Internal Dynamics

There’s something about group dynamics in our club that defies explanation. Call it herd mentality, a seasonal trend or plain coincidence, the moment some people stop coming for the exercises, entire groups start absconding and attendance drops sharply. Again, when people start showing up, there is a virtual influx and attendance shoots up dramatically.
Today was one such day. Despite an annoying cold spell this morning, we had a healthy turnout. What’s more, many who were not to be seen for weeks, if not months, all showed up together. Yusuf Rassiwala (top left), for one, was attending after a fortnight and he had nothing to explain for his absence. “I get up every morning in time, perform my prayers and then something happens, I go back to sleep,” he confessed sheepishly.
Geeta Sardhana (bottom left) was another senior member we were missing for quite some time. But then, she has her religious commitments as a life-term devotee of the ISKCON order. And there was Tara Chand Seth (top right) also, who was away at his son’s place in Delhi and showed up today after almost four months. He has put on some tan and a few extra kilos, but was sprightly and cheerful as always.
The shocker though, was Bapu Rane (right). We were seeing him after close to two months and much as we knew that he had contracted a serious intestinal disorder, we never expected him to have pulled down so badly. He appeared frail, a shadow of his former self. He said he was on liquid diet because solids can no longer pass through his digestive tract. An ayurvedic doctor has promised to cure him, but Rane is not very hopeful. He looks tired and weak, and is resigned to his fate. Let us pray for him.
Renu Babani's PICSPEAK:
"We are back and this time for good!"
Harish Wadhwa:
Faith moves mountains. Rane-ji will recover soon. The body has its own way to recover and this will happen for him as well.