Eid Mubarak!

As the holy month of Ramzan comes to an end, it is time, once again, to reinforce the bonds of love and amity with our Muslim brothers and sisters. Those going by the sighting of the moon have evidently postponed their Eid celebrations by a day. But for all others, including government establishments, banks and the corporate sector, it is Eid ul Fitr today.
Yusuf Rassiwala ( below), who made a surprise appearance today, explained that those governed by the Islamic calendar (like him) have broken their month-long penance and fasting this morning. So it is already time for biryani and phirni, among other delicacies for them. For the best malpua, he advised us to go to Bhendi Bazaar.
Meanwhile, Shekhawat-ji announced that the Lonavala picnic plans have run into a spot of trouble. The hotel being negotiated insists that the room tariff it had quoted earlier applies to a minimum of a two-night stay (and not just for a Saturday night as we desire). So the options we have now are (a) to identify another hotel at reasonable rates/ better terms and (b) to consider another picnic spot that allows for overnight stay at decent rates.
Kishor-bhai seems to have already done some groundwork on the possibilities in Lonavala and has drawn a blank. “All the hotel rates are higher,” he declared. This leaves us with option (b). The names that were thrown up were Matheran, Mahabaleshwar and Alibaug (with probably Murud Janjira thrown in).
All these places have their pluses and minuses in terms of logistics, proximity, travel time, etc. But with a price-sensitive group like ours, what would eventually determine the participation of members is the damage per head.
There is really no point having a Club picnic if a majority of the members get left out for financial reasons. Perhaps, we need to fix a budget in advance (say, Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,000 per person), get majority-approval and then work around it. That most members would like to come with a family member or two, also needs to be factored. We cannot afford to over-burden our members just because some of us want a fun week-end out.
Think about it and post your comments.

Renu Babani says:
Our evening meeting was fruitful today. You shall know the outcome in the morning. Everyone who knows Mr Shekawat knows that he never gives up and always proves to be a winner. Yea, I know, lazee bum again! I do apologise, but no excuses this time. Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating and I am sure all will enjoy the fun as well!
--Renu