Joy of Winning

Winners All: Shekhawat still wants to know why the judges disqualified him

Celebration time, at a tea stall near the Garden

After posting an emphatic win on Sports Day (see yesterday's post), Kiran Prakash today walked into the Garden with an extra spring in his step. “I am getting phone calls from people all over the world congratulating me,” he announced triumphantly.
Though said in jest, it adequately amplified the sentiments of the winners at the event held yesterday in the Garden. As Angad Singh exclaimed, punching his fists jubilantly in the air: “I am the best! I am the youngest!! I am the happiest person!!!” He had just been declared a winner in the Balloon Bursting contest.
Banoo Apa went one step further. So overjoyed was she on being absolutely spot-on (while blindfolded) in placing a bindi on the sketch of a girl that she went home straightway and celebrated by not cooking for the day!
“I ordered food from outside,” she reported this morning. “Honestly, I did not expect to win. In my blindfolded state, I reposed my faith on Allah to guide my hand correctly. From now on, for the rest of the year, whenever I set out to face any challenge, I shall do so with a blindfold!”
Jokes apart, what was quite evident in all this was the easy camaraderie and bonhomie that spilled over from the contests yesterday. Most important, it was a sense of pride and achievement, of several members being commended in their twilight years that underlined every win yesterday.
Many had not participated in a sporting event earlier, let alone win a prize. Nand Ram, one of the top winners yesterday, was frank enough to admit that he could never have access to a platform like ours to showcase his sporting skills. “When I did not have the opportunity to compete where is the question of winning?” he said. “That is why every prize I won here is a big deal to me.”
On a lighter note, Bijoy Gupta kept teasing Shekhawat for being disqualified by the judges in the Book Balancing Race – this, in spite of being the club chairman. And Bhaswati Bose kept cursing the new outfit she had worn, hoping that it would bring her luck. Like Shekhawat, she too returned home empty-handed.
Well, that’s how the cookie crumbled. It's all part of the fun and games.

Karun Sharma:
Banoo Apa's comment is philosophical in a way. It is a message of trust and faith. One can practice this only when one has faith in oneself.