12.12.12

So today was the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of the century – a day Nahid Khan had been warning us about for the past few mornings. But surprisingly this morning, she had clean forgotten about the date, till Vijay Bhai jokingly greeted her from the walking track, “12.12.12. Mubarak!” Nahid then realised that it could be a good day after all and was further reassured by Bapu Rane’s grand prophesy: “Any chhokra born today would become panth pradhan (prime-minister)”. But she was soon to be disillusioned when told that today also happened to be Chaudas Amavasya, an inauspicious day by the Hindu almanac that had led to the rescheduling of many planned births and marriages in the city.
Be that as it may, it was the day when Hari Singh Shekhawat returned to the Garden – fresh from a trip to Rajasthan (bottom pic) and made his first announcement on the General Body Meeting scheduled this Saturday (yesterday’s post). It was also a day when much was made of having to compulsorily wear caps during the exercises, with the sole exception of Geeta Sardhana (left). So what used to be talked of in hushed tones today came out in the open with at least three ladies threatening to also flout the rule. They entreated Srichand Arora to also make them his sisters, so that like Geeta, they could get away by not wearing the cap.
Fact is, Arora has been requesting all members with folded hands (including Geeta) to wear the cap with a sense of belongingness and pride. Nothing but respect for the man made everyone fall in line and those who took time to do so were pulled up (in good humour though). Today, Geeta is being cited as the main cause for vitiating the Club’s disciplined atmosphere with even Ved Prakash Grover now turning rebellious: “If I were to be the brother of a VIP, I too would be exempted from wearing the cap.” Like Geeta, he too complains of discomfort – if not headache and hair fall, the way many others do. In all this, only one person is being put to needless embarrassment – Geeta’s own rakhi brother.
Jagmohan Papneja:
TITANIC had rammed into an iceberg on 12.12.1912. That is why some people believe 12.12.12 to be an inauspicious date. But I feel no such thing will happen for the next 100 years. Big Laaf will laugh as ever!
(Sorry to correct you, sir: The sinking of the RMS Titanic occurred on the night of April 14 through to the morning of April 15, 1912 in the north Atlantic.)