Memory Lapse

Yusuf Rassiwala did a Rip Van Winkle today when he turned up at the Garden after what seemed like ages. He was last seen at the Eid Party. Naturally, he had to be the cynosure of all eyes with everybody inquiring about his health and wanting to know where he had disappeared. Nahid Khan put an end to all the fussing about by ordering Yusuf to go conduct the exercises – as a ‘punishment’ for playing hooky.
Abruptly pushed in the middle thus, Yusuf needed time to regain his bearings. He faltered repeatedly, got the sequence of exercises wrong, almost skipped the kissa kursi ka round till he was reminded… all of which he blamed on the “ghanti (bell) not ringing” in his brain. These lapses were understandable. But when he addressed Nahid as "Khatoon-ji", the brain damage was confirmed. Khatoon Baig, who was standing nearby, protested and wonder of wonders, Yusuf promptly called her “Razia Begum”!
That was when we gave up.
In all likelihood Yusuf was feigning amnesia, deliberately, in order to keep us all entertained. For, that is his style. But the good thing was that he looked unusually dapper and young (lead pic) this morning, and claimed to have never felt better. “Honestly, I did not miss coming to the Garden for the exercises… I have been maintaining a very active life,” he explained.
Keeping the spirits soaring, Kishor Babani (another prodigal) and Santosh Tyagi got into the mood of narrating jokes after the exercises. This was something we had been missing for quite some time. It was a brief session, but with both of them well-prepared and in full flow, the morning ended on a fabulously joyous note.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* I can act like a scarecrow today. It's a new exercise. Want to try it?
* Brothers in arms, always ready for a laugh at any time.