Walk...
The car had issues so it had to be re-serviced. Getting up at 7:30 in the morning is no silly joke on a working day! Well so with soggy red eyes and a heavy head I managed to get all the rituals complete and was able to present myself at the service station by 9:15am. So now that the car was delivered, I had an option to take a rickshaw or the walk.
Office was near 5kms from this place, so I decided to walk partway. The roads were riddled with puddles and potholes, now that’s not an unfamiliar site for the Punekars. The walk was pretty tiring, for 2 reasons I guess
1. I was on a trek 2 days back (MakrandGad)
2. I was out of shape :)
Perspiration kept a moist layer on my hairy face. I had walked a few times home from this route recently, but for some reason this felt different. I started noticing people around me.
Being in work culture, sitting in the confines of A/C rooms all day yapping over nonsense topics or running off over the weekends to distant cloud clad mountains or waking up late over the weekends and doing nothing had left me –I felt at the time of the walk- devoid of what I was missing.
Little school kids ran past me with big smiles on their faces and a teenage youth walking ahead of me playfully patted one’s head. The kids joked over that. Soon I walked fast as I crossed “Lakdi Pool”, the waters on the mutha had subsided, and the canal was full leaving the sides to dry up. The brown slush was sparkling under the sunny dark cloud cover. This is when I realized it was getting more humid.
This is also when I realized I had a loose zip and gave a wide angle smile zipping up. Crossed the road and walked on via “Garware Bridge” peering into “Popular Book House”. This store once, I considered to be the central Book House in Pune, now looked defeated to me to the might of Crosswords and the e-books revolution.
Soon went past Hotel Lucky onto F.C. Road. The paradise for any teen or any male for that matter :). The road was spick and span, and a usual row of four wheels were parked alongside the pavement.
Here a thought flew past me to catch a rickshaw, since the perspiration caught up and I realized the A/C confines could give me a headache! A few paces more… So I carried on as I walked passed the FC college gate.
Soon I reached the “Tukaram Paduka Chowk” and noticed some Guys having an eyeful for the Girls crossing the road. Smirked a smile, and realized this for the next couple of incidences.
The monotone of the walk was taking its toll on me so I crossed the road as a rickshaw-walla looked at me with hopeful eyes, but I walked past. I mean having walked this far maybe a just a couple more kilometers.
The never-ending flyover construction work came to my site. This construction had taken its toll on many things
1. The road was blocked
2. The road was riddled with potholes and nails and other debris from construction
3. The construction work seemed to go on forever
4. Commutation through one of the busiest roads of Pune was foolishly put off the map with no standby routes in place. Even if any alternatives were present they simply spelled chaos.
So I stared up the part completed arch of the flyover. And noticed some 3 workers sitting relaxed, and having a jolly time getting a sight full of girls off FC road, or so I thought - The jerks!
I also noticed that other workers at the site were sitting around doing nothing, but chit chatting. The weather was great, no rains in sight. The only working lot here- were a couple of cranes digging the road, and commuters crossing the barriers to get on the other side.
So I walked right along towards “Rahul” theater and back right towards Agricultural College. “Rahul” theater, which at one time was one of the most prestigious and advanced theater was now all torn apart and in a very sorry state.
I moved on, and took a turn on the road from Agricultural College towards Shivajinagar. I still could notice the 3 jerks looking staring onto the wide expanse of the teenage road.
One good thing this construction work has brought about – is that this road (Agri. Co. Rd.) is now back to its original glory. Calm and quiet. Hardly any vehicles commute here. To the left side are a few cart hawkers who sell some fast food (tea / eggs etc). Just a few people, else this road is all empty.
I walked on as the Shivajinagar bus-stand passed by, now under modernization I suppose :). I wanted to walk and walk, as I was getting a hang and rhythm of it, but alas the road came to an end as I walked down the steps of the Bombay-Pune highway underground and back up the other side to my office –MayFair towers.
I decided on skipping the elevator (lift) and trot up instead, this I did and was resting on my seat in no time. Enjoyed the sweets got by my colleague and spent the rest of the day the usual way.
Evening took a rickshaw to the service station and got the vehicle. It was one jolly good day! :)
Office was near 5kms from this place, so I decided to walk partway. The roads were riddled with puddles and potholes, now that’s not an unfamiliar site for the Punekars. The walk was pretty tiring, for 2 reasons I guess
1. I was on a trek 2 days back (MakrandGad)
2. I was out of shape :)
Perspiration kept a moist layer on my hairy face. I had walked a few times home from this route recently, but for some reason this felt different. I started noticing people around me.
Being in work culture, sitting in the confines of A/C rooms all day yapping over nonsense topics or running off over the weekends to distant cloud clad mountains or waking up late over the weekends and doing nothing had left me –I felt at the time of the walk- devoid of what I was missing.
Little school kids ran past me with big smiles on their faces and a teenage youth walking ahead of me playfully patted one’s head. The kids joked over that. Soon I walked fast as I crossed “Lakdi Pool”, the waters on the mutha had subsided, and the canal was full leaving the sides to dry up. The brown slush was sparkling under the sunny dark cloud cover. This is when I realized it was getting more humid.
This is also when I realized I had a loose zip and gave a wide angle smile zipping up. Crossed the road and walked on via “Garware Bridge” peering into “Popular Book House”. This store once, I considered to be the central Book House in Pune, now looked defeated to me to the might of Crosswords and the e-books revolution.
Soon went past Hotel Lucky onto F.C. Road. The paradise for any teen or any male for that matter :). The road was spick and span, and a usual row of four wheels were parked alongside the pavement.
Here a thought flew past me to catch a rickshaw, since the perspiration caught up and I realized the A/C confines could give me a headache! A few paces more… So I carried on as I walked passed the FC college gate.
Soon I reached the “Tukaram Paduka Chowk” and noticed some Guys having an eyeful for the Girls crossing the road. Smirked a smile, and realized this for the next couple of incidences.
The monotone of the walk was taking its toll on me so I crossed the road as a rickshaw-walla looked at me with hopeful eyes, but I walked past. I mean having walked this far maybe a just a couple more kilometers.
The never-ending flyover construction work came to my site. This construction had taken its toll on many things
1. The road was blocked
2. The road was riddled with potholes and nails and other debris from construction
3. The construction work seemed to go on forever
4. Commutation through one of the busiest roads of Pune was foolishly put off the map with no standby routes in place. Even if any alternatives were present they simply spelled chaos.
So I stared up the part completed arch of the flyover. And noticed some 3 workers sitting relaxed, and having a jolly time getting a sight full of girls off FC road, or so I thought - The jerks!
I also noticed that other workers at the site were sitting around doing nothing, but chit chatting. The weather was great, no rains in sight. The only working lot here- were a couple of cranes digging the road, and commuters crossing the barriers to get on the other side.
So I walked right along towards “Rahul” theater and back right towards Agricultural College. “Rahul” theater, which at one time was one of the most prestigious and advanced theater was now all torn apart and in a very sorry state.
I moved on, and took a turn on the road from Agricultural College towards Shivajinagar. I still could notice the 3 jerks looking staring onto the wide expanse of the teenage road.
One good thing this construction work has brought about – is that this road (Agri. Co. Rd.) is now back to its original glory. Calm and quiet. Hardly any vehicles commute here. To the left side are a few cart hawkers who sell some fast food (tea / eggs etc). Just a few people, else this road is all empty.
I walked on as the Shivajinagar bus-stand passed by, now under modernization I suppose :). I wanted to walk and walk, as I was getting a hang and rhythm of it, but alas the road came to an end as I walked down the steps of the Bombay-Pune highway underground and back up the other side to my office –MayFair towers.
I decided on skipping the elevator (lift) and trot up instead, this I did and was resting on my seat in no time. Enjoyed the sweets got by my colleague and spent the rest of the day the usual way.
Evening took a rickshaw to the service station and got the vehicle. It was one jolly good day! :)
Labels: ShortTalk
posted by vindy | 9:56 PM
1 Comments:
5 km walk on a work day. Guess someone has a lot of time on hand!!!
Yeah, the roads and other infrastructures in Pune are in a sorry state. I read about them almost on a daily basis. Sadly, the once "Pensioners' Paradise" has been taken over by the hustle-bustle of a hap-hazardly growing city.
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