Club 65 Members Go on A Picnic

CLUB1

From left: Fateh Ali, Paru McGuire, Farida Jinnah, Parvin Shaikh, Roja Pakal, Rahat Kalle and Karim
Maknojia

HOUSTON: On Sunday, September 29, fifty members of Club 65 , went to Lake Conroe for an outdoor picnic.  They had breakfast at Laziza Restaurant on Hillcroft and boarded a bus for the trip to Lake Conroe.

On the way they had fun playing Antakshari and telling jokes, and the one and half hour journey seemed to fly fast. On the way though, there were some anxious moments, as it was raining cats and dogs in Conroe. The bbq on –site was scrapped in favor of getting it cooked at a restaurant. The plan for boating too was cancelled, as it would have been too dangerous to go out in the rain.

Club 65 volunteers, Parveen Shaikh, Paru McGuire, Fateh Ali and Roja Pakal playing Antakshari.

Club 65 volunteers, Parveen Shaikh, Paru McGuire, Fateh Ali and Roja Pakal playing Antakshari.

However, when the bus reached Conroe, rain had stopped. The oldest member of Club 65, at 80+, Tyeb Shipchandler, said it was due to the power of his and other Club 65 member’s prayers. They know that a lot of work had been done in planning the picnic, ordering the food, selecting the games, and mobilizing the Club 65 members. And they too wanted to have fun, and just wanted to get outside the city, so they prayed for the rain to stop, and their prayers were answered.

Volunteer Rahat Kalle with Members Taiyeb Shipchandler,Kamaruddin, (oldest members of Club 65) planning a walk.

Volunteer Rahat Kalle with Members Taiyeb Shipchandler,
Kamaruddin, (oldest members of Club 65) planning a walk.

The gentle breeze was laden with moisture, thick dark clouds still hung in the sky, but the lake and the Lighthouse, created a very serene and tranquil atmosphere. Chairman of Club 65, Fakhruddin Sabir, owns a condo on the lake and was able to reserve the Clubhouse, for the exclusive use of the group.

At lunch, Parvin Shaikh and Paru McGuire helping Members FouziaRawat, Rabea Effendi, Noor Pasha.

At lunch, Parvin Shaikh and Paru McGuire helping Members Fouzia
Rawat, Rabea Effendi, Noor Pasha.

They had tea and snacks to shake off the journey and then in small groups, they all went off to either explore the Lighthouse or just sauntered to the edge of the lake to watch the fish, or just wanted the breeze to brush their cheeks while they  walked and talked about life experiences.

The musical chairs’ was hilarious because of the competitive spirit of the seniors and the sexes: wives would not yield to husbands and vice versa. Some played Scrabble, others hit-the-hole, while some sat in small circles and reminisced about their younger days!

Roja Pakal was the Coordinator of Volunteers. She and her team consisting of Rahat Kalle, Paru McGuire, Parveen Shaikh, Farida Jinnah, Rosemin Premji and Farida Abjani,monitored the games, served lunch, and cleaned up the place.

After lunch the group did self- introduction and were amazed to find out the collective brain-power in the group. There were retired doctors, engineers, ceo’s in the group. One doctor had been the personal physician of the King of Abu Dhabi while another doctor had treated four Presidents and numerous dignitaries. Each member had such rich experiences of life that all were so mesmerized by the others accomplishments.

Fateh Ali Chatur is the Coordinator of Club 65 and his passion for serving the seniors was evidenced in everything. Latafath Hussain and Karim Maknojia, the President and Vice-President of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston, also accompanied the group, and helped in planning the trip.

For further information on IMAGH and Club 65, visit, www.imagh.org or call Latafath at 713-269-6171 or email at Latafath@imagh.org.