Festive Air

Today was Makar Sankranti, an auspicious day by the Hindu calendar when the Sun transits from Sagittarius to Capricorn in the northern skies. Although there was no deliberate attempt to celebrate the occasion (a Lohri get-together is however, lined up for the evening in the Garden), an air of festivity pervaded through the group this morning.
One reason was the unusually huge turnout with a number of old and familiar faces showing up after a long time. Ram Shankar Shukla (in brown sweater, below) looked hale and hearty, scotching rumours that he had met with a serious road accident. All he had suffered was a deep inch-long gash on his right palm when a kid rammed his tricycle into him. Nothing serious, he assured us.
Yusuf Rassiwala was also there, for once in white T-shirt and looking dapper for his age. He confessed to being a bit “confused” about his fitness regimen as doctors have forbidden him to exercise in the morning. He suffers from a heart condition and with an added BP problem, he cannot take chances exerting himself in the morning cold. But for this, he said, he feels fit – both physically and mentally.
The other reason for the festive atmosphere in the Garden was that word had got around about the movie outing scheduled for Saturday. There’s at least something to look forward now and many members, who do not usually join for film shows, have evinced interest. Yusuf-bhai helped Kishor Babani in collecting cash for the tickets, which would be picked up this evening.Meanwhile, there’s some talk about fixing the next picnic for Harsh Giri, a holiday resort close to Thane. Neelam Garg (left, in fuschia print) has been there recently and for its entry fee of Rs 350, she’s all praise for the place. The ladies now want to go there, only that nobody is prepared to formally propose the idea, lest she’d have to do the organizing part and then… what if it turns into another fiasco like Chokhi Dhani (or Goa, or Alibaug) earlier?
Better to wait and watch.

Harish Wadhwa says:
Besides the festive air, one feels like staying in bed, cosily tucked in a light blanket with the chill weather outside. A garam chai ki pyali is more tempting than stepping out for the exercises. Aaraam karna bhi utna hee zaroori hai, iss bhag daud ki zindagi mein.
--Harish