Suspending Exercises?

Exercising under the blazing sun

A small but increasingly strident section of the Club is demanding the immediate curtailment, if not suspension of the exercises till such time the weather improves. Led by Bijoy Gupta, this group is of the view that given the sudden spike in humidity levels, we ought to do away with the second laughter and tai-chi rounds.
Or else, we need to stop exercising at 7:30 a.m., before the sun comes up.
“Otherwise we shall all fall ill,” cautioned Gupta, dripping in sweat from top to toe. “Today, I did not do all the exercises but ended up with a severe catch. I cannot lift my right arm now. I am terribly dehydrated. This is not exercise, it is punishment. You must understand that in this heat, our energy levels are already low…”
Shanti Singh was equally critical about having to exercise till the end, but had reconciled to the weather not improving any time soon. “September and October are the worst months of the year because of the humidity,” she said. “We have always known the period ahead of Durga Puja to be unbearable, but this year the heat and humidity have crossed all limits.”
Yesterday, maximum temperature in the city hit a record 35.5 degrees Celsius, a clear 5 degrees-plus above normal.

Why blame the weather?

Today, it felt even worse with precipitation levels crossing the 80 per cent mark. Little wonder, many like Shekhawat, Banoo Apa and Karuna Waghmare have been spending the best part of the exercises seated on a bench. Even the otherwise sturdy Nahid Khan needs a breather.
Karuna in fact, has made it a habit to ask for a “holiday” every morning before the exercises start. She is joined by Khatoon Baig nowadays. Others like Yusuf Rassiwala, Tara Chand Seth, Santosh Tyagi, Nasir Putani Shah, Karun Sharma and Razia Khan have become erratic in their attendance, presumably because of the weather.
Arun Patil however, feels that blaming the weather is “just a lame excuse” when the fault actually lies within us. “Admit it, we have become old and lost all our body stamina and resistance,” he pointed out. “Moreover, we have become so used to the comforts of life that even stepping out of our air conditioned bedrooms is considered an exertion. And then, we like to blame the weather!”