Physical Work

Physical Work - October 2012

Returning from a long brisk walk of 50 minutes in Kukkanahalli Kere. Time 5 30 pm. Weather pleasant, cloudy and occasional drops of rain.

Drenched in sweat. Sticky, sticky …   Gundu would have said. Banian and T shirt soaked in sweat.

Feeling high. No guilt today. But more importantly the walk was very nice. Chamundi hills looking down on you. If you are a believer you tend to bow your head and move on. But there are other compensations for an atheist. The sky is glorious - cloudy but different shades of grey and white, size and shape. Different types of people. Young girls in their own world. A man walking slowly lost in thought. A worried looking man in spite of carrying an umbrella.

White cranes returning in flocks.  At a distance a big tree inside the lake with its top fully white with hundreds of cranes looks other worldly.

I walk with my Nano on but still listening to outside sounds.

While returning a strange thought – funny but understandable to us – came to me. Now I can go home throw everything - socks, banian, T shirt and I can afford all new for today and tomorrow and the days after. Shoes are light and cozy. Nano is fine and I can listen to Carnatic Soundarya lahari of Mani Krishnaswamy  followed by Talat Mahmood singing romantic songs. Don’t I feel grateful for affording all that.

There is pleasure in physical activities. I felt it when I played cricket. While I was not skillful but was a lot more knowledgeable about cricket. Played with some sincerity but without too much of talent or more to the point I was not physically strong. Under - age for my class.

Back to cricket.  An off drive was exciting and an occasional catch - difficult one at that - would remain in memory for a long time.

Later when I opted for sports instead of NCC parade in PUC I tried some running - 200 and 400 m! The results were predictably awful but experience was not. Several dreams of my winning sprint and long distance running races was not small compensation.

Also, when I read Tolstoy ( no Indian writer seems to have had this, i.e. celebrating physical deeds ) about the excitement of physical work I could relate. I felt and more so now that physical work ( chosen not forced ) when you are healthy and have no financial worries is thrilling.

Or while doing certain exercises in Yoga – lumbar stretch for instance -  body stretches and relaxes. Muscles move at your command. Waves of pleasure sweep over you.

Later, much later,  I became acutely aware of it   seeing my daughter go to Gym , Crav maga and coming exhausted but thrilled. This is something I learnt from her.

Sometimes I feel that I should have realized all these much earlier but then experience is experience whether you are in twenties or sixties.

Coming home to coffee is perhaps the icing on the cake. The imagined aroma, of sipping coffee sitting on a soft seat and hoping that this would never end!