And a little light...
I think it was the morning of New Year's day or thereabouts when I started heading back from Mainak, homewards. The Kolkata Marathon was scheduled in a few days time, and given the new found enthusiasm that a new year brings, I was suddenly taken over by this incessant urge to give it a shot. However, rationality prevailed in the end (shocking, eh?) and I decided that I was woefully short on preparation. "Next year, for sure." I resolved, and decided to set things in motion by walking the entire distance from Ballygunje Phari to my home in Garia.
Stepping out in the pleasant sunlight of that winter morning, it didn't seem too much of a task really. I love walking for one, and I've walked longer distances without breaking into too much of a sweat. That one time when a couple of school friend's were staying over at Anirban's place for the night. Sagnik made us download and watch 'Veer'. It was immense fun, given how utterly awful the movie was. Then, filled with the 'josh' we decided at 3.30 a.m. to head out into the streets looking for a sumptuous meal of early morning 'luchi-alur dom'. We were sure we'd find some roadside joint open despite the hour. Thus we headed out into the misty morning. Empty streets greeted us, the chilly breeze embraced us. But it was fun, walking through the middle of the streets that are filled with a million and one vehicles throughout the day, singing and laughing for all it was worth. We walked and walked and walked that day, starting from Baghajatin, we watched the sun rise from the top of the Dhakuria bridge, took a brief rest in one of the walker's parks in Ballygunje before resuming our quest to the promised land, where 'luchi' and 'alu'r dom' flowed like wine. It was near Park Circus a distance of about 8-9 kilometers maybe, when our resolve finally broke and not a shred of food could we find. We took the first bus back home to Anirban's, hungry but tired, and curiously, pretty happy, we all trudged off to sleep. It was about 2 hours later when his mother woke us up, announcing that she'd made breakfast. "Luchi alu'r dom baniyechi. Gorom acche, kheye abar ghumo tora." We could only look at each other's stunned faces and laugh.
Anyway, coming back to my quest to walk the length of the road from Mainak to Garia. Things began well. I maintained good speed and excellent spirits as I conquered each stretch of road. I was making excellent time and the weather could not be more perfect. I charged into Golpark, past the auto stand which invitingly beckoned, promising a quick drop right on my door step, but I was a man on a mission, a conqueror on a raid. I trudged up the Dhakuria bridge, and jogged all the way down. It was akin to the Bilbo Baggins scene in the Hobbit where he declares to the Shire that he's off on an adventure. My adventure though lasted only a few meters further as it was around the 'Jadavpur Thana' crossing, about halfway or thereabouts into the route when fatigue took over. My mind which was warding off the urge to hop onto one of the passing vehicles, slip into a comfortable seat and get dropped off on my doorstep, was starting to lose the battle. Finally the war was lost, and I hailed a passing auto and thus ended my adventure. I was pretty pleased though. For a Day 1 kind of thing, I'd still done a good 3-4 kilometers at excellent pace. My preparations for the Marathon could not have kicked off any better I felt, triumphantly.
However, as it goes with these things, that was also the last bit of preparation I did in the year to come. The enthusiasm with which I started the new year, the new beginning, predictably faded away as the new twists and turns came up along the road. The year to follow, became a mixed bag of events. I graduated (not that surprising really), I packed in two starkly different vacations, one to Chandipur and another to Kochi, both thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing and immense fun. I also lost a lot of friends along the way, you know, the usual everyone goes their own way thing plus my usual anti-social agendas. I bombed two big interviews and spent a couple of thoroughly miserable weeks pondering over them, and lost out on another job (not my doing that, though). I had a great Pujo, the most fun in some time, and then some lonely weeks with nothing to do, knowing that I should study and yet being thoroughly disenchanted while everyone around was doing things, or at the very least, trying, and yesterday, one of my best friends was finally married off to a happily ever after. It was fun, really!
A year that began with resolve and strong motive, is winding down to an end, and today, another cool winter morning I found myself, once again at the doorstep of where it all began. Had I bettered myself this year, were all the experiences, joy, sadness and despair really worth it? I guess there was only one way to find out. As I stood at the gates of Mainak, heading homewards, I decided to put it all through a test. Let's walk back home, from Ballygunje Phari to Garia, I decided once more. And so I walked, past the ambling crowds, past the inviting cluster of transport standing innocuously waiting to take me home, but I was once more a man on a mission, a conqueror out to conquer my own demons, to prove that the year gone by has been worth it, every moment, hour and second of it. I walked, and as I reached the crossing of Jadavpur Thana, I could see myself a year ago. There was whence my spirit was taken, there is whence I lie (I have a flair for over-dramatization if you must know). And as I crossed that place, I felt triumph, an odd sense of joy. It wasn't really much of feat as I'd easily done longer stretches before, but today was different. A year not so great maybe, was suddenly looking pretty awesome. I felt invincible ( again, I feel that pretty often) and I felt good again. It was now time to move onto bigger and better things (The Kolkata Marathon though, I still concur, is beyond my reach at the moment).
Anyway, for the year that was, I'd forever remain grateful to those who tolerated me, my many whims, fancies and passing moods that change quicker than a supermodel in a fashion show (bad joke, I know, sorry), and helped me along. Maybe I don't say it enough (or at all) , but thank you.
Oh, in case you're wondering, I did complete the whole walk, that included a rather longish detour which I thought would be a short cut. My sense of direction could need a little bettering I suppose. That's the story for another year.
Stepping out in the pleasant sunlight of that winter morning, it didn't seem too much of a task really. I love walking for one, and I've walked longer distances without breaking into too much of a sweat. That one time when a couple of school friend's were staying over at Anirban's place for the night. Sagnik made us download and watch 'Veer'. It was immense fun, given how utterly awful the movie was. Then, filled with the 'josh' we decided at 3.30 a.m. to head out into the streets looking for a sumptuous meal of early morning 'luchi-alur dom'. We were sure we'd find some roadside joint open despite the hour. Thus we headed out into the misty morning. Empty streets greeted us, the chilly breeze embraced us. But it was fun, walking through the middle of the streets that are filled with a million and one vehicles throughout the day, singing and laughing for all it was worth. We walked and walked and walked that day, starting from Baghajatin, we watched the sun rise from the top of the Dhakuria bridge, took a brief rest in one of the walker's parks in Ballygunje before resuming our quest to the promised land, where 'luchi' and 'alu'r dom' flowed like wine. It was near Park Circus a distance of about 8-9 kilometers maybe, when our resolve finally broke and not a shred of food could we find. We took the first bus back home to Anirban's, hungry but tired, and curiously, pretty happy, we all trudged off to sleep. It was about 2 hours later when his mother woke us up, announcing that she'd made breakfast. "Luchi alu'r dom baniyechi. Gorom acche, kheye abar ghumo tora." We could only look at each other's stunned faces and laugh.
Anyway, coming back to my quest to walk the length of the road from Mainak to Garia. Things began well. I maintained good speed and excellent spirits as I conquered each stretch of road. I was making excellent time and the weather could not be more perfect. I charged into Golpark, past the auto stand which invitingly beckoned, promising a quick drop right on my door step, but I was a man on a mission, a conqueror on a raid. I trudged up the Dhakuria bridge, and jogged all the way down. It was akin to the Bilbo Baggins scene in the Hobbit where he declares to the Shire that he's off on an adventure. My adventure though lasted only a few meters further as it was around the 'Jadavpur Thana' crossing, about halfway or thereabouts into the route when fatigue took over. My mind which was warding off the urge to hop onto one of the passing vehicles, slip into a comfortable seat and get dropped off on my doorstep, was starting to lose the battle. Finally the war was lost, and I hailed a passing auto and thus ended my adventure. I was pretty pleased though. For a Day 1 kind of thing, I'd still done a good 3-4 kilometers at excellent pace. My preparations for the Marathon could not have kicked off any better I felt, triumphantly.
However, as it goes with these things, that was also the last bit of preparation I did in the year to come. The enthusiasm with which I started the new year, the new beginning, predictably faded away as the new twists and turns came up along the road. The year to follow, became a mixed bag of events. I graduated (not that surprising really), I packed in two starkly different vacations, one to Chandipur and another to Kochi, both thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing and immense fun. I also lost a lot of friends along the way, you know, the usual everyone goes their own way thing plus my usual anti-social agendas. I bombed two big interviews and spent a couple of thoroughly miserable weeks pondering over them, and lost out on another job (not my doing that, though). I had a great Pujo, the most fun in some time, and then some lonely weeks with nothing to do, knowing that I should study and yet being thoroughly disenchanted while everyone around was doing things, or at the very least, trying, and yesterday, one of my best friends was finally married off to a happily ever after. It was fun, really!
A year that began with resolve and strong motive, is winding down to an end, and today, another cool winter morning I found myself, once again at the doorstep of where it all began. Had I bettered myself this year, were all the experiences, joy, sadness and despair really worth it? I guess there was only one way to find out. As I stood at the gates of Mainak, heading homewards, I decided to put it all through a test. Let's walk back home, from Ballygunje Phari to Garia, I decided once more. And so I walked, past the ambling crowds, past the inviting cluster of transport standing innocuously waiting to take me home, but I was once more a man on a mission, a conqueror out to conquer my own demons, to prove that the year gone by has been worth it, every moment, hour and second of it. I walked, and as I reached the crossing of Jadavpur Thana, I could see myself a year ago. There was whence my spirit was taken, there is whence I lie (I have a flair for over-dramatization if you must know). And as I crossed that place, I felt triumph, an odd sense of joy. It wasn't really much of feat as I'd easily done longer stretches before, but today was different. A year not so great maybe, was suddenly looking pretty awesome. I felt invincible ( again, I feel that pretty often) and I felt good again. It was now time to move onto bigger and better things (The Kolkata Marathon though, I still concur, is beyond my reach at the moment).
Anyway, for the year that was, I'd forever remain grateful to those who tolerated me, my many whims, fancies and passing moods that change quicker than a supermodel in a fashion show (bad joke, I know, sorry), and helped me along. Maybe I don't say it enough (or at all) , but thank you.
Oh, in case you're wondering, I did complete the whole walk, that included a rather longish detour which I thought would be a short cut. My sense of direction could need a little bettering I suppose. That's the story for another year.
Congratulations -_-
ReplyDeleteWow ! keep walking - on track :-)
ReplyDelete