Heat Wave

No respite from the oppressive heat and humidity

For the past few days, the sky would be overcast in the evenings and we are told that it had even been raining in parts of Mumbai. But in the Garden, our mornings remain oppressively hot and humid.

Yusuf Rassiwala and Banoo Apa survey the Garden

We continue to be baked and roasted in the blazing sun with no hope of relief any time soon.
This week has been particularly traumatic. Kiran Prakash suddenly felt dehydrated yesterday and had to excuse himself till he could get some water to drink (and a change of clothes) from home. Today, Karuna Waghmare spent much of the morning on a bench, unable to summon the strength to stand up and exercise.
In fact, with every passing day, our ‘bench strength’ is rising as Khatoon Baig, Zarina Khan and Nasir Putani Shah have joined the regulars on the sidelines. Bijoy Gupta too suffers from fits of giddiness these days and needs take frequently rest in the shade of a tree. Even Banoo Apa nowadays takes an occasional breather on the bench during the exercises.
Shekhawat, who is among the earliest to land in the Garden at 5:30 a.m., says the busiest hour is before sunrise -- between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. By the time we arrive, most of the ‘morning walkers’ would have left. And while we are still soldiering on, the Garden would be almost deserted.
There has been occasional talk to advance our timings during the summer months by an hour (i.e. from 7:00a.m.– 8:00a.m. to 6:00 a.m.– 7:00a.m.) mainly to beat the oppressive heat. But there are many late-risers who find this inconvenient and have resisted the change. Significantly, they are the ones to press for delaying the exercises by an hour (i.e. 8:00a.m.– 9:00a.m.) during the winter months, mainly to beat the oppressive darkness of the morning!
In the circumstances, we have little option but to maintain the status quo.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Club members are mostly senior citizens. They need to take precautions during summer. Dehydration is one aspect which needs special attention. We should not be too rigid. In case timings cannot be changed, it would be better to curtail some exercises in the interest of all members.