Eid al-Adha: 2018

We were a dozen today for the exercises

It was Eid al-Adha, or Bakrid -- commonly regarded as a festival of sacrificing goats. Attendance for the exercises was predictably down by half. Still, we were a dozen in the China Hut, in spite of intermittent showers since early morning.
Bijoy Gupta, for one, was mighty surprised to find his friend, Shekhawat present today. Or so he pretended: “How come you are here on Bakrid? Didn’t you know you are not supposed to be in the Garden today? You are an insult to Bakrid!”
Amid loud guffaws all around, Shekhawat

Hem Chand Jain

dismissed the query as the ranting of a “mad man”, only to encourage Gupta to prod further: “You are an insult to goats, do you hear me? Of all the days, why are you in the Garden on Bakrid today?”
Meanwhile, Arun Patil appealed to everyone to be regular, especially in the next couple of days “when the turnout is expected to be low due to baasi Eid”. Apart from the extended celebrations, the inclement weather and constant threat of a heavy downpour is taking a toll on daily attendance.
On a sad note, we regret to inform that Hem Chand Jain, a former member, has lost his second son. He had been ailing for some time. Hem Chand himself is a kidney patient, surviving on dialysis three times a week. He is hitting 90 today.
The saddest part for him, as a father, is to see two sons pass away in a short span of time.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
It is sad to learn of the demise of Shri Hem Chand Jain's son. May God grant peace to the departed soul and courage to the family to bear this irreparable loss.

Karun Sharma:
Looking at the tragedy befalling Mr Hem Chand Jain, we must learn to appreciate the positives in our lives. Let us not take anything for granted and be grateful for even small things. Bakrid ki mubarak sab ko.

Bihari Milwani:
Poor Shekhawat, he had come to the Garden to collect grass for the goats before they were to be sacrificed. But seeing Gupta-ji's reaction he forgot all about it and returned home empty-handed.