War and Peace

Banoo Khan celebrates becoming grand-ma

We have seen the gentle and benevolent side of Mallika Kagzi. Today we got a terrifying glimpse of her fiery side. Like the legendary stormy petrel, she went full blast, all guns blazing at a lady of the yoga group and almost brought the roof of the China Hut down!
Mallika had prepared us for this spectacle when Banoo Appa distributed chocolate bars earlier -- in celebration of her daughter being blessed with a baby girl. But nobody paid attention to her then. Apparently her relative (daughter-in-law’s mother) had visited the Garden last week and she overheard the lady in question badmouthing Mallika in the China Hut. Word reached her and she confronted this lady head on before the yoga session.
From the way she started to rebuke her, it was clear that there would be no yoga today. The other ladies quickly scrambled to restrain Mallika from getting physical. Some like Swati Punjabi tried to broker peace seeking the intervention of the men.

CEASEFIRE: Mallika forgives by offering a sip of water

Instead, Shekhawat hurriedly ran out fearing the ladies would grab each other’s hair any moment. There, Mallika was relentless. She was repeatedly separated from the melee, but was back the next moment going hammer and tongs – challenging the lady, point by point, to deny what she had allegedly said.
By then a large crowd had gathered outside the China Hut. Banoo started with the Gayatri Mantra invocation to divert everyone’s attention but before she could finish, Mallika was back again with her fangs bared. Now it was Ved Prakash Grover's turn to hastily quit the scene. Everybody requested the other lady to apologise in Allah’s name, but she refused. Word went around that she has a history of spreading canards and now she had met her match in Mallika.
Before things got any worse, Srichand Arora stormed in solo and like Shotgun Sinha, with one hand raised, hollered “Khaamosh!” A pin drop silence fell. Suddenly the other lady burst into tears, sobbing loudly. Arora stood his ground, but confused. Mallika was also stumped. But it goes to her infinite credit that she promptly forgave the lady and hugged her to her chest. She even gave her water to drink and chided her gently never again to say what she had said. That shows Mallika’s magnanimity – her strength of character. Later she went around with folded hands, apologizing for having created a scene.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Today was not just another day. It was an extraordinary day of warring ladies.
Kiran Prakash:
Unfortunately I missed this great 'War and Peace' episode.