Pot on Boil

Just as things get hunky dory, somebody has to throw a spanner in the works and we all get into a state of agitation. More often than not, this is completely unnecessary – as it happened today when Razia Khan raked up the issue of what would happen, if ever, to the funds lying in the Club kitty.

Monthi Serrao is cornered initially...

Shekhawat and Arora try to clear the air

Quite clearly, a query like this betrays an anxiety to spend, or rather, exhaust the funds. On the other hand, we are also on a revenue generation drive. And it is not as though we are sitting on a mountain of cash and need to find ways and means to blow it all up. So when Monthi Serrao, as treasurer, was confronted with this sticky question, she deflected it to Srichand Arora, Jagmohan Papneja and Shekhawat, the de facto Club bosses.
Fact is nobody can have a clear, cut-and-dried answer. Every Club collects money by way of membership fees/ subscriptions to engender a familial feeling of rightful belonging, sharing and sense of pride among members (as opposed to those in a disparate, nebulous grouping) and no questions are asked on this anywhere. Or else, it cannot be a Club. What happens to the money collected thereafter becomes subject to collective decision making – whatever a majority of members choose.
Arora offered some clues like spending the money on members’ welfare and emergencies – but again, subject to majority approval. Members may also come up with other more worthy causes. None of this can be predicted or planned; but to straightaway commit ourselves to spending the money on parties and picnics (as some had wanted) would be self-defeating and counter-productive.
This is as democratic and transparent as we can get. The money in the kitty/ bank belongs to no one, but the Club. Anybody is free to inspect its books of accounts any time. Still, if there are people looking for financial gains and “benefits” (as indeed some are), the Club is no place for them to put their money in. Big Laaf is not a commercial enterprise and cannot guarantee returns on investment.
But there are other rewards and paybacks, far too many to recount, that we as members, profit by and enjoy every living day. Those are intangible, even sensory, and cannot be valued in plain monetary terms. Quite simply, they are priceless.
Kiran Prakash:
About 99% of the members who join big clubs after paying membership fee in lakhs and an annual maintenance fee in five digits are not even aware of the promoters or office bearers. Their only interest is in quality of food and upkeep of facilities. Ours is a close-knit club where practically every member interacts with even the founders of the club every day. We need to sort out such issues to maintain the spirit of BIG LAAF and ensure that we keep on deriving the best, i.e. HEALTH and HAPPINESS.
Jagmohan Papneja:
In response to the query raised by some members, a few points are highlighted here for the record:
* to undertake intellectual, cultural and recreational activities towards improvement of mental health and all-round wellness of members;
* to extend medical aid and institutional assistance for the economically weak and deprived;
* to advance any other assistance for public service and utility;
* to arrange social and entertainment events for strengthening fellowship; and
* to arrange seminars, health workshops and excursions as are helpful to members.
These points have already been stipulated in Big Laaf MOA and I would request Arora-ji to provide a copy of it to the concerned members.
Srichand Arora:
At first I also thought to hand over copies of the MOU to members, but on second thoughts, felt that I should bring a copy and provide it to the concerned person to read on the spot and return the same to me so that it can be given to everyone interested. Let them read it and return it. I can not provide copies to all. What do you all say?