Picking the Threads

Arun Patil shows the stump where his foot had once been

Arun Patil was there at the Garden today. This was his first appearance in two months – since the time his right foot was amputated owing to an acute diabetic condition. He came limping on crutches – a sad sight for a man who, till the other day, was brimming with energy and would be running all over the place, helping anybody and everybody in need.
But Arun was far from crestfallen today. His visit was more of a "release from incarceration" and as he put it, he felt “overwhelmed reconnecting with old friends” at the Club. In fact, this was his first day out after he was deposited home straight from hospital in early May. Since then, it has been a life of solitary confinement for him – barring occasional visits and phone calls from friends and well-wishers.
So it was decided from the Club that a few people should go and fetch him to the Garden, if that would facilitate his return to mainstream and a life of normalcy. Arora took the initiative this morning and together with Bose and Kiran Prakash, brought Arun by car in time for the exercises.

Santosh Tyagi narrates her tale of woe

All went well, except from a minor mishap upon returning home: Arun could not lift himself on his crutches up the stairs and slipped, falling face down. Luckily, he did not sustain any major injuries.
The other important news of the morning was Santosh Tyagi’s return since the chain-snatching incident (ref post of July 9). She described in detail how on the morning of June 2, a couple of “respectable-looking” thugs on motorbikes flicked the gold chain off her neck, leaving her shattered for days.
So rattled was Santosh that she did not even lodge a police complaint – much as Monthi Serrao and other ladies had offered to accompany her to the closest cop station in Oshiwara.
Today Sitaram Hivarkar also assured her that the cops would be able to retrieve the chain (or at least compensate her) as they had once done for him. But Santosh would rather not get involved with cops and robbers – which, as she says, would only lead to unnecessary complications and keep alive a bitter memory.
Harish Wadhwa:
* It was nice to see Arun at the Garden today. God bless him with good health. He should return to near normalcy once he gets the prosthetic leg. May the day be near when he can regularly come on his own to the Garden. Our good wishes go out to him.
* Maar pade uss khote noo jinne Santosh-ji da dil dukhaya, chain khichh ke. Uss noo woh chain kadi raaas na aave!