"...paths are made by walking"
Walking has been one of the most fundamental and profound things of my life. As it is, to all who have the great fortune of being able to walk as a means to get from one place to another, I also consider it to be much more than just that, a means of transportation, it's my way of living life.
At the age of 10 when I finally started travelling home from school without an escort, I discovered that the stretch from the metro station to my home could be reached by walking in 35 minutes, even if I ended up spending my bus fare of Rs 2 on the roasted peas! At the time my ability to walk not only took me home but also made it possible for me to enjoy those unhygienic and very spicy roasted peas!
I have risen early to go for morning walks with my dad- I was the only one to accompany him to those at Victoria and later by the Lake. I would chatter away while walking, dad quietly listening while we walked. The sun not having quite risen yet and the mist over the lake would have cast an eeriness if only not so many people had been walking.
Since then I have walked miles with my sister and my to-be-brother-in-law on their dates. Yes, its true- I was the proverbial 'kabab mein haddi' and the dowry she took with her (quite literally)
Then came a time when ICSE was over and my very dear friend and I had to explore our new found independence. She was looking for a particular romance novel by Barbara Cartland, I think. So she had me walking all over central calcutta, from M.G. road to college street to new market to park street, phew!!! Needless to say we didn't find that particular book but picked up others.
The next stretch of walking came when I got my first boyfriend. As money was an issue back in my adolescence the cheapest thing for us to do was to walk. Those walks were usually in silence, mostly because there was nothing to be said and quite glad that those walks didn't go on for too long, it would've been utterly boring to have prolonged them.
As I was becoming an adult and moved out of home the walks became of a different nature. They became more exploratory. The paths treaded were unknown but adventurous, the walks were taken alone but awareness crept in. My thoughts became my companion.
I suddenly realized that I was walking in my confusion, in happiness, to clear my head of any webs. I was walking when I was relaxed and when I was in stress. I have walked in mere despair. I have taken decisions and resolved issues while walking.
I have walked miles with friends beside me, sharing their troubles or perplexities and vice-versa, we have laughed and cried. We ate ice-cream as well.
My friends and I have walked miles to buy paan because we had the bloody time to do it, walked across smelly bridges and near fatal road crossings because it was fun.
Even when I am sitting at home I go for walks... I can see myself walking under the shade of trees and playing hide and seek with the rays of the sun that sometimes blind my eyes and sometimes make my hair glisten. And the walk enlivens me everyday.
p.s. my favourite kind of walk is by the beach at night, when the moon is full.
At the age of 10 when I finally started travelling home from school without an escort, I discovered that the stretch from the metro station to my home could be reached by walking in 35 minutes, even if I ended up spending my bus fare of Rs 2 on the roasted peas! At the time my ability to walk not only took me home but also made it possible for me to enjoy those unhygienic and very spicy roasted peas!
I have risen early to go for morning walks with my dad- I was the only one to accompany him to those at Victoria and later by the Lake. I would chatter away while walking, dad quietly listening while we walked. The sun not having quite risen yet and the mist over the lake would have cast an eeriness if only not so many people had been walking.
Since then I have walked miles with my sister and my to-be-brother-in-law on their dates. Yes, its true- I was the proverbial 'kabab mein haddi' and the dowry she took with her (quite literally)
Then came a time when ICSE was over and my very dear friend and I had to explore our new found independence. She was looking for a particular romance novel by Barbara Cartland, I think. So she had me walking all over central calcutta, from M.G. road to college street to new market to park street, phew!!! Needless to say we didn't find that particular book but picked up others.
The next stretch of walking came when I got my first boyfriend. As money was an issue back in my adolescence the cheapest thing for us to do was to walk. Those walks were usually in silence, mostly because there was nothing to be said and quite glad that those walks didn't go on for too long, it would've been utterly boring to have prolonged them.
As I was becoming an adult and moved out of home the walks became of a different nature. They became more exploratory. The paths treaded were unknown but adventurous, the walks were taken alone but awareness crept in. My thoughts became my companion.
I suddenly realized that I was walking in my confusion, in happiness, to clear my head of any webs. I was walking when I was relaxed and when I was in stress. I have walked in mere despair. I have taken decisions and resolved issues while walking.
I have walked miles with friends beside me, sharing their troubles or perplexities and vice-versa, we have laughed and cried. We ate ice-cream as well.
My friends and I have walked miles to buy paan because we had the bloody time to do it, walked across smelly bridges and near fatal road crossings because it was fun.
Even when I am sitting at home I go for walks... I can see myself walking under the shade of trees and playing hide and seek with the rays of the sun that sometimes blind my eyes and sometimes make my hair glisten. And the walk enlivens me everyday.
p.s. my favourite kind of walk is by the beach at night, when the moon is full.
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P.S: did I tell you that you were a really wanted haddi in the kebab? Love ya
Muah!
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