‘Sabse bada rog Kya kahenge log?’ Five months back, during one of my walks in the colony, I was suddenly interrupted by a gentle lady who came straight at me and without any introduction said. ‘I’ve been watching you daily. I just read an entire book about this. You are doing Chi Walking, right?’ Huh?? 😳 Obviously I didn’t know what ‘Chi’ was talking about but being human I pretended to know otherwise. So we spoke of other things which suddenly took a pleasant turn because she turned out to be an old college friend. But later when I asked Shanker about it, he was as clueless. So naturally I had to consult Mr. Google to find out what kind of walking my friend was talking about. When I typed out the key word, a whole bank of information flashed out. Anyway, suffice to say, it was actually the kind of walking I was doing. And I’ve been doing it for the past three decades. It started with a regular kind of a stroll, which I slowly developed into a brisk stride which exercised only the legs. Since I wanted to scare two chubby birds with one stone, I started to swing my hands vigorously. But soon the arms felt sore and it felt more comfortable to keep the elbows slightly bent (as in jogging). The back and forth movement also exercised the shoulders and with further practice I found that landing on my entire foot also put less pressure on the soles. I closely observed the marathon walkers and started to imitate them; improved my posture, then concentrated on the core muscles (sucking in my stomach but NOT holding my breath). But most importantly I was now mentally aware of the physical task that I was doing. Slowly over the years I mastered this holistic art. I call it holistic because even though I didn’t know it then, walking this way actually released a kind of a spiritual energy. It gave a sense of freedom. The only problem was whenever and wherever I walked like this, all eyes would observe this strange gait. It had happened elsewhere. It still happens in Cosmopolis. But time is not only a great healer. It is also a great saviour; because over the years I have also developed an immunity to this staring syndrome. Even though we may always think so, not all people see the ‘strange’ in you. Some also observe and learn. Like my friend Kanchan, who was my walking partner in Mumbai. For three years we walked daily, with consistency and confidence and a gay abandon, totally oblivious of the curious eyes of the Colaba Wood walkers. Moreover, like Carnegie, even as I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do. In any case, one man’s logic has always been another man’s crazy. Yes, ‘Sabse bada rog’ might be ‘kya kahenge log’ but………. Sabse bada prescription pill Of any disease, of any ill Is taking up the cudgels to fight In doing what ‘you’ feel is right. In life’s long and winding roads As long as you follow the ethical codes As long as you don’t tread on other toes Of innocent souls, of friends, of foes As long as you hold your head up high And do not elicit a tear or a sigh As long as you keep a distance with battle You can march or totter or saunter or toddle As long as you don’t hurt anyone As long as you don’t break any hearts As long as you are comfortable Does it really matter what others think? I know the last four lines do not rhyme. But what the heck? I will walk however I want to. I will write however I want to. Even without any rhyme or reason. :-P And thank you Ranjana - for making me aware that all these years what I thought I was doing it the me way, I was actually doing it the ‘Chi’ way :-}
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 02:05:42 +0000
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