Homeward Bound

UDAIPUR STATION: Escorting Nafisa (seated in specs) back to Mumbai

After what has arguably been the most harrowing and momentous tour in Club history, the group (ref post of November 19) is on its way home. While Kiran Prakash and a couple of others took the flight back from Udaipur yesterday, the rest are reaching Mumbai by train today afternoon.
Significantly, Nafisa Sayyed is in that train.

Kiran Prakash (l) shares gajaks

As regulars in the Garden would know, she had been hospitalized at Udaipur, following a medical emergency for the second time in two days. Preliminary diagnosis revealed a “cardio-asthmatic attack” and her son, Imran had to be urgently summoned from Mumbai.

Mohammad Gulzar (file photo)

This was serious – a life-and-death situation.
After extensive tests a stent for the heart was suggested by the Udaipur doctors, but Nafisa would have none of it. She insisted on returning to Mumbai and even resisted taking injections.

Razia Khan (r) celebrates Eid-e-Milad

Fortunately, Nafisa’s condition took a turn for the better and she was eventually given the go-ahead to travel by train.
In all this, the role of Mohammed Gulzar and Kiran Prakash deserves special mention. Nafisa (who was sharing her room with Banoo Apa in the Udaipur hotel) had suffered the attack in the wee hours of Tuesday morning when it was still dark outside. Bhaswati Bose was also woken up and together they escorted Nafisa out of the hotel -- just that there was no transport at that hour ready to go to the hospital.
In pitch darkness, Kiran Prakash ran up the road, hailing whatever vehicle (even a passing milk van!)

UDAIPUR MEMORIES: Under the watch of Maharana Pratap

he could spot till he found an obliging autorickshaw at some chowk. At the hospital also, he was the one who did all the running around at getting Nafisa admitted, speaking to the doctors and nurses, completing all formalities, etc. while the ladies cradled Nafisa, comforting her.
Gulzar meanwhile, had touched base with Nafisa’s family (they were neighbors at one time) and from time to time, kept WhatsApping the test reports. The son was to arrive in the evening and till then, Gulzar and his wife, Tabassum kept Nafisa company.
Only upon Kiran Prakash’s assurance that all was under control and that Nafisa was in good care, were Banoo Apa and Bhaswati able to leave the hospital. Till then, the rest of the group in the hotel were blissfully unaware of the developments.
Kiran Prakash was in the Garden this morning (he was the first to be back, by flight) to share his experience and also distribute some delectably crunchy gajaks he had brought for us. Razia Khan too had a sweet surprise for us – soft, mouthwatering pedas in celebration of Eid-e-Milad yesterday.

Karun Sharma:
Good to see them all back smiling, even if the conditions were challenging. I too came back last night and slept at 01:30 a.m. It was an excellent get-together with my IIT-BHU friends at Bangalore and Mysore.