Manali in Mumbai

Srichand Arora (sitting) narrates his Manali odyssey

Srichand Arora today returned from a week-long vacation, bringing with him the weather of Manali, sans the snow. Miraculously it had stopped raining for the first time since Thursday. Apart from the drop in temperature, a gentle breeze blew across the Garden, adding to the morning chill. After all the heat and humidity of summer, followed by the torrential downpour and deluge of last week, this was paradise on earth today.
Arora also brought back happy stories of his trip that extended right up to Rohtang Pass.

Mohankanwar Shekhawat

He has still not got over the inexpensive food and duty-free booze available across Himachal Pradesh, but cribbed about the 14-hour road journey from Chandigarh to Mohali. On the whole though, it was an ‘enjoyable vacation’ – something he had always wanted to gift his wife, Kiran on her birthday (June 18).
Shekhawat’s wife, Mohankanwar’s birthday was yesterday -- a Sunday. And so, there was no celebration, which was to put Shekhawat in an awkward spot.

Monthi Serrao's treat of jaggery sweets

Everyone expected a treat today and with Mohankanwar not even present, Shekhawat had a harrowing time trying to explain his way out. He said he had specially bought 50 packets of biscuits from the Defence Canteen – just that his wife was not keeping well today.

Karuna Waghmare

“We shall celebrate later, once members return from their Ramzaan fasting,” he assured.
Monthi Serrao was to then save the situation with a box of jaggery sweets her daughter had brought from a visit to Ahmedabad. Coincidentally, today was Monthi's wedding anniversary and she was soon to drift into nostalgia, recounting the untimely passing of her husband from a paralytic stroke. She spoke of having to take charge of his factory and bringing up three children till the elder son was old enough to shoulder some of her responsibilities.
Meanwhile, an otherwise quiet and observant Karuna Waghmare appeared quite agitated, questioning the very name of the club, Big Laaf. “This is wrong,” she said. “My grandson says laaf is spelt wrong.” Siba Prasad Maitra tried to assuage her feelings by extending his arms expansively and explaining that “laaf means laabh” (as in love), but she was not convinced. Only when she was told that whoever had coined the word is not very educated and must be forgiven did her face brighten a bit and she let out a contented laaf.