Rail Ka Dabba!

At times, the Chinese Hut resembles the chaalu dabba of a railway train. Whoever gets in, occupies whatever space he/she gets. With every station, new faces show up and a few old passengers get off. Likewise, with every passing day, some new people come in, and a few old ones drop off. And so, life goes on.
Yesterday, Shekhawat did not come, but Bhatt did. Today, Shekhawat came, but Kishor disappeared. Sitaram has started coming, but Arora is not to be seen for the past couple of days. Hari-bhai shows up almost every day, but was not present today. Instead, Neelam Garg (right pic) made an appearance – after a long time. And so, the Chinese Hut remains suitably crowded.
Significantly, it is here, that a lot of action takes place after the exercises. While many loiter away (either home or to circumambulate the Garden) there are some who habitually hang around till the yoga session begins. The reason is, this is when they get to connect with their Club mates – confide in them, share their anxieties and woes, seek advice and if nothing else, find a sounding board.
Much of what is discussed in these little huddles eventually gets known to everybody. (But this blog is not a platform to bring up personal or domestic issues.) The fun part is how some of us have taken upon ourselves to play Agony Uncle (or Agony Aunt) to sundry bleeding hearts who want quick fix solutions to every crisis in life. Just observe how, in the picture above, an animated Motwani finds solace in unburdening himself on Sitaram, who gives him a patient hearing. Rane watches, chipping in with polite noises at intervals.
This is what life is all about – of hope and despair, celebrating happiness and counseling those in distress, of sharing what cannot be discussed at home… So maybe, the Chinese Hut is not a rail ka dabba after all. It is here that we witness life in a microcosm. But again, isn’t a railway compartment also about the drama of life played out – of meeting, knowing, sharing, experiencing and most importantly, of comings and goings?
Think about it!

Renu Babani says:
Yes, I totally agree. This is one of the reasons everyone comes to the Garden. Talking amongst each other, sharing our joys and sorrows and being in one another's company. We are fortunate to have each other, to be able to share our thoughts and know that there is a commpassionate ear listening attentively and trying to help out. Once the discussion/topic is over, everything seems fine and each one goes about with their routine. Aren't we lucky?
--Renu