How Time Flies!

Yusuf Rassiwala

Sitaram Hivarkar

Yusuf Rassiwala did not turn up today also. There were of course, extenuating reasons to explain his absence. But to well-wishers like Qadir Bano, Nahid Khan and Naseer Putani Shah who have been constantly inquiring about him, his erratic attendance of late has become a major cause of concern. After all, the man is known to be a stickler for regular attendance and punctuality.
Yusuf R also happens to be one of the founding fathers of the club – along with Shekhawat, Sitaram Hivarkar, Tara Chand Seth -- the latter two being honorary members now. Fifteen years ago, they were all in their fifties and sixties – lively, spirited, full of energy. Today, they have moved into their seventies, some nudging 80. Many so-called ‘second generation’ seniors like Santosh Tyagi, Khatoon Baig and Shanti Singh are also betraying signs of age catching up, slowly but relentlessly.
This applies to us all, without exception.
Significantly, we do not notice the physical changes over time as we keep meeting so often, almost daily.

The exercises have become exhausting

But there are certain giveaways. As Bijoy Gupta pointed out this morning, we have lost the enthusiasm to even go on a picnic. “Every time a proposal comes up, we insist on going to a nearby resort so that travel time is reduced and soon everybody wants to back out,” he commented.
This never happened earlier -- when we were younger and raring to go. Those were times when nobody broke out of the exercise circle to remain seated on a bench. Nobody complained of fatigue or the need to take frequent toilet breaks. Nobody got mixed up on dates or the day of the week. Shekhawat boasted of a razor sharp memory and his way with numbers.
Apart from picnics, we used to go on movie outings, hobnob regularly outside the Garden over roadside chai, have seminars and talks on a variety of subjects, we would gather at exotic restaurants to celebrate Diwali and Eid… we even had a Sports Day at Borivli National Park. There was a life for us outside the Garden also. Alas, those were the days.

Karun Sharma:
It is so good to know what we have done in the past to keep ourselves energized. We shall do it again. There is no doubt about it. We shall live and let the Big Laaf family grow with us.

Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Time has wings. So has your energy. The most important aspect is your attitude. A positive attitude enhances your energy. Be cheerful. You all are very lucky to be able to meet in the Garden for exercises. To meet old colleagues is a morale booster. Those who do not come miss a lot. If a person has not laughed in a day, he has not lived that day. Keep laughing and it will give you a lot of energy to face the world. Count your blessings and enjoy. After all man is ashraf-ul-makhluqat -- the best of all creations.