Sleeping Member?

Can we admit her as a member? 

The jury is still out... waiting for the verdict

Today was Tabassum Salmani’s birthday. Better known as Mohammad Gulzar’s wife, she is one member who rarely, if ever, shows up at the Garden. Today also she was nowhere to be seen. (Reportedly, she does not believe in celebrating birthdays.) Yet, in keeping with custom, we raised a fourth laugh for her and Shekhawat made a call on our behalf to wish her many happy returns of the day.
Tabassum is not the only member to be irregular. Many others, including Laxmi Hadimani, Sadanand Pawar and Nahid Siddiqi have rarely shown their faces for the exercises. In fact, there are at least a dozen such ‘sleeping members’ who have nothing to do with the Club or the exercises.
But then, this is nothing unusual. In all Clubs everywhere, a good 20 to 25 per cent of the members exist only in name, but are hardly ever seen. Nobody expects 100 per cent attendance, just as it makes no difference to the ‘sleeping members’ if they are to be weeded out.
So when the question of Swati Punjabi’s admission to the Club came up today, the insistence of some members that she be present daily for the exercises caused quite a stir. She explained that she would be happy to pay her subscription money, but cannot guarantee her presence for the exercises daily.
For Shekhawat, Arora and other seniors, this was undesirable, but since Swati has been an active participant in all Club activities, they conceded to her request. However, according to Harbans Kaur, Monthi Serrao and other ladies, anyone not interested in the daily exercises has no right to be a member and the Club must not admit such people for the sake of (subscription) money only.
Significantly, the trigger behind this dispute was Swati wanting to give a treat tomorrow, if only to compensate for the treats she has been having as an invitee in the past. Yusuf Rassiwala politely advised her to be become a member first because we cannot otherwise accept treats (from 'outsiders').
As things stand, Arora will bring the membership form tomorrow and Shekhawat will collect the money and only thereafter will Swati be ‘entitled’ to give her treat. The other niggling point (that has not occurred so far) is that we have already hit the 50-member ceiling on membership. So technically, Swati will have to be placed on a Waiting List till such time someone makes way for her as a full-fledged member.
Siba Prasad Maitra:
Saw the list of 50 members, but have never seen all of them on any day during the exercises. There could be a lot of fun with all the members present on the ground.

Happy Augury

Arun Patil's last public appearance

News comes in of Arun Patil being able to find his feet again. It’s been almost three months since he had to amputate his right foot because of an incurable gangrenous infection prompted by diabetes. As followers of this blog would know, the surgery went off well and he has since been recovering fast – just that it has taken him time to procure a proper prosthetic replacement that would enable him to be up and moving as earlier.
That happened yesterday. After much trial and error, he was finally fitted with the artificial foot and it is now a matter of time before he gets used to it. “There is an alignment issue which has more to do with the brain accepting a foreign body part,” he explained. “Right now I get the feeling of the prosthetic going wonky and requiring to be dragged by the other leg while walking.”
Arun has gone for an imported device

Done for the day... Time to disperse

(instead of the cheaper and easily available ‘Jaipur foot’) which should, in time, enable him to walk comfortably without the tell-tale limp. It has certain springs and clip-on buttons, which again would require getting used to. But the good news is that his doctors are “quite impressed” at the way he has effortlessly taken to the new attachment and is able to stand upright without support.
“I have been learning to walk at home with the walker all of yesterday,” he informed. “Very soon I shall discard the walker and take a walking stick instead. Then I will give you all a surprise by turning up at the Garden unannounced. It could be very soon, maybe this week itself!”
We look forward to being surprised.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
It is heartening to note that Arun Patil is in a fit condition to walk on his feet. It is also good news that he will be able to join in all the activities of the Club as he used to three months back. This only proves that if one has will, determination and a positive approach, all difficulties can be overcome.

Day 1743

Pic of the Week

TWO CHARMING VISITORS AT THE GARDEN

"Two charming visitors are getting undivided attention and love from three charming regulars."

--Kiran Prakash

Raksha Bandhan 2015

Mallika celebrates with home-
made tea (on popular demand)

Teja Singh Bhambra celebrates
with authentic rosogollas

Srichand Arora celebrates with
prasad from gurudwara

Call it poor planning, lack of foresight, or sheer bad luck… We were robbed of the spectacle of Shekhawat being chased around the Garden by a band of women determined to tie rakhi on him.

Mallika and Prakash fail to subdue Shekhawat

That was what the ladies had lined up for Raksha Bandhan today. But a sudden downpour put paid to all their plans.
Now, Shekhawat’s aversion to playing brother to any female is well known. Equally well known is the eagerness of several women to be his sister. The closest they could get so far is being his make-believe sister-in-law – or saali. Shekhawat is supposed to have acquired four such saalis already.
But there is a HUGE difference between sister and sister-in-law. And for the ladies, the only way to bridge this gap was to tie a rakhi on Shekhawat’s wrist and solemnize a brother-sister relationship on Raksha Bandhan day. In a way, it was also to curb his ‘waywardness’, not to mention the possibility of receiving a gift from him on the occasion.
But Shekhawat is too clever by half and had come doubly prepared and alert.

RAKSHA BANDHAN: Party time in China Hut

“No rakhi for me,” he warned upon entering the China Hut. This predictably was to embolden Mallika Kagzi, the only lady to have braved the rains and make it to the Garden till then. The problem was she wasn’t carrying a rakhi.
For a while, she toyed with the idea of shredding her dupatta and using it as a rakhi. She inquired about the rakhi shops opening in the vicinity. There too, she drew a blank. Finally, she took off her hair band and without any warning, pounced upon Shekhawat, trying to force the elastic band up his wrist. What followed was an unbelievable scuffle with Kiran Prakash joining forces with Mallika -- but all to no avail.
The fauji in Shekhawat prevailed and Mallika conceded defeat. Effectively, Shekhawat retains his exalted status as the alpha male of the Garden and the ladies would now have to wait another year to perhaps rope him with a rakhi.
Kiran Prakash:
We can't ask for more than what we get in those precise 45 minutes at the Garden. It is a superb blend of serious exercise, leg-pulling, humour, sharp-edged wit, snacks, cake, tea and what not. If people wish to see seniors at their best, they just have to peep into our activities in the Garden.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
The sessions of Big Laaf are occasions for enjoyment, no only for the participants but also those witnessing the events. It has a positive and healthy impact on everyone.

Mourning in Morning

Morning tea party in the Garden

The laughter exercises were scrapped today as a mark of respect to an elderly lady who passed away yesterday. She was the wife of a movie producer and former member of the Club.
Most of us could not recollect seeing either of them (in the past 10 years) and in fact, both Shekhawat and Srichand Arora were of the view that no harm would be caused were we to continue with our regular morning routine.

Braving the sudden downpour

But another section of the members led by Mohar Singh argued that our ‘Ho-Ho Ha-Ha’ would amount to gross insult to the departed soul(s). And so, in deference to their sentiments, we desisted from doing the laughter exercises this morning.
Strangely, the heavens also mourned the death of the lady who succumbed to brain hemorrhage, following an accidental fall in the bathroom. The skies wept copiously and interrupted our free-hand exercises, even as Arora tried to race us through. Many rushed for shelter in the China Hut while the remaining few completing the exercises, umbrellas in hand. This was a hilarious sight which more than made up for skipping the laughter rounds. Even Ved Prakash Grover, Razia Khan and Nasir Patuni Shah stayed put in the open, defying the rains and eventually, completing the exercises.
Mallika Kagzi rewarded the ‘bravehearts’ with special home-made tea, which, on a rain-soaked morning can only be godsent. It was a matter of time for the others who had abandoned the exercises, to scamper back for their share of the tea. Others on the walking track also joined in. And so, with beautiful white garden chairs laid out under a majestic tree, we had an impromptu tea party with another round of merry-making – thanks entirely to Mallika Kagzi.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
It is befitting to pay homage to a departed soul. It is immaterial whether the member has been attending the Club or not. Our members did the right thing in abstaining from the routine laughter exercise.