Big Blessing

Happy Birthday, Mrs Chhanda Maitra!

Today was Siba Prasad Maitra’s day; rather, his wife Chhanda’s. It was her birthday. But she could not make it to the Garden in the morning when we were there. So it was left to her husband to treat us all to cake slices and cool, lip smacking lassi on her behalf.
Funnily though, Bihari Milwani insisted on claiming “some credit” for the celebration. He declared that were it not for a midnight threat from him via SMS, we would have none of the goodies. It seems he had text-messaged Maitra to better remember his wife’s birthday (under pain of a “shower of rolling pins”)

Get well soon, Yusuf Rassiwala

and celebrate with us in the Garden.
That said, the lassi treat could not have come on a better occasion.

Shekhawat leaves for Rajasthan today... lassi in hand!

Over the past few days, the weather had turned extremely sultry, the temperature shooting from 28 degrees last week-end to 37 degrees within four days.
Today we were left so drained out after the exercises that any form of liquid nourishment at that moment would have been god sent. In fact, Bijoy Gupta had to excuse himself and could be seen on a bench groaning in pain with muscle cramps due to dehydration. No amount of back massaging and drinking water seemed to help.
Maitra’s presence had come as another big blessing for Shekhawat. He is to leave for his village in Rajasthan this evening by train and as is his wont, had muddled up on his medication. This was the second time he had done so (ref post of June 26, 2017) and the result could have been catastrophic, were it not for Maitra’s timely intervention. “I was taking double dose again,” Shekhawat explained sheepishly.
Meanwhile, news comes in of Yusuf Rassiwala catching the bug. This morning he sent word that he is suffering from viral fever since yesterday and obviously, needs to take rest. Barely a week back, Maitra was similarly down with the virus for about five days.
Let’s hope and pray for Yusuf R's speedy recovery and that he is back in the Garden, fit and fine.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Happy birthday, Mrs Chhanda Maitra. May God bless her with a long and healthy life. Is Shekhawat going to Rajasthan on bike? Good show! The weather is really very lousy. One must be very careful these days.

Bihari Milwani:
A friendly advise for Mr S P Maitra on the occasion of his wife’s birthday: 'Biwi ko apni palkon par baithalo/ De kar khushi uske sare gham churalo/ Pyar aisa karo k sabh dekhte rah jayen/ Padosan bhi aa kar kahe, Mujhe apni biwi banalo'!

Siba Prasad Maitra:
Thanks everybody for your good wishes on my wife's birthday. Actually, there was no party. We just shared a piece of cake with cold lassi in this warm weather. Missed many of you who could not join. And dear Milwani, I thank you for your advise, but padosan ki biwi par mere koi interest nehi hai kyunki ek biwi samhalne mein hi... Ha ha ha.