10 hashers at The Wetlands walk and Breakfast at The Tea Table
Sunita joined and was delighted with the whole sunday morning walk and adda! Look out for her write up soon.

Here’s wishing all the hashers a Happy Valentine’s Day. Be sure to go the extra length to make it special and connect with your loved one in the city.


We are changing the venue for this Sunday’s hash in order to connect with the city in the Marathon.

On Sunday 19th February 2006, Exide presents the The Telegraph Kolkata Marathon. There will be 3 races: -

Race Distance Starting Time

Marathon 42.195 Km 7:00 am

Ladies Run 10.500 Km 7:15 am

Fun Run 4.200 Km 8:00 am



We hashers will once again be participating in the Fun Race.

Reach Red Road at 7:30 to fill in your registration form and collect your Marathon T shirt and cap.

Once the Fun Run is over, you can collect your breakfast box and drinks. By 9 after the Fun Run is over, Kolkata’s very own Sandeep Vyas will be performing on Red Road as he did last year.

To check who all ran last year in the Airtel Marathon check under Archives for March 2005 on www.calcuttahashgroup.blogspot.com

The total prize money on offer this year is Rs 7.60 Lac. The event is being organised by the Athletics Coaches Association of Bengal. (ACAB).
The Co Sponsors for the event are

Eveready Industries Co Sponsor

Ramsarup Group. Co Sponsor

ITC Sunfeast Co Sponsor

Selvel Vantage Outdoor Partner

Pepsi Beverage Partner

Red FM Radio Partner

High Life Management Event Managers


So come Run For Your City and join us in making this years marathon a grand success.


More on www.kolkatamarathon.com

Tiretti Bazaar - Chinese breakfast

On Feb 12th, Lilly, Carl, Siddiqui, Peter, Rosie, Madhuri and I met in front of Statesman House to do the China Town visit.

We walked past Bow Barracks and the oldest undertaker's. We also saw the oldest chinese restaurant of Calcutta - Nanking.

We ate lots of street food at the stalls - pork pao/buns, chicken "wons" ;-D
The prawn sui mai was excellent. The vegetable dumplings too. The Chinese sauces were hot and spicy. I even bought a packet of prawn crackers.
Lilly took a lot of pictures of all the interesting things en route.

We then went to the Sea Ip Church for prayers and astrological predictions for the Chinese new year of the Dog that started on 29 th Jan.

The sticks predicted lots of good things for Peter, Rosie and Lilly. Madhuri was delighted with the candles, paper and incense sticks we burned. I was delighted with the Chinese breakfast so we were all very happy with the new year.

We headed back to Chennai Kitchen for juice and coffee after a walk through Bow Barracks.

Botanics - Lexicon

I didn't make it out to the Botanics as it was my father's birthday and we cut the cake at breakfast so the rest of the day is sweet ;-D
As I can't do the write up I leave you with a few new expressions.
Like the branches of the banyan tree of knowledge, here is some interesting vocabulary to take root in the hashers' psyche!

Larfs for the Intelligentsia

(The Washington Post runs a yearly competition in which readers are asked to submit alternative meanings for various words …)




Flabbergasted (adj.) appalled & amazed over how much weight one has gained


Abdicate (v.) to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach


Esplanade (v.) to attempt an explanation while drunk


Willy-nilly (adj.) impotent


Negligent (adj.) to absent-mindedly answer the door in one’s night-gown


Lymph (v.) to walk with a lisp


Gargoyle (n.) an olive-flavoured mouthwash


Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks one up after being run over by a steam-roller


Balderdash (n.) a rapidly receding hairline


Testicle (n.) a humorous question in an exam


Rectitude (n.) formal dignified demeanour assumed by a doctor immediately before examining patient


Oyster (n.) person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions


Circumvent (n.) the opening in the front of boxer shorts


Frisbeetarianism (n.) the belief that when you die, your soul goes on the roof and gets stuck there

Coffee (n.) a person who is coughed upon
Pokemon (n.) A Jamaican proctologist

Kung Hoy Fat Choy Happy Chinese New Year of the Dog

We were around ten to assemble at the Hall of the Taj on Sunday 29th January 2006 on Chinese New Year. Lilly arrived early and has become a member of the hash Group as has Usha whose cab drove up just as we were walking out. The “late” Andy also made it as usual to all our cemetery visits. Cees is back from Mauritius for a couple of hashes and we looked at the Canals while crossing the Alipore Bridge which dates back to 1932. The Municipality water gushes out on the bridge and it becomes a sort of bathing ghat as we noticed on our way back from the cemetery. We walked around the Commonwealth Graves that are being well maintained as they are returfing the parallel alleyways. We stayed off the new grass but admired the gravestones with the insignia of the regiments of the young corporals, lieutenants, stokers and firemen who gave up their lives in 1944-45. We noticed a few graves of soldiers from the Ivory Coast and Nigeria amidst those of the pilots of the Royal Air Force. There is even a Hindu grave amongst them.
Outside the hedged area of the Commonwealth graves, Siddiqui wanted to take a picture of her neighbour’s grave to send to the relatives. A plot costs around Rs. 6500 according to her. We saw relatives tending a grave and Shanti felt touched. We learnt that women weren’t allowed into Muslim cemeteries so we won’t be able to visit the cemeteries around Park Circus. We also stopped by the more recent yet unnamed graves of Bob Wright of the Tollygunge Club and little Maxx’s with the flowers growing on it.
We walked also around the National Library after signing ourselves in. Andy, Nil and Madhuri’s guests were walking slowly, so we walked ahead and didn’t see them. It was past 8:30 when we assembled again at the Taj. Rajesh Poddar, who is keener on brisk walks than cemetery walks headed to the Horticultural Gardens and was foiled as they couldn’t give him change for Rs.100. He walked around the National Library instead which though a public space has a board saying “trespassers will be dealt with”. He reached the Taj before us and I explained the advantages of sitting on our convex side of the circular table which give you more elbow space.
This was Howard and Shanti’s last hash on this trip as they have to return to the US and continue the work on their house there. They were able to give Lilly a few leads on a story that she can do on Rain Water Harvesting. We stayed chatting till ten when the breakfast buffet closes with a Chinese friend celebrating the start of the New Year. Lilly got a few more leads including Nil’s good news that their d designs have been selected to showcase at the Lakme Fashion week in March in Bombay.

Southern Avenue Lakes Breakfast at Banana Leaf
Sunday, 22nd January 2006, we met in front of the Rowing Club. The newcomers were Rosie’s 2 sisters. Leaving Zoria to race off round the lake, the other ladies followed Madhuri and Sid into the Lions Safari Park
The slow starters decided to look out for “rabit”s and yoga shed and “merry go roundy”. We didn’t see the Laughter Club.
Doc had to rush off to a picnic and various wedding invitations according to Peter as did Zoria. 9 of us put two tables together at Banana Leaf and ordered very interesting South Indian dishes that are specialities of Banana Leaf. Rosie got ribbed when she ordered a ginormous paper dosa that reached till the other end of the table. Her two sisters took pictures. They ordered a tomato Uthapam but it was agreed that Carl’s and Madhuri’s Rawa Cheese dosa was the best! Rawa is apparently semolina. The Upma Peter mistook for potato until I explained it was a kind of couscous. The mini idlis were a grand success too as Peter’s Cashew nut Utthapam took a while to reach the table. I ordered a “podi dosa” which is basically a gun powder dosa - dynamite!!! We started and ended with south Indian filter coffee.

The venues were decided in order to have one cultural, one open air alternately.

Greetings all!
On Sunday 22nd January at 7:30 am we do one of our favourite spots - the Lakes of Southeren Avenue. Hope Doc Bannerjee will lead the pack at his brisk pace and Kunal and Alka could bring up the rear as it's practically on their doorstep!

Meet in front of the gate of the Calcutta Rowing Club opposite Rabindra Sarovar Stadium.

We will have breakfast on Rash Behari Avenue opposite teh Lake Market at Banana Leaf or Komala Vilas if you want to try another South Indian joint. Bring your hash cash of Rs.100.

For the Dover Lane Music Festival - all night Classical Music concert, tickets for 22-25th January at Nazrul Manch are available at Melody on Rash Behari Avenue beside the Kalighat Metro Station.

Bengali Films on Kolkata are being screened at Gorky Sadan, on AJC Bose and Camac Street crossing, from 16th to 20th Jan, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.

Anybody need a calendar? Check out the attachment for The Hooters 2006 Calendar. Bonani will be sure to love it!

The Statesman Vintage Car Rally

This an annual event of Calcutta in January.
Siddiqui and Carl are regular marshals.
Nitish, Jolly, Doc, Peter, Rosie and Lilly were all there.
Sandeep Vyas was performing and Saw and DD were backstage with the dancers.
Yvonnick and Andy have been given their Taj T shirts over the week.
Nil and Dev have qualified for the Fashion Week in March! They can hopefully give inputs for our next batch of T shirts!

The Botanics has now become a paying proposition. We were more than a dozen on Sunday and foreigners had to shell out Rs.50 each while locals paid Rs10. There was even a parking charge. I think we can get around it if we reach there before the guardians at the gate do, but am not very clear on that.

After so many monthly meets at the Botanics, Peter, Rosie and Bhaskar still managed to get lost and had to walk the perimeter of the Botanics from the outside to reach the right gate. So they just managed to join us on our return to the Banyan tree and didn’t get much out of their Rs.50!

Hhoward and Shanti are back after a lot of back breaking labour on the cellar of their house which got flooded because of a burst boiler. We got horror stories of mildewed walls that can be cleaned with bleach I’m told. Bhaskar was back from Bangkok where he’s obviously slimmed down on Thai food. Howard and Shanti successfully got his goat by telling him instead he’d put on weight!

Rajesh Poddar, his wife and daughter did double the walk we did as they are regular early morning walkers. Howard and Shanti back from snowbound lands were recounting the pleasures of being snowed in and sitting by the fireplace reading. Shanti is delighted to be back to a cultural capital where there are all sorts of possibilities of outings. They, Peter and Rosie went to the Flower Show at The Horticultural Gardens after. And they and Lilly went to 15 Park Avenue the new Aparna Sen movie that very evening while I spent the day at the TARA Telefilm Festival at Nandan.

We saw truckloads of villagers in town for the Rally and there were mile long queues at the zoo.

Siddiqui gave invites for next week’s Vintage Car Rally.

Dear Calcutta Hash Group:

Greetings from Madagascar where we celebrate summer as you are celebrating winter. Hope all of our friends are well and thriving. The Hash here meets only every other week, but it is a real change to go up and down hills and mountains! Still, the company isn't as good...

Best wishes for a wonderful 2006!

-- George and Lee (aka "The Sibleys" in Carl's record-keeping)

George N. Sibley
Deputy Chief of Mission
U.S. Embassy Antananarivo,
Madagascar Tel: (261)(20)-22-212-57 Fax: (261)(20)-22-345-39
This message is UNCLASSIFIED according to E.O. 12958

Botanics on 8th Jan at 7:30 am

Happy New Year fellow hashers!

Hope the New Year brings everyone health, wealth and good cheer.

It was delightful to see you at the New Year Bash in the garden on 1st January and at the races!

My desk calendar for January 2006 Week 1 says “Dream new dreams today. Set new goals today. Spend your time on things that truly count today. Love your family today. Be a friend today. Do things better. Today.”

The Vintage Car Rally has been postponed to 15th January, 2006.
So on 8th January we will meet in the Botanics at 7:30am. We will walk around till 8:15 and then head to the Taj.

Neela 9830014934
www.calcuttahashgroup.blogspot.com

Here's wishing all a Happy New Year 2006!

Tentative schedule for January 2006

1st January, 2006: Race Track 12:30 am
After a late New Year’s Eve bringing in the year 2006 with a bang, we might not be very many for an early morning at the Botanics. Not to worry, we’ll reschedule the Botanics later in the month.
On 1st January, it’s Race Day at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. Since one of our hashers June has a son in law who is a trainer we have an inside at the race track. We’ll spend a day in the sunshine racing back and forth between the paddocks and the betting counters. Exercise and entertainment guaranteed. And every chance of starting the New Year with a bit of good luck! Meet at 12:30 at the races. Lunch and drinks available there. No collection. You pay cash and enter.

7:30 a.m. 8th January, 2006 Statesman Vintage Car Rally
Siddiqui is Marshall and will give us Car passes and all. The hashers will have their personal guide around the cars. Prithvi Tagore is not entering his car this year and will tell us all about vintage cars. Bring your cameras. Breakfast can be bought at venue
Meet Princep Monument 7:30 so we don’t get lost and I can hand everyone passes. Vintage Cars get flagged off at 8 am usually

7:30 a.m. 15th January, 2006 Botanic Gardens
Taj breakfast

7:30 am 22 January, 2006 Southern Avenue Lakes South Indian
Breakfast at Banana Leaf
This is the weekend of the Dover Lane Music Festival at Nazrul Manch near the Lakes for those interested in Indian Classical Music. The best performers come on at 4:30, 5 am in the morning as the all night music festival reaches a climax. So the Southern Avenue Lakes is where one should be.
23rd January is Netaji’s B’day and a holiday. Those wanting to come to Shantiniketan for a Bangladesh Festival of art, music and opar Bangla cuisine 21-24th Jan @ Geetanjali, let me know and we’ll make a trip.

7:30 am 29th January
Let’s do one of Zoria’s adventure spots- Howrah???
Breakfast at Taj

Happy New Year everyone!
Neela
9830014934

NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH

Those interested in spending the first hours of the New Year with the hashers – the party is at my place on New Year’s Eve.
Food and booze at Rs.300.
I’m collecting on Thursday at the British Club so please be there to be persuaded by Nitish, Francois, Saw and me to join us! Address for party Block G 419 New Alipore, Calcutta 700058.

The New Year’s Bash is in Neela’s garden
Food, drinks and music or wine, women and song
Please specify your tipple of choice.
Neela
9830014934
We are expecting about 60 people (hashers, 20 members of the Jazz Club plus visitors from abroad)

RIVER FESTIVAL starts

Dear Hashers and friends,
After our Sunderbans trip here's another opportunity to go with the flow with Bonani:
"Come join the River Festival.
Celebrations begin with a Walk for the River
- December 27, 8.30 am, Prinsep Ghat to Millenium Park.
Organised by the CMDA - it's surprisingly fun."
Season's greetings,
Neela

Last Hash of 2005, picnic and suchlike pandemonium near Park Circus Maidan

Meet: Park Circus Sun 18th December at 7:30am Park cars opp. Lady Brabourne College. By 8:30 in cars to artists Tandra Chandra & Pulak Ghosh’s res. a Sunday School for Art & Crafts @ 7/1 Asgar Mistry Lane. Left past Chittaranjan Hospital. Right turn opp. Ladies’ Park into lane next to Nepal Chandra Sweets. Past level crossing turn right, then left at the Adarsha Sangha Club. When we come to an open field the house is 2nd on left. Picnic breakfast with Tandra and also interaction with the kids.

On the last Sunday Hash of December 2005, we will visit the Park Circus that in our 5 years we have never visited as a hash walk. We will no doubt see lots of early morning walkers but not too sure about the birds.

We then go to visit the Sunday School for Art & Crafts for underprivileged children near Park Circus whose project this year is Rickshaws. Rajesh Nath, Gherdie, Sid, the Dutch and others had visisted the school last year when the theme was boats. Their artwork will be on display and Tandra, their teacher who is a stain glass expert and has renovated Bengali renaissance writer, social activist and educationist Vidyasagar's house will organise a picnic breakfast for us there. Tandra will offer us tea and sandwiches but those who are expert at cakes and cookies, this is your turn to shine. I can still taste Barbara’s delicious star shaped cookies and Sid’s fruit cake! Zoria and others can be counted on to bring fruits. It’s Francois Birthday this Sunday 18th december, and hopefully his mother will join us too so we’ll have one Birthday cake ;-D (Francois you’d better be reading this)

The art school kids get in at 9 and we’ll be able to see the display of their artwork. It was thrown open at the breakfast last Sunday that whatever hash cash is collected that day will be given to the School for art supplies for the kids. They can give us the receipts for our records. Next year when we go to Satragachi or the zoo we could take the Sunday school kids on an outing with us.

Met Peter, Rosie and their son Sam who reached the gate to the Park Circus Maidan opposite the Lady Brabourne college in Doc's car. I reached there with Francois, his mom and Wanja.

We saw the Ajanta Circus Big Top and the elephants. There were hundreds of early morning cricketers. Sam took loads of pictures. We then discovered a Traffic Park where drivers are taught traffic rules. We thought it might be an amusement park with miniature cars going around the tracks stopping at the zebra crossings and all. We took a walk around the perimeter of the park passing Don Bosco school and the statue of Don Bosco with kids in the middle of the road. Doc pointed out the Lady Brabourne college ladies hostel.

Amazingly, we didn't get lost on the way to Tandra's house. Wanja had a blast pulling the Rickshaw in the garden that will find its way to a museum in Scotland. Everyone is welcome to go and see the song of the Rickshaw exhibition before it leaves for Scotland in February. The children's miniature rickshaws painted in vibrant colours are being assembled slowly and beautifully. Peter posed for photographs with the gaily painted umbrellas.

We had lots of sandwiches and Peter had brought a fruitcake for Francois' birthday. Over tea we saw the children's artwork.

We were able to buy some of their craftwork such as Papier Mache masks, bowls, boxes and penstands for around Rs.30. They've made delightful Xmas presents for friends.

A sculptor in clay showed us his tableau of street sleepers of Calcutta - frogs in various reclining positions that can be bought for Rs.500 each.

Francois nearly bought a lovely scultpture for Rs.1500 but didn't have the cash on him.

Tandra then showed us her studio and all her stained glass work and Doc was keen to buy one of her owls or Lakhi Pecha. We also saw the view from the terrace while Tandra took out her paintings. We saw the muslim cemeteries which unfortunately though green and beautiful, is not open to hashers according to the Doc! We saw the leather drying and mistook them for Dhobi Ghats and laundry being hung out. Peter pointed out the new church on the Bypass and Doc pointed out the highrises of Saltlake and the new towns.

By this time, Francois and Wanja were dropping from sleep as we'd had a Saturday Barbecue Hash Bash on Saw's terrace and a late night Birthday party at H2O at The Park poolside where Yvonnick had organised the best chocolate cake ever and Himanshu came finally to finish the last piece and give us a hairraising ride home.

We took our leave and our parcels of handicrafts and promised Tandra that we would take the kids to santragachi or a Picnic.

Central Park

Salt Lake central Park is rather far away and by the time we coordinated to arrive in convoy with Shelley and Andy riding with him, it was around 7:45. Himanshu, a long lost brother of Kartikeyan, zipped me, Francois, Wanja and Pete down from Ranchi, there. We would have made it in record time, but Shelley being from Chandigarh and not familiar with Salt Lake wasn’t able to keep up with us after we took off from rv point at ITC. I was on mobile duty with Andy and Nil who decided to walk across from his house across the road leaving Dev enjoying his birthday sleep! Sid and Tony were also there.

Nil was able to give us a guided tour starting from the map of Central Park marked with every Japanese lamp and Pagoda. We walked over the bridge past the fishermen who have to pay Rs.150 if they catch fish upto 15 kg. We saw them making the bait with ants eggs and sweets! The artificial lake, in which Nil used to swim up till 7 years ago, isn’t too deep. We didn’t see any umbrellas or love birds! There were egrets but there were so many cement pandas and crocs that we nearly mistook them for more artificial animals! We saw an elephant slide in the Children’s park and Wanja and the others were most distressed to see an 8 legged elephant that had been carved in two. Sid and Wanja fled from the topiary dinosaur and Andy took more Jurassic Park pictures. We posed in an evolutionary pyramid where normally flowerpots are placed! By 8:30 Sid was shooing us out of the garden and though we walked under the pergola we couldn’t get out that way. We doubled back and swapped passengers. Andy came in our car and Wanja went with Sid and Tony.

We were 9 for breakfast at the Taj and sat at a smaller table closer to the pool. Zoria, visiting the Taj to take her friends staying there to Chandernagore, brought 3 T shirts from Pradeep. These were given to Tony, Andy and Wanja (Yvonnick’s African bride). Yvonnick wasn’t able to join us on Sunday and on Tuesday he was busy posing for wedding photos with Ruth in a borrowed wedding gown from Mother Teresa’s and orange make up! I’ll leave you with that picture.

Sunderbans Boat Cruise






We were 32 on the Boat to the Sunderbans and 32 waiting for George early in the morning in front of the Parcomat. The Bus was delayed so we flagged a passing newspaper vendor and bought The Telegraph etc. to while away the time early in the morning so as not to spend all our time cursing, complaining and whining for having to be there at 6 and then only leaving just before 7am. I called Hasher Nil and Dev whose picture was in the papers. Why shouldn’t he be awake too at 6:30 to hear that their names and Yvonnick’s was in the Page 3!





We still reached at 9 after stopping for our traditional Bengali sweet “nikhuti” and tea on the run. Lots of fruits and chicken sandwiches were also passed around. Andy and I were having intensive Spanish lessons and driving Afroz, Manish and their friends from last Thursday at the British Club quite crazy with our giggle fest. Francois became the butt of all the Spanish insults and Yvonnick or el queso grande or Big cheese got all the compliments. Although they wanted to stop and take pictures of the prawn farms and other scenery, we drove right through just stopping for the pit stop to refuel with mineral water! No one hid Doc’s pillow on this trip. However our traditional game of scoop the hat out of the Ganga happened when my bamboo and batik hat that Zoria was using to cover her face while sunbathing near the prow of the boat fell into the water. Pradeep managed to keep his cap on and Aditi managed to keep her hat on too. The poles were taken out and the hat retrieved and flung on my head giving me an even worse hair day.









I spent the rest of the journey covering up my spiky hair with a Bibi Russell scarf tied like a turban by Tony being called sardarni and Negrita Neela when Andy tied it on me like in the Caribbean. Uppal, Tony and Shelley’s friend gave me his detachable turban to pose in as Shelley was with camera taking loads of pictures of the hashers considering that that was the extent of all the wild animals we spotted. We saw a monitor lizard, deer and monkeys, and crocs in the reserves. We visited the museum and took pictures of a real bat that was part of the diorama. Some bought bottles of honey for Rs.50 and Rs.100. and Breakfast was lutchis, pickles and chhola, omelettes, and fruit. Lunch was chicken curry, kurkure alu bhaja, papad, tomato chutney, etc. Tea was some sort of fried snacks and salad. Kevin and Sana were thrilled with the visit in the creeks where we saw Kingfishers and sand pipers, parakeets and butterflies! Andy was convinced it was the same kingfisher following us around! So we were happy to just enjoy the cruise and the scrabble and crossword. I got stuck on the clue fish but Aditi came up with sardine and we were able to complete the crossword. The singing was disappointing as The French contingent only sang one song and tho’ Andy comes from Puerto Rico, the land of Ricky Martin, he really can’t carry a tune to save his life. But hey nobody’s perfect. Carl and The sardars had a bar on the side of the boat and Pradeep enjoyed his Kingfishers. The cruise back was cold and luckily I had extra shawls for the guys. We nearly had a titanic experience as there were sand bars too but we reached without incident. We got back before ten to Cal. Juned hatched an Indo Bangaldesh Hash on the Saraswati Puja weekend but more on that later!

Check List for Sunderbans

We leave at 6 am from the Parcomat on the corner of Park Street and Loudon street opposite the Assembley of God Church to make the most of the precious daylight hours. Look out for a yellow bus called George!

Foreigners don't forget to bring along your permit from WB Toursim office in Dalhousie. We have to write a list of all those going so I will ask you to fill out your name and age on the Bus. The details of the boat are MV Bholanath. Mr. Mrinal 9339830280

Attached below is the list for Sunderbans trip.
Siddiqui Carl Bonani Pradeep Madhuri Zoria Doc Rajesh Nath Payal Gherdie Shelley Tony Neela Andy Francois Yvonnick Mark Ashish Mehta Avo Afroz Manish Najju Luthra Ms. Luthra Uppal Aditi Rita Alok Arif Mr & Mrs. Niladri Saw. Some of the names on the list are tentative so please confirm

Hashers bring Rs.100 Guests bring Rs.500 Bring booze, drinks, water, snacks, cake, biscuits.

We’ll stop on the way if we can’t last out till we reach the boat at 9 to have Indian breakfast with eggs and fruit. There will be non veg lunch and snacks at tea time.

Bring caps, warm clothes for the evening, mosquito repellent, torch, cameras and whatever other jungle safari item you require. Am counting on the Hash flashes for some nice photos.

Botanical Garden- The Atrium-Craft Village







The Botanical Garden hash walk was brought forward to the 27th, the last Sunday of November, 2005 as we leave for the Sunderbans on 4th Dec. Zoria, Carl, Madhuri and Sid were early birds and set off to catch the worms inside. Wanja (who changed from slippers into sneakers at my insistence and was thus responsible for our late arrival), François and I got a lift in Paurosh and Vineet’s car at Turf View. We caught up with Nitish, Jolly and Nishant in front of the Banyan tree. New Hashers Andy and Nil reached the main gate and caught up with us at the center. Pradeep and Bonani who brought lawyer Vikramjit on false pretences saying that they were going to the Wetlands, caught up with us at the lily pool.

The Ficus bengalensis was fascinating for François and Wanja as this was their first visit and they kept asking which was the original tree trunk. Bonani and Nil are birds of a feather and were bouncing birds and flowers off each other! To confuse me further Nil pointed out the Bird of Paradise which is a flower! The white bird or bok I keep confusing is the egret. The pond heron is actually brown with a white underside to the wing when flying. There was something called a Jacanna but I’ve quite forgotten whether it was a bird or flower! Andy who is now an active member of the hash group, having set up the website and the pictures, took lots of pictures of cobwebs on a bush as we walked towards the riverside. We walked up to the old colonial building and then turned around as I was getting frantic calls from Doc that I kept passing on to Bonani.






Yvonnick was told that 20 of us were reaching The Park. We set off in cars and motorbike back to The Park by 8:45. A long table was set up for the hashers and I sat at the alcove table with Yvonnick, Wanja and other new hashers and was able to convince all 4 to join the Hash Group as we needed their multiple talents. Andy is Hash Flash like Yvonnick, our gourmet chef and chief contact with The Park and Flury’s. Nil is Bonani’s spiritual son (as Andy put it) and we are all invited to his design studio d next to the Toll Bridge for their first anniversary on 1st December at 7 p.m., as well as for a barbecue after one of the Botanical Garden visits this winter. He was full of anecdotes on Michael Madhushudan Dutt who lived near the Botanics and came to the gardens for literary inspiration. I was inspired to recite Simple Simon met a pieman as François has come to the conclusion that I need mnemonic help to remember names of birds so I’m to think of lemon pie and I’ll remember that it’s a magpie with a forked tail! Need hardly say that I remember the Atrium menu quite easily, even Akuri which is a sort of Indian scrambled egg and not a Japanese businessman…

After breakfast, Yvonnick invted us to the Business Center to watch the Durga Puja, Bisarjan boat trip, Kali Puja, Cemetery, and Hallowe’en pictures taken by him, Andy, and François. After the photo session, we headed to the Craft Village with Sid on Yvonnick’s bike with Nil’s extra helmet, and Wanja, François and I following in a cab. Wanja bought a wedding present for a friend from the Bastar stall and Yvonnick bought a hanging wrought iron lamp which we are negotiating the price of. If anyone is interested in buying the giant tortoise made of bamboo, leaves and jute it can be bought for Rs.5000. Nothing to beat François “Monstrosity” as dad puts it though the rest of us refer to her as his fiancée standing sentry by my stairs. Wanja who was living upstairs from her has left Cal but will be back to spend December with us. She will miss the Sunderbans trip but I think we can set up some interesting hash trails for her return.
Neela
9830014934

Horticultural Gardens & Parineeta - Pasteur Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. Tour

We had 11 and a half hashers on Sunday morning. Nitish brought his three year old son Nishant who walked and was carried alternatively. Gherdie returned after ages and enjoyed chatting with newcomers Lilly working with The Statesman and her friend Patrick from Delhi who was in Cal for the weekend and were delighted to join us for a walk around the Horticultural Gardens on Sunday 20th November. I was able to point out to them the Mad tree, the cannon ball tree, Elephant Foot tree, and Camel Foot tree!

Zoria, Patrick and Lilly and I went to Francois house to watch the film of Parineeta. It probably took us half an hour to get the subtitles and not the director’s comments version of the movie. The movie was good tho’ I don’t know whether Zoria cried at the end like Lilly because I went home to shower and pick up Josette a French lady staying at my house and cake for our host.

The Pasteur Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Subhendu Law’s house was where certain scenes of Parineeta was filmed. Peter and Rosie, Emma and Olivier Urman who did the "the-no-music room", 13 images in Plexiglas met us on College Street. Subhendu gave us a guided tour of his ancestral home built in 1906. We saw the nautchghar, the various blue rooms, rose rooms, green rooms so called by me according to the colour of the chandeliers and the ceilings! Zoria’s favourite was a picture of our host’s father as a child beside a Shetland Pony. Peter preferred the pictures of his great grandfather, consul of Haiti in his regimental gear with cavalry sword. Olivier felt humiliated when he saw all the chandeliers some covered in dustsheets that were more resplendent than his images in Plexiglas. Emma took pictures. Patrick was delighted to find amongst the medallions a key chain of Montreal 1976 his hometown and birth year. I was most impressed with the wall lights with coat of arms etchings in the dining room that according to Peter sheds a whole new light on “come and see my etchings”. Rosie who has been to the loos of Buckingham palace was delighted with the bathroom there. Francois must have been happy to see a bust of Napoleon till Peter pointed out he was Corsican. Peter would gladly give up his holidays to catalogue the library which had a very interesting book called Popular Delusions! I guess we all left there with delusions of grandeur after seeing the Daimler that may be restored in time for the Statesman Vintage Car rally in January 2006. We had cold drinks with our host at their grand dining table where the 14 members of the joint family who still live there dine every evening. Not to worry it’s a huge house with enough rooms and antechambers though we didn’t get to see the private chambers. We even took a long tram ride back to Esplanade.