Day 1988

Pic of the Week

JUNE 11, 2016: FELICITATIONS ON SCORING A SUPER 77!

Happy Birthday, Sitaram-ji. May God bless you! --Dilip Babani

Show of Strength

'Birthday Girl' Mallika Kagzi lis lost in the midst of friends and well-wishers

It was Mallika Kagzi’s birthday today. She not only had the 30-odd members who took part in the exercises to join the celebration, but also a dozen others from the Garden (read ‘non-members’) to descend on the Club and felicitate her on the occasion.

Mallika cuts her birthday cake

On a rough count, there were at least 50 revelers celebrating with her and gorging on home-made keema-pao and the works.
Never before had the Garden witnessed such a huge outburst of joy and spontaneous demonstration goodwill for a president of the Club. It was simply phenomenal by all standards.
Not just that.

Serving the guests

Mallika had her sister over for the first time in the Garden to be part of today’s do. Bihari Milwani came in late, but had not forgotten to bring along a beautiful one-of-a-kind memento with Mallika’s photograph prominently propped.

Milwani presents birthday memento

Banoo Apa and Razia Khan separately presented her with personal gifts while some others pitched in with the birthday cake. As per custom we raised the fourth laughter, sang the birthday song and with some ceremony,

Dilip Babani distributes Sai Baba's prasad

presented the birthday calendar to the birthday girl.
If this should all appear mere formality, what can be said of the special attention given to the gastronomic preferences of some people

Mallika receives her birthday calendar

– to the extent, Mallika had prepared separate portions for those with rebellious tummies and/or allergies? She had discreetly checked on this in advance so that nobody may feel left out.
All through the morning she fussed around like an anxious Mother Hen, lest anyone should have anything to complain about. That was what made today’s bash all the more eventful.
Amid all the feasting and merrymaking, Dilip and Kajal Babani distributed prasad from a visit to the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi last weekend. It was also the birthday of their daughter, Juhi today and we got to have chocolates too.
That they had deliberately kept their celebration low-key and not steal the show over Mallika’s big day, speaks volumes of the natural grace and camaraderie the Babanis share with members of the Club. Juhi, a very happy birthday to you as well.
Bihari Milwani:
It was a very big and beautiful party; but unfortunately, for the next three years, Mallika will not be able to celebrate her birthday as it will fall during the Ramzaan month.
Bhaswati Bose:
What a grand celebration, Mallika-ji! Juhi, you missed it. It would have been nice had you joined us in the Garden this morning. Still, a very happy birthday to you as well. Have a blast!!!
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
We are unnecessarily downplaying the Woman Power by celebrating only one day in the year as MOTHER'S DAY. Here, in our Club, 2016 is proving to be the 'Year of Woman Power'. Be it laughter exercises, free-hand exercises, birthday celebrations or in the daily munching, WOMAN POWER is visible throughout the Garden. Keep enjoying and be happy.
Siba Prasad Maitra:
Happy Birthday, Mallika-ji. I missed such a beautiful treat and your special tea. I pray to God for your good health and long life.
Dilip Babani:
Happy Birthday, Mallika-ji. God bless you. The full Big Laaf family loves you!

Day 1986

Pic of the Week

SMILE PLISS! SWEET MEMORIES ARE MADE FROM SUCH SELFIES

I don't know of any other person like Geeta, who is so sweet, principled, affectionate and respectful to all. May God bless her and always keep her happy. --Kiran Prakash

Very nice photo! --Dilip Babani

What an amazing expression of Yusuf-bhai! He's looking at something funny, I guess. Or perhaps, it's the first time he's posing in front of the camera. --Kajal Babani

Bleak Times

Tara Chand Seth

Tara Chand Seth said his goodbyes today before leaving for Delhi. For quite some time, he has been keeping indifferent health, mainly because of the incredible summer heat this year.

Banoo Apa (r) with an admirer

He says he has never suffered so much in Mumbai.
“Yesterday morning, I had come right up to the Garden but returned from the gate,” the 86-year-old narrated. “My head started spinning. I am having frequent blackouts also, which has never happened before. I need to see my doctor in Delhi.”
Tara Chand is not the only one to be complaining of the cruel weather conditions. Almost everyone in the Club is struck by some heat-related ailment and is under the active care of a doctor. Many like Laxmi Naidu, Sitaram Hivarkar, Karuna Waghmare and Fahmida Khan have altogether stopped visiting the Garden and would rather keep themselves

Wishing Yusuf Rassiwala 'Ramzaan Mubarak'

updated on the Club by phone.
Next week, hopefully, the monsoon would descend and bring about some relief. Before that, the holy month of Ramzaan would have begun (on Monday/ Tuesday) and many who are now present for the exercises will also stop coming. And should it start to rain cats and dogs (as is being forecast), it would be hard to find a single soul in the Garden. Effectively, we are in for a bleak phase in days to come.
Meanwhile, Banoo Apa is turning out to be the very personification of benevolence. Today, for no reason in particular, she treated everyone to the most mouth-watering dahi-vadas imaginable. Mildly chilled with just about the right dash of sweet and sour, the evenly-textured lentil dumplings simply dissolved in the mouth. For most of us who do not make this delicacy at home and are rather conditioned by the taste of mass-marketed junk, this was like manna from heaven – especially after the exercises.
No amount of thanking Banoo Apa can ever be enough.
Dilip Babani:
TARA CHAND-JI, HAVE A NICE JOURNEY!
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
Tara Chand Seth, our senior-most member, has been active and happily participating in all events of the Club. His presence with us is a matter of huge encouragement to all. We wish him a very happy and healthy long life. Hope he will be back from Delhi soon.

Breakfast Fiesta

Swati Punjabi cuts the birthday cake

We’ve done it all, had it all – from lip smacking sweets and delicacies to scrumptious crunchies and fries to take-your-pick luddoos and barfis to wholesome keema-pao meals and Vyanjan food boxes... and just when we thought that morning treats cannot get any better, Swati Punjabi came up with a veritable breakfast fiesta – potato mash, chhole, puris, dhokla and so on, all served on a platter and to be washed down with glasses of refreshing chhaas.
That today’s weather was unusually benign with a light cloud cover

Yusuf Rassiwala presents Swati the club calendar

and gentle breeze wafting across added to the festive atmosphere in the Garden.
Swati had a full house for her birthday bash this morning. She was supposed to celebrate at Juhu Beach (ref post of May 19), but a last-minute 'change of plans' ensured we be better grounded in the Garden. We went through the standard rituals – raising the fourth laughter, cutting the birthday cake and singing the birthday song to raucous cheering and applause. Yusuf Rassiwala presented the birthday girl with her club calendar while Kajal Babani did the honours of smearing splotches of white cake cream on Swati’s cheeks.

Cleaning up after the birthday bash

And then the cans and bags of goodies were opened one by one!
Swati was up all night to have the stuff ready for us by the morning. “I have been by the gas stove from 3:30 a.m.,” she confessed, looking a tad tired. “But that’s all very fine since everybody enjoyed my cooking. That’s been my biggest birthday reward.”
Amid all the burping and bonhomie, sudden panic gripped us. Ram Shankar Shukla had gone missing. Around 9:00 a.m., the first call came from his grand-daughter saying he was yet to return home. The family was under the mistaken impression we were still partying at Juhu Beach.
Discreetly search teams fanned out to areas where Shukla had been sighted earlier. Nahid Khan stayed put in the Garden, coordinating with the watchman, in turn stationed near the public toilets. The general fear was that Shukla had lost his way, or worse, met with an accident. After all, the 81-year-old (who celebrated his birthday last Monday) tends to lose his balance while walking and had once fallen down on the streets, hurting himself.
At 9:50 a.m., the suspense was lifted with word coming in of Shukla returning home safe and sound. He had paid a visit to the local post office!
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
The secret is out of the bag. Now we know how the members of Big Laaf remain happy, naughty and knotty as well. The cookies, keema, Vayanjan and other treats, especially after the fourth big laugh, do the trick. Keep laughing and remain fit. It is a good tonic.