Back from Brink

Ghasi Ram Garg

As the sun rose over the Garden this morning, we were treated to the most heartwarming sight in a long time. Standing near the Gate was Ghasi Ram Garg – as though waiting for us. Slightly wobbly on the feet, he tried to look cheerful in a full-sleeve checked shirt and formal dark trousers, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Razia with Karuna Waghmare (left)

A young man by his side, apparently an attendant, held him steady.
We were meeting Garg after more than six months. It is unlikely he recognized any of us, but he responded to our greetings and good wishes – in monosyllables. Last year he suffered a brain hemorrhage (ref post of August 9, 2014) that kept him in coma for close to six weeks. Most of the attending doctors at Kokilaben Hospital had given up on him.

Mumtaz and Banoo Apa

Banoo Apa and Mallika

It was sheer grit and will-power that has taken him through this battle for survival and in the end, he has emerged victorious.
People talk of a new life, second innings and so on, almost casually; but here was a living example of one who has returned from the brink.

Jagmohan's treat of Aligarhi barfis

It will take time for Garg to regain his cognitive powers and faculties, but if he has one person to thank, it would be his wife, Neelam.

Pudding wiped clean!

She nursed him night and day through his darkest hours, stayed deliberately hungry to appease the gods and religiously sat by his bed in the hospital for months on end, begging everyone to pray for him… and today, Garg is on his feet. His walking up to the Garden this morning was nothing short of a miracle.
The visit clearly overshadowed all other developments and merrymaking in the Garden – be it the Karuna Waghmare’s formal admission as a Big Laaf member or the Aligarhi barfis Jagmohan Papneja treated us to, or Kiran Prakash’s ‘capless’ entry out-of-the blue towards the end of the exercises. Above all, there was Banoo Apa at her benevolent best – an advance birthday present for Mumtaz Jahan, a personal surprise gift for Mallika Kagzi and for the rest of us, a sampling of English pudding her sister has just brought from the UK. Indeed, when it rains, it pours.
Kiran Prakash:
Happy Valentine's Day to all!
Lt Col Angad Singh (Retd):
I am very much moved by the sickness of Mr Garg and his recovery after a long time. The dedication, nursing and devotion of his wife showed results coupled with the grit and will power of Mr Garg. We pray that he should come back to his good health early. The Big Laaf Club has a big heart and its members are cheerfully devoted to each other. May their tribe prosper.