In Slo-Mo

Now we know why Sunita Jajodia gets restless when Yusuf Rassiwala takes charge of the exercises. Imagine the latter being sent to nab Osama bin Laden at Abbottabad. He would descend from his helicopter, get into bin Laden’s bedroom and as is his nature, greet him with a “Good Morning” first, or “Jai Ho Pandurang Baba”. Then he would amble across the room, change position and enquire about his health. Probably thereafter would he open fire.
Yusuf-bhai’s unhurried style of conducting the exercises resulted in overshooting our time by 17 clear minutes today. Many of us like it this way. But Sunita had already walked out. Shekhawat kept holding his tummy, wanting to rush home and visit the toilet. Even an otherwise patient Tara Chand Seth kept calling out to Yusuf-bhai to quicken the pace. “Bahut der lagaa di,” he went on grumbling.
But certain things were beyond anybody’s control. For instance, a pesky bumble bee (or was it a big fly?) kept bothering Mumtaz Jahan, making her shriek twice and hit out aimlessly in the air with her handbag. It was a comical sight. Finally, the lady thought it prudent to cross over to where the men were standing, believing she would be better protected there. The bee did not follow her, much to everybody’s disappointment.
Today happened to be G.R.Garg’s (above, left) birthday and it was nice of him to usher in the celebrations with us in the Garden. He had brought along a box of chocolates with him. We could only thank him for the treat and wish him many years of good health and happiness.
It was also Tara Chand’s (right) day to say his goodbye before taking a flight to Delhi in the afternoon. At his age, he is one of the rare few who feels confident enough to undertake the journey all by himself. He says he needs to spend time at his “other home”, but will be back soon (which could mean easily six months) in Mumbai. Till then, he will be following us closely on this blog.

‘Pappu’ Passes

Nazma Sayed walked into the Garden, a proud grandmother, anxious to announce that her Ali (see post of April 20) has “passed with first division marks” and been promoted to Class VII. She had brought luddoos to celebrate his success. Promptly everybody joined Kishor Babani to congratulate the little boy standing alongside in orange T-shirt: “Pappu pass ho gaya!”
Before long Shekhawat came in. Instead of rejoicing or giving him his blessings, he thundered at Ali: “Why don’t you get some sense into your grandmother’s head? Day by day, she is putting on weight and still she does not want to come to the Garden. I am sick and tired of telling her to be regular. Only when her legs swell up so badly that she cannot walk, will she understand!”
But for that momentary embarrassment, Shekhawat and Ali were back to their old pranks like a house on fire. They gamely engaged each other, locking eyeballs in the Medium Laughter round, growled at one another like animals and performed a vigorous dance together after the exercises. Before Ali opened his box of luddoos (right), Shekhawat called upon everybody to raise an extra laugh to felicitate his little companion.
It wasn’t all hunky-dory though, as Mumtaz Jahan had a spot of disturbing news. It seems some busybodies are bent upon closing down our Club as we “make too much noise and disturb the sleep” of people in nearby apartments. Ideally, they’d want us to let sleeping people lie. Next, they’d want to stop the traffic on the roads... Does this bother us? Not really. It is just too irritating having to deal with this. We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it.
Renu Babani says:
Congratulations to Pappu! The parents must be so proud. Regarding news from one of our members about the laughter sessions being too loud, etc. We shall cross that hurdle when confronted. As the proverb goes, 'United we stand, divided we fall'. We have always proved that no matter what issues we face, all of us stand as one and solve it with such ease. Why think of it now, let us wait and watch... then come the fireworks!
--Renu

Magnetic Pull

Much as we crib and complain every morning about getting to the Garden, there is something about our group that exerts a magnetic pull even on rank strangers. Forget the bemused looks from passersby who stop on their tracks just to watch us. We have visitors coming almost every day to join us for the exercises and be part of the fun. Many come unannounced and don’t even bother to introduce themselves. Some come escorted – like Mrs Harbans Singh’s daughter was today (the lady in black, above). A few merely sit on the sidelines and keep staring at us.
Maybe, they haven’t seen so many happy people together, at one place. Could be, it’s the vibes we give. Laughter, after all, is contagious. It casts its own magical spell.
The best part is that, much of what we do, is without intent or design. We don’t even realize that we can make others happy. It comes naturally – whether it is in the one-liners of Srichand Arora and Tara Chand Seth or Shekhawat’s jack-in-the-box antics, the witticisms exchanged between ladies like Razia Khan, Gopvinita and Nahid Khan or the manner Kishor Babani and Santosh Tyagi conduct the jokes’ sessions.
At the end of it all, everyone can only feel enriched and elated by this experience.
Renu Babani says:
Yes, we do have an audience watching us in amusement. Sometimes they must think, how can we laugh when there must be so much going in our heads all the time? I guess we forget all our stress for that one hour and make the most of it just being together. However, some new faces do join us, perhaps out of curiosity, or to be able to be part of the crowd. It feels nice to know that we are being noticed and maybe, even appreciated.
--Renu

Sweltering

The mornings have become so sultry and sticky that exercising has become a major ordeal. Humidity levels have reportedly shot to 95% (as against 60% in the evenings) and things would only get worse from now on with more than a month still to go before monsoon descends. Nothing short of dogged willpower draws members to the Garden in these conditions. Far from feeling fresh and energised after exercising, everybody looks drained out, ready to collapse.
The only reason to be cheerful this morning was Tara Chand Seth's little celebration (above) with home-baked cakes, specially brought from Delhi. His favourite grandchild, Chandni Seth has qualified as a doctor from D.Y.Patil Medical College. In another three days, Tara Chand-ji would be leaving for Delhi for his annual sojourn. It should bring him some respite from the maddening humidity of Mumbai.
Renu Babani says:
The cake distributed by Mr Tara Chand was yummy. It sure ended the exercise routine with a touch of sweetness. The heat is the cause of feeling lethargic and irritable when the humidity really gets to everyone. However, our spirit with some cheer and laughter doesn't get in the way of anything and we always have something to talk about. The discussions are sometimes meaningless, but it keeps everyone going as we laugh it off and move along with the exercises. I suppose that is why we somehow drag ourselves to the Garden each morning.
--Renu

PIC OF THE WEEK: 28

Today is WORLD LAUGHTER DAY. So let’s have some fun with the second edition of Pehchaan Kaun?:
This time it’s the turn of the ladies. What you see is the photograph of a senior member taken during her teens. Can you recognize her? (Clue: She could be one of the 20 ladies you see at the top of this page.)
An attractive prize awaits the FIRST correct answer.
You have one guess and time till next Friday to post your reply. So hurry, click Comments below, or e-mail to biglaaf@gmail.com or better still, sms your answer to 98694 01729, clearly indicating your name. The winner will be declared on Saturday morning – May 7.
* "I think she is SHEKHAWAT'S WIFE."
--Dilip Babani
* "She is none other than our KHATOON BAIG."
--Harish Wadhwa
* "Now I correct myself. She is RAZIA KHAN."
--Dilip Babani
* "She is obviously MRS SHEKHAWAT... Cannot mistake the features."
--Renu Babani
* "She must be MRS SHEKHAWAT."
--Yusuf Rassiwala
* "I think she is SUNITA."
--Grover
* "I think she is MRS SHEKHAWAT"
-- Ramila Mistry
* "I know that she is 100000% RAMILA MISTRY from the expression."
--Santosh Tyagi
* "I think she is SANTOSH TYAGI."
--Kajal Babani
* "I think she is KHATOON BAIG."
--Geeta L Sardana
* "If I am not wrong, she is MUMTAZ JAHAN."
--Nahid Khan
* "I think she is GOPVINITA. See, I guessed correctly. So I should get the prize."
--Kishor Babani
* "She is RAZIA KHAN."
--Music Critic
* "She is RAZIA KHAN."
--Sushma
* "She has to be MRS HARBANS SINGH."
--Bhaswati Bose
* "She is KIRAN SAJJAN."
--Razia Khan
* "She is for sure MRS SHEKHAWAT"
--Sunita Jajodia
Big Laaf says:
Of all the guesses, only two have got it right: HARISH WADHWA and GEETA L SARDHANA ('Gopvinita'). Indeed, this "mystery woman" is our very own KHATOON BAIG. You see her above (right) as she is today.
In view of the overwhelming response, both off and on the blog and in deference to the demands of a majority of members, the first correct entries from the men's and the women's sides have been declared winners. For further details, please click to the full report appearing on May 7, 2011.