entrusted to one person to be swept clean? A trophy could even be given to the best sweeper, Monthi suggested.
It goes without saying that hardly anyone will turn up at the Garden on Saturday.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Before taking up the cleanliness campaign, please ensure that it will be a dedicated and permanent activity. We have to be committed towards cleaning the Garden every Saturday. It should not turn out to be a symbolic one-time show.

Eid-ul Zuha 2014

Slow start to today's exercises

Today was Eid-ul Zuha or Bakri Eid – the annual festival of sacrifice. So a majority of members chose to sacrifice their morning exercises today leaving us with barely half-a-dozen to start the day’s proceedings. It took Geeta Sardana to eventually break into an exclusive all-male group and thereafter, the numbers swelled to an impressive 15-odd by the end of the exercises.
Suddenly, to our infinite surprise, Mallika Kagzi walked in with a container of sheer-khorma – the traditional festival delicacy of sweetened milk and vermicelli, fortified with dates, pistachio, almonds and cardamom. Funny thing, she did not wait for us to polish it off, but rushed out saying that she was in a tearing hurry to attend the kurbani at a nearby mosque. “There are glasses and spoons with the container,” she said. “Please help yourselves. But before leaving, kindly keep the empty container with the watchman at the gate.

Monthi doles out sheer-khorma

I’ll collect it from him later.”
No sooner were we done with the exercises than all of us descended like hungry animals on the sheer-khorma container as though it would suddenly grow legs and run away.

Mallika Kagzi

In the mad scramble that followed, nobody cared what was being taken, who got how much, whether there would be enough for everyone… Monthi Serrao tried to bring some order by taking charge of the distribution, only to have Srichand Arora declare war by charging her with saving the rich almond and pistachio sediment for herself and disposing him off with the liquidy part. Angad Singh was to soon replace her but before that Bhaswati Bose also accused Monthi of keeping aside the best part of the sheer-khorma in a glass for herself. Utterly horrified and harassed, Monthi snapped: “Aiyyo... you better take this then, Idiot!” Eid Mubarak, everybody.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim friends. Hope this Eid will bring a prosperous and delightful life to all of you.