Mind Over Matter

Kiran Arora (sitting ext left) joins the exercises 

Mohan Kanwar Shekhawat did not show up today (ref yesterday’s post). But Kiran Arora did – that too, unannounced. And this was a huge deal. For long the lady had been suffering from a crippling knee problem that had kept her virtually home bound.
A knee-replacement surgery two months back could scarcely provide her any relief from the agonizing ordeal. In fact, according to husband Srichand Arora, her problems multiplied manifold after the surgery -- such that over the past four days, she even developed strong inhibitions about being able to walk ever.
So this morning, it was nothing short of a miracle when Kiran joined us

Surrounded by well-wishers

for the exercises after having traversed the distance of 50-odd metres from the Gate on her own. Her husband (who brought her from home by car) was close at hand providing the necessary encouragement and reassurance as she took one painful step after another… and she had a walking stick also for support. The moment she reached us, the exercises came to a halt and everyone broke into spontaneous applause – more out of admiration than an animated morning greeting.
An extra chair had been kept in readiness for her.
Kiran Arora’s turning up at the Garden was no doubt, a testimony to the triumph of mind over matter – of conquering one’s demons by sheer will power. But there was also no overlooking the fact that she was still in great agony. And this is the worrisome part. Less than a month back (when she visited us first after the surgery), she appeared to be relatively at ease and did not require any support to walk. Arora was so overjoyed that he threw a thanksgiving phapda-jalebi party to celebrate her recovery.
Today, the way she kept limping indicated that all is not well. Harbans Kaur was the first to tell Arora that his wife was taking an inordinately long time to negotiate just one round of the Garden. “She is not fibbing about the pain,” cautioned Kaur, having herself undergone a similar knee replacement surgery recently. “This looks to be more physical than psychological. Don’t take it lightly.”