Cautionary Gesture

Relaxing in the green grove after the exercises

Bijoy Gupta today volunteered explaining his sudden exit midway through the exercises on Saturday (see post of April 28). “I was working out in the Garden from 5:30 that morning,” he narrated. “By 7’o clock when you people started,

Ram Shankar Shukla

I was dreadfully exhausted. Still I joined the exercises. The worst part, I was not carrying drinking water. Due to dehydration I started getting body cramps.
Before the bada pain came, I rushed out of the Garden.”
The “bada pain” or “big pain” was what

Late Teja Singh Bhambra

Shekhawat mistook to be an impending heart attack. Or so was he to inform that morning. Even today, he made an announcement directed at those suffering from a heart condition. “I carry emergency heart pills (Sorbitrate) in my bag all the time,” he said. “By any chance should any of you face a problem in the Garden like chest pain, do inform me immediately.”
It was a well-thought cautionary gesture, considering that most of us are senior citizens. And we aren’t getting any younger. Fortunately, we haven’t faced a serious casualty so far -- barring a few stray incidents involving Ram Shankar Shukla and the late Teja Singh Bhambra in the past. But that cannot be said about the future.
We might also consider having a ‘first aid kit’ handy (from the Club) with basics like Band Aid, Dettol, Iodex, crepe bandage, smelling salts, Electral sachets, etc. just in case. Siba Prasad Maitra could perhaps help putting this together and someone like Kiran Prakash or Arun Patil, who is regular every day for the exercises, be entrusted with carrying the kit. More importantly, whoever can, should carry extra drinking water, especially during these summer months.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
April, this year, has been extraordinarily hot. One must carry water all the time and take frequent sips whether thirsty or not. This is the best first aid for summer. Carrying other emergency medicines, such as Sorbitrate, etc. is also important. In addition, we must know what should be done in an emergency. Someone should teach us these first aid basics.