Disastrous Downpour

...and the tree came crashing down in the rains!

Torrential rains lashed the Garden early morning, bringing life to a standstill. Not a soul stirred as it continued to pour on and on. Usually, in the worst of times, a few umbrellas can still be seen bobbing along the walking track. But today, the entire stretch was desolate, submerged in water. Whoever walked in through the Gate made a straight beeline for the China Hut, carrying tales of water logging on the streets, overflowing drains, dead rats, dripping roofs and water entering ground floor houses. In between, a giant branch of the tree at the Garden gate came suddenly crashing down, narrowly missing the watchman.
If morning shows the day, we could be in for big trouble with this resurgent monsoon. Actually yesterday was also a wet day and as the skies remained dark and overcast this morning, the signs were ominous.

Vasudev Batheja distributes modak

Today also happens to be the beginning of the week and the first day of a new month as well. Ironically enough, the Ganesh festivities are currently on and the 'Lord of Good Tidings' isn’t making life any easier.
Still, eight of us braved the rotten weather and marked our attendance for the exercises. After all, the 'show' must go on. But there was no Srichand Arora, no Jagmohan Papneja, no Santosh Tyagi… just Shekhawat, Nahid Khan, Monthi Serrao and some die-hard regulars. And there was Ram Shankar Shukla also. He was the only bright spark on a gloomy morning, looking refreshed and rested. He apologized for being a bother the last time (ref post of August 23) and thanked everyone for their support and help. He still does not know why he fainted that day as his doctors have eliminated the possibility of low BP, high sugar, etc. “All the tests and medical reports have established that nothing was wrong with me,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, Vasudev Batheja brought a box of modak to celebrate the Ganesh festival. He had organized a puja at home and this was the prasad of the deity. Every person taking shelter in the China Hut from the rain was given a modak each to dispel their monsoon blues.
Jagmohan Papneja:
The morning weather was absolutely unfavorable. Even then eight persons turned up for exercising. I appreciate the dedication of those brave hearts. In my case, I was invited to attend the Indian Oil Day function, celebrated on 1st September.