Consequent on
shifting from the airy fifth floor room to the first floor office which is
claustrophobic, I have been struggling to post. Decided to get it off my chest
today!
Last week has been
good for running with a Full on Valentine’s Day and the usual 32K on other days
with only two days of bunking. This week’s share of the bunk started with the
one yesterday, stiff heels was the official cause for the record.
Even though the summer
is insidiously creeping in, the mornings are still cool and running upto 7:30
AM is still manageable. Chennai Express has rescheduled to 5 AM and our
meetings have been few and far between. Kakinada Express has been very regular
even though the meeting point has become flexible to any point on the route
instead of the mandatory waiting at the Light house. We run quietly much like a
much married couple who don’t need words to communicate! Today I started at
4:14 AM.
As I crossed the Citi
bank ATM, the sleepy guard with his head dropped over his chest seems to be
belying the adage, the Citi never sleeps’. My new friend Selva kumar( he works
at the petrol pump, ‘Pure for Sure’ outlet next to Prince Jewelers shop) who made
my acquaintance on the TTK bridge on Valentine’s day seeking remedy for his
diabetes. He was on duty at the pump today and gave me a big wave. The guard
outside the AVM choultry who was lectured by me about quitting his smoking
habit of over 15 years when I had met him after my water break after the
marathon last Saturday, was catching up on sleep before the fixture for the day
at the venue claims his full attention.
The cows have been
shying away from my offering of banana peels much like the cops in Delhi shying
away from Hafta, wary of the Kejriwal! I had to carry my precious gifts for
them till the second loop while I had to walk to my trusted black beauty, who
despite having had her fill (was already in the cud-chewing phase!) obliged me,
she must have to do an extra loop in the evening walk today!
Today I met Yesudas
look alike before the Labour statue ( and did I tell you this, his name is
actually Yesudas!). He rides a motorbike and usually stops at the Saravana
Bhawan outlet before coming to Marina for his walk with his partner. Today we
had met near Saravana Bhawan itself earler.
I reached Lighthouse at 4:54 AM. The dogs were
sitting on their haunches near the Labour statue as their gravy train seems to
have been delayed today. I found a young man walking in the nude oblivious of
the crowd of well heeled walkers, he seemed to be rebelling against the overdressed
milieu around him. Even I in my shorts with the top tied around my waist was
feeling overdressed in his presence. A thought crossed my mind if I should put
on him my top (it would have not covered the bare essentials, as my top is skimpy
like GolMaal Amol’s kurta, just enough
for ‘upar ke sharer ke lajja nivaran ke liye’!). I was also wary of his
reaction to my act, would he take it as my curtailing of his freedom of
expression. While I was doing this intellectual gymnastics through my two loops
around the island ground, he seemed to have vanished by the time I came back on
the Marina stretch. I reached the Gandhi statue at 6:44 AM by my mobile (the
clock at the intersection, the one which chimes every 15 minutes, seemed to have
stopped at 6:30!).The return journey home was uneventful and I was outside the
colony gates at 7:19 AM. This equaled my fastest 32K of 3:05 even though I seemed
to have taken it easy but for the brief speed run at the end of first loop with
the Doctor while reaching the Lighthouse.
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