Scientists say a stroll can be one of the most effective ways to bust anxiety and stress. Brisk walking boosts endorphins and activates neurons in the brain that can soothe the mind and body. I am not among those who sacrifice their sound sleep on the altar of morning walks. But watching the morning walkers from a safe distance on my favourite bench has always been a pleasure for me.
When I was still a child, my father would take me to ' Eden Gardens' ( the international cricket stadium in Kolkata ) for rowing lessons. One day, I saw two Marwaris jogging and running for health .
Morning walk, at that time in late 80s , was not so familiar among the Kolkatans but there were still a few like them who rose early to keep themselves fit . The two overnourished men , in their late fifties or early sixties, were in white shorts and tees and sneakers. They had nothing really remarkable in their looks except their protruding tummies which burst out of their tees . The soft and voluminous tummies bouncing with the rhythms of jogging, easily caught my eyes. Jogging up and down the path circling Eden Gardens for quite some time, they stopped, a servant came running to them with a massive tiffin cart and two mats. He was perhaps sitting in a particular black Ambassador, parked nearby. Sitting on the mats, the men began to have their breakfast, which consisted of sandwiches, malai, halwa, bananas and sweets. My father whispered into my ear, __" The calories they're gaining are much more than the calories they lost in jogging. "<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> In our neighbourhood, when I manage to rise early, I see morning walkers of different ages, shapes, sizes and characters . They are from different walks of life and most of them are the Bengalees . There are the saunterers, the stompers, egg-shell walkers and also the Nor walkers.
Some of them prefer to walk in groups, while the rest are the solitary walkers. Some are serious, while the others are stoic and indifferent to anything apart from themselves . Few of them exchange quick glances and nod to each other in haste on their way. Many women jog steadily in sarees while others prefer sa or a tracksuit. The disparity in dress between the affluent class, middle class and the lower middle class is too prominent to be overlooked. The affluent people opt for costly tracksuits and running shoes containing shock-absorbing gel. The middle-class people deck themselves in semi-costly dresses and ordinary sneakers. And the people of L go for shabby dresses and plastic sandals. But everyone is health conscious and knows the utility of early morning walk.
There is a Bengalee woman among them who refuses to acknowledge her age.
She believes that the fifties are nothing but the early twenties ' and she dresses herself according to her belief . Her masca eyes, bloody red lips , dyed hair , Patiala pants and visibly short top , give an image of a model of bygone era jogging down the ramp. She intentionally shakes her head back and forth to bounce her hair in order to attract male gazes . Every one looks at her, but from the corner of their mocking eyes.
A group of women, all in their late fifties, jog past my window and brighten up the path with their colourful salwar kurt and matching accessories . On their way a few phrases of their loud chatters amuse my ears . While one says, " I've screwed up my mother_in_law tightly___! " Another one declares in a boastful manner __" Yesterday, I gave him a good piece of my mind__ ! " Then someone announces in pride , " Now she realises who I am___! " Their words amuse me indeed, yet, I take pitty on those victims who are dashed and pushed by these vigorous victors .
A solitary walker, a bulky girl , walks in hasty strides along the path for half an hour. She wears simple track suit and all the time an amused smile flickers across her round face . Humming to herself, this very girl seems to be quite confident with her own life .
There is a middle aged man , a fitness freak, who strides up and down the path very fast . He has sharp eyes, intelligent face, broad shoulders and strong limbs . He keeps his head and spine straight and the shoulders do not hunch while walking.
He notices everything on his way, but in a disdainful manner.
There are two or three young compulsive daily walkers who march past my window in haste listening to music on their headphones . They are quite well off with enviable jobs, luxurious adobes, costly cars and huge bank balance , yet the stern faces give a glimpse of their stressful lives. They have heart_rate monitors tied on wrists to track their workout and pulse rate, but have no gizmos to monitor their unhappiness in life . A lot of people who don't have the privilege to have a square meal daily, perhaps are happier than these sophisticated younger generation . In the early morning, these young chaps walk miles after miles to keep themselves fit, but for the rest of the day, they opt for a rickshaw to cover any walking distance , which I know, is also a part of their false sophistication.
From my window I notice three elderly couples who walk almost daily for the sake of their blood sugar and high blood pressure . Such a pair, in their early seventies completes several rounds in hasty steps.The husband takes the lead, and the wife follows behind, keeping a gap of about two meters which is constant all through the year. They maintain a stoic detachment, and I never saw them exchanging a single word with each other .
Another couple, not so wealthy , I suppose , is just opposite to the previous one . Every day they bring their quarrells along with them while stepping out of the house and the outer world doesn't spoil their enthusiasm much when they shout and snarl at each other in a furious rage. They never show any sign of retreat, and every day they resume their rowdy chatter with a renewed vigour and zest.
Among the morning walkers, there are a few octogenarians who move in a group, and the group moves as fast as a tortoise. All of them are affluent ex-servicemen. They have money in the bank, diseases in the body and negligence in the family. To escape from the monotony of life, they have formed this group of l old men. Tramping down the path they discuss various topics and they seem to know almost anything and everything. The topics of their loud discussion include national and international politics, socio-economic conditions, sports, movies, theatres, and arts.Their expert commentaries keep us abreast of current topics round the world. After catering and scattering knowledge , this mobile journal proceeds to the main road and ends up in a roadside eatery to fill up their stomachs with puri_sabji and large gilabis, both of which are strictly prohibited for them by their doctors.
The early morning walkers return home by 6:30 . Now I watch the hurried steps of the domestic helps, mobile vendors and trash collectors . They walk for a living , out of compulsion and till the afternoon , they walk up and down my window several times a day. They have no time to listen to music, chatter or quarrell . Their shabby dresses, old flattened sandals, coarse limbs, w faces and hasty strides are enough to give a glimpse of their struggling life.
Then the path is enlivened by an elderly couple of a lower-middle-class family. Stooping well over age, the lean and thin husband walks slowly down the path, and the pale, elderly wife, half the height of her husband, follows him close behind. The man looks frail and brittle with sunken cheeks, a furrowed and unshaven crooked face, gloomy eyes, and staggering steps . They are poor, yet happiness oozes out of their shabby dresses. Exhausted by illness the man stops every now and then and pants for breath. As soon as the wife offers her malnourished empathic left hand to him , a bright smile flickers across the old man's face . Looking up to him the wife smiles back and both of them resume their walk down the path.