Oktober Heat

Letting off steam?

Now we understand why the annual Bavarian beer guzzling carnival, Oktoberfest is being imported to India. The heat and humidity here has become unbearable – particularly in the mornings. And this is only getting worse with each passing year. Blame it on global warming or the reckless construction activity in and around Mumbai, fact is, it is no mean feat lasting those 40-odd minutes out in the Garden and exercising without a drop of beer.
The biggest credit for surviving this daily endurance test should go to Ram Shankar Shukla, one of the senior-most members of the Club.

Arora, dripping wet

Hitting 80, he is not in the best of health and has fallen unconscious a couple of times in the past while exercising. In fact, we would much rather he sits on a chair and flexes his limbs than exert himself too much standing. A spare chair is always kept in readiness beside him, just in case.

Ram Shankar Shukla

But Shukla refuses to take life easy and today also, in spite of the sweltering heat, completed the exercises standing.
There are of course, other equally inspiring stalwarts of comparable age like Tara Chand Seth and Ved Prakash Grover (incidentally, the most regular among us) who have been bravely sweating it out. An elderly paralysis-struck man, Janardhan Chaudhry is also reporting for the exercises daily (ref post of October 3) with his son, wife and grandson in tow. They make a pretty family and today, Srichand Arora ‘capped’ them all with Club colours.
But Arora himself has been a sight to behold. Dripping from top to toe, it always looks as though he has been to a sauna with his clothes on. Nobody sweats as much as this man – barring Bijoy Gupta, who would sweat even in Iceland, with or without his clothes on. And then there’s our irrepressible Shekhawat and his four saalis, the whimsical antics of Mallika Kagzi, Banoo Apa’s quirky one-liners, Arun Patil’s mellifluous music… they are verily the magnets that draw us to the Garden in these sultry times, even as we know that there can be no beer to be had.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
It is sheer will power that is taking senior citizens through the day. The laughter at the Club has its own effect at bonding all the members together. Mallika Kagzi too has been stimulating everyone with her homemade tea and snacks. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy life.