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| Significant rise in attendance |
Nahid is one of our most regular and senior members and knows a thing or two about seasonal fluctuations in attendance through the year. But in the company of people notorious for being over-superstitious, she too has begun to repose faith in the irrational and silly absurdities like the ‘evil eye’.
We see this phenomenon play out daily in the Garden and not just within the Club. Without naming names, there are many who stop by on the walking track, just to touch a particular tree, which is supposed to bring them luck. Others would spend an entire morning, stealthily plucking flowers (“for puja”) as though the act would earn them eternal salvation.
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| Naseem Khan puts her signature on a greeting card |
So when Bijoy Gupta accosted Shekhawat this morning for practising black magic in the Club, nobody was surprised. It was no doubt a joke, but fitted well on a man known to sport assorted good-luck charms, beads, bracelets and whatnot. Some of these talismans are made of pure gold, but (on the advice of members) hidden securely under his vest.
Gupta’s allegation today was that the flowers Shekhawat presents every morning to late-comers (ref post of November 19) were spiked by some mumbo-jumbo meant to cast a spell on recipients. “Who knows what kind of jadu-tona you are up to,” Gupta accused Shekhawat. “Otherwise, what is your interest in giving people white flowers? Nobody else does so.”
As always, Shekhawat did not bother to respond. He stared at Gupta with an amused smile while the rest of us burst out laughing.
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