Morning Walk Motivations

 

The motivation to go for morning walks may be myriad but can be broadly divided into four categories - health, pets, socializing, and spending some me-time.

Among those going for health reasons, there are the ageing fitness enthusiasts who can no longer run as Achilles tendonitis and sciatica have taken a toll on their legs. But they are in no mood to give up on their fitness goals.

They are pretty serious, often loners, and more or less in shape. They move at a brisk pace and see walking as a means to maintain good health parameters and keep the doctor away.

The second group is that of people who went easy on calories and now find that, thanks to their newly-acquired curves, they can no longer slip into their favourite jeans and dresses. As for motivation, they are a mixed bag – some stay on with their walking regimens while others give up once their calf muscles and knees can’t take any more strain. 

I sometimes come across a woman, who falls in this category, and wears t-shirts with very motivating slogans such as ‘Don’t give up’, ‘Stay strong’, ‘Donut tempt me.’

Then there are reluctant walkers. They put on the walking shoes because doctors have told them to do so. They may be recovering from complicated surgeries and are often on the wrong side of 40 or 50, with an unhealthy midriff bulge. Some are even akin to that of Sumo wrestlers.

Their motivation levels are pretty low and are often accompanied by their spouses. They amble along as they don't want to provoke their spouse’s wrath.

The socializers are mostly women and retired people. They come mainly to hang out with their friends and old colleagues. Conversations circle around movies, politics, and cricket. Burning calories is purely incidental. 

Then there are couples, mostly college students and young working professionals. They too amble along, sometimes holding hands, or hanging around in the vicinity exchanging sweet nothings.

Me-time seekers come generally alone. Their main purpose is to make and receive calls that can’t be done while at home, or listening to music. 

Another major category of walkers includes those who have pet dogs. Walking the dog can be a tricky business, and in some cases, it is difficult to make out who has the upper hand over the leash – the pet handler or the dog. Certain breeds are difficult to handle when they are restless and frustrated.

The pet handlers have a tough time ensuring that the dogs do not digress from the pre-determined course. The reason for digression can be many – ranging from some attractive scent to finding a bird or squirrel.

A major concern for pet handlers is the intimidation by stray dogs. These street-smart canines try to bully their privileged cousins, especially smaller breeds such as poodles and pugs, leaving pet handlers at their wits' end. Many even carry sticks to prevent such attacks.

With some city administrations acting tough on pet litter, many pet handlers are using dog poop scoopers while walking the dog. 

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Morning Walk Vignettes

The shifting of airport to Devanahalli has freed the approach roads to the HAL Airport from eternal traffic snarls and honkings, and it now resembles one of those sleepy boulevards that Bangalore was once famous for. However, it somehow has not caught the fancy of morning walkers in the area. Probably the stigma of those horrific traffic jams still remains.

I once chanced to come upon this stretch and decided to abandon other trails. The road at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine end and the other one which has the Blue Dart office present a chalk and cheese contrast. The former is well maintained while the latter is unkempt with garbage strewn on the footpath and taxis and lorries parked on both ends. There are even some makeshift eateries and their wafting sambhar smell often aggravates my hunger pangs.

As for the walkers, barring few guys most seem to be the strolling types and are more engrossed with their cell phone, iPods or in conversation with the walking partner.

In most instances it is the husband and wife team and I guess burning calories is the last thing in their minds when they put on the walking shoes. Probably they were following some doctor’s advice with much reluctance. There is one bespectacled guy, mostly in blue t-shirt, who comes solo and seems to be doing what may best be described as a Tai Chi version of jogging.  

There is another guy – a six foot plus, who probably is in the police force or the army. He does some real brisk walking and I must confess I am no match to his pace. A couple of times I did try to catch up with him but his lanky strides were too much for me.

There is one middle aged couple who are quite regular; the man is tall and gaunt with pepper and salt hair, with more of latter. They are serious walkers and do it quite briskly. They seem to be a friendly lot and often nod at me and I nod back out of politeness, all the while wondering who the Dickens they are.

I do come across some women walking their dogs. A middle aged woman with a Dachshund seems to be a regular and sometimes I do see a young woman with a Golden Retriever. The women with Dash often tosses biscuits to stray dogs and even pats them. Probably this is her way of buying peace to prevent her diminutive Dash from becoming their mince meat.

The road is lined with trees and some of them do provide a visual treat when they flower.  The road and the footpath often gets ‘carpeted’ by leaves and flowers, but they don’t remain so for long as the civic workers diligently sweep them away.

Among civic workers I often come across a husband and wife team with their toddler son in tow. Often they take turns to keep an eye on him as they move on with the job of clearing leaves and other wastes.

The trees are abuzz with various birds, mainly crows, and squirrels. One day I happened to come across a squirrel tail on the road, wondering how it got cut asunder. For this gentle looking animal it must have been really painful.

At the erstwhile car park of the airport compound what struck my attention was a Contessa car. I have been seeing it parked ever for too long. Most probably the owner just abandoned the vehicle for a sleeker and less fuel guzzling sedan. He may not have found a buyer or even the scrap guys refused to take it. This rusting jalopy stands in contrast to more contemporary cars parked there.

This luxury offering from the Hindustan Motors’ stable was quite a rage in the late 80s and early 90s, when it had a competition-free ride. Now sighting a Contessa on the road is as rare as sighting a sparrow in our cities.

However, quite recently, to my surprise, I saw the car had disappeared from the parking lot. Often wonder what happened - probably it caught the fancy of some scrap dealer or maybe, at the risk of sounding too optimistic, the owner thought it is worth a makeover.

Apart from the rains, the only spoiler to my morning walks is the 'VIP movement'. Though the aam janta has to trudge all the way to Devanahalli to catch a flight, the netas still use this airport to fly to Delhi. On these days the road at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine end gets cordoned off and police men land up in droves. These stoppages become all the more frequent when there is some political uncertainty in the state and these VIP trips to and from Delhi become all the more frequent.

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