Picnic in the Air

Mallika Kagzi registered her return from Surat with 'jumbo' nankhatai, hot tea and lots of love. Nobody gave her a salute though – the way Kiran Prakash, Dilip Babani and Geeta Latte did on her

"Where to go this time?"

Mallika greets us with Surti nankhatai and tea

return from Hyderabad last month (ref post of April 14). But the happiness on having her back was evident in the jolly jousting and entertaining vibes exchanged with her throughout the morning.
In this air of easy camaraderie, Yusuf Rassiwala came up with the idea of “another picnic”. Obviously the one-day outing to Royal Hills Resort last month (April 3) did not count – nor did Matheran for that matter, as Dilip had proposed. “Let us go somewhere far,” Yusuf urged. “Why not do a foreign trip?”
This has come up at a time when Mumtaz Jahan is organising an eight-day trip to Kashmir between August 28 and September 4, 2016. For a price of Rs32,000 (inclusive of return air fare), she has drawn up an itinerary for Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, Gulmarg, Achabal, Verinag and Doodpathri among other scenic spots in the Valley.
Significantly, many of these spots are away from the usual tourist trail and had been given a miss on the Club’s last trip to Kashmir (also conducted by Mumtaz) in August – September 2012. Yet, from all appearances, once is more than enough. As Shekhawat put it, “What is the point of going to the same place again?”
Likewise, Yusuf R is not inclined in repeating a trip to Kashmir and considering that the four extremities of the country have already been covered from the Club, he is pushing for an overseas trip this time around. For several other ‘Club trippers’ also, this is the most attractive option open – the only problem being that not everybody holds a passport.
In the past also, whenever Shekhawat had suggested a trip to Bangkok-Pattaya, the passport issue had come up as a major road block. Who knows, with Yusuf R taking the initiative this time, those interested would hurry up with making their passports. Or else, the trip would have to be limited to passport holders only. And that would mean a smaller-than-usual contingent.
Kiran Prakash:
* Arre kahi toh chalo. Do din Matheran ka hi chakkar laga kar aate hain. Shekhawat-ji, Yusuf-bhai kuchh karo. Otherwise now I will go alone. I am also in for the Bangkok trip. Do something organisers!
* And dear Blog Monster, to keep the record clean and straight, I salute our president, Mallika Kagji through this blog on her return from Surat.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
Being a change from the daily routine, a picnic is always welcome. You may go a few miles away or to a far-flung outstation. You forget the daily routine and learn a few lessons in new environments. Keep moving. This is life.