Testing Times

Rains continue to play havoc on daily attendance

We are at the last phase of monsoon. The persistent and often, intense downpour has cost us heavily in terms of attendance and punctuality, not to mention sustaining a regular routine for the Club. Were it not for the enthusiasm of a small bunch of dedicated members, we would probably have shut shop long back.
Seen differently, this is just one of the many challenges facing us. Ours is a Club of over 15 years and many who had joined us initially (around their retirement age) are on the wrong side of 70 today. Most of them have quit as they are no longer in a fit state to report

Urmila Sinha is on her
way back from Dhanbad

for the exercises.
Some like Shanta Ram Rane, Laxmi Naidu, Teja Singh Bhambra and Ram Shankar Shukla have passed away. Others like Hari Narayani, Nafisa Sayed and Karuna Waghmare have relocated to other parts of the city owing to personal/ domestic compulsions. Tara Chand Seth, Sitaram Hivarkar, Nazma Sayyed and many others are keeping indifferent health.
Thus, if we are not able to maintain our initial levels of membership (of 40-odd), it is no laafing matter. It remains a constant struggle to keep everyone enthused – be it with an occasional picnic, birthday celebrations, rehearsing for the Annual Day function or a sporting event thrown in... After all, we are family.
True, there have been inductions off and on. But they are not enough. What we really need is the infusion of young blood – people in their 40s and 50s with commitment and foresight, capable of steering the Club ahead. It takes time to build a new team. Now is the time to start.