Jail or Bail?

Salman Khan

Star convict Salman Khan may well be done and dusted with the 48-hour incarceration in Jodhpur last week-end; but still he somehow managed to fire the imagination of our Club members this morning. While many like Arun Patil and Banoo Apa felt that he had been handed a raw deal, others insisted that he is a citizen first and a matinee idol later and must be treated as such.
Basically, nobody could be bothered either way. How does it matter to us whether Salman Khan remains in jail or is out on bail? But in the absence of anything substantive to talk about, this became a ready recipe to stir-fry our bheja on a muggy Monday morning.

Idle Talk: Arun Patil (back to camera)  pitches for his idol

Talk of the mind being a crazy devil’s workshop!
The singular blessing in such situations is that we do not allow gossip – or “beeching” as some would say -- to enter our conversations. However, what cannot be overlooked is the growing realization that there is nothing in the offing to keep the mind occupied after the exercises. Once in a while noises are made on setting out for a day picnic, only to fall silent later. There has been sporadic talk of a Sports Day also, but with the onset of summer, it can no longer be a good idea. Plans for a ‘film evening’ in the China Hut, once in a month, have also been abandoned.
Not so long ago, we had our Annual Day function (ref post of January 20). More than the event, it was through the daily rehearsals and many dry runs, over sweat and tears, joy and frustration… the Club had galvanized together with rare missionary zeal that lasted us well over three months. We need another such event. Any ideas?

DAY 2525

Pic of the Week

Can you give a witty caption for this photograph?

For the first time, I am seeing his head down. The 'disciplinarian' seems to be under control. He too likes a hand on his shoulder. --Kiran Prakash

Domesticated? --Angad Singh

What a caption Lt Col Angad Singh-ji! You win hands down!!! --Kiran Prakash

Tension Transmission. --Karun Sharma

"Mannu Bhai gaadi chale pam pam pam!" --Geeta Latte

Mopping Up

Taking stock of membership renewals 

As the week drew to a close, Shekhawat today did a spot review of the collections made so far on the renewal of club membership for 2018-19.
The results were encouraging. Over the past 10 days since his collection drive began, more than 90 per cent of the members have already paid up. What remains now is

Tara Chand says his goodbye

mopping up of dues from three or four members who have not been regular of late.
Meanwhile, preparations need to be set in motion for convening the AGM and electing a new managing committee. Only those who have renewed their membership will be entitled to participate in the election. Also, the outgoing secretary will have to present his annual report (for 2017-18) at the AGM before the new committee takes charge.
Another imperative is the handing over of the audited books of accounts to the new committee. This entails obtaining the auditor’s report, which shall be formally presented at the AGM by Bihari Milwani. Only after these formalities are streamlined can the AGM be convened. Till then, as per the bye-laws of Big Laaf, the present managing committee shall continue to hold office.
While these plans were being formulated, Tara Chand Seth announced that he must leave for Delhi tomorrow. As in the past, he did not commit when he will be back. But it could take him six months this time, he said. We insisted he return before October so that we could celebrate his 90th birthday with him in the Garden.
He wished us well before making his way out.

Out of the Shell

Gupta and Shekhawat in a playful scuffle

Bijoy Gupta is slowly, but surely getting out of his shell and is back to playing the fool with old buddy Shekhawat. He had dropped by to pay the annual subscription for his club membership and deliberately did not proffer the exact change. He waved a Rs2,000 note instead and demanded that he be provided the exact balance.
Shekhawat would have nothing of it and refused to accept the note until Gupta opened his wallet to him for inspection.

Only four ladies attended the exercises today

Only after being convinced that the latter really did not have the requisite change would he accept the Rs2,000 bill. During the scuffle that followed, Shekhawat managed to prise open Gupta’s wallet and satisfy himself about its contents.
Silly as this may all seem, it went a long way in thawing the frosty silence

"Will you tell me the injection to live 100 years?"

and awkwardness that had set in between the two following the death of Gupta’s daughter last month. In deference to his friend’s sentiments, Shekhawat too had been unusually restrained and did not take liberties with Gupta – least of all, address him by his pet moniker, “Gudhri ka Laal”.
Today, it became eminently clear that Gupta was making a conscious effort to leave his personal tragedy behind and move on. He started out by chiding Shekhawat that the ‘rail gaadi’ led by him after the exercises was a disgrace and he better stop it. “You have no idea how we used to make fun of your train when you were away in Rajasthan,” he teased Shekhawat.
Before long, Gupta got another opportunity. He heard that Shekhawat was to undergo some more tests on the advice of doctors (ref post of April 4) and promptly buttonholed him: “Tell me the truth, why are you seeing so many doctors? Is it because you want to live for 100 years? Are they giving you some injection? I also want to live beyond 100… Will you give me the name of the injection?”
Shekhawat had no reply.

Crisis Averted

Karun Sharma takes charge of the exercises

Arun Patil did not turn up today. Neither did Nahid Khan. Nor did Razia Khan. Nor did Yusuf Rassiwala. Nor did Kiran Prakash… or for that matter, anyone who had ever conducted the free-hand exercises.
With a crisis thus staring us at the face, Karun Sharma offered to step in the middle and save the day. It was for the first time he had assumed the role of a Big Laaf ‘teacher’. And Tara Chand Seth, the grand old man of the Club, agreed to guide him

Tara Chand Seth

from the circle, should the need arise.
The need never arose. Karun not only had the exercises pat on, he knew their sequence without having to be prompted even once. He sailed through the session with effortless ease such that when it drew to an end, he himself was surprised by his confidence and the ability to pull it off so well.
“I deserve to be congratulated,” he said, patting his own back.
Significantly, Arun Patil’s absence earned him a couple of more sobriquets today. For long, he has been known variously as “Tokam Toki” and “Mini Hitler”. This morning, Karuna Waghmare christened him “Langda Baba” when she realized he would not be around to pester her.
On a polite note, Tara Chand referred to him as “Commander in Chief” and wondered if he had taken permission to play hooky. “He is so particular about enforcing rules, but does he himself follow any rule?” Tara Chand quipped.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
It is nice that Karun Sharma took control of the daily exercises today and acquitted himself well. Congrats to him. After all, the show must go on. Sharma-ji has been a regular and thus he knows all the ins and outs of the exercises. Well done and keep enjoying.

Karun Sharma:
Weather poses challenges to all, especially senior citizens. In fact, it is not only the weather, but situations that require you to take a correct decision. I recently learned that personal values need be modified according to a situation. If I get the opportunity, I would like to discuss with my Big Laaf family members.