Wintry Winds

Morning haze and mellow sunshine in the Garden

With November nearing, the first winds of winter have begun to blow across the Garden. The nights have also begun to lengthen. But it is not too dark in the morning when we meet. Nor is it as bright and humid as it was a fortnight ago. We are normally greeted by a mellow sunshine and occasional gusts of wind which lend cool comfort during the exercises.
But then, nothing can be said for sure about this weather. During the day, it can get incredibly hot and should it start drizzling some morning – as it did last Saturday (ref post) – we shan’t be surprised. What does however, bother us is a real possibility of some viral infection or mosquito-borne disease breaking out. Hospitals are reporting an unprecedented spike in conjunctivitis and dengue cases in the city.
Already there is a growing body of opinion in the Club that attributes Shekhawat’s indisposition to his wearing shorts and tees in this weather – thus leaving his body over-exposed to the Garden’s notorious mosquitos. There is a mischievous interpretation as well, authored by Nahid Khan (in light vein). She insists that the absence of Ruksana Khan and Razia Khan has done Shekhawat in. “They were his right hand and left hand,” she proclaimed. “Razia’s dhoka was too much for him to bear. She said she was going to Pune and went to Malaysia instead. And now, there is Ruksana who said she was going to Surat for two days and still there is no trace of her.”
Fact of the matter is that Shekhawat himself does not know what hit him last Saturday (ref post of October 27). According to his wife, he continues to suffer from cough and cold and of late, has developed acute breathing problems. “The good news is that his fever has subsided since yesterday,” she informed. “But he has become very weak. His stomach is still bad. He can barely talk. So please don’t call him on his mobile. He needs rest. Call me on the landline if you must.” He needs dawa and daru in equal measure, was Jagmohan Papneja's philosophical prescription.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Shekhawat-ji always talks about how we should take care of ourselves. He insists that we must have three pegs of booze daily to remain fit. But he could not save himself now. It means that he does not practice what he preaches.
Razia Khan:
Hi, hope you all are fine by the grace of Almighty, as we are here. We are enjoying a lot. Nowadays we are in Pune. I am very sorry to hear about Shekhawat's illness. Please give my best wishes to him as I pray to the Almighty that he gets well soon. I am coming back on November 6.