Morning Walk

Morning walk

One day I was chatting with some young students talking about the need to keep fit. No I am not a fitness trainer. Suddenly one lass told me that she is stronger and fitter than me. Back in my lab I kept thinking on that comment. I decided to be stronger and fitter. With that I decided to walk in the morning.

I have walked the streets of many a towns in India. Each has its own system and flavour.

Walking the street of Delhi early morning the attire you see would depend on the season. Summer presents white kurtas and pajamas of men and kurtas and Patialas of women. Younger generation in Jeans and tops. Winter would add a shawl or sweater on it. No dhoti or lungi here. Stray dogs and cows are much less in New Delhi than the walled city. This part being the commercial hub presents a different picture. You see hand carts cycle rickshaws getting ready to haul the early morning arrivals of flowers, vegetables and other goods. There is smell of hot milk being boiled in the Halwai shops. Samosas being readied smell of flowers mixing with smell of over flowing gutter. Packs of dogs fighting for scraps cows munching at what ever they get.

Temple towns down south wake up early. You could find ladies of the house putting rangoli out side the main door of their houses. Men in saffron or white dhotis and angavastras. Smell of incense sticks and flowers is every where, the temple bells chime chants of slokas and mantras reverberate forcing you into spiritual mood.

I remember walking with my grand dad as a young boy in my village in North Malabar to the temple tank to learn swimming. In my hand I used to carry a ‘Tondera’ two green coconuts tied together with coir rope, this acting as a float. I can still feel the smell of coconut leaf burning, smell of tea wafting in, the smell of blooming Parijat and sacred Champak flowers and burning coconut oil in the large multi tiered bronze lamps. No stray dogs no stray cows.  

Presently I live in the northern most town of coastal northern Karnataka. I leave my house early in the morning. First 500 meters or so on the road I have to do a kind of step dance in semi darkness to avoid cow dung, cows, dog shit, dogs and garbage. I hear a rare swish, swish of broom some one cleaning their veranda. No smell of tea or coffee wafting by no rangoli being put out side the house. Finishing my five K brisk walk I return home ready to face the day. One day on my way back an old man walked close to me said, “Paaoos na, paaoos na re” (no rain no rain) I was carrying an umbrella! Two days latter I had hardly walked half the distance a strong wind  blue a thunder clap and it came down I had no umbrella I was drenched to say the least. That much for the old man’s paaoose na re!!

This State of ours a leader in Science, Space Science, Technology, IT and Higher education also is over run by stray dogs, cows on the road and over flowing gutters. The great Indian paradox of coexistence ultra modern and medieval.

K.V. Radhakrishnan