PLANS & CHANGE OF PLANS

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

25/IV/2023

Let me start by wishing everyone EID MUBARAK. A little belated but nevertheless.

It was a Holiday and our family had a get together. Gup-Shup, chit-chat, meen-mekh, nukhta-cheeni, hathaiyan, khodilai, ungli, back biting etc-etc. If I could summarise all this, its called bitching with a capital B. We discussed everything under the sun, especially those who were absent amongst us.

All the baggage in the tummy was shared with everyone. One could make out how the ones narrating such stories were feeling. Like after dropping off a huge load in the thunderbox. It was time now for moving on. Who would be the next target? Well, such things are spontaneous. Baat se baat nikalti hai.

In between someone floated the idea to go and watch the recently started sound and light show at Mandor gardens. The programme was set for next evening. We got into a convoy mode and off we went Tally-Ho.

It is no more the gardens of yesteryears. The crowd and the traffic made it impossible for us to even park our cars. The swelling crowds gave us the creeps. It was Dadar West station at peak hours. Neck to neck and bum to bum with no safety margin.

With great difficulty we turned our vehicles, chalo ‘Kailana’ which is another favourite destination for the Sun City dwellers. People were there like ants. Creeping, crawling, elbowing, jostling, jolting, pushing, shoving, even knocking over a few. Bai ji pachhe chalo athon. (Let’s turn around and run), before we get bulldozed & clobbered by the crowd. This was the first time we saw such a ‘sea of people’. The only option was peechay mur daur ke chal.

Luckily, enroute we had a tea break & ‘mitti ke sakore’ wali chai. May I admit, the sondhi-sondhi khushboo added so much flavour to the tea. Sitting on an old round paint tins like we used to do on a chai ki ‘tappri’ we chatted. Seventeen of us guzzled tea as never before. Chai was not accompanied by Mirchi vadas or Kachoris with namkeen stuffed into bread slices. Taste was mind blowing.

‘Dooj ka chand and tara’ were now clearly visible in the night sky. The lovely star and moon shone so beautifully. The shimmer of their radiance on Kailana Lake was so subtle, but for the other half of the city which had landed up there.

Finally, it was time to have dinner. Our convoy commander lead with blinkers on. First Dhaba said no vacancy. The second Dhaba gave us a waiting of two hours. It was time to proceed to Dhaba number three, even if it meant driving with high beams on and on the wrong side for about 500 meters.

The ambience was of the desert, with huts and bunkers. We all preferred to sit under the starry roof of fairy lights. A good round of antakshri where yours truly remembered old songs which have been long forgotten. Thanks, the Phillips transistor on a high-altitude post near Pangong Tso.

It was time for the convoy to split to our individual destinations and head home. It was fun and a good Eid spent. Most of us with hoarse vocal cords sounded melodious, venting out the Rafi and Lata in us.

Sudden change of plans is interesting and even more fun. Have you guys changed plans from A to plan in a span of two hours? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

JAI HIND