Elitist Streak

Has a streak of needless elitism entered the Club?
Unfortunate as this may sound, some of our members appear to have got increasingly vocal about their prejudice towards those who may not be as financially privileged as they are. Not only are derisive names given to these new entrants, their very intention of joining us for the exercises is being questioned and as it became evident today, efforts are being made to debar them from having anything to do with the Club in future.
This is the second day running when the snooty ladies kept up their tirade against a young man who they insist on calling “Bhaji-wallah”. (It is another matter that he is not a vendor of vegetables.) Fortunately, he was not around today to hear their remarks on the comical manner he swings his arms during the exercises, the way he laughs, whether he is the father of two children or three or four… Yesterday, they even went up to Shekhawat-ji and demanded that he be stopped from coming for the exercises. “Yeh main nahin bol sakta,” he said firmly, dismissing them outright.
Today, things got nastier when one member began commenting aloud that soon hutment dwellers would be joining the Club. “Jhopdi-waaley aur hum mein kya farak rahega?” It did not stop there. Another lady started imputing motives of criminal intent. She claims to be a victim of chain-snatching and is now convinced that criminal gangs plant their members in laughter clubs to report on who looks loaded and wears how much gold, etc. so that they can be robbed on their way to the Garden. “Yeh log unke CID hain,” she declared with a flourish. Significantly, the men listened to the unending diatribe, without responding.
One happy diversion this morning was the participation of a new guest, Dinesh Sharma (above, in red shirt) during the exercises. A software engineer, he is married to Bose’s sister and is presently on a two-day visit to Mumbai from Atlanta, USA where he is based for the past 26 years. But he is basically a Punjabi from Rajasthan and found a common connect with Shekhawat-ji, as also with another engineer, Harish Wadhwa. Here they can be seen picking each other’s brains.
Funnily, none of the ladies picked on this man!