Bank Open?

Today’s all-India strike called by trade unions had cast its long shadow on the Garden. Though it was too early in the morning to assess its impact, the tension in the air was palpable. Would offices and business establishments be open? Would buses and auto-rickshaws be plying? What about essential supplies? Most importantly, would the banks be open? Or would the ATM be open and bank be closed? Or bank open and ATM closed…
Bose Babu, who was conducting the laughter exercises in the middle, was amused at this undue concern about banks when suddenly, much to his horror and instant mortification, he realized that the fly of his shorts was open! So this was the “bank” some of the men were pointedly pointing out to him during the Slow and Fast laughter round?
He looked around to check if the ladies had also seen, panic seizing him gradually. To zip up then would only make things obvious. But with every passing second, every time a lady laughed, he imagined he was the reason. And when everyone kept laughing during the Medium Laughter round next, he broke into cold sweat. He prayed that the earth would open up and gobble him. Luckily, the Clearing of Lungs was up next and when everyone looked skywards to exhale, he quickly zipped up.
Those terrifying five minutes found an echo after the exercises when Srichand Arora was cornered for keeping his “bank” open. Promptly his hands fleeted down and finding himself securely zipped, he pleaded with folded hands: “Why are you people after my bank? Is there no other bank around?”
To be caught with one's “shockings exposed to male and female women”, albeit unintentionally, is an occupational hazard every man lives with. Blame it on absent-mindedness or forgetfulness, it only gets worse with advancing age – much like turning up at the Garden wearing your T-shirt inside-out.
But what would you say of Sitaram Hivarkar (right) today, blissfully unaware of an alien creature crawling all over his face? Shekhawat was jumping with joy, insisting that the large, wiggly black worm on Sitaram’s upper lip be photographed for posterity -- before it ended up inside the left nostril. Only then, did Sitaram wake up to the alien invasion.
Now that has to be the height of absent-mindedness!
Bhaswati Bose:
This is what happens when the wife is not around.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Come on Mrs Bose, people with great wives also could do nothing about the 'banks' (LOL)!
* Sitaram-ji is a sant-man. He did not want to harm or hurt the alien. So he purposely ignored it. Kya bigaad lega woh nanhi-si-jaan?
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "See this gentleman here. Take his advice."
* "Who, me? Nothing is worrying me."
Jagmohan Papneja:
Today's strike impacted banking services -- public, private and personal. Those with their personal banks opened unknowingly had to shut them to avoid embarrassment.