Saved the Day

On a morning of mass absenteeism, ultimately, it had to be Srichand Arora (left) and Nahid Khan (right) who saved the day. Between them, they conducted the laughing and exercise rounds in relative silence while two-thirds of our members did the disappearing act. Among them, Santosh Tyagi, Razia Khan, Sunita Jajodia, Renu and Kishor Babani, Khatoon Baig, Gopvinita, Bhaswati Bose and Sandhya Narang were conspicuous by their absence. Were it not for Arora and Nahid Khan, chances were the morning would have been wasted for those who turned up.
Significantly, while regular members seem intent upon playing truant, the number of non-members or outsiders has been steadily rising. What appears odd also is that in a predominantly ladies’ club, the men are quite often in a majority. Today, as Mrs Harbans Singh pointed out, the numbers were once again tilted against women, six to seven. And this, despite the no-show by most of the male members.
The good news though is that Razia Khan (left) will be able to travel to Bangalore today as her sister has been showing signs of recovery since yesterday. Her condition in the ICU is said to be “stable, but not out-of-danger”. Razia has pressing engagements in Bangalore that she cannot possibly cancel, but she promises to be back by June 8 or 9.
The bad news this morning, particularly for those who frequent the neighboring Garden No 2, is that Mr Kotwal is no more. He was the manager there – an old hand and quite popular with some of our members. Yesterday, while on duty, he suffered a massive heart attack. He passed away on the spot – at the doorstep of his cabin.