The Visit

Najma Sayyad surveys the Garden from her perch  

What would you say of an elderly lady, burdened by age and adiposity, longing to see us for the past seven months? That she has been in no state to stir out on her own and there was nobody at home to escort her to the Garden – so busy are they with their own lives? That she wasn’t inclined to meet us in small groups in her house but wanted to see us all together during our exercises? That only after her daughter-in-law had found her sobbing one day in bed that her meeting with us was arranged’ – her son escorting her to the Garden this morning.
Najma Sayyad suffers from crippling overweight issues caused largely by a hormonal disbalance. We have been keeping track of her treatment, but of late, apparently, her dieticians and nutritionists had given up.

Angad Singh is 'capped' by Papneja

Osteoporosis has set in and her legs are no longer able to bear her weight. Knee replacement surgery is not feasible. Let alone walk, she requires support to stand. According to her neighbor Khatoon Baig (who has been updating us regularly), she has had several bad falls at home, her knees buckling under her weight.

Wrap-up with Najma's samosas

Still, Khatoon was to lead Najma (with her son protectively supporting her from behind) into the Garden while the exercises were on. A chair was promptly placed in the circle and she took her position as she used to in the past. It was a lovely sight – the lady sitting majestically, observing us with a detached look, members breaking out of the exercises to wish her one by one… and suddenly, it was all over. She wanted to go back. “I can’t sit for too long,” she said apologetically. “I came just to see you all. Now I can go back happy.” As a 'parting gift', she left behind a big packet of samosas on a bench.
The exercises continued after she was gone and then there was a small formality to be completed. Angad Singh was formally inducted as a Big Laaf member with Jagmohan Papneja ‘crowning’ him with the blue Club cap. It was a brief and unfussy ceremony, followed by a round of the samosas Najma had so thoughtfully brought for us.
Srichand Arora:
Angad-ji, you are most welcome to the BIG LAAF family.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Let us be grateful to Najma-ji who has come all the way to the Garden in a critical health condition to meet us. This reflects her emotional attachment with club members. We pray to the Almighty to shower her with grace and blessings.
We are pleased that Lt Col (retd) Angad Singh has accepted our traditional cap and become member of the Club. We welcome him wholeheartedly.