Gate Meetings

Badmaash Company corners Shekhawat on Kerala 

Tabassum and Gulzar talk Kerala with Nafisa and Razia

Time was when we had one pit stop on our way to the exercises – the bench closest to the Garden gate. All those who arrived early hovered around that spot and on the dot of 7.00, when Sardar Teja Singh would arrive, we stood up and obediently walked up to start the day’s exercises.
We still follow this practice, but things are moving in reverse gear also. The stops have increased on our way out. People are simply loathe to leave the Garden. So when Harish Wadhwa commented on arguments over “some thought-provoking political issues” yesterday (see post), he was referring to the post-exercise session – which starts at the Garden gate and extends to the chai shop.
Not just the Badmaash Company. The ladies have their everyday frustrations to vent and this is the only chance they get during the day. Some like to show off, many love to gossip, some must crib about something, a few may seek help. Shekhawat has money to collect, Arora must get signatures, Ram Shankar Shukla requires a sounding board… and all their sentiments and emotions have to converge at the great Garden Gate.
What started as a hangout for smokers and then a meet-and-greet area for Garden regulars is now the centrifugal point for heated discussions on everything under the sun – from the BSE sensex to buying and selling motorcars to the latest in mobile phones to hazards of health food to airline discounts and of course, Aam Aadmi Party. These days, with the date of the Kerala tour drawing close, the gate meetings tend to revolve around 'Alibaba and his 40-member gang' and their idiosyncrasies.
The fun part is that everybody has an opinion, everybody wants to be heard and nobody likes to listen and nobody wants to concede an argument. Inevitably, the discussions extend to the next day – same time, same place – like a never-ending, soap opera LIVE.
Harish Wadhwa:
These gossip addas are ideal for unwinding and sharing opinions on any current issue. It is different that everyone wants to speak and assert his point of view -- naturally so, because that is a democratic right given to all by the Constitution. We may end up doing aisi-ki-taisi on many topics, but that is also our janam-sidh-adhikar, the right to speech and expression. So just go on and on... Ladies can do that non-stop, while men have to settle it over chai and then move on to catch up with work.