Goodbye 2011

And so we reach the end of another year. Srichand Arora, Geeta Sardhana, Yusuf Rassiwala and Neelam Garg returned to the Garden for the last round of exercises in 2011. A guest, Dinesh Sharma (the Boses’ brother-in-law) was also there. So were all the regulars – barring Santosh Tyagi, Sitaram Hivarkar, Renu Babani, Razia Khan, Sunita Jajodia and Pratap Bhatt.
In retrospect, it’s been a joyous and eventful year with parties, picnics and celebrations galore. Arora found a sister in Geeta on Raksha Bandhan day and the latter got her daughter married towards the end of the year. Sunita got her son married around the same time. Dilip and Kajal Babani’s meritorious daughter, Neelam is now a professional speech therapist with a reputed hospital in Mumbai while Khatoon Baig’s son has landed a prestigious job with a U.S.-based company. Bhatt’s wife has survived a critical surgery of her vertebra while Arun Patil is doing fine after a life-threatening bout of diabetes.
And Ramila Mistry successfully scaled the heights of Mount Kailash to keep her appointment at Lord Shiva’s abode near the Mansarovar Lake.
Holi was a major highpoint of 2011 as all members had a blast on a scale never before seen at the Garden. We also got to sample Santosh’s home-made kanji and the taste of Bapu Rane’s oil-free besan-ka-laddoo is still fresh in everyone’s mouth. The two octogenarians, Tara Chand Seth and Hari Naraiyani are in the pink of health.
Yusuf-bhai’s health however, remains a cause of concern – even as he has recovered from a bad heart condition. Hari Singh Shekhawat too has been raising alarm bells while he keeps getting drawn to the resident chudail of his village in Rajasthan. Last year he was down with a severe case of depression and this year too, he had to suffer because of this mysterious entity and ended up being hospitalized. Happily, all that is behind him and he too is now in the pink of health. After all, all’s well that ends well.
Harish Wadhwa:
A beautiful way to sum up a year. Very well done Blog Monster. Just to add a few more:
a) Our blog was up-to-date 348 days out of 365. Kudos for the regular, non-stop reporting.
b) Blog hits became a healthy 60,000-plus figure and growing.
c) Birthday celebrations and picnics rejuvenated our members and their zeal for life.
d) Pehchan Kaun pics kept everyone speculating over the real identity.
e) Kishor-da and Santosh-ji jokes made the daily exercises lively.
f) Badmaash Company got more male and female company for Chai, proving that everyone is a "badmaash" at heart -- just that nobody wants to admit.
g) Many exercises and dialogues were patented: Neelam Exercise, Santosh-ji Taliyan, Gupta-ji's and Dilip-ji's Lion-Lioness (sher ki dahad), Shekhawat-ji's "Rane, jahan ho beth jao", Yusuf-bhai's "Sab saath mein kyon nahi karte?", Bapu Rane's special 'namattey' to Monthi-ji, Kishor-da ke gane... the blabber-blabber blah-blah women gang. Nafisa-ji ki nazar se, One-Tuuuuu-Three-Four by Ring masterni Razia-ji, Dawadiya, Shekhwat-ji's ashiqana goliyan, loud calls of "Bose-Babu"... Well, the list is endless.
All this made the morning fun memorable. May the New Year bring in more fun.

Priceless Moments

Srichand Arora was right when he said that there’s "real" fun and laughter outside the Garden, post-exercise, during the tea session. Harish Wadhwa too has been saying that the main motive for the Badmaash Company to meet every morning is the tea, suitably spiked by Kishor Babani’s piping hot jokes and that the exercises are only incidental.
Indeed, the exercises have become no more than a means for ‘earning’ those priceless moments over tea – more so, in cold wintry conditions. The early morning chill has also taken a toll on attendance (pic above) at the Garden, resulting in all-round dullness during the exercises. From Sitaram Hivarkar to Yusuf Rassiwala and Santosh Tyagi to Razia Khan and Geeta Sardhana, everybody seems to be taking life easy these days. For once, the ladies find themselves outnumbered with only Nahid Khan and Khatoon Baig being both regular and punctual.
In these circumstances, the Badmaash Company can be largely credited for keeping the Club banner aloft – albeit by default. Shekhawat and Grover are also there, but they are not tea drinkers. Besides, like many others, they do not have the appetite for grave worldly matters that agitate Kishor, Harish, Bose, etc. (apart from the jokes, of course). Today, for instance, they discovered a new tea shop and deliberated (bottom pic) on weighty issues like global warming, corruption in public life, vote politics, cannibalism, chaotic traffic, currency controls, water crisis, population explosion… even the future of civilization – all for kicks!
No wonder the chai session lasted well beyond an hour today.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* Will you please tell us what's so funny that you seem to be in splits and can't stop?
* Honestly, who is the best looking to promote the car?
Harish Wadhwa:
These Badmaash Company individuals certainly need a lot of "Services & Repairing" (see the signboard behind them) for discussing issues that we can do nothing about. Yet, they were shared and debated with enthusiasm like in the parliament as though there's no tomorrow. I wish and pray that some changes happen so that life becomes peaceful and better for one and all. Woh subaha kabhi to aayegi. Incidentally, the chai these days have acquired another companion in batata bhajji and vada pao. Simply irresistible.

Cool Couple

The Babanis, Renu and Kishor brought in a bit of Canada on an already chilly morning at the Garden. Renu’s Toronto-based sister, Meena was introduced to us, along with her husband, James (left) today. All members greeted the couple with a lusty “fourth laugh” – a custom observed to mark special occasions in the Club.
James was around for the exercises yesterday also, within hours of his flight landing in Mumbai. Tired as he looked, it was probably a good way to get over his jet lag. To us also, it was nice to meet him and in effect, size up the man while he got into the motions of exercising without much ado. Obviously, he had endeared himself well enough yesterday for everybody to start taking liberties with him today. Even Tara Chand Seth took pot shots at him: “What is he doing here with us? He should be walking around the Garden with his saali. And Kishor should be also taking a walk with his saali!”
Being married to sisters, Kishor and James are what Indians peculiarly call “co-brothers-in-law”. So when someone commented on the weather, “Mausam suhana hai” and Kishor responded with “Mausam aashiqana hai”, Harish Wadhwa quickly pitched in, saying, “Kya, phone lagaaon?” Amidst the laughter, Nahid Khan couldn’t help remarking, “Kya phone karna, dono idhar hi ghoom rahein hain!”
But this was all in jest, forgotten soon afterwards. During the tea session, James and Meena even had kind words for the group. Fact is, they haven’t seen nothin’ yet.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Well, I had commented that there were'nt many ladies today, in resposne to Monthi-ji's complaint as to why men had occupied all places of the circle. To this, Shekhawat-ji said "phone lagaana padega" (to call them to exercise everyday). Nahid-ji grabbed the opportunity quickly to take a dig on Shekhawat-ji, saying he would enjoy calling his aashiqs (read aashiqana as aashiq-ana-hai)!
* Kishor-da bombarded the Badmaash with his special jokes at Chai, which was graced by the Toronto couple and Renu-ji. Hari-bhai was also in form, trying to convince the couple how good and economic Indian food is. It was a special session with batata-bhajji and chai, courtesy Kishor-da.
Anonymous:
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Translation from German:
Amazing article. I wish your blog was more up-to-date significantly? But most often, I just cannot seem to get over your appropriate posts. I get your blog in my bookmarks. Is it feasible to do a guest post some time?
Big Laaf replies:
We would welcome 'guest posts' any time. Please go ahead!

Signature Campaign

Monthi Serrao can be quite funny at times, without really intending to. She gave us a glimpse of her inborn sense of humour when Shekhawat, soon after the exercises, got everybody together and took off on an extended homily about the goodness of a Garden watchman, one Ram Dev – his dedication to duty, total honesty, how trustworthy he is...
“Toh?” interrupted Monthi.
“Kehne ka matlab, it is hard to find such good people these days,” continued Shekhawat and to illustrate his point, narrated an incident of how a lady had forgotten her purse containing Rs5,000 in the Garden and the watchman helped her find it and did not accept anything in return. “That man has been fired,” said Shekhawat with dramatic flourish.
“Toh humein abhi kya karney ka?” insisted Monthi, getting visibly impatient.
Shekhawat ignored her and went on to explain the circumstances leading to the sacking – how the wife of a gardener was allowed into the Garden to give him his tiffin after closing hours and the manager of Celebration Club, upon seeing her, lost his head and took the watchman to task. “To get him reinstated, we’ll have to make a joint petition to the Celebration Club,” said Shekhawat, handing over a set of papers (above pic) for everybody’s signature.
“Aisa hai kya?” Monthi erupted, realization dawning on her face – only to set off an outburst of laughter all-around. Of course, many members were hardly amused about the turn of events and sympathized with the poor watchman who was sitting quietly near the gate, all alone, unaware of the signature campaign. When he gets to know, he’d realize that we are not just a bunch of scatterbrains who gather in the Garden every morning, only to laugh. Unlike many others, our heart is in the right place.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"I don't know why is everyone looking at me while I sign. I hope my signature comes out correct, otherwise they will be on my case!"
Harish Wadhwa:
You've rightly said it, Blog Monster -- we are men with a heart. We would like to help someone, in this case the watchman who lost his job for no major reason, as known to us. Anything that affects the very livelihood of a person, should be looked into with sympathy.
It was also nice to see Monthi-ji wishing Rane-saab and others on her arrival, which is usually otherwise the case.
The Badmaash Company today missed its veteran, Arora-ji; but was joined by a new member from Toronto, Kishor-da's relative. Had a great time at Chai.

Winter Chill

Many members were taken unawares by the sudden drop in temperature this morning. They were dressed in normal exercise togs, little expecting the mercury to dip to 11.4 degrees Celsius and worse, a freezing northerly breeze wafting through the Garden. Ladies like Geeta Sardhana and Monthi Serrao looked well-prepared though, as they turned up in cardigans/ pullovers, shawls and scarves. In comparison, the men looked under-dressed and foolish, sporting shorts/ tracks and tees (right).
The inordinate chill had its effects. Razia Khan, who was the only lady at the start, got muddled on the sequence of exercises and wanted to “repeat” the Slow-‘n’-Fast laughter round without even doing it. Yusuf Rassiwala skipped the “swimming exercises”, imagining he had already done them. But he was alert enough to notice those who were dozing off while exercising and kept ‘waking’ them up. And Hari Naraiyani wanted to just abandon everything and rest on a bench along the sidelines. Even Shekhawat and Bapu Rane were unusually subdued today.
Only later, after the exercises, when the sun was up and some of us joined the chai session, did we get into our elements.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Charge of the Laaf Brigade, led by Kishor Babani: One for all, all for one!"
Harish Wadhwa:
Rightly said PICSPEAK: Our vangaurd of laughter is Kishor-da. The weather is really nice and one would love to cuddle in a blanket in the mornings -- but the quest for keeping fit, pulls us out.

Belated Celebration

Christmas arrived at the Garden one day late. Monthi Serrao (left) eventually showed up this morning, loaded with goodies to make up for all that we were missing because of her absence. In keeping with the spirit of giving, she distributed the cakes and chocolates among strangers also, including three little urchins who stood diffidently, watching the celebration from a distance. It was occasion also for everybody to wish her ‘Merry Christmas’ in person – though belatedly.
Even otherwise, the festive cheer overflowed with Hari Singh Shekhawat proudly informing that his son, Raghuvir had bagged yet another prestigious TV award for scripting Balika Badhu. Tara Chand Seth and Bapu Rane were equally upbeat with their nonsensical remarks and comments. If the latter was out to distract Yusuf Rassiwala (who was conducting the exercises) the former kept prompting him on certain basics when not required to. He even tried to put the fear of Arora in Yusuf when he once strayed away from the routine, much to everybody’s amusement. Again, when Rane raised a solo laugh out of turn, Yusuf had to shut him up with an abrupt “Choop!”
Just goes to show that the older we are, the more childish we become.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"Looks like everyone liked the cake I brought. See the tray is almost empty..."
Yesss, this feels like a X'mas celebration, now that we got some goodies!
Harish Wadhwa:
The cake was yummy and so was the presentation. Thanks, Monthi-ji. Can we have home-made cakes like this, in the name of Christmas, every month? [Greeeeed!]

Day 511

Pic of the Week

Santa Claus has competition!

Renu Babani: HO HO HO! Here I come to wish everyone a Merry X'mas. Have you been naughty or nice? (Do you want a gift? Think before you answer, but be honest!)

Bhaswati Bose: Santa 'Monthi', we still haven't got our Christmas cake... and goodies!

Dilip Babani: Merry X'mas to everybody. May the Lord fulfill all wishes of all the members.

Srichand Arora: Female Santa bhee hai iss jahaan mein, yeh mut bhoolna. But looks like this female SANTA is kanjoos -- as no goodies???

Harish Wadhwa: Merry Christmas to 'Monthi Claus' and other members of the Club.

Kishor Babani: May joy and happiness snow on you, may the bells jingle for you, may Santa be extra good to you... Merry Christmas!

Christmas Weekend

Christmas eve. Time to be jolly – just that there was no celebration at the Garden. We could not even wish Monthi Serrao as she is said to be nursing a bad back at home. Santa Claus was to drop by, but that too did not happen (yesterday’s post). Nevertheless, Srichand Arora turned up, taking time out from attending to his grandchild who had developed high fever last night -- resulting in the cancellation of a trip to the Sai Baba temple at Shirdi.
Yusuf Rassiwala (below) too turned up, responding to Shekhawat’s call yesterday. His presence, somehow, puts Sunita Jajodia on high alert as she becomes apprehensive of him taking charge of the exercises, only to cause "needless delays". Her worst fears were confirmed when he walked into the middle (“Gayi bhains pani mein”, she was to remark) and at his own pace, conducted the physical exercise round – time and again pulling up Santosh Tyagi for being extra-talkative.
Somebody had brought a stick and placed it strategically at the centre of the circle to “discipline” unruly members. For a long time Hari Naraiyani kept eyeing it (as though it would suddenly wake up and strike him), but not uttering a word. The stick did make many members, particularly the talkative ones, uncomfortable… till Shekhawat showed up and the first thing he did was get the stick away from sight by chucking it into the hedge. After that, it was free-spirited monkeying and leg-pulling as usual!
Bhaswati Bose and Kiran Sajjan came in (after a long absence) to watch the fun. A new gentleman, Pandey volunteered to conduct the end-prayers (lead pic, top). Although there was no obvious celebration, an air of festivity prevailed through the morning. But as always, the real fun and laughter was left for the last – the post-exercise chai session at a tea stall close to the Garden (above left). Like Arora says, this is where we laaf best!
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
* O God, give us the strength to forgive one another and be united always!
* Hey, do you think I look better when I don't open my mouth?
* Chai Cheers to the Badmaash Company, always cheerful and happy.
Harish Wadhwa:
* You can get hearty laafs only in Badmaash Company's chai sessions. Join us to believe it.
* If you see all the blogs, Yusuf-bhai reserves some of his most mischieveous and naughty poses for the camera.

Silly Season

Winter is never severe in Mumbai. But to beat the early morning chill, many have started wrapping themselves in woolies – light cardigans, mufflers and shawls. Geeta Sardhana too came buttoned-up (left) as she resumed her routine today, having got her daughter married last week. Razia Khan wanted Hari Singh Shekhawat to check what prevents Yusuf Rassiwala from coming to the Garden. Shekhawat pointed out that Ramila Mistry has also gone missing for many days. Nafisa Sayed kept on her banter with Hari Naraiyani and Kishor Babani came up with brand new recordings of remixes. Harish Wadhwa circulated copies of the updated membership list. Monthi Serrao was not to be seen – which may be explained to being pre-occupied with Christmas celebrations. Incidentally, plans for Santa Claus paying a ‘surprise visit’ at the Garden tomorrow have been abandoned as Srichand Arora will have to take his family to Shirdi on the week-end.
In short, nothing much to report. It’s 'silly season' here also!
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
"These two are hilarious. The conversation is too funny. Wish I could just burst out laughing, but that would be rude!"
Harish Wadhwa:
* Somehow the chai sessions are more entertaining than regular exercises these days -- maybe because of the wisdom people share with each other.
* Geeta-ji must be a happy lady with the important responsibility of getting her daughter married delivered so well, with grace of Lord Krishna!

New Trend

Of late, we are witnessing a peculiar trend. Over the past few weeks, every day, one person would emerge from the group during the exercises, who may be described as the “toast of the morning”. It could be Srichand Arora or Hari Singh Shekhawat… or Razia Khan, Yusuf Rassiwala or Geeta Sardhana, even Tara Chand. Short of hijacking the morning’s proceedings, this person would continually grab everybody’s attention, dominate all activity, initiate the jokes and pranks and generally, set the mood for the morning. The morning effectively belongs to this person. Next day, it could be someone else.
Significantly, for three days at a stretch, Nafisa Sayed (above, in the middle) has willy-nilly appropriated this position and in the process, raised her fan following in the Club. Shekhawat never tires of telling late-comers how they had missed Nafisa’s brilliant witticisms and one-liners… if only they had come in time. Santosh Tyagi even incorporated a Nafisa Sayed axiom as part of her jokes narration today.
It so happened that Kishor Babani was playing a series of old romantic numbers like Chandan ka badan, chanchal chitwan (Mukesh), Bekarar karke humein yun na jaiye (Hemant Kumar) and Bahaaron phool barsaao, mera mehboob aaya hai (Rafi) when Nafisa, who was listening intently, suddenly posed a question: “Why do men, who have such nice words for women, suddenly change later?”
Everybody’s ears pricked up. “I’ll tell you what happens,” Nafisa explained. “The same man who says ‘Baharon phool barsaao, mera mehboob...’ would later be heard threatening his wife, ‘Tu chup rahegi, ya main aayoon!?!’” Shekhawat (above) found this so funny that he started jumping with his hands in the air, till he doubled up, clutching his stomach and laughing. That itself was a spectacle.
Later, Nafisa was to take a dig at Hari Naraiyani, advising him not to bother about buying property at his age and instead invest time in a temple so that God would be pleased to reserve a "room" for him in heaven. But that is another story.
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
* "Okay ladies, the target is in front. Let's start our verbal attack!"
* "I can't stop laughing. These ladies are too much!"
Harish Wadhwa:
Shekhawat-ji and all those who broke into a hysterical laugh today on hearing Nafisa-ji's musings could relate it to their daily home shouts (LOL)! My sympathies and appreciation to the husband's fraternity who keep their cool and allow their better halves to enjoy the domination.

Bright Lights

These days, the sun officially rises over Mumbai city around 6:48 a.m. But it is not really day-break before 7:00 a.m. – the time we start our exercises. Many of us who arrive before time are treated to a wonderful spectacle of the Garden lit up by an array of bright lights (left) – not to mention the still-illuminated billboards and hoardings on its periphery.
Against this surreal backdrop, shadowy figures flit by on the walking track, dodging one another and at times raising a “Jai Sri Krishna!” Sunita Jajodia can be heard holding forth on worldly matters from her designated bench. At the far end, Tara Chand Seth would be seated on a high bench, swinging his legs after a brisk walk.
It is only later, when darkness lifts and the various forms and faces become recognizable (left) that we’d know we are on familiar ground.
Today’s brightest moment came with Srichand Arora making a surprise appearance, ears plugged to the leads of his cell-phone and like a pre-programmed robot, walking to the middle to conduct the exercises. Nobody asked him to. Nor could he have heard anybody over those ear plugs. Not to miss the comic situation, Nafisa Sayed promptly took a firkee of him – till he removed the ear plugs and realised that the joke was on him.
Otherwise, it was a normal day, as winter days tend to be – low attendance, few jokes, restrained behaviour… Even the friskiest become composed in these conditions. Still, the Badmaash Company had their share of fun and laughter after exercises – the female Babanis, Renu and Kajal joining them for the chai session.
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
* PEACE, serenity, calm and beauty! Mumbai at its best before a hectic day begins.
* See how I ensure they follow my lead. Whether they listen otherwise is another story.
Harish Wadhwa:
Hey, you guys had a nice time at Chai!?! I missed it as I woke up late! I know Kishor-da will compensate and Bose-babu will update me on the developments. Renu-ji did you also take the lead to follow-up with others to join the Chai today?

Age-old Problems

Old age problems dominated the morning hour at the Garden as a large number of members did not turn up. Sunita Jajodia was there, but did not exercise because of “ghutney mein dard”. Her sounding board, Santosh Tyagi had not come. Kishor Babani too was missing. Even Ved Prakash Grover (left), one of the die-hard regulars, was absent. Also Pratap Bhatt… So when Shekhawat started the exercises, he had only Bose for company.
Gradually, people started trickling in – Yusuf Rassiwala, Razia Khan, Bapu Rane… Just as Shekhawat was enquiring about Nafisa Sayed, she too turned up amidst greetings and wishes for a long life. But this is one thing she has been cribbing about (while she battles with a severe diabetes condition) -- oddly enough, echoed by 82-year-old Tara Chand Seth (below, left): “Lambi umar nahin chahiye!” He too had been complaining of body aches in the cold weather and took umbrage when Razia tried to correct him for not rolling his arms fully for some of the exercises.
Attention instantly shifted to Hari Naraiyani (right) standing alongside, who simply refused to do any of the exercises and was merrily singing to himself. “Inko dekho!” Razia pointed out. Shekhawat tried to cover up for him saying that with age, the body often refuses to perform certain exercises. “Budhape ka asar hai,” he explained. “Budhdha hoga tera baap,” snapped Tara Chand. But the damage was already done by Nafisa’s classic line: “Hari-bhai ka sab theek hai, sirf badan chhod ke!” Everybody burst out laughing, but Hari-bhai pretended not to have heard and instead started singing, “Abhi toh main jawan joon…” After some time, without as much as taking leave, he walked away from the exercises. Just like that.
Grover missed all the tamasha, down as he was with the cold bug and sore throat. Yesterday he had to take a break during the exercises due to his running nose. The condition seems to have worsened today as he has developed mild fever also. Tara Chand believes this problem could have been easily avoided had Grover not succumbed to the temptation of taking an extra helping of ice cream at the wedding of Geeta Sardhana’s daughter last Sunday.
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
"Old is gold and no matter what anyone says, we will prove we are stronger than what we look."
Harish Wadhwa:
Yes, it was indeed surprising to see the die-hard regulars missing today. May be they just wanted to enjoy the light morning winter under a nice cosy blanket in bed... and why not? They deserve to enjoy life as they are all young at heart!

Dashing 'n' Dapper

Hari Singh Shekhawat today was the butt of many jokes as he turned up late, cheerfully sporting a trendy black striped T-shirt with black track pants to match (right pic). His late-coming was anyway explained to his having to administer eye-drops early morning to his wife who has recently undergone a cataract operation. But the cool, under-stated elegance of his dressing was to incite a volley of playful digs on how he was so desperate to impress the ladies with his dashing, debonair looks. Many called him the 'gorey banke chhorey' who had suddenly become a “hero”. Bapu Rane even addressed him as “Rajesh Khanna”!
Razia Khan wanted to know why he had stopped telephoning habitual absentees – especially the ladies whose strength has been going down by the day. Shekhawat promptly reeled out a status report. “I keep track of everybody here," he said. "Ramila (Mistry) is busy with guests at her house, Neelam (Garg) has to attend a satsang every morning and is free only on Saturdays, Nafisa (Sayed) comes whenever I call her, Mrs (Bhaswati) Bose has broken her back, Sitaram (Hivarkar) also has a back problem, (Srichand) Arora’s son has come down from Singapore, Mrs (Harbans) Singh has lost a relative in Pune, Geeta (Sardhana) has just got her daughter married… What else do you want to know?” The way he rattled the names, all in one breath, summarily put a full stop to any further discussion on the subject.
But the highlight of the morning was Santosh Tyagi (left) celebrating her daughter-in-law having recently landed a prestigious job. She is in the telecom industry. For once, we were all treated to soft, spongy mouth-watering chum-chums – thoughtfully served in white plastic cups. Thank you, Santosh-ji for the treat and we wish your daughter-in-law all the more progress in her career, if only for more of those scrunchy and sinfully sweet chum-chums!
Harish Wadhwa:
The picture is proof enough of Sunita-ji having got two helpings of chum-chum while we all got one. Not fair (LOL)! By the way, congratulations to Santosh-ji's bahu for the promotion. And Renu-ji, these days you are seen walking and not joining the group. Any reasons?
Renu Babani replies:
Have you noticed the celebrations going on and distribution of sweets, etc.? I need the walk to digest all that!
PIC SPEAK: Here comes the forge, because united we stand, divided we fall! If you think these ladies are smart, see how I proved them wrong. I have the entire box for myself!

Day 504

Pic of the Week Wow! Where did this trapeze artiste come from?

Renu Babani:
Yeh hai fashion ka jalwa, lachak-machak...
Dilip Babani:
I think she is an expert in Rajasthani dance: "Ghagroo re guhmoyo re guhmoyo..." She has very good control of her head. She looks like the actress Reena Roy (or Vyjayanthimala, even Hema Malini)!
Harish Wadhwa:
"Eh Masakkali Masakkali/ Kahan ud Chali?/ Haathon ke pankh banake/ Luddoo ka taj saja ke/ Sabka dil lootney chali..." Neelam-ji you look very nice in this pic.

Morning Madness

Another delightful Saturday morning with Tara Chand Seth earning the sobriquet of “Rajdhani Express”. Kishor Babani gave him this name while comparing his brisk pace of walk (round the Garden) with that of another octogenarian, Hari Naraiyani. The latter became “Gareeb Rath” while the rest of us, by impli-cation, were "Andheri locals" – stopping and starting at every station!
This effectively was to define the mood of the morning – what with an over-gregarious Yusuf Rassiwala in the middle allowing everybody to take liberties during the exercises. He himself was in a mischievous mood as he explained his occasional distractions to “beautiful things” passing by. “When you see beauty, your eyes get an extra sparkle,” he reasoned aloud. “When you see a beautiful girl, you ruin your eyes!” retorted Kishor.
That was not all. While the Laughter Round was on, Shekhawat initiated what may soon become standard practice – clapping and converging in the middle and then withdrawing to the circle. Today he had six or seven men joining him in this charming display of calisthenics with women like Razia Khan also trying to match steps.
This “leher pe leher” (Shekhawat’s words) was to extend to the three laughs after the exercises – and an extra one today for Kajal Babani’s birthday. Instead of following this with the usual round of 108 claps, everybody broke into an impromptu Happy Birthday chorus for the “Baby of the Club” (Yusuf’s words) till Harish Wadhwa started clapping from the count of 64 and the men followed. The ladies, led by Yusuf, started their claps from the start, only to add to the chaos and confusion.
The hilarity culminated at the Chinese Hut where the birthday girl and her husband, Dilip Babani (pics above) hosted a lavish treat for all members.
Harish Wadhwa:
You see we were being fair in counting, else our Santosh-ji (who holds this patent) would have got late for "work". We had clapped 64 times, while singing Happy Birthday and therefore it was logical to extend the count then, from 64 to 108. But then, while all men finished the counting and were busy greeting Give me-10s, Yusuf-bhai was seen doing the same with the ladies? Yusuf-bhai, you cannot change sides like this and be extra nice to the ladies!
Bhaswati Bose:
Many Happy Returns of the Day, Kajal. Sorry, I couldn't wish you in person this morning. Thanks for sending my share of samosas. Have a great time and light all the candles on your cake now. I have already alerted the Fire Brigade! LOL.

Scent of Money

We are getting greedy. After yesterday’s celebration at the Garden, a suggestion has come up to generate money from this blog so that nobody would ever be required to foot any bill for any party, picnic or excursion in future. A corpus would be created to meet all Club expenses without having to resort to individual contributions or imposing any kind of financial burden on members.
In putting forth the idea this morning, Sushma Gupta’s husband, Pradeep Gupta (below) was suggesting the 'monetization' of Big Laaf. In other words, space on the blog page would be sold to advertisers (like they do in newspapers) for a price depending on the ad size and positioning, target readership, the traffic the blog attracts and the strikes on ads. Effectively, anyone arriving here to read this blog, also gets to see a variety of ads of commercial products and services – health supplements, medical insurance, investment opportunities, holiday deals, etc.
The proposal found immediate takers in Yusuf Rassiwala, Razia Khan and Dilip Babani among others, despite Shekhawat arguing that this would mark a departure from the Club’s policy of not having any dealings with money. Not only would it lead to accounting issues, but worse, create misunderstanding among members and even rifts within the Club.
Gupta’s counter-argument was that if big money comes in without an investment and we are able to raise the quality of our recreation in the interest of all members, why not? Besides, we have a well-established and active blog with 500-plus posts and over 60,000 page views. He offered to set the ball rolling after he retires on December 31 while Yusuf (left) and Dilip volunteered to take care of the accounts. That sealed the matter.
Yusuf however, brought up a pertinent point. Before venturing into monetization, we need to formalize our association with a proper membership list, or else “every Tom, D. . . and Harry in the Garden" will claim to be a member. We will also have to open bank accounts with an authorized signatory who enjoys the confidence of all members. The nitty-gritty of all this needs to be ironed out, for which, he has requested Shekhawat to convene a meeting at the earliest.
Harish Wadhwa:
Is Shekhawat-ji asking for votes with folded hands like a politician? Or is he thanking everyone for their love? Well, the guess is yours! LOL. Kishor-da, as usual, gave a nice joke-ka-dose. The chai session was also nice.
Renu Babani's PIC-SPEAK:
* "Namaste, with folded hands and on behalf of everyone, I greet you all..."
* "Don't I look like a hero of yesteryears?"
Kishor Babani:
Don't you all know that he has got an election ticket for the forthcoming elections? He is requesting the public to vote for him. He surely will eradicate poverty and corruption if he wins!

And the winner is…

Ved Prakash Grover. The diminutive and amiable, yet hugely disciplined and much admired Club veteran was declared winner for correctly identifying the “mystery lady” featured in the Pic of the Week of December 4, 2011 (don't miss the post). The lady in question, Santosh Tyagi handed him the prize, thereby putting to rest all speculation and suspense that had been building up around this amusing guessing-game over the past ten days.
Earlier in the morning, Srichand Arora took time out of his family engagements (he has overseas guests at home) to be present at the Garden and officiate over the announcement of results. Like a seasoned ‘master of ceremonies’, he kept the excitement alive till the end – first by reading out the names of members whose guesses went off-the-mark and then listing the 13 entries which were spot on. Only later, did he settle down to conducting a draw of lots (above, right) among the correct entries while Santosh picked the lucky winner. Grover was the man of that moment, lustily cheered (above left) as he stepped up to receive his prize.
On behalf of this blog, the Club’s senior-most member, Tara Chand Seth, presented (above) Santosh a momento – a framed pencil sketch of her portrait. Neelam Garg too had a surprise present (left) for Big Laaf, for keeping this blog going through 500 days. And all others received boxes of gift-packed luddoos as tokens of appreciation for their support and encouragement.
Almost every participant in this guessing-game was present at the Garden this morning – but for two important members. Both Geeta Sardhana and Dilip Babani, winners of the last contest in July, were conspicuous by their absence. This time also they had guessed correctly but for reasons best known to them, they did not show up for the results. They were sorely missed.
The blog also wishes to place on record its gratitude to Yusuf Rassiwala for sponsoring the entire event today.
Harish Wadhwa:
Congratulations to Big Laaf for the 500th day of blogging. Kudos to Blog Monster for delivering this responsibility so well. Does anyone realise that he has the maximum attendance, as he is there each day punctually to relax and blog his observations? Thanks Neelam-ji for that special gift. He deserves to be acknowledged. Today’s quiz on the beautiful 19-year-young woman, who had got the picture clicked just after two months of her marriage, was appreciated so much. Santosh-ji was seen blushing, as the picture was identified as hers, bringing all speculation to rest. Thank you Yusuf-bhai, a senior and “over” disciplined member, for sponsoring the day. It was indeed a pleasure to see Bhaswati-ji, who showed up at the Garden, despite intense pain in her back. It seems Bose Babu’s patni-seva did wonders. She braved all the walking and Kishor-da was kind and considerate to drop her home, as a gentleman’s gesture. Renu-ji was also seen comforting her, as someone from her own family. While exercising, Nafisa-ji, made a nice statement: Jo aa kar chali jai, woh jawani hai, Aur jo aa kar theher jai, woh budhapa! Her words, said innocently, articulated the pain she was going through, since the last few months.
Bhaswati Bose:
Congratulations to BIG LAAF on completing 500 episodes. I am glad I somehow managed to make it to the Garden. It was a fun-filled morning. Everybody present made it enjoyable and memorable. Special thanks to (a) Arora-ji for conducting the proceedings in such an interesting and entertaining manner; (b) Harish-bhai for the wonderful photographs he has taken; and (c) Yusuf-bhai for sponsoring the event. May he sponsor more such events in the future. We are not complaining!
Dilip Babani:
Congratulations to Big Laaf and to all members of Laughing Club. Thanks to Yusuf-bhai also. It feels nice to be part of this lovely Laughing Club. Thanks to all members also for participating in the guessing game. I got a luddoo. Thanks for remembering me.

Day 500

Today the blog completes 500 days. Befitting the occasion, members decided to let their hair down and have a blast. Things got so out-of-control that the exercises, which usually end by 7:45 a.m., went on till 8:10 a.m. with the suryanamaskar prayer still to go!
It all began with Yusuf Rassiwala matching wits with Razia Khan, the latter taking repeated digs at him, “Sir, aap toh hamarey sir hai!” – the pun on “sir” deliberate. Abruptly Yusuf turned his attention to Santosh Tyagi, greeting her with a “namaste” and went on to compliment her for looking “so beautiful” in her youth. Attention had to shift to the “picture on the blog” (post of December 4) with everybody wanting to know whether that was really her. Razia even performed a hilarious jig in front of Santosh -- “Tu cheez badi hai mast mast…” and only then did the exercises resume.
Tara Chand brought about the next break by casually calling Bapu Rane (left) “young boy” – since he could do all the exercises so well, belying his age. Somebody said Bapu was hardly 18 years and another said he was not even in his teens. Razia corrected them, saying he was still a baby whose teeth hadn’t yet formed – all the while Rane giving her a toothless grin. The conversation was interrupted by a bearded man at a distance going berserk, wanting to hit Subbu (post of December 6) with a stone. A crowd had gathered and he was restrained. Needless to say, the poor fellow had been jabbed in the tummy.
Yet another break came about when Yusuf decided to narrate a scene from The Dirty Picture – how Tushaar Kapoor was giving driving lessons to Vidya Balan. He wanted to make a point about how perceptions differ – the fact he was not wearing spectacles today and could be seeing things differently. By then some ladies were getting impatient and Yusuf, for once, had to tell them sternly: “Those who want to go, may go!”
“You may go,” intoned Rane in English, as Sunita promptly stomped away in a huff.
Harish Wadhwa:
I am happy Yusuf-bhai did not see me pounding at him from behind. This happened when everyone was wanting him to speed up the exercises. Indeed, the exercises were going too slow, even though I do understand that they need to be done slow to avoid injury.

Distressed

There are days when time hangs heavy at the Garden. And there are days, like today, when pretty much nothing happens and yet, an hour flashes by without anybody realizing. You can put this to the mood of members, the vibes exchanged or the antics of the chatter-boxes and pranksters present.
Nafisa Sayed was present today, but looked unusually subdued. Many chided her for doing "phunti" for days on end – which Bapu Rane corrected to “daandi” and Nahid Khan further corrected to “gulati”… just to cheer her up. So troubled was Nafisa (seated in the middle in pic above) with her diabetes problem that even Shekhawat’s madcap pranks during the Slow and Fast laughter round failed to amuse her. She kept repeating her pet line, “Zindagi se kantaal gayi hoon,” only to trigger a round of laughter around her.
Another person to curse her luck is Bhaswati Bose (left). She is down with lumbago – a painful condition caused by the degeneration of lower back muscles. She is presently under medication to relieve her of the agony of muscular spasms. But it will take another six months before she recovers fully. Even then, it is unlikely she'd be able to return to the Garden to exercise as before.
Meanwhile, Shekhawat has purchased a problem – only that he does not realize it. The happy-go-lucky man that he is has revised his decision of individual gifting at the wedding of Geeta Sardhana’s daughter this weekend. He announced yesterday that in the fitness of things, we should be making a “joint presentation of cash” from the Club since the "Club as a whole has been invited to the wedding".
Tara Chand Seth promptly fished out Rs 200 as his share, but all others who endorsed the idea yesterday, turned ambivalent today. Some claim to have been “personally” invited by Geeta while many want to be excused because of prior engagements. But by and large, they would all want to wait and watch instead of closing their options right now.
Renu Babani's PIC SPEAK:
* Did you hear about... and the one about... and yea, that was so funny I tell you. Forget everything, see those ladies at the back. Wonder what they are talking about?
* I can't seem to find anything amusing in all this!
Srichand Arora:
Bhaswati-ji, please take care of your health. I wish you all the best and recovery soonest. We really want you to be fully fit in our group of the Laughter Club.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Get well soooon Bhaswati-ji. It will be tough to bottle the gossip for so long and we need you here to let it flow. Jokes apart, take care of your health. Bose-babu, please do a lot of patni seva, so that she returns promptly to her daily routine.
* Arora-ji, where have you been hiding? Putra-prem mein hamein mut bhool jana. Unko bhi Garden mein le ke aana.

Spreading Mirth

The cardigans and shawls were out as the morning temperate dipped to 16 degrees Celsius – the lowest of the season yet. They say the “cold wave” is due to north-easterly winds hitting the city. That’s reason enough to discard the T-shirts and kurtas and appear more formally dressed, all buttoned up.
Despite the chill, members were in a merry mood, spreading warmth and mirth with their lively pranks and teasers. Nahid Khan and Santosh Tyagi have become their favourite targets as every second person (particularly the ladies) wants to know which of them could be the “mystery lady” featured in the Sunday, December 4 post (close-up reproduced below). Some kept peering at the ears of both ladies by turn, looking for tell-tale signs left by those large danglers (jhumkas) on the lobes. Santosh herself was heard asking around if the mole on Nahid’s upper lip had been there since childhood.
Funnily, the way the two have been trying to deflect attention away from themselves has only deepened everybody’s suspicion towards them – though there are some men who have now started speculating that Santosh and Nahid are red herrings and that someone else like Nafisa Syed or Neelam Garg who has escaped their attention, ought to be zeroed upon.
As of now, most of the members have pitched for Santosh, while Nahid comes a close second and Fehmida Khan gets Kishor Babani's sole vote. There are two more days to go in this guessing game. So all those who have not yet participated may please put in their entries. Results will be declared on Thursday, December 15 – incidentally, the date this blog gets past the 500-day mark.
Renu Babani's PIC-SPEAK:
* Wear or not to wear... sweater since the weather plays havoc each day!
* Yeh reshmi zulfein, yeh sharbati aankhein...

Day 497

Pic of the Week

Introducing the newest Congress candidate: "Vote for THE HAND!"

Kishor Babani:
I THINK I KNOW THIS CANDIDATE. IF VOTED, SHE WILL RULE THE COUNTRY WITHOUT CORRUPTION -- LIKE ANNA HAZARE. THREE CHEERS TO HER!

Renu Babani:
Who's this Gayal Sherni, Gayal Sherni, Gayal Sherni Di,
Alwaysss Smilin, alwayss laaafin, Gayal Sherni Di,
People in gardn askin what hapn, who made u gayal sherni di
She say just one thing to everyone, onleeee one thing puhleez
If ever you do arm Wresteling, NEVER put butter on hand,
Otherwise u will be a Gayal Sherni Di, Ghayal, ghayal, ghayal...sherni!
(sung to the tune of Kolaveri Di)

Bhaswati Bose:
But why the black band on this Congress hand?

Renu Babani:
Do not underestimate the Iron Hand of Freedom. This emblem shall remain etched in our group forever because it so rare. Jai Hind!

Dilip Babani:
Anna Hazare zindabad, Bharat Mata ki jai!

Harish Wadhwa:
This looks like a still from the film Rajneeti. Renu-ji is looking more dramatic than Katrina Kaif! But I sympathise with Kishor-da for bearing the intensity of the knock which led to her hand also being bruised. Our Kishor-da is a wonderful person and needs to be treated with love -- not an iron fist!

Kajal Babani:
This lady is Kiran Arora-ji!

Spirited Weekend

A fun-filled Saturday morning marked by music and madness, unbridled laughter, mutual leg-pulling, ceaseless exchanges of one-liners and quick repartees… all in a spirit of joie-de vivre. Some may have scoffed at the kind of liberties taken during the exercises today. But what do you do when racy numbers like ‘Hansta hua noorani chehra’ and ‘Gore-gore, baanke-chhore’ play in the background? What can be expected when the most talkative ladies of the Club gang up and are at their wittiest best, one trying to outdo the other? What else can Shekhawat do when he had three ‘sitting ducks’ in Geeta Sardhana, Nahid Khan and Ramila Mistry together (above) for the Slow-and-Fast laughter round? Of course, Bapu Rane and then, Kishor Babani tried to restrain him, but Shekhawat was already out guns blazing, with the three ladies in his direct range!
Sunita Jajodia was also there, having returned from the rigors of organizing her son’s wedding last Sunday. Some members (particularly, those not invited) pretended to be unaware of the event and took friendly digs at her. She silenced them suitably with a boxful of kaju-katlis (above), which were much appreciated. Everybody wished the lady well and blessed her son (in absentia) on beginning a new life with his bride. All told, a very happy morning!
Renu Babani's PIC-SPEAK:
* Control, control... a certain lion retreating his companion from being completely mauled by his counterparts. Here we come! Watch out!! You asked for it!!!
* Hey, please! Just what do you think you are doing? You need to keep for the others.

Winter Torpor

Regular winter hasn’t really set in and already several members have gone into hibernation. Till a few days back, there would be about half-a-dozen of us to start the day’s proceedings and by the end of the exercises, the number would swell to a healthy 25 or so. These days, the same half-a-dozen are there (at times more), but not many besides. Let alone come late, many members have simply stopped coming.
Reasons range from health issues to personal engagements. Sitaram Hivarkar is suffering from a nagging back ache which gets aggravated in the early morning chill. Likewise, Ram Shankar Shukla complains of developing body cramps during winter – especially after exercising. Nafisa Sayed (left) has to come all the way from MHADA colony (beyond Lokandwala Circle) and she finds it unsafe walk the distance alone while it is still dark. Sunita Jajodia hasn’t yet got over with her son’s nuptials while Harbans Singh is in mourning, following the passing away of her brother-in-law in Pune.
There are also the ones erratic in their attendance – such as Harish Wadhwa (who has to travel a lot on work), Razia Khan (who is at the mercy of the limited water supply her building gets in the mornings) and Dilip Babani (who is nursing a sore in his mouth). But the one to take the cake (and eat it too) is Yusuf Rassiwala (right). A running joke in the Club is that if Yusuf-bhai comes to the Garden for three days at a stretch, he is bound to take a break for a week (if not longer) from the fourth day. Many are prepared to wager a bet on this!
Now Srichand Arora threatens to be also erratic from next week owing to his annual family reunion at home. His son is visiting from Singapore. Together, they’d all be leaving for Dubai on December 18. Geeta Sardhana, whose daughter’s wedding is fixed for the same day, will have something to chew on.
PIC-SPEAK
--a new feature beginning today, by Renu Babani, on what the pictures say...
* Shekhawat: "Everybody update your phone numbers on the membership list."
Santosh-ji: "Listen Principal-sa'ab, I am a senior member. I shall give you the information when I remember. So be patient."
* Nafisa's ever smiling face tries to make us overlook the fact that she is not a regular. But we miss her sudden bursts of one-liners mid-exercise.
* Yusuf-bhai's impish face says it all. Like a college boy caught bunking, he knows he will not get away scot free.
Harish Wadhwa:
Yusuf-bhai has a shararati andaaz in the pic -- winking with his left eye and puckering his lips like Vidya Balan! Something brewing?
There are these one-timers, phunti-wale, late latifs, not-feeling-healthy sorts and some busy with their household commitments. Then there are some like Bose-babu, Grover-sahab, Kishor-da, Renu-ji, Bhatt-sahab, Nahid Khan-ji, Monthi-ji, Razia-ji and Santosh-ji who are punctual and regular. Appreciate these regulars and their motivation to keep going and stay fit.
Bhaswati Bose
Harish-bhai ko ab har koi Vidya Balan jaisi dikh rahi hai... even Yusuf-bhai! What will happen to him AFTER he sees The Dirty Picture?

Dilip Babani:
Vidya Balan ka bukhar toh kab ka utar gaya. Ab koyi naya gana banega, tab naya bukhar chadega. Dirty Picture jaise bahut films aaye aur gaye. Pahle ki dancers -- Helen, Jayashree T, Divya Bharti, Rekha... abb budhdhi ho gai hai. Budhdhe aur murjhaye phool pasand nahi sab ko.
Harish Wadhwa:
Bhaswati-ji, yes, I do like Vidya's acting, smile and laugh. But she is not my kind and on whom I can go gaga. To be honest, I have no plans to watch The Dirty Picture -- not in the near future. LOL
Srichand Arora:
Thank you very much for reminding me of my neice -- Geeta's daughter's marriage. In view of this, I have changed the date of my Dubai trip from 18th to 28th December. I go on the 28th and return on 30th night. Thanks, once again!

Double Celebration

The Club gave us two reasons to rejoice this morning. One, Hari Naraiyani celebrated his 48th wedding anniversary by distributing besan-luddoos among members after the exercises (left). And two, Sushma Gupta (accompanied by hubby Pradeep Gupta) celebrated her 33rd wedding anniversary by distributing chocolates among members after the exercises (below, left).
If that was not enough, Tara Chand Seth (below, right) gave us another reason to cheer by showing up at the Garden after three months. He was away at Delhi and had returned to Bombay by a late-night flight yesterday. Unable to hold himself back at home, this energetic octogenarian made it a point to be present for the exercises in the morning. His arrival was marked by a round of applause.
Hari-bhai had announced his anniversary a week back (see post of December 1) and the clever man he is, he brought those besan-luddoos in a cookie jar lest anybody pick out more than one at a time. Some did try though, only to be caught with their hand stuck in the cookie jar!
As for the Guptas, the chocolates on a platter came as more than a welcome surprise. Pradeep is a banker, due to retire soon. He will have to vacate his official residence across the road and was discussing the possibilities of remaining in the neighborhood, when Srichand Arora jokingly advised him to wheedle out some wads of currency notes from the bank before leaving. “I have a better idea,” Pradeep said. "I am setting up a press for printing currency notes.” “Great,” Arora retorted instantly. “You set up the press and I'll supply the paper!”
The blog joins everybody on wishing the Gupta couple and the Naraiyanis all the very best in their married lives – full of love, joy, peace and contentment.
Srichand Arora:
Dear Gupta, we all welcome you to our Laughter Club. We assure you, we will keep you as busy as you were in the Bank because we have so many programmes planned out for future. We need a person like you who can initiate and help us achieve our goals.
Renu Babani:
If pictures could speak a thousand words, here's mine:
1. Hari-bhai distributing besan-luddoos from the jar. Note Mrs Bose's gesture with her two fingers and expression, "Hey Mrs Khan, even I wanted to take two, but did not succeed. So don't even try to take my share!" Kajal is looking on while Sushma is so bored, she is yawning!
2. Mr Arora and Mr Gupta are having an interesting conversation. Geeta is looking on pensively, "Maybe I should get into this piece of action too. Sounds interesting!"
3. "Here I come, ready or not..." says Mr Tara Chand, as he comes back into the fold.
Harish Wadhwa:
Arora-sahab, Gupta-ji se dhande ki kucch baat karo, kucch paise jodo. After all, he is a banker, karodon mein khelte hain roz.
Dilip Babani:
God bless both the couples with wealth and good health!