New Life

Ruksana Khan is on her feet... and the rest, on their backside

Being the week-end, it was a day to let our hair down. Nobody is inclined to go home early on Saturdays and the mornings tend to extend indefinitely with a good deal of masti-mazaak after the exercises. Santosh Tyagi added to the light-hearted banter by narrating a couple of jokes, thus paving the way for Siba Prasad Maitra to reel out a series of uproarious Internet gags from his mobile phone.
But the more significant event of the morning was Ruksana Khan turning up, if only to reaffirm her seriousness towards the exercises.

Santosh Tyagi narrates jokes

Yesterday, when she showed up (with her daughter in tow) after more than a year, we had thought that it was a one-off visit, given the seriousness of her hip fracture (as we had heard) and the suffering she had to undergo.
It was actually a double fracture, sustained one after another, by falling down in the bathroom. Recounting her ordeal, she spoke of the multiple surgeries which (as luck would have it) went horribly wrong initially. The original splints had to be removed and replaced with steel rods and balls, which meant another round of surgery, not to mention added expenses and physical agony, she said.
“I cannot explain how excruciatingly painful it has all been,” she narrated. “I wouldn’t wish this of my worst enemies. Even for going to the toilet, taking bath, changing clothes… everything, I had to depend on somebody. I was rendered a complete cripple. Luckily, I am blessed with two capable daughters who stood solidly by me. They are my pillars of strength. I cannot thank them enough for taking me through my dark days and giving me this new life.”
If truth be told, none of us had ever given her much of a chance – least of all, having her back in the Garden. In fact, after waiting for months on end, we had dropped her name from Club membership. Today, as she hobbles about clutching an orthopaedic quadripod, we can only marvel at the extent of human endurance and her sheer courage and determination in overcoming all odds. Indeed, Ruksana has got a new lease of life.