Constrained

Monthi Serrao (l) collects pending bills

Being restricted to enclosed spaces shuts the mind.
The natural joi de vivre and youthful exuberance that comes with exercising out in the open was lost as we had to confine ourselves yet again (previous post) in the shed next to the China Hut.
The shamiana in the Garden had gone, but what remained was yesterday's leftover food littered about, besides unspeakable trash. When we arrived at 7:00 a.m., it was stinking to high hell, but the crows were having a good feast. Everyone felt it better not to disturb their breakfast.
Inside the shed we went through our motions dutifully, in silence – as though on auto-pilot. Srichand Arora took to the middle, but he was off-color like most others. Shekhawat was nursing an aching leg (probably the outcome of his recent surgery) that kept him seated for much of the time. He was up on his feet for the train round, but again, this was more formality than fun.
On normal days, we usually have a post-exercise session of fooling about and shooting the breeze with Mallika Kagzi in the centre playing prima donna. For a number of people, particularly late-comers, this is the main incentive of coming to the Garden. Today, for some reason, she too was quiet and sat through most of the exercises. Strangely, even the music on Arun Patil's player sounded off-tune.
In the end, it was up to Santosh Tyagi to lighten the air with her stock of jokes. Monthi Serrao (Big Laaf treasurer) took the opportunity to update her accounts by collecting pending bills and vouchers from defaulters. Boring job, but in fact, the only meaningful activity in the morning!
Bihari Milwani:
There is always a lull before the war. Tomorrow we should gain lost ground.