First Weekend

Siba Prasad Maitra (in red pullover) celebrates his birthday this morning

Siba Prasad Maitra shares his birthday (on December 31) with such legends as Henri Matisse, Anthony Hopkins and John Denver. Why on earth should he then observe it five days later and rub shoulders with the likes of Bradley Cooper and Mamata Banerji?

A bouquet for the birthday boy

Yusuf Rassiwala presents the club cxalendar

This question had been bugging us for a full week till suddenly, the answer emerged in the morning today. The come-down had nothing to do with the personalities mentioned. It was simply that Maitra wanted us to have a gala time on the first weekend of the New Year. And so he celebrated his birthday today.
Maitra had personally hand-picked the eats from a number of sources yesterday, in the process doing quite a run-around. There were laddoos, chaklis, Iyengar Bakery cake slices, cookies and a variety of salties and savories (too many to recognise) rounded off by piping hot tea. In the end, we were all thanking him for not having rushed us with such a lavish repast mid-week, on December 31.

Eager-beavers pore into the birthday calendar

A Saturday treat is always leisurely and welcome.
We dutifully performed

Bihari Milwani with daughter

the rituals of raising the fourth laugh for Maitra, singing the birthday song and presenting him the Club calendar. A bouquet of rajnigandha-‘n’-roses also materialized for him. And Bijoy Gupta did his number, as usual singing a film ditty to reaffirm our bonds of love and amity.
As a measure of Maitra's popularity, we witnessed near full attendance this morning with many faces, not seen for long, showing up. Razia Khan was there, decked up to wish the birthday boy. So was Harish Wadhwa, skipping office. Bihari Milwani had also come, accompanied by daughter Karishma… The latter, by the way, is returning to the U.S. early next week. So this was also an occasion to say her tata-bye bye to us before leaving.

Karun Sharma:
Party items were chosen tastefully and in plenty. Tea was not less than anything else. Environment and enthusiasm along with us wished Maitra Happy Birthday.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Happy Birthday, Maitra-ji. May God keep you and the family happy, healthy and bright through the year. Missed the celebration by a whisker.

We Are Rich!

Maitra's announcement meets with a round of applause

Fortune smiled upon us this morning as Siba Prasad Maitra ‘unveiled’ a cheque received from Celebration Club towards defraying expenses on our Annual Day function.
The amount on the cheque cannot be mentioned here for the moment. Suffice to say it is a substantial step-up from what we had received last year.
This comes as a major relief at a time when the Club is severely strapped for funds – more so, due to rising costs for putting up the show.
Although much of the inputs, including artistes’ expenses are being obtained gratis, there will be bills for erecting a stage, the props, hiring sound and lighting equipment, costumes, make-up, stationery, refreshments, etc.
At the same time, the donation comes with a caveat. We are now committed to staging the function come what may, and there can be no escaping it. It is worse than being made to ride a tiger. Incidentally, the date fixed for the Annual Function is February 23, 2019.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Hurrah! Well begun is half done. Having received a handsome contribution for holding the Annual Day function, it is incumbent upon everyone to work hard and make the event a memorable one.

‘Inspector Zalim Singh’

Shekhawat (second from rt) puts the Club in a quandry

Shekhawat dropped a clanger today when he threatened to walk out of his role as Inspector Zalim Singh (ref post of December 5, 2018) citing domestic compulsions. “I have a wedding to attend in Rajasthan on February 17,” he informed. “Since you are planning the Annual Function for February 23, I’d have to withdraw from the play. Better give the Zalim Singh role to someone else.”
The statement drew mixed responses ranging from surprise to consternation and amusement, as though Shekhawat was pulling a fast one. Many like Siba Prasad Maitra and Yusuf Rassiwala simply dismissed it as a poor joke.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd)

“You better go tell your people not to have the shaadi till we are done with our Annual Function,” advised Bijoy Gupta.
Inspector Zalim Singh is an author-backed role, written specially for Shekhawat -- given his track record of playing Kadak Singh Jailer (in police uniform) at the Annual Function last year. This time also he holds the main lead, something that tickles him to bits and would not easily let go as long as he can help it.
The issue cropped up when we were informed that Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd) would be joining us from next week and had called up yesterday from Bangalore to sound us on his returning to Mumbai. Incidentally, he had also essayed a key role in the play last year. Taking advantage of the situation, Gupta threw a challenge at Shekhawat: “Don’t think without you the play will not happen. There are several people eager to be Zalim Singh.”
Shekhawat promptly did a U-turn: “No, no, no… I’m not saying I’d be backing out. I shall do Zalim Singh’s role. All I am saying is if you could please adjust your date for the Annual Function.”

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
I am sure Shekhawat will acquit himself well in the role of Inspector Zalim Singh. It is high time we fix a date for the Annual Function, adhere to it and start our preparations in right earnest. My coming has nothing to do with the role of Zalim Singh. Let Shekhawat display his histrionic talent. I am sure the function will be a treat to the eye and ear.

Extended Celebration

Sandesh from Bhaswati Bose

Savories from Urmila Sinha

Hot tea from Rukhsana Khan

Yesterday’s New Year celebration stretched into the morning today with yet another round of sinful treats after the exercises: two unopened jumbo packs of potato wafers, nolen gurer sandesh from Calcutta,

Karun Sharma (file photo)

crispy savories courtesy Urmila Sinha, hot-hot chai from Rukhsana Khan…
Earlier on, Kiran Prakash got the group together to announce the ‘best dressed female’ at the New Year’s yesterday.

Kiran Prakash (r) announces 'best dressed female' at yesterday's bash 

It seems the ladies were told in advance to be at their sartorial best and the one adjudged the most well-turned out on the occasion would qualify for a prize. But better sense prevailed today when Kiran Prakash decided not to disappoint anyone and declare everybody a winner – including the males. We were all rewarded with a handful of toffees each.
In all this, one person we missed sorely was Karun Sharma. He was supposed to enact a ‘surprise solo item’ at yesterday’s show, but was indisposed at the last moment. Still, he made it to the Garden (with son Madhur) and sat through the programme till the end. Today, obviously, his health let him down.
Another piece of disturbing news comes from Santosh Tyagi (ref post of December 18, 2018). Her son, Manoj is in ICCU for the past 10 days or so, at Nanavati Hospital. He was discharged earlier, but when the condition of his liver took a turn for the worse at home, he had to be admitted again. His medical status is being currently described as ‘serious'.
Santosh has appealed to keep her son in our prayers.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
We have entered 2019 with a BANG! Celebrations have continued unabated. Good luck to everyone. We pray for the speedy recovery of our colleague, Santosh Tyagi's son. Karun Sharma has also not been keeping well. I wish him good health through the year.

New Year 2019

Ushering in the New Year with rare gusto

Banoo Apa

At the crack of dawn, New Year arrived in the Garden with an hour-long 'variety programme' put up by some of the most enterprising and irrepressible talent of the Club.

Yusuf Rassiwala welcomes the congregation

As expected, Bijoy Gupta led the charge with his much-hyped pol-khol number -- in effect, doing a hilarious expose on Yusuf Rassiwala, Shekhawat and Siba Prasad Maitra.
Gupta had planned to similarly reveal the “deep, darkest secrets of several others”, but mercifully had been cut short as he had overshot his allotted time. Nevertheless, he was assigned a snappy skit with Kiran Prakash later, which the duo pulled off with characteristic wit and elan.
Kiran Prakash was in fact, our emcee (master of ceremonies) today and the New Year function, his baby. He opened the floor with Yusuf R delivering the welcome note before the artistes took over.

Bijoy Gupta and Kiran Prakash enact a skit

Banoo Apa performed a scintillating solo dance (with musical support provided by Maitra’s portable sound system) followed by Bhaswati Bose, Geeta Latte and her brother, Devraj Das enacting a spoof on “Inspector Zalim Singh” – the character Shekhawat is to play on the club's Annual Day function next month.

Devraj Das, Geeta Latte and Bhaswati Bose do their number

In between, Maitra held us spellbound with his recitation of Tanveer Ghazi’s soul

Siba Prasad Maitra

stirring poem on the scourge of rape – “Tu khud ki khoj mein nikal/ Tu kis liye hatash hai…”
Finally, it took the trio of Bhaswati, Devraj and Geeta again to break the sombre mood with a series of popular film songs -- the medley spilling into a wild celebration of clapping and dancing by all present in the true New Year spirit.
A word of appreciation on the party that followed: Never before had the Club been treated to such a variety of eats, served in a well-organised manner – all thanks to Kajal Babani, Naseem Khan, Fahmida Khan, Geeta and above all, Kiran Prakash. Nothing was left wanting – a happy augury for the days and months to come.

Banoo Apa gets us soh'n-papdi

Preparing plates: Time to party

Personal attention to all present

Kiran Prakash:
I convey my sincere thanks to all members for their active participation and cooperation at making the New Year function a grand success. The team of artistes were superb in their presentation with some of the most innovative ideas.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Ushering the New Year with an entertainment programme is a unique event. It was wonderful on the part of Club members and enjoyed by the audience overwhelmingly. Hope this continues in the future as well.