How Time Flies

Siba Prasad Maitra celebrates his 46th wedding anniversary

Last year, on this day, Club members were invited to a house party to felicitate Mrs and Mr Siba Prasad Maitra on their 45th wedding anniversary (see post). It was a Sunday. The invite came from the couple’s two children.
That event now seems like the other day – as indeed it must be for the Maitras, when they reflect on how 46 years of togetherness have passed them by. Today, watching them usher their anniversary together in the Garden, we realised that time has been kind to them.

The Maitras: Chhanda and Siba

They have retained the freshness of their relationship in mind and spirit, beyond compare.
Being a Monday (and working day), Siba Maitra had a small celebration in the Garden, treating us to cake slices and soan papdi after the exercises. We raised the customary fourth laugh and an additional fifth for Chhanda Maitra, who was visiting us after nearly three years. Let’s hope she

Urmila Sinha conducts the prayers these days

drops by more often and does not keep us on hold till their 50th anniversary.
The celebration provided Shekhawat a reprieve as he managed to escape before we could move to the China Hut for our daily post-exercise adda. Both Bijoy Gupta and Kiran Prakash were gunning for him since early morning for reasons they would not disclose -- at least, till the exercises were over.
As everybody’s favourite punching bag, Shekhawat had perhaps guessed what they were up to. Gupta dropped broad hints about “rockets” his friend tends to fire from time to time. “Earlier, it was about taking the Club to see his village in Rajasthan,” Gupta reminded us. “Now he is promising to take us to his farmhouse in Lonavala… But when?”
As for Kiran Prakash’s grouse, we will have to wait for his return on December 14, from a wedding in the family in Patna. He leaves tomorrow by an early morning flight.