Hustle and Bustle

Keeping accounts of the cash coming in

Life in the Garden is suddenly on an upswing. Beginning today, we have a series of birthday celebrations lined up. We will be felicitating Sitaram Hivarkar also on the platinum jubilee of his birth anniversary. Preparations for the ceremony are already on.
If this was not enough, Shekhawat came up with the proposal of a ‘day picnic’ some time next week. Yesterday he had cancelled Lonavala (see post) and today, much to our surprise, he was tossing the idea of Royal Garden Resort and The Great Escape… he wasn’t sure which. And yet he wanted to start collections immediately because time is running out. Nobody knows why. So his appeals landed on deaf ears.
The immediate ‘job’ on hand for the Club was to keep track of voluntary contributions pouring in for Sitaram’s felicitation. This idea was mooted by Yusuf Rassiwala and he has pledged Rs1,000 on his part.

Happy Birthday, Kiran Arora: Razia reads...

Others are putting in anything from Rs50 and Rs100 upwards. Separately, a memento is being readied, similar to the one presented to Ved Prakash Grover on his 75th anniversary last year. Till yesterday, Sitaram was deliberately kept in the dark about the preparations but today, when he saw so many people putting in money, he innocently offered Rs50 as his contribution. He had to be told eventually and was requested to bring his wife and daughter for the ceremony this week-end – subject to his and their convenience.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Kiran Arora’s birthday, we raised an extra laugh after the exercises, as per convention. She was not present today. Nor was her husband, Srichand Arora.

Muthu Swami (left) with Jain

But their family friend, Bihari Milwani was there and he had brought a personalized laminated card (as he usually does for the Aroras) conveying his good wishes. The text, in Hindi, was read out in absentia by Razia Khan and we joined Bihari on wishing Kiran many happy returns of the day.
In all this flurry of activity, our good old ‘Ungli Master’ Muthu Swamy showed up like Banqo’s ghost. He had been away for so long that many had forgotten about him – though there used to be occasional talk of stray sightings and how he was recuperating from an infected diabetic foot. “They have cut off my toes,” he wailed like a child as he hobbled into the Garden, both feet wrapped in thick grey socks. Hem Chand Jain jumped up to hug him and Muthu wept inconsolably, tears streaming down his once cheerful face. Later, much later, he turned around and faced the camera with a weak smile.
Jagmohan Papneja:
It is a matter of great pleasure to note that we are going to felicitate Sitaram-ji on the landmark occasion of his 75th birth anniversary. It is my prayer that Almighty God should grant him many more happy and peaceful years in life.