Jinxed

Akhles Kumar (r) tries out the toy synthesizer

That the Annual Function is jinxed is beginning to sink into the Club. We missed 2017 when its date was shifted from December 16 to December 23 and then, onward to January 13, 2018. Now that Lohri has got in the way (ref yesterday’s post), a huge question mark hangs over if and when the event is to be held.
Shekhawat however, refuses to take the blame for any of this. He was the one who complained initially for being excluded from the play and had even warned us that the Annual Function cannot be

Shekhawat is possessed by Kadak Singh

held without him. So the ‘Jailor Kadak Singh’ role was given to him, but on the specific condition that he must never enact it in public beforehand so as to retain the element of surprise on stage. “Should you break this vow of silence, the play

Siba Prasad Maitra (l) gets us nalen gurer sandes from Kolkata

will fall flat,” he was told.
Shekhawat listened carefully and forgot all about it the next day. Since then, he has been all over the place parroting his lines to anybody and everybody, as though he was possessed by the ghost of Kadak Singh. Today also, he did the same, least bothered about the uncertainty over the Annual Function. “How am I responsible if Lohri has to fall on the same day?” he reasoned.
But then, nobody is giving up. Yusuf Rassiwala indicated today that January 20 should be a good date to look at in present circumstances. Banoo Apa has got the toy synthesizer working (ref post of December 27) and our music composer, Akhles Kumar turned up in the morning to try it out. Clearly, he was not happy, as the instrument has its limitations.
He has volunteered to bring his 40-kilo synthesizer from home one of these days for the ladies to practice on.