Welcome Back!

To us, the occasional ‘extra laugh’ we raise after the exercises has come to represent what the ceremonial 'gun salute' is to the armed forces. And so, it was with this symbolic greeting that we welcomed Santosh Tyagi, the grande dame of our Club, back into our fold today. She was away at Delhi for more than a month and this morning, in her unusually colourful salwar-kameez and hair let loose (side pic) she looked quite cheerful and much more refreshed and rejuvenated than what we have ever seen of her earlier.
The best part though, was that Harish Wadhwa appeared just in time as we were winding up and like an anxious school boy afraid of losing his lolly, cut across the Garden in a 50 metre sprint and presented himself obediently for his share of gajak that Santosh had brought from Delhi. Visibly flustered, she soon gathered herself and gracefully acknowledged Harish’s hug like a mother would. It was a fabulous gesture and a great sight – the Club’s senior-most female member and the youngest (and greediest) male member bonding big time (bottom pic). That’s what emotional connect in the Club is all about!
The other good news of the day was that Razia Khan has been discharged from hospital (see post of December 22) and is back home. Shekhawat, who called on her yesterday (with Ved Prakash Grover) informed us that she is out of agony and fast recuperating. The problem of kidney stones however, persists. She is currently under heavy medication and has been advised complete rest.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Santosh-ji has shown her true affection towards us by bringing rewari from Delhi. Great thanks to her. A good day to eat rewari in the Garden.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "I am going for a second helping. Tastes great!"
* "What? Did you think I would miss out on this special treat?"
Harish Wadhwa:
Santosh-ji has a big heart. She gave me a bag full of til-gud revdi, when I met her. I for one was thanking my lucky stars to get goodies from her, wishing that she needs to visit Delhi more often. This instant happiness was however short-lived when I was asked to distribute it to everyone. I landed up getting (just) two of them. No problems, Santosh-ji can compensate it, by treating me to her famous brand of Santosh-kanji, now that carrots and beetroots are available in plenty. When can I give her empty bottles to ferment some?