Positive Vibes

Playing the fool... as always

Whatever we might do among ourselves within the Club, the impression others get about us appears to be very positive. Why else should people befriend us only to say how much they “admire” us? To them, we are a bunch of oddballs in blue caps who can be so unfailingly regular and dedicated towards the exercises and yet, remain forever cheerful and happy-go-lucky. “If I didn’t have a job to catch, I'd have already joined you,” said an advertising professional who is trying to persuade his wife to join us. Many say that they read more about us (obviously referring to this blog) and that some of our members have even become household names.
Little wonder, new faces keep popping up every other day during the exercises, enquiring about the modalities of membership. Some stick on while many drift away when they realize that there can be no compromise on discipline. Today also, we got two newcomers, a young man and a middle-aged lady. The man, who introduced himself as Prakash, had been observing us from the walking track and finally approached us on his own this morning.

Shiela (seated) exercises happily with us

Like most others before him, he promised to be regular from now on.
The lady, Shiela had come with a caregiver as she is a paraplegic – recovering from a paralytic stroke. Srichand Arora rushed out to bring a chair and seated her comfortably in the circle to exercise as best as she could with the rest of us. She said she had been observing us from a distance for a month, but could not summon the courage to get close, till Razia Khan invited her to join us last week-end. Despite her handicap, her happiness at being in our midst was palpable.
At moments like these, we are led to believe that there is a larger purpose in our meeting every morning for the exercises and (let’s admit it) playing the fool. We call ourselves Big Laaf, but more than having a good time, we are able to transmit our enjoyment to people who could otherwise be leading lonely lives. Nothing on earth can compare to that flush of joy we saw on Shiela’s face today.
Jagmohan Papneja:
There are also visitors who come during a certain period of the year and disappear after some time like seasonal birds. Sardar Teja Singh Bhambra is an honorable exception worth mentioning here. From the time of his association with us, he has made it a point to join us in our activites as and when he visits Mumbai.