Survivor

Having survived the peak-summer heat of the Indian heartland, Kishor Babani returned to the Garden loaded with lots of stories, sweets, photographs and a huge smile on his face. He had taken his wife and son on a ten-day vacation – covering Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi and Amritsar. It was no doubt an eventful trip, but exhausting as well. Little wonder, Renu and Prakash chose to rest at home today.
But for Kishor’s return, it was an uneventful morning at the Garden. We reverted to the practice of the veterans conducting the exercises. No one new volunteered to step in the middle. Oddly enough, there's been some resistance from old-timers on inducting fresh blood for conducting the exercises. As Nahid Khan put it, “exercise ki dhajjiyan udayi jati hai” -- the imputation being that the newbies are neither serious nor do they command any authority.
Be that as it may, it always helps to have a second line-of-command in reserve, just in case the regulars fail to show up for some reason. Such a situation is bound to arise once the monsoon sets in.
Harish Wadhwa:
* Welcome back, Kishor-da (and Renu-ji). I can see that you are very charged up and happy from this trip. That's fine, but keep my share of sweets! (How selfish of me...)
* Nahid-ji, mauka milega toh hee log seekhenge. Let the new instructors enjoy their presence and command of the ring.