Versova Picnic

Ho-Ho Ha-Ha by the beach

Dilip Babani was damn right before taking us to Versova Beach for an early morning picnic today: “Once we reach there, you will forget all other beaches!”
Indeed, the moment we reached there at 7:30 in the morning, we forgot all other beaches. To our intense horror, confronting us along the coastline was a row of exposed bums of different shapes and sizes, defecating merrily in the open. None of us could summon the courage to take another step forward.
Even more awkward was the bewildered look among bystanders who had gathered around. "You people have travelled all the way from Lokhandwala to witness this?" they seemed to ask.
The trip should ideally have been called off because of inclement weather (see yesterday’s post), but it was at Mallika Kagzi’s insistence that we set out from the Garden on schedule. The idea was to do our

Soaking in the sand and surf

exercises by the seafront – as we had done at Juhu Beach two years ago (ref post of September 20, 2014) – and thereafter rejoice over tea and snacks.

Back from a walk

Whoever expected a spectacle of erupting bums by the beach?
But all was not lost. We were headed homeward before a helpful local directed us to a more “hospitable stretch on the beach where people do jogging” located about 15 minutes away by the main road. Sure enough, tucked away amid a maze of high rises, was another gateway to Versova Beach – relatively clean, serene and well-maintained. Mercifully, there was no bum show here.
In all this, we were already behind time for the exercises. Being a working day, many were in a hurry to return home before 9:00a.m.

Fooling around... as always

Still, we managed to go through some basic laughter exercises before the ladies came up with some innovative games like Chaar Annah-Aath Annah on the run. Mallika, Zarina Khan, Mumtaz Jahan and Nahid Khan practiced a walking race between themselves while Rukhsana Khan and a few others went for a long walk down the beach. Somebody even suggested that we compete with a frisky dog nearby playing fetch-ball with its owner.
Meanwhile, Dilip and Kiran Prakash took off to organize the eats. And over a sumptuous spread of bhujiya, vada pao, samosa, pakodas, cupcake, biscuits and chocolate bars – washed down with hot, flavoured tea prepared by Mallika from home – we had a blast. The weather was also kind to us for the time we were there. Everybody got so caught up by the madness of the moment that we did not realize that we had overshot our deadline by more than an hour.

Time for Mallika's tea

Surveying the beach

Ever helpful Dilip Babani

Like all good things, this too had to end. Apart from Mallika, Banoo Apa and Kiran Prakash who are known for their cooperative and caring nature, Dilip Babani deserves a special word of thanks for eventually making this picnic a success. Were it not for him, things would have fallen flat – even before that spectacular show of exploding backsides by the beach.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
At times it feels good to be surprised. Nobody thought of seeing the bums on the beach. Everyone thought that area was free of faeces. But then, they were proved wrong. Some picnics are remembered because of odd things seen. So this is how we shall remember Versova Beach. Good eats and a happy ending!

‘Gulf Returned’

Kiran Prakash returns

In the old days, there used to be a rare breed of Indian travellers called ‘England Returned’. Over time, that got broad-based to ‘Phoren Returned’. Thereafter, we got into the era of ‘Gulf Returned’ -- a distinction meant for those who had traveled to the Middle East, the land of liquid gold, and returned. Today, you do not even have to go beyond the Gold Souk of Dubai and can still qualify as a 'Gulf Returned’ – or ‘Gulfie’ if you will.
This time around, Kiran Prakash had gone to Abu Dhabi also, but what seemed to matter most to members of the Club was his visit to Dubai and the amount of gold he had picked up along the way (as though scraps of the yellow metal were lying littered on the streets).

Gold-wrapped chocolates for everyone

So today, when he walked into the Garden, many saw him as a new-age Santa Claus, loaded with glittering gifts and promise.
From Bhaswati Bose to Kajal Babani, Geeta Latte and Karuna Waghmare, everybody had pestered him for 24-carat gold ornaments (nothing less) before he had left. And over WhatsApp, they all kept pushing their luck for assorted earrings, nose studs, finger-rings, chains… Some specified the weight – preferably over 10 grams.
Even Yusuf Rassiwala joined the fray after having visions of becoming a Bappi Lahiri and made a fervent request to “spare” some gold for him also. “A gold watch will do,” he conceded at one stage.

Banoo Apa (in red) hosts tea party

A WhatsApp message from Dubai saying that the gold was “not of good quality” was to only bring Kiran Prakash an avalanche of missives from Mumbai suggesting, in short, “Even bad quality gold will do, so long as you get us some on your way back.” There was no mention of payment though.
In all this, only Banoo Apa had the presence of mind to greet Kiran Prakash on his return and celebrate over a round of hot tea and biscuits. This was also her way of welcoming him as the new secretary of the Club – a post she had vacated last Friday at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In that sense, her treat was a double celebration for all.
Post Script: Tomorrow's picnic hangs on the balance as rains have struck once again. It has been pouring continuously since last night and with no signs of a let up, chances are we would have to call off the picnic. This morning Mallika Kagzi gave us the option to defer the outing by a day, weather permitting. Even so, the very real possibility of having to wade through swirling slush and muck on the beach does not sound like a good idea at all.

Breaking the Lull

Mallika Kagzi finalises (centre) picnic plans

Mallika Kagzi slipped into Shekhawat’s shoes as she passed her cap around this morning for Wednesday’s picnic at Versova Beach (ref post of October 1).
It has normally been the practice for Shekhawat to collect cash for such Club activities. But as he is currently away in Rajasthan, Mallika has taken upon herself the responsibility of organizing the picnic.
More importantly, what has not gone unnoticed is the sudden surge of activity in the Club after an extended lull earlier in the year. This has become a major talking point all around. After all, it was just the other day that we celebrated the Annual Day of the Club with a gala function in the China Hut.
On a serious note thereafter, we organized the AGM. In another 10 days, a contingent will be taking off on a tour of Kerala. In between, we had a fairly successful Housie session and now, there’s this picnic at Versova Beach lined up.
The picnic plans are that we congregate by 7:30 a.m.at the beach and do our exercises by the Arabian Sea --

Naseem (l) and Fehmida (r) exchange notes

much like what we had done during the picnic at Juhu Beach (ref post of September 20, 2014). Dilip Babani would be our pointsman as he is the only one among us who has seen Versova Beach after its much-publicised facelift.

Hari Singh Shekhawat

We are going there on his assurance that light refreshments will be available in the vicinity. And by 9:00 a.m., we should be heading home.
Incidentally, Shekhawat had called this morning (from his village) to update himself on the Club. He informed that the Bihar leg of his trip (Patna and Gaya) went off well -- but for some “age-related health issues” concerning his wife. Since September 30, he is at home in “the midst of a lot of dhoom-dhaam from the Navaratri festivities" in his neighborhood.“Don’t worry about me, I am enjoying myself,” he said assuringly.
On the other hand, there’s some distressing news from Fehmida Khan and Naseem Khan, both regarding their husbands. We have met these gentlemen earlier and it pains us to learn that they are having to undergo some critical medical procedures. Let us join our hands in prayer and wish them a speedy recovery.

DAY 2038

Pic of the Week

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT... FROM DUBAI WITH LOVE

Kiran-ji, very nice photo. How is Dubai? Hope you are enjoying the trip. --Dilip Babani

Both wearing checks.....CHECKMATED!!! --Bhaswati Bose

Parting Shot

Don't miss the group exercising at the far end!

Housie session in progress

A sudden cloudburst during the exercises caught us unawares, creating a rather piquant situation. One half of our group had to exercise under one tree and the other half, under another. There was no time to rush to the China Hut (as we usually do) for shelter without getting drenched on the way. Nor was there enough space under one tree for all of us to gather and exercise together.
But we weren't complaining. We recognized the freak shower as a parting gift of an exceptionally robust monsoon (ref post of September 29) this year. Besides, it did not rain the entire week and the weather was gradually getting warmer. The unexpected downpour, accompanied by a cool, westerly breeze came as a welcome relief during the exercises.
Small wonder then, nobody was in any hurry to return home. A spot decision was taken to hold a Housie session, if only to prolong our stay in the Garden. After all, it was the week-end. And Mallika Kagzi had brought along a flaskful of hot tea and snacks. Her grandchildren, Farhad and Sheefa were also there.
Dilip Babani scampered home to fetch his Housie board and within minutes, we got cracking in the China Hut. Who won what and how much was inconsequential given that everybody had a jolly good time in what was absolutely heavenly weather – something that is hard to come by in Mumbai. At times, such spontaneous actions turn out to be much more enjoyable than scheduled activities with the best laid out plans.
Still, there can be no stopping people from making plans. Once again, the weather became the trigger and talk of a day picnic gathered momentum. Mallika would like a trip to Juhu Beach (“not necessarily on a Saturday, so long as we get to go!”) but Dilip had a different idea: “Why not Versova Beach? It has been spruced up beautifully, it is closer than Juhu, the eateries there are open early morning… Once you go there, you’ll forget all other beaches.”
For the moment, we are looking at October 5 (next Wednesday) for this picnic.