Crisis Averted

Bijoy Gupta: Exhausted

With the sun playing hide and seek in the clouds, we can now be sure that monsoon is round the corner. Yesterday, we had a couple of wet spells

Kajal and Dilip Babani celebrate their daughter Juhi's birthday

in the morning which sent us scurrying to the China Hut for cover (see post). Today, there was no such hope. We were back to exercising in the open, exposed to the terrible heat and humidity of the morning.
Nobody felt this as badly as Bijoy Gupta. Towards the end of the exercises, he was seen sweating profusely, panting for breath. And the worst part was there was no drinking water around. People like Swati Panjabi and Fahmida Khan (who usually bring water for us) were nowhere to be seen today. Still, had Gupta mentioned he was in distress, maybe, some kind soul would have spared him a sip or two from a plastic bottle.
Somehow, Gupta made it to the Garden gate and only then did he disclose that he

Drained of all energy after the exercises today

needed water desperately: “I don’t know why my joints are stiffening. Maybe I am getting body cramps. Where can I get water to drink? I’ve been working out in the Garden since six in the morning… I should have brought some water with me, but I forgot. The shops haven't opened yet...”
Luckily, Geeta Latte had come with a largish bottle of water, but she was way inside somewhere in the Garden. It took some time to trace her and it was Geeta’s half-filled bottle that saved Gupta’s day. He added a spoonful of salt in the water (from a juice-wallah close by) and before long, was back on his feet. A potential crisis was thus averted – more so, because Gupta has been prone to fainting fits in the Garden.
That apart, a singularly desultory morning was enlivened by the Babani couple, Dilip and Kajal. It was their daughter, Juhi’s birthday and they had come loaded with chocolates today. The celebration also marked their return after an extended vacation in Goa last week-end.
Bihari Milwani:
Gupta-ji, you got the water you needed most to save your soul. This is called "rooh afza". It calls for a Rooh Afza party tomorrow morning for all of us in the Garden.