Sankranti 2016

Jagmohan receives birthday calendar from Arora 

Jagmohan's birthday treat

At the Garden, it rained til-gul luddoos – the traditional sesame sweets distributed on Makar Sankranti. At least three generous individuals had come loaded with these crunchy delicacies – Karuna Waghmare, Shekhawat and Laxmi Hadimani.
Seeing the surfeit of til-gul luddoos, Lt Col Angad Singh (who had also come with a huge stock of sweets) decided to defer his treat to tomorrow morning.
The celebration marks the so-called ‘holy phase of transition’ of the sun into the constellation of Makar (Capricorn) -- otherwise interpreted as the end of winter and the beginning of a new harvest or spring season. The festival is variously observed as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Shishur Saenkraat in Kashmir.
Adding to the festive atmosphere was Jagmohan Papneja handing out packets of assorted dry fruits and raisin. It was also his birthday today. Looking at him, who would imagine that this singularly handsome, well-dressed, strapping gent has walked the planet for 70 years? With each passing year, he seems to be only getting younger.
Our best wishes are with him, as always. And many happy returns of the day!

Shekhawat's (rt) Sankranti treat

Laxmi's (c) Sankranti treat

Karuna's (rt) Sankranti treat

Jagmohan Papneja:
It was indeed great to celebrate with the Big Laaf family. The spirit of oneness made all the difference. It made me feel so young. Thank you all for making my birthday a day to remember.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Makar Sankrati is an important festival celebrated throughout the country. When you are young, relatives and friends shower you with gifts. In the case of seniors, the situation changes. Now we distribute eats among colleagues to share our joy and happiness. This is true of birthdays as well. Happy Birthday and Good Health to Jagmohan Papneja.

Back to School?

Siba Prasad Maitra grapples with the word purja

Time was when ‘laughing club’ meant only laughter exercises to us. Before long, free-hand exercises were introduced. After some years, the ambit was extended to yoga (though optional). And of late, a round of tai-chi warm-up exercises has also been incorporated as part of our morning routine.
While these have helped in the daily attendance (and popularity) of the Club, what remains neglected for long is the question of holding classes on primary education. This need is often expressed when members are reminded of elementary GK or sometimes, spellings or say, basic arithmetic.
For instance, Mallika Kagzi today advised all of us to upgrade our skills on counting beyond 9 for the ta’i-chi round.

Khatoon Baig turns up

Srichand Arora too has been unforgiving whenever there’s a goof up on addition or subtraction – particularly in matters relating to cash. “Didn’t they teach you to count in school?” is his standard line.
Language skills became a focal learning issue in this back-to-school approach as common Hindi words like nikaalna (to take out), purja (component) and lota (water pot) caused a good deal of confusion (and laughter) this morning.

Chhaya Appalwar (ext rt) introduces her guests,
Pramod and Manisha Kannurkar

To Monthi Serrao for example, there is no difference between a plastic glass (for say, hot tea) and a lota. Siba Prasad Maitra tried educating her with examples like “the morning after over-eating” and leaving the rest to imagination – but all in vain.
Significantly Maitra himself refused to see any difference between purja, parchha (slip of paper) and puriya (what, according to him "medical compounders give you in Bihar”) and even brought up the expression Urr ja (fly away) out of the blue! So rigid were they in their beliefs that no amount of correcting them could help. Otherwise Dilip Babani – the one most amused by all this – would have been only too happy to conduct a crash course on Hindi usages for their benefit.
That apart, it was wonderful to welcome Khatoon Baig back after her recent hospitalization. She suffers from acute breathlessness, which gets aggravated during winter. Doctors have advised her not to venture out early morning when pollution levels are very high. But she could not resist the temptation of catching up with us and dropped by on the pretext of soaking in the morning sun.
It was a pleasure to see her -- looking plump, but hale and hearty.
Bihari Milwani:
Instead of learning Hindi, better invent a language that will be accepted by one and all!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
With advancing age one tends to forget many things learnt at an early age. There are certain colloquial words which have peculiar meanings prevalent in a region. All the same, the main effort of the laughter club is achieved with the spontaneous laughter generated by Monthi and Maitra. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

Picnic Bug

Shekhawat compliments the ladies four outnumbering the men today

The picnic bug has started biting us again. For the past week or so, the Club has been abuzz with talk on setting out on another excursion – perhaps to Matheran. Even a one-day trip to some local resort would do since the weather is just perfect. It is neither chilly nor warm these days and the general mood is upbeat… just that Shekhawat, for once, will have nothing of it.
So when Bijoy Gupta raised this subject today, he flared up: “Are you out of you mind? It is not even 10 days since we returned from Bangalore-Ooty and you want a picnic now?”
“It’s been more than a month,” Gupta corrected him lamely.
“Yes, it was on that trip I had a heart attack,” Shekhawat hit back. “Here I am going mad chasing doctors and there’s a dangerous operation coming up for me this week.

Bijoy Gupta chides Shekhawat

And you are asking for a picnic now?”
Gupta had no clue what Shekhawat was talking about as he was away for more than a week. He returned today and was seeing Shekhawat carefree as ever, complimenting the ladies for outnumbering the men and as always, joking and fooling around.
Gupta didn’t even know that the Annual Function (scheduled for January 16) had been postponed indefinitely and at one point,

Shekhawat confers with Maitra

he sparred with Shekhawat on the Bade Miyan Deewaney number he was supposed to perform on the occasion. Shekhawat played on sportingly with a quirky one-liner, much to everybody’s amusement. Little could Gupta imagine that things were not as hunky dory as they seemed.
Later of course, he was updated by other members and when Shekhawat discussed his medical issues with Siba Prasad Maitra, he stood beside them, a look of quiet concern and admiration on his face.
In the end, Gupta made a telling remark: “This man is blessed. If I were to be in his shoes, I would have withdrawn into a shell long back. But look at him. He has the hands of Ooper Wallah on his head. Nothing bad can ever come on him!”

Hooked On

Kiran Prakash

The other day Kiran Prakash described his compulsion every morning to visit the Garden as an “addiction”. He has often to drive down from his other home at Malad to keep his appointment for the exercises. So committed is he that he is never late.
Prakash could well be speaking for all those who are scrupulously regular and punctual to a fault. Coincidentally, the same day, Mallika Kagzi was heard ruminating about the “amount of joy and happiness” she has found in the last two years (since joining Big Laaf) which she could not experience all her life.

Happy Birthday, Sardar Teja Singh

“I can no longer stay at home in the mornings,” she added.
Similar sentiments are regularly expressed by other club ‘junkies’ -- from Shekhawat and Arora to Santosh Tyagi, Arun Patil and Siba Prasad Maitra. They may come late, even miss the exercises, but come they must. “Sorry, I got up late, but I needed to come here,” quipped Mumtaz Jahan this morning. “I may not be able to come at times, but my heart is always with the Club,” Yusuf Rassiwala has maintained.
So what makes this addiction so compelling?
A small incident could provide a clue. Ever since we adopted the ta’i-chi warm up exercises, counting up to nine (and resuming from one) is an obligatory drill.

Razia Khan (third from left) holds her own

In effect, it would seem that we are incapable of going beyond the count of nine. In fact, for many of us, even counting up to nine in English is a challenge.
Today, Razia Khan underlined this by complimenting everyone who achieved the ‘feat’ with a “Shabaash!”, “Wah Wah”, “Keep it Up!” and so on.
This was no doubt amusing, but after a point, it got irritating. So when Razia’s turn came, some of the men ganged up and led by Banoo Apa marched en bloc to congratulate her.
Taken aback by the sudden onrush, Razia panicked. She turned and clung on to an equally startled Mallika standing alongside.
The look of raw terror in the eyes of both ladies had to be seen to be believed. It all ended in a flash with everybody dissolving into laughter.
But this much must be said: Even in that terrified state, the way Mallika shielded Razia with her body during those brief moments spoke volumes of her protective instinct and courage. That was a big takeaway for all of us -- today's 'morning fix' if you like.
Lt Col Angad Singh:
Coming to the Garden and joining the laughter session is a joy by itself. In the beginning every day, there are a few participants, but as time passes the flow increases. It is heartening to note that ladies are more in number than the men. This shows their keenness and the enjoyment they derive from the exercises. The fun and frolic and the comments passed during the session bring more laughter and joy. Everyone enjoys these. Even the walkers stand and enjoy our funny exchanges. All these elements of laughter are tonics for good health.

Nu Look

The Garden wore a new look this morning. A set of smart, wooden benches have come up, replacing the old, decrepit monstrosities that had lined the lawns for more than a decade.

Exercising on a new Garden bench

Why is Sitaram Hivarkar trying to hide from Monthi Serrao?

Not only do the new benches contribute to the overall aesthetics of the Garden, they also eliminate the daily chore of having to provide for plastic chairs during the exercises.
From Arun Patil and Santosh Tyagi to Teja Singh Bhambra, Banoo Apa, Razia Khan, Ved Prakash Grover and Sitaram Hivarkar, many members could get to rest their tired bodies on the new garden furniture while the exercises were on.
However, not all were happy. The common complaint was that the benches were too low for comfort and those suffering from lower back or orthopaedic problems had to make an extra effort to pull themselves up from a sitting position. Moreover, with their fixed arm rests, the benches felt too cramped for seating three (as they are meant to) and appeared to be not as sturdy or durable as their concretised predecessors were. Those given to vigorous breathing exercises were said to be causing minor tremors on the bench, much to the discomfort of other occupant(s).
What became a bigger sensation though were Monthi Serrao’s persuasive skills at getting us all to watch a Marathi movie, Natasamrat. People usually assess a film for its story, acting or entertainment value. But for Monthi, the yardstick for cinematic excellence is a movie’s ability to make you cry. “The picture is so good that it drove my daughter-in-law to tears… what more can I say?” she reasoned.
The immediate response was an enthusiastic “we will also cry for you”, provided we get free tickets. Srichand Arora thought Monthi already had the tickets to give away and tried to dissuade her. “Not everybody understands Marathi here,” he told her. But others, upon hearing “cinema tickets” made a beeline to her, demanding free tickets. Monthi had to clarify that she was no more than recommending a good movie and if anybody wanted a ticket, s/he must pay Rs200. Karuna Waghmare promptly sprang up. “Monthi sells cinema tickets,” she chirruped with the conspiratorial wink reserved for a black-marketing tout.