Kashmir Cancellations

Of the 37 who had signed up for the Kashmir trip, three have pulled out: Tara Chand Seth and Mr and Mrs Harbans Singh. Shekhawat today announced that he would cancel their bookings and the penalty/ damages should, in all fairness, be borne by them.
Tara Chand has had to change his mind because of health issues. He says that following a "heart scare" recently, he has lost the confidence to undertake long trips. And Mrs Singh had reported earlier on of family commitments in Pune, coinciding with the trip between August 31 and September 8.
Others are of course, gung ho on this first ever cross-country excursion from the Club -- though the fear of viral epidemic hangs heavy in the air. Monthi Serrao has just recovered from the fever and joined the exercises today. Pratap Bhatt is still unwell. So is Prakash Motwani. Hari Naraiyani is likely to be discharged from Kokilaben Hospital (see post of August 15) this evening.
The latest in this list of casualties is Bhaswati Bose, who has been down with a crippling back problem. Strangely, this is as much a subject of concern as of amusement in the Club – all because of a horrendous 'witch doll' (right pic) she had picked from a recent trip to the Czech Republic. Any unsuspecting visitor to her house would get the heebie-jeebies for the way the damn thing lets out a loud cackling laughter while breaking into a dance with arms and legs flailing about, eyes flashing red and swinging to and fro.
Santosh Tyagi jumped out of her skin the day she encountered this bizarre phenomenon in person and promptly dubbed it a "chudail". She warned Bhaswati that it signifies bad omen and ought to be banished from the face of earth. The latter’s back pain now vindicates her belief. In this, oddly enough, she enjoys the support of Nahid Khan who, for the life of her, cannot understand why any married man should want to “keep two chudails” at home.
Here, in the lead pic, she can be seen at the centre sharing her brand of deadpan humour during the post-exercise jokes session.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "I love being the centre of attention!"
* "I ain't no witch, just a doll with a bad name."
Bhaswati Bose:
Kya Nahid 'Bhai', aapne mere jaise PARI ko CHUDAIL bana diya? Milenge kal garden mein!