Skid Row

Looks like the oil spill off Mumbai coast has washed in from the Arabian Sea to the Garden, rendering the pathway from the Gate to the Chinese Hut a treacherous stretch. Geeta Sandana nearly slipped and fell while coming in for the exercises this morning. By some coincidence, at that moment we were clearing our lungs with a loud “Ha Ha Ha” and she thought we were laughing at her. “Hansne ki baat nahin hai,” she said reproachfully.
Indeed, skidding on that slippery stretch is no laughing matter. Last week, while it was drizzling, an elderly lady in yellow printed saree fell in a heap at that very spot. She had a little girl accompanying her who helped the lady get back on her feet. But by then her umbrella had blown away in the breeze and it took another lady to retrieve it.
A few days earlier, at the very same spot, Bose lost his balance while lugging the plastic chairs into the Hut. Luckily, Tara Chand-ji was nearby and helped him recover his step. But the two watchmen in uniform, posted nearby, were not as lucky while playfully chasing one another a couple of mornings later. The inevitable happened. Both slipped, one after another and lay sprawled in the slime, laughing their guts out.
With Subbu, the mad Madrasi (who greets people with a poke in the ribs), it was a different story. The other day, he was found sitting on the slippery stretch, legs extended, waiting for someone to pull him up. He looked completely dazed. Nobody had seen when and how he had skidded and landed on his backside. He was himself puzzled at his own predicament. Since that morning, we haven’t seen him.
Shekhawat-ji’s solution for this problem is to sprinkle DDT over that notorious stretch. Maybe, it would work – provided the rains don’t wash it away. Meanwhile, he can be assured of constant reminders from Geeta-ji. She tends to be concerned about everybody and wouldn’t like an accident to befall anyone. Today, for instance, she appeared worried about the way Motwani -ji was performing his breathing exercises. Unknown to him, she was the one to observe that he had been combining anulom-vilom with kapalbhatti and wanted someone to correct him.
That nobody did, is another matter. What matters is this sense of fellow-feeling shared between members that makes this Club so special.

Renu Babani says:
Hopefully the weather gets better and the turnout will increase in regards to the members. Yes, the slime is really scary. Walking the pathway is treacherous and at one's own risk. However, if the rains stop the pathway will dry up slowly and that will make things easier. Mr Arora arrived a bit late, sans the tape recorder. However, everyone seemed in high spirits today. So perhaps the music was not missed. Hopefully, at some point, our sweet music returns in the morning to make it a more pleasant atmosphere during the exercises.
--Renu