Trivial Timepass

Struck by a fierce morning squall

Arun Patil and Harvinder Jauhar became the butt of jokes this morning when a sudden squall followed by fierce thundershower forced us into the open shed midway through the exercises. Everyone managed to get in, except the two. Some said they could have gone to the toilet. A few guessed that they would be taking shelter in the China Hut. But when they did not show up after some time, Nahid Khan got worried.
“Where could they be hiding?” she wondered. “Or have they just dissolved in the rainwater?”
That has always been a standard line from Nahid in these situations. But Shekhawat was to top that today when he corrected her. “Hawaa mein uddh gaye dono,” he declared. “They must have gone with the wind!”
Such wisecracks generate some mirth and have saved us from turning zombies while exercising.

Yusuf Rassiwala

But how would anyone explain certain kinks like having to applaud to “Very Good” as a wrap-up on every session. Yusuf Rassiwala brought about a variation with the expression ‘Swasth Raho, Vyasth Raho, Hanste Raho!’ (Be Healthy, Stay Busy and Keep Laughing).

The ill-fated neem tree

It was a well-meaning slogan, but many became averse to it and would rather, like Sunita Jajodia say "Very Good” or even "Good Morning". So now a consensus has been struck when, in Yusuf’s presence we would clap to “Swasth Raho” and behind his back, revert to the “Very Good” – as though, good riddance, he isn’t around!
The latest involves Ram Shankar Shukla.

Ram Shankar Shukla

After the fainting incident on August 23 (see post), we have been over-concerned about him and a chair is kept ready by his side when he exercises. Much as he maintains that he is now in good shape and does not require special attention, there are some who insist that he must sit on the chair and exercise. Ruksana Khan went to the extent of telling him, “Whenever you stand, you give us tension. So please stay seated!”
Of course, Shekhawat is still being blamed squarely for causing him to faint and Shukla has been unable to provide any other explanation yet. So Shekhawat now directs his attention, not at any human, but to a neem tree. “Neem ke pedh, sit down!” is his clarion call every morning. Believe it or not, the damn tree has started to shrivel. As Monthi Serrao and Jagmohan Papneja point out, trees are supposed to sprout fresh green leaves during the monsoons. But this is one tree that is sprouting dry twigs at the top!
Such is the power of the human tongue.

Darjeeling-Gangtok

Tour planning in progress

Little known to many, Shekhawat is going full throttle with an ambitious plan to take the Club on an excursion to Darjeeling and Sikkim next summer. He hasn’t spelt out the details as yet, but from all indications he is leaving nothing to chance -- more so, after all the gaffes and bloopers on the last trips to Lonavala and Kerala. He said he has learnt his lessons and wouldn’t want to get in a similar mess again. Hence the preparations six months in advance, not to mention the ‘early bird’ (touristy) benefits he hopes to derive.
Should this trip work out, the Club would effectively have toured the four corners of India – north (Vaishno Devi, etc), south (Kerala), west (Goa) and east (Sikkim).

Monthi treats us on her birthday

Significantly, for the upcoming trip, Shekhawat has roped in Monthi Serrao and Bhaswati Bose to do the groundwork – drawing up an itinerary, identifying suitable hotels, checking out on local transport, firming up on a budget and so on. Bhaswati’s relatives are settled in the north-east and with one brother based in Siliguri (which is en route Darjeeling) we can hope to draw upon them for some logistical support as well. Monthi, on her part, is a whiz with numbers.

Arun Patil shares information on diabetes treatment

Shekhawat has also requested Srichand Arora to be actively “involved” this time in overseeing operations and tying up loose ends.
Meanwhile, Arun Patil sought time after the exercises to brief members on the “unique diabetes treatment” he has just benefited from at Dr Prabhakar Shetty’s Clinic in Andheri (East). He said that this was the second occasion when he risked losing his foot to gangrene and on both occasions, without having to resort to a major surgery, he could save both his diabetic feet. “It is nothing short of a miracle cure,” he informed. “The doctor there prepares his own medical formulations which are not available anywhere else and by applying those ointments and lotions, I am back on my feet now!”
We had occasion to also usher in Monthi Serrao’s birthday today. It was an auspicious day as it happened to be Mother Mary’s birthday also, as well as Ananth Chaturdashi. Monthi (another name for Mother Mary) had fed us cranberries on Saturday (see post) and immediately left on a weekend getaway, only to be back in time to feed us fresh cake-biscuits from Pune this morning. We wish her many happy returns of the day and a life full of joy and good health.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Cake-biscuits and fun / As you celebrate your day with everyone / A wish is on your way / To enhance the beauty of the day... Happy Birthday, Monthi-ji.
Harish Wadhwa:
A very Happy Birthday, Monthi-ji. I hear the celebrations had something to do with cranberries and cake biscuits. Curious and would be happy to know the taste. Have a great day!

Day 1398

Pic of the Week

LOL... LAAFING OUT LOUDEST

Renu Babani:
He does it again, the unbeatable one! Congrats!!!
Harish Wadhwa:
Why are the ladies giggling and looking so amused? Shekhawat-ji Can Dance and would have done it spontaneously after being declared winner and enjoying the sweets from Monthi-ji. After all party to banti hai.

Yeshhhh… HE is Papneja!

FROM A SMALL BOY...

TO A YOUNG MAN...

TO JAGMOHAN PAPNEJA

The identity of the mysterious kid in the 10th edition of Pehchaan Kaun was finally revealed with Jagmohan Papneja today admitting that the photograph was indeed his (ref posts of August 24 and September 4).

Jagmohan Papneja throws the 'spot question'

Eleven participants got it right. Sadly, Bihari Milwani and Kajal Babani had to be dropped on a matter of detail and out of the remaining nine, Hari Singh Shekhawat was eventually declared winner.
It was a keenly fought contest, even as the level of participation was unusually low this time. Quite clearly, nobody wanted to be caught making a mistake and those who were even slightly unsure refrained from taking part. So it came as no surprise that of the total number of entries received, an unprecedented 78 per cent got it spot on.

Toss of a coin!

Only Arun Patil, Dilip Babani and Papneja himself (but his was in the nature of a red herring) were found incorrect. Were it not for these three, we would have had 100 per cent all-correct entries.
Selecting the winner (in all fairness) from these claimants was left to Papneja.

Monthi distributes cranberries

Picking the first all-correct entry or deciding by a draw of lots had attracted some criticism in the past. In a rare sporting gesture Srichand Arora, followed by Santosh Tyagi withdrew from the contest, declaring that as past winners they would rather give others a chance. That was to leave six in the reckoning – Geeta Sardana, Yusuf Rassiwala, Nahid Khan, Monthi Serrao, Razia Khan and Shekhawat. Harish Wadhwa was the sole absentee.
This was when Papneja came up with a novel idea.

Shekhawat is WINNER!

He asked a ‘spot question’ to the six present, wanting to know at what age the boy’s photograph had been taken. The correct answer (or the one closest to it) would be declared winner. Nobody got it right. The closest anybody got there were Yusuf and Shekhawat. So here we had a tie. And the only way to break it was by a toss of a coin. Sadly, the others had to withdraw from the scene.
But then Monthi Serrao was soon to cheer them up with a tray of succulent dry cranberries, while all others also piled on. (Where she gets such delicacies from, she alone knows!) They all took fistfuls of the cranberry and within minutes the tray was wiped clean. Everyone returned home happy and Pehchaan Kaun-10 was forgotten.
The winner’s trophy will be presented to Shekhawat on September 13 – next Saturday – same time, same place.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Thanks to everyone who entered our Pehchaan Kaun-10 contest. You have left your evaluator impressed by the keenly fought contest. Since the prize is to be given only to one person, the decision was taken in a transparent manner. It is my proud privilege to announce Shekhawat-ji as the lucky winner. My congratulations to him on winning the Crystal Trophy. Have a great time!
Harish Wadhwa:
* Woh kya dikhte the, woh kya ban gaye... I mean aur acchhe aur samajdar ban gaye!
* Papneja-ji was a perfect Chhupa Rustam never giving any clue of his picture or identity. He even misled many of us by naming Arun Patil. Wah wah kya baat hai!

Teachers’ Day 2014

Srichand Arora is felicitated on Teachers' Day for never failing us 

The Club collectively paid obeisance to its favorite ‘teacher’ on the occasion of Teachers’ Day today. Led by senior ‘students’ Santosh Tyagi, Monthi Serrao and Geeta Sardana, a rose was presented to Srichand Arora as a token of appreciation and gratitude for never failing us on conducting the morning exercises – even in extreme situations.
Last year Nahid Khan earned this distinction on Teachers’ Day.
To Arora’s credit lies the fact that he is the only man among us to be consistently holding fort through thick and thin.

Arun Patil arrives in the Garden

All the others 'teachers', including Sitaram Hivarkar and Yusuf Rassiwala (who used to conduct our free-hand exercises regularly) have not been as regular for one reason or the other. Arora has not been in the best of health either. For instance, he suffered a terrible knock on his shoulder after an autorickshaw accident some time back. Even in that agonizing state – when he was unable to lift an arm without inviting a jab of pain shooting up his shoulder – he had conducted the exercises.
The ladies of course, tried to humour him, even teasing him for being a hard taskmaster and scolding them for no reason. True to style, Arora broke the lower half of the thorny rose stem and gesticulated at them as a schoolmaster would with a foot ruler. However, it must be said that it is this fire-‘n’-ice temperament, frequent mood swings, ready wit, being a stickler for discipline and above all, his caring and affectionate nature that has endeared him to us. No wonder he had to be our Teacher of the Year for 2014.
Amid all this bonhomie, Arun Patil walked in. It is almost a week since he was discharged from hospital (ref post of August 21) and happily, he looked to be out of pain – though he has developed a slight limp. He said the skin around the little toe (which was surgically treated for gangrene) is still tender and would take some more time to heal. Otherwise he is fine. We look forward to his rejoining us for the exercises every morning.
Harish Wadhwa:
Teachers' Day is not for one only and is not an yearly one-person event either. One can have many teachers simultaneously who need to be acknowledged and respected on this day. Therefore ALL the teachers which include Nahid-bhai, Arora-ji, Bose-Babu, Yusuf bhai and Razia-ji deserve the acknowledgment and felicitation for taking pains to conduct the exercises.