DAY 2754

Pic of the Week

Arre Wah!!!

Rehearsing even on a Sunday? Sincerity pays! --Bhaswati Bose

Chhatri na khol! Urrrrr jayegi!!! --Bihari Milwani

Umbrella is there for Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua... whether it is rain or sunshine. --Karun Sharma

Silent Tribute

Members observe a two-minute silence in the memory of the 40 jawans killed in the terrorist strike at Phulwama

Urmila Sinha hands over a plate of
litti chokha to Naheed Siddiqui

The air was heavy, the mood sombre. And the occasion demanded it. The idea was in fact, broached by Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd) yesterday; but news trickling in on casualties from the terrorist attack at Phulwama was still very sketchy. We were hoping for the best.
Today, soon after the exercises, we joined our hands in paying tribute to the 40 CRPF soldiers who laid down their lives during that dastardly attack by a Pakistan-monitored terrorist

Angad Singh (l) addresses the group

outfit on February 14. A two-minute silence was observed in their memory.
Recounting the incident, Angad Singh spoke about the sacrifices young men joining the armed forces have to make and how their lives are constantly on the line while performing their duty. “Let us pray for the Almighty to grant their souls eternal peace,” he urged during his brief, but moving address to the gathering.
Shekhawat joined him on a rather belligerent note to explain the roles of the three wings of the armed forces which, very often, is undermined. “I am glad that Modi-sa’ab has now given the army full freedom to deal with the situation in Kashmir. I am confident, we shall see the results very soon,” the naval veteran said.
Meanwhile, Urmila Sinha treated us to home-made litti chokha – an unusual dish many may have heard of, but rarely, if ever tasted. This was upon the specific request of Naheed Siddiqui. Apparently she carries memories of this “popular street food” from her last visit to Bihar. Urmila was only too happy to oblige and all of us gained from her generosity.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…

Siba Prasad Maitra unfurls the big banner for the Annual Day function

The countdown has begun for the biggest extravaganza we have been looking forward to for over a year. The Annual Day function is right on course with all activities of the Club currently geared towards putting up a grand show on February 23 (Saturday).
Publicity posters have come up in the Garden. Rehearsals are in full swing. Advances have been paid for erecting the stage and hiring of lights and the sound equipment. A good make-up professional has been identified. Police permission has also been sought.
Today Siba Prasad Maitra unfurled a huge banner heralding the function.

Razia Khan

This shall be placed at a prominent spot near the Garden gate. And Banoo Apa distributed dinner coupons

Banoo Apa (in blue) distributes dinner coupons to members

to members for the biryani boxes to be given out on February 23. Non-members are being levied a nominal ‘guest charge’ for the dinner boxes.
Meanwhile, our compere for the show, Razia Khan has reported ill. Yesterday her daughter-in-law, Tahira informed that she has been hospitalized and had requested us to pray for her. We included Razia in our prayers this morning and upon inquiries, have learnt that she is yet to be diagnosed.
“She has stopped eating and is losing weight,” Tahira said. “Doctors cannot still figure out the reason because all her tests, including MRI scan, do not reveal anything abnormal. True, she has an old problem of kidney stones, but doctors have ruled that out to be a likely cause. Since her hemoglobin level dipped dangerously and she had turned anemic, we have admitted her to Shah Nursing Home (in Jogeshwari West, close to the railway station). At present she is on drips.”
This is hoping and praying for Razia’s speedy recovery.

Siba Prasad Maitra:
Wish speedy recovery of Razia-ji.

Karun Sharma:
Today, we all dedicated our prayers for the well being of Razia. Get well soon.

DAY 2751

Pic of the Week

Many 

Happy Returns 

of the Day,
SANTOSH TYAGI --

and a surprise birthday bash in the evening!

What a pleasant group of people celebrating the ever jolly Santosh Tyagi! Best wishes on your happiest birthday, Santosh-ji. We miss you here in the Garden. --Karun Sharma

Brain Power

ANNIVERSARY MEMENTO: When 'Mr Computer' meets 'Ms Encyclopedia'

At a time when memory lapses are more a norm than an exception in the Club, we were witness to two lovely instances on the possibilities of ‘brain power’.
The first was of course, unsurprising, but no less significant. Our ‘Walking-Talking Computer’, a.k.a. Bihari Milwani reminded us that it was Banoo Apa’s wedding anniversary today and presented her with his personalized memento to mark the occasion.
No one else remembered. Clearly, this gentleman has transcended the level of keeping track of our birthdays and is now making a mental note of every landmark event in every member’s life. And here we keep struggling to remember the sequence of our daily exercises!
The other instance was related to Banoo Apa more directly. Her mobile was on, the recorded songs providing the usual atmospherics during our exercises. One vintage number sounded faintly familiar. Even then, the general tendency is to remain indifferent rather than apply the mind on the origin of a song.

Urmila Sinha (l) treats us to dark laddoos

Banoo Apa (r) celebrates with choco-bars

But not so with Banoo Apa. “My mother used to say that there is one shameless man in Hindi pictures who dances like a woman,” she remarked. “In this song, he can be seen dancing with ghungroos (ankle bells) on!”
She was right. The actor was none other than Mumtaz Ali, the first male dancer of the Indian screen, otherwise known as comedian Mehmood’s father. The song in question was from a yesteryear blockbuster, Ratan -- dating back to 1944. So much for Banoo Apa’s encyclopedic knowledge and her penchant for instant recall.
While she celebrated her wedding anniversary with choco-bars, Urmila Sinha sprung a surprise by treating us to dark dry-fruit laddoos – for no particular reason. Muhammad Farooq, Banoo Apa’s husband, should have been with us today. We missed him.

Bihari Milwani:
I thought Banoo had forgotten her wedding anniversary and that was why, like an alarm bell, I came to the Garden. The idea was to remind her that she must demand an expensive gift from Dr Farookh!

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Our 'walking-talking computer', Bihari Milwani is a superman. He has stupendous power to remember the dates of important events in all members' lives and is always ready with a gift for the occasion. He has been performing this task unfailingly since the birth of the Club. Banoo Apa has excellent knowledge about the film industry and she can recite various events impromptu. Our Blog Monster is no less a running encyclopedia. Hats off to all these members. Our regards to them and their ilk.