Retired Hurt

Nahid Khan (c) relaxes with light yoga exercises in the China Hut

For the first time ever, Nahid Khan abandoned the exercises – even before we could start. “I cannot bear the heat anymore,” she said, excusing herself. “I need to be in the shade. Or else I’ll collapse.”
Nahid is known to be a toughie – tougher and fitter than any man in the Club – which perhaps explains why she is addressed by the male honorific, “Bhai”. Long after we are done with our exercises every day, she can be seen still working out in the Garden with a harder set of exercises, all by herself.
“I did not want to take any chances today,” she said lightheartedly later, relaxing under a fan in the China Hut with some elementary breathing exercises. “People will fall ill in this heat. Never have I felt so giddy... as though I would pass out any moment.”
Those of us who survived the exercises from start to finish could only thank our stars for being able to put up with the ordeal. Santosh Tyagi said that for the past two days, she was all dressed and ready to leave for the Garden in the morning, only to retrace her steps home upon seeing the blazing sun.

Shekhawat (l) tries his best to convince Gupta... in vain

Today, for the best part, she remained seated on a bench with Shanti Singh and a few others.
Fahmida Khan informed that after two days of Ramzaan, she has had to stop observing roza on doctor’s advice. “Fasting is no longer feasible for me,” she said, guzzling water furiously from a plastic bottle. “Today there’s no breeze even. I’m going home right away."
The surest indication of the heat taking its toll is the way people simply evaporate after the exercises. Nobody hangs around for jokes and gossip these days. Everybody seems to be in a tearing hurry to get the hell out of the Garden, earlier the better.
Still, Shekhawat and Bijoy Gupta decided to stay back and rib each other for a while. Today, their subject of tomfoolery was a medical prescription Shekhawat was carrying. Gupta, who was not wearing his glasses, insisted that the paper was anything but a doctor’s prescription and challenged Shekhawat to read out the names of the medicines. “Who knows whose addresses and telephone numbers you are carrying in that paper?” he said, driving Shekhawat hopping mad.
It is from such mindless leg-pulling that we are able to derive some entertainment -- even in adverse circumstances.
Bihari Milwani:
People evaporate immediately after the exercises not for the heat, but because there are no parties nowadays!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
One must respect weather and age. Weather takes precedence over age. It is no use being foolhardy. Expose yourself to the weather according to your physical condition to avoid getting hurt later on.