Teacher’s Day

Today was Teacher’s Day. And it was only cool for Pratap Bhatt (in red stripes) to respond to the voice of his conscience and offer to be ‘teacher’ this morning. He was possibly struck by guilt for refusing to conduct the exercises yesterday despite repeated requests from his newfound female fans (see post). So it came as a major surprise that he had undergone a change of heart so soon and volunteered his services today.
But little did he expect his newfound fans to be so fickle-minded as to have also undergone a change of heart in 24 hours. They did not want him as teacher today. So they did everything possible to throw him out of gear. They gave him wrong cues, tittered among themselves, talked out-of-turn… till he became completely confused. Just to cover up (or perhaps, to keep everyone in good humour) Bhatt accelerated his pace, only to create chaos all around. Exasperated, Sitaram Hivarkar (right pic) declared that the exercises had gone into a “Ram Bharose” mode.
Before long, Mrs Harbans Singh invited Sitaram to step in, but Bhatt made a last ditch bid to hold his ground and insisted that both he and Sitaram would together conduct the exercises. This was rejected outright, thus making way for Sitaram to take charge and salvage the situation. In effect, for the first time in Club history, a teacher had been ousted – that too, on Teacher’s Day.
But this was done in a spirit of masti-mazaak without offending anyone’s sentiments. In fact, Bhatt was quick to thank all his detractors for having “relieved” him so soon and like any obedient pupil, followed through the rest of the exercises in silence.
Apart from setting a wonderful example on Teacher’s Day, it was also an occasion for us to celebrate a birthday – just that Nazma Sayyad (left pic) did not show up today. So through this blog, we wish her the very best – fabulous health, abundant happiness and most importantly, permanent relief for her knee problem.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "We stand in prayer as one, no matter what religion or caste, to set an example for others."
* "Prayer for...?"
Harish Wadhwa:
* We thank our teachers on this day for conducting the exercises. Our appreciation is for having a big heart to jhelo and ignore the pranks and jokes of growing-up boys and girls.
* Happy Birthday, Nazma-ji! We could have done with an extra laugh to remember her birthday. Maybe, we can do it tomorrow when she comes.

Uneasy Calm

After it rained camels and donkeys the whole of yesterday, the morning dawned on an ominous note. The sun did not come out. The streets were deserted. Those who came to the Garden had the frightened look of having survived a holocaust. They were there, clearly, by force of habit. Yet, they all agreed that the rains were overdue.
Given these conditions, there was no question of exercising out in the open. Nobody was willing to take punga with the rain gods today.
And so inside the Chinese Hut, Pratap Bhatt emerged a star of sorts (for conducting the exercises so well yesterday) with everyone demanding a repeat performance, if only to brighten the atmosphere. But he pleaded helplessness and excused himself. He said he felt giddy whenever he exerted himself after an angioplasty left him with a “spring” (read stent) in his heart.
In his place we had Ramila Mistry, in the avatar of Goddess Mahakali, determined to punish anyone caught talking. “Out!” “Out!” she screamed angrily, till some terrified ladies ganged up and appealed for “changing the teacher”. Once again Bhatt was asked to step in, but he threw up his hands.
Sadly, today was the last day for Sardar Teja Singh (bottom pic), before he leaves for his Faridabad home. He has been here at his son’s place for some time and was attending our exercises religiously every morning. Before dispersing, he delivered an ardaas and gave us his blessings, while we wished him all happiness and robust health. He promised to be back in a couple of months.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
* "I am armed and ready to battle the rains."
* "I shall return soon, my friends."
Harish Wadhwa:
* Our heartfelt regards to Sardar Teja Singh-ji, a true gentleman and such a soft-spoken person. He is welcome every time he is in Mumbai.
* Today's blog made very interesting reading. Good writing Blog Monster! Looks like we have learnt the art of enjoying every moment and whatever situation we are put into.
* Thank the Almighty for the torrential rains. We can all brave the small inconvenience it may have caused. I want children to get at least some "rainy day" holidays at school, which they are deprived of so far. Hope it rains so hard that there is a 'general holiday' for one and all in Mumbai!

Holding Fort

It was the turn of Pratap Bhatt (in pic) to hold fort today. In the absence of regular instructors, creating a back-up for conducting the morning exercises has assumed importance of late. So the moment Bhatt offered to step in the middle, he was welcomed with open arms.
But the gentleman had other plans. Apart from his broken-Bengali wisecracks, he had got into the prankster mode by deliberately goofing at the initial stages. Later, he was to stabilize and sailed through the entire routine with effortless ease, but for occasional tomfoolery such as calling for a ‘parrot exercise’. "Now, jerk your head left, then right, the way a parrot does,” he commanded amid rousing laughter.
Tara Chand Seth observed that Bhatt was the “most educated” of all our instructors since he could correctly count up to 10, whatever the exercise – unlike Bapu Rane who always stopped at 7 and Srichand Arora, who is incapable of counting beyond 5!
The persistent buzz though was the complete breakdown of communication with Kashmir since yesterday. Almost everyone seems to have tried contacting someone or the other from our group on phone, but has failed to connect. Today, soon after the exercises, Ramila Mistry dialed Santosh Tyagi – then Shekhawat, and then Arora – but to no avail.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"I can do anything I want, just follow my lead."
Anonymous:
Due to security reasons, none of the pre-paid mobile numbers are working on their trip.
Harish Wadhwa:
Got to know that there was a Kashmir Bandh in protest against plans to build a road to the Amarnath shrine. Mobile phones there must have been blocked for security reasons.

Day 752

Pic of the Week

KASHMIR PRELUDE: Why go, when Kashmir is already here?

Confused? Not me! --Renu Babani

"Harish, fafda-jalebi bahut dino se nahin khai hai. Kab chalna hai bolo?"--Harish Wadhwa

Attendance Drops

After a full-house yesterday, attendance (see pic) dropped to single digit this morning. We were only nine for the exercises with people like Sitaram Hivarkar, Harbans Singh, Geeta Sardhana and Harish Wadhwa absconding. This was in spite of repeated requests to all to show up in full strength and please, not miss the ‘classes’. Ultimately, it was left to the back-up team of Bose and Ramila Mistry to get things moving.
One reason for the low turnout was the unexpected downpour during the early hours – just about the time the exercises were to begin. Being a weekend, this was enough excuse for many to stay indoors. The other reason, as some remarked, was that there were no sweets to be distributed today. Yesterday Jagmohan Papneja came with a box of chocolates and many who are hardly ever seen, made sure to be present in time. How they manage to get a whiff of the goodies to be distributed in the Garden remains a mystery.
But then, low attendance has its positives – especially when it comes to exercising in the Chinese Hut. We do not get cramped for want of space. We are able to stretch our limbs at ease, not worrying about hitting anyone (or being hit). And then, we are also at liberty to exchange private jokes – stuff that could be considered offensive when mentioned in a large group. So either way, low attendance or high attendance, we end up having our share of fun!
Harish Wadhwa:
* Looks like the Big Nine (8 in pic + 1 photographer) missed my company. Don't worry, I will join you from Monday as Saturday indeed dawned with a lazy morning for me. (I don't want anyone to know that I actually woke up at 8:00 a.m. I hope no one has read this!)
* Since the time our friends left for Kashmir, the men seem to outnumber the women by big margins at the Garden. Five vs three today. Looks like they are more health conscious. Our Kashmir trip folks must have reached Jammu by now after a long train journey. Hope they are having a good time.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
No matter the number, the exercise continues as always... and on time!