Romanticisation of the riding experience
12:30 am: I think to myself, do I go to quark to have some grub or do I start working on that darned code which seems so eluding? I do neither! With a comp in front of you and access to millions of websites and infinite music and movies, it seems a really daunting task to gain self-control and get started with the task at hand.
12:45 am: After having wasted 15 minutes on the act of deliberating the next course of action, I look out the window in my room. Ofcourse, I see darkness and the vague outlines of trees and an occasional hooting of some unknown bird, but the more important thing is that these early morning times have captured my imagination long ago and I visualise myself cycling on the East coast Road, no vehicles in sight - Just me, my cycle and the infinte stretch of smooth asphalt road that continually beckons me supplemented by the cool breeze, at times gentle and at times potent brushing against my face - Hmm, that's heaven.
12:50 am: I am out of my room headed towards the cycle stand just adjacent to the hostel and I smile and admire as always at the beauty that I treasure. As I hit the campus road, I see a few people headed to quark and a few others visiting other hostels or maybe returning to their own hostels. I increase the speed and feel the chilly air in the campus hit me and I start to feel a little cold as a mere t-shirt and short don't serve to make one warm and cosy at the current moment. As I approach the Gajendra circle, passing by the oat and library, I see a few couples happily chirping away as they stroll past, enjoying the privacy on the roads.
12:55 am: Having passed the GC, I suddenly observe with a little fear and more with a sense of excitement, that I am the only one on the road, except ofcourse for the ocassional deer crossing the road or grazing in the bushes. I look up and observe the star-studded sky with the moon occupying the centre-stage and reassure myself that I am not alone out here.
The next 10 minutes of cycling makes me wonder why I need to go to Muttukadu, when I can relive that experience, right here at anytime as I please. With a tinge of nostalgia, I recollect the time when I first stepped foot here and was awed by the natural beauty of this place located in the smallest national park in India. The same feeling sweeps me over as the campus appears more alive and more beautiful then ever.
Pressing the pedal harder, I veer wildly on the road and in a rush of adrenalin, shout out with pure joy - woooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Having had my fill of this natural high, I head back towards the hostel. It is indeed these genre of experiences, that makes my otherwise uneventful life in the campus memorable.
Kennenisa Bekele with the WR
A favorite in 1996 and 2000 olympics, El G finally realised his dream at the 2004 olympics with a double gold
9 comments:
very nicely written... after reading this i felt as if i was there doing it :-)... how i wish i could do it now!!
Sometimes some pals and I visit the Dhaba express in your campus quite late in the nights.... it was/is always refreshing to drive through the lonely tree filled stretches
I wish I had studied in some college which had as big campus as that of IIT and where I could walk alone on the road at unearthly hours without any fear... only me and the nature.
you know what....what you write makes me live the past. I feel myself on those roads, lonely roads, that i have travelled so many times.
@naikutti: Thanks naikutti. Hmm, I also wish I could trek as often as you do :-) Though on a side note, I was feeling a bit nostalgic myself, when I was writing this post as I have only a few months left here...
@Karthikeyan: Oh, you guys come here to have grub?? That's cool. Yeah, it is quite an experience indeed :-)
@Deepa: Hey deepa, You can always do it early in the morning, though there would be a quite a few walkers then. Campus life does have its charm...:-)
@Prem: Yeah yeah...especially taking pics all around iit rite and may be those hikes into the jungle...:-)
thts reall nice, now i cant do al this, even if not cycling, takin my bullet out and goin for a drive down ecr,
whch coll u at btwn?
Hey ada-paavi!! Thanks! Ur name reminds me of another guy who has a pen name: adengappa! Ok pun aside, I am from IITM.
i know precisely how you feel...been there , done that...:)...and getting all nostalgic coz these are my last couple of months on campus...keep blogging!
Hey 'still searching', nice to know that :-). My creativity levels(trying out new stuff) these two months also seem to be on the rise :D
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