Tears and Smiles

Geeta Latte (c) is consoled by members

After the euphoric response on her photograph yesterday (ref: Pic of the Week), Geeta Latte today was driven to tears the moment she entered the Garden. She was late. In fact, she showed up after the exercises were over. But instead of politely hearing her through, everybody pounced upon her as though she had committed a grievous crime by coming late this morning.
A sensitive girl, Geeta found herself tongue-tied. She broke down like a child and left the Garden sobbing.
She was soon surrounded at the gate, the enormity of the situation having now dawned upon her friends. Short of apologizing, they tried to make light of the situation, assuring her that they meant no offence and it was out of love they had jokingly rebuked her.
By then, Geeta regained her composure and explained that much as she tries to be punctual for the exercises every day, she gets held up because of the ‘free yoga classes’ she conducts every morning in her neighborhood.
This was typically a case of taking liberties with a person we have become close to over time, with scant regard to her sentiments.

Qadir Bano (r) finds solace with Banoo Apa

Laxmi Hadimani (r) celebrates

We fail to draw the line in our misplaced belief that in the name of love, hurting feelings is excusable. If anything, today’s incident established that it is NOT. We have no right to violate anybody’s dignity -- least of all, someone we are fond of.
Quick to realize this, Kiran Prakash did some damage control by taking Geeta out (along with a few others) for a breakfast treat and brought about a sense of normalcy. Earlier in the morning, Laxmi Hadimani treated us to biscuits to celebrate her winning a court case over an ancestral property back in her village. It took her 15 years to get justice, she said.
Also on a happy note, Qadir Bano marked her return to the Garden, almost after eight months. We had given up on her as she stayed incommunicado all this while. But our joy was shortlived when she informed that her brother-in-law passed away recently, following a massive heart attack. He was married to her younger sister.

Geeta Latte:
Thank you so-ooooo much. Aap sab meri family ho aur mein aap sab ko bahut pyar karti hoon😊😊