Padma aunty’s next was a western-style large crib for Vicky. It was bigger than their bedroom and Vicky screamed the moment they put him in it. Anu had sold it to a US couple on OLX. Padma aunty’s list of gifts was endless. A very large oven that could bake five kilograms of cake. ‘Why should I bake a cake when they had bakeries on every street corner?’ was Anu’s reasoning. Then there was the plush floor carpet. It was so big and red, Anu had felt claustrophobic at the very sight of it. Finally, she had donated it to her maid, who had cut it to pieces that she used as foot rugs.

So, now what? What was the surprise?

The next morning, after dropping Vicky, Anu started stretching with Pete and Pooja. A few minutes into the session, two elderly ladies stood around tentatively, holding their yoga mats. Must be the middle-class mothers of some nouveau riche.

‘Can we join your class?’ One of them asked in Hindi. ‘We have not done any yoga before.’

God, this class tag was starting to get to Anu. ‘This is not a class but you can do yoga with us.’ She replied in her broken Hindi.

The women didn’t understand her. ‘How much fees?’

Pooja took over. ‘No fees. Just do it.’

The women looked delighted. ‘Free class!’

They both spread their mats and looked at Anu expectantly. Sighing, Anu taught them Surya Namaskara. They were more awkward than Pete, to say the least. Once they wound up the session, one of them opened a box full of homemade biscuits. ‘Please eat. These are Nankathais.’ She offered it to the group.

Pete looked a little doubtful at first but once he bit into them, pure delight spread on his face. ‘Well done, Anu. Keep recruiting. Make sure your prodigies pay you with food.’

Pooja smiled. ‘This class is turning out to be very interesting.’

Anu rolled her eyes. ‘This is not a class!’

The women, before they left, spoke to Anu in the earnest. ‘Take some fees, beta. You are very good. Why are you doing the class for free?’

Pooja began to laugh and mimicked Anu. ‘This is not a class!’

In the following days, Anu’s non-class had four more elderly men and women for students.

‘Shall I make a sign that says the “Enter the waitlist for Anu’s Yoga and leave a box of homemade sweets?”’ Pete asked Anu as they sipped coffee after tennis. Pete insisted on paying every time and Anu had stopped even the tentative objecting.

‘Pete!’ Anu rolled her eyes. ‘Why did we become so popular?’

‘Among Octogenarians!’ Pooja groaned. ‘Why do I even come there?’

‘Anu’s Low-intensity Yoga for those who can’t bend! It might catch on,’ Pete nodded his head thoughtfully.