Delight and Despair

Kadir Banoo

For those wondering where Kadir Banoo had disappeared, here’s a spot of good news. Her daughter in Delhi delivered a baby girl yesterday. And this morning Kadir sent her bahu, Salma with a box of luddoos to celebrate the new arrival.
“Kadir-ji is also in Delhi,” informed the daughter-in-law. “She is so excited that she could not wait to return to Mumbai and break the news to you all. Last evening she called me specifically to say that I should, without fail, carry a box of luddoos to the Garden and make the announcement in the Club.

Banoo Apa escorts Salma (r) in

She considers you people very close to her heart, as her own family.”
Banoo Apa, who escorted Salma to the Garden, revealed that the nawasi (maternal grand-daughter) is god-sent. “This is the first born in the family after 16 years of prayer and penance,” added Mumtaz Jahan, who knows Kadir well, on a personal level.
So have they decided on a name for the baby? “Don’t be silly,” retorted Salma airily. “She is not even 24 hours old. To us, she is a big blessing.

Celebrating the new arrival with luddoos

And we are still rejoicing."
In contrast, there was Nasir Putani Shah showing up after more than three months. He has been through a harrowing time all this while because of an aggravated lung condition.

Nasir Putani Shah

After a series of tests, including CT scan, he has been diagnosed with COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- that leaves him wheezing and breathless much of the time.
“I do not smoke, never did,” he said. “Earlier I used to chew tobacco but that, according to the doctors, is no cause for my condition. Now, if I am without medication, I cannot walk even two steps. So many times I have fallen down losing consciousness. And the worst part is that there is no cure for COPD. The doctors say that with medication, the problem can at best be controlled, not cured.”
Shah is convinced that the air pollution in Mumbai has put him to such misery. He is seriously contemplating leaving the city by the year-end and returning to his village in Bihar for good.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
The Big Laaf blog offers a study of contrast. The good news is the arrival of a new baby after 16 years which warranted a big celebration. On the other hand, one colleague is suffering from a chronic disease which appears to be incurable -- a victim of modern day pollution. Hope he finds life in his village peaceful and regains his health.