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| A walk to remember
Lush green grass, blooming colourful
flowers, fitness freaks, joggers, children playing in groups, people walking
their dogs, parents enjoying the company of their toddlers… Off course anyone
can visualise the scene of being in a park. Let’s not talk about the verdant
beauty. Through this blog post I would like to recall few memories and talk about how
people use this place as a meeting point for discussing various issues, what’s
new in other’s lives, how to master the art of cooking and so on.
Last week, while sitting idle at home, I
decided to take a stroll at a nearby park.
So dressed in my tracks & favourite
shoes, here I was to run with great vigour & enthusiasm.
The green clad place looked beautiful. It
was rejuvenating for the eyes to look at the blooming flowers. The aroma of
roses filled the air. The place, which was thought to be calm and serene,
turned out to be a fish market with people coming for different purposes.
My speed slowed down as group of ladies
discussing about pasta were taking short steps while walking. Forget about Master Chef India or Master Chef
Australia. Why search for new recipes on you tube, google when you have the
experts with you. To them, a visit is no less than a kitty party. It was no
less than a competition to show their supremacy, as a cook, over other
contenders. And, then we discovered the Punjabi version of pasta. If David
Rocco, Italian chef, had been there, he would have either died of maniac attack
because of enough experiment done to pasta or he would have welcomed the idea.
The focus of discussion moved from
discovering ways to prepare pasta to tips on weight management. Quite unusual
though,huh!!!. A minute ago, a group that was discussing about putting extra
cheese or oil to make a dish scrumptious, now turned fitness conscious. One of
the ladies got my attention that was constantly worrying about her weight gain.
She was groaning about putting on 2 kilograms in a week and how her kids constantly
reminded her of hitting a gym or spare an hour for yoga from her busy schedule
which, most of time, is spent watching the teleserials. Ironically, she was the
one who was advising the group of putting extra cheese, consuming aerated
drinks daily. With heavy bosom, ballooned and bulging belly, sagging arms, she
was proceeding with tiny steps along with her comrades. Enough of the recipe
classes for me. I decided to dodge the group to continue for the purpose I came
for.
Stepping ahead, my attention was grabbed by
congregation of people who were laughing horrendously. And they called it
Laughter Therapy. I could sense the differences in the modulation of their
laughter. Few were laughing raising their hands upwards while other, still
amateur, and new to the group, tried to emulate the tactics followed by the
experienced ones. I gazed at a confused novice who stood confused wondering who
to follow as everyone was following his own chores. Shrewdly, he moved out of
the area smartly without having caught anyone’s attention. Taking a deep sigh
of relief as he outsmarted others in escaping, the man sat on a bench and
started chanting closing his eyes trying to meditate.
The other patch was covered by the small
group of enthusiasts trying to master the art of yoga. Most of them being
potbellied were concerned about shedding those extra inches from the flabs. In
an effort to develop flat abs within a day, one of the man fell down while
doing asanas.
As dusk did set in, I decided to head towards
home when a couple caught my attention. Hiding themselves somewhere in the
corner amidst bushes, they caught my attention through public display of
affection. Though they cuddled with complete precision, but as they say, such
couples can be easily traced though escaping from the eyes of joggers. Though people
gazed at them, yet they did not bother and were romancing with audacity. And as
they say, love has no boundaries. The girl blushing and embarrassed as they
were caught, tried to slide the fringes, falling on her forehead.
Having encountered a lot in an hour’s time,
I stepped out of the park churning the rusty revolving gate. That was the end
of the story. Extremely amused, I narrated the scenes to my mother once I came
back home. I went to a park with a different purpose, to burn extra calories,
to shed some pounds. But the hour spent their turned out to be comical that
tickled my funny bones.
Each one of us must have come across such
people. Let’s put those in categories. There could be mater chefs of the
moment, reporters of the day or laughter therapists. Share your experiences
too.
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8th July 2016- It was 1320 hours when the plane landed at Dabolim airport. As we stepped out, cool breeze flowing added more to the excitement. The place welcomed us with refreshing gentle wind filled with aroma of wet sand. What else could have one asked for. As the cab drove us to the hotel, we were entranced by the captivating view of the Arabian Sea . Both sides of the road were covered by coconut trees with wind stirring their branches. As we crossed Mapusa, roads became narrower with bars, taverns, hotels and restaurants constructed with beautiful facade resembling Portuguese architecture. Equally, enchanting was to see lanterns hung at the entrance of the colourful houses. The drive involving transfer from airport to the hotel was rejuvenating that guaranteed a trip loaded with excitement. It was monsoon and the entire state was wet and looked surreal. The clouds were partly covered by the grey lining. Though Goa is known for beaches, yet
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