Early Christmas

Jagmohan Papneja

Christmas arrived early this year at the Garden. How else would anyone explain the sudden shower of goodies in the morning soon after the exercises? Jagmohan Papneja played Santa Claus with dates from Dubai; there were Malaysian wafers with jam and jelly to go along from Razia Khan’s trip to Kuala Lumpur; Harbans Kaur came up with a box full of barfis (presumably, her Guru Nanak Jayanti treat); someone from the yoga group brought samosa-kachori packets… Indeed, when it rains, it pours.
“Lottery lag gayi!” was the joyous refrain of the day.

Harbans Kaur

Papneja had the most enthralling experience to narrate after his stay in the tallest hotel of the world -- the J W Marriott Marquis in Dubai. Rising 1,100-odd feet up into the clouds, the 72-storeyed twin tower complex has all the jing-bang overseas 5-stars boast of, plus a breathtaking view of the entire emirate, including the iconic Burj Khalifa.

Razia Khan

The vacation was a son's gift to his father. What Papneja must have felt upon landing from those stratospheric heights can only be imagined, but one thing is certain: never would any one of us now have the guts to suggest that he check into an Indian hotel that we are accustomed to.
The other foreign-returnee of the day, Razia Khan also had a memorable holiday with her family, as some of the pictures she had mailed us from Kuala Lumpur amply reveal (ref last week’s posts).

Mrs and Mr Papneja in Dubai

Shekhawat was visibly overjoyed to see her back, only to prompt Ruksana and Mallika Kagzi to joke on how terribly "heartbroken" he had become on missing his saali all these days. “Poor chap, he even fell ill in her absence,” Nahid Khan teased. Ultimately, Razia was made to feel so guilty that she promised never again to put Shekhawat to grief and better still, to henceforth take him along wherever she goes. “I just wanted to give a surprise,” she explained apologetically (with a wink!) about her trip to the Malaysian capital.
Such light-hearted banter, all in good spirit, adds to the sense of bonhomie and easy camaraderie we share as a family.
Jagmohan Papneja:
A trip to Dubai would be incomplete without a desert safari and cruise dinner. Dune bashing is one of the major attractions of the safari. This is very thrilling because your four-wheel drive vehicle rides and glides up and down, high and low on the golden sand dunes. At night we were served with yummy bar-be-cue dinner, followed by a special belly dance by professionals.
The sea cruise was an equally great experience. We enjoyed every moment of the two-hour ride. The scenery around was wonderful and unforgettable. A delicious dinner was also served on board the cruise.
Harish Wadhwa:
* My Guru Purab will be made only with hand made kada prasad from Harbans Kaur-ji. I hope she is reading this. I will come home to savour it. Kada prasad ke liye kuchh bhee karega!
* Papneja-ji camouflaged what he enjoyed the most. He described dinner, sand-dune driving, cruise dinner, etc... but not belly dancing which made his day -- like it did to me a few years ago.