Yesterday, I did something hadn’t done in the eight years I lived in Gurgaon, something hazardous and dangerous, something not for the faint hearted, something most of the Gurgaonites would not do even under the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. But I was feeling a little reckless, daring. Yes, gentle reader. I did it. I walked on a public road. I walked almost 2 km for a total duration of 20 minutes and lived to tell the tale.
I had dropped my daughter off at an evening class and decided to spend the time at the nearby Galleria Shopping complex doing some chores and some unnecessary shopping. I managed to get a parking spot near the building where she was. I was reluctant to drive again and begin the fruitless search for another parking spot. I like walking. On many days, I do a brisk 45 minutes on the walking track in our building. I have walked through many European cities for over 5 hours. I can do easily do a short stroll across for 10-15 minutes, I reasoned.
I stepped out on the road with a sense of adventure and a little trepidation. I had barely walked a few steps when a strange smell assailed my nostrils. Usually ensconced in an air conditioned car, I had seen but never smelt the peculiar odour of wet rotting garbage. It is a stench that reminds one of all that is spoilt and suppurating in this world. I covered my nose and crossed the road waving my hands to stop a passing scooter from running me over.
A maid in an orange sari whizzed by on a black cycle, looking down at me snootily, as though only deprived crazy people would venture out on foot. A black and white stray dog decided to join in my adventure and trotted after me. There is something about a stray dog walking behind me that makes my hair stand up and chills run down my spine. I have a sense of impending doom as though it might just reach out and grab a chunk of my calf muscle. I tried to appear nonchalant and quickened my pace.
At the turning in front of a school, the road that led to Galleria had magically transformed into a giant pool with dark murky water. The dog decided not to make the crossing and trotted off. I looked around for some way out. There was no point waiting for some Walter Raleigh to lay down a cloak for me to cross. There were three grubby men in the garb of construction workers squatting on a pile of rubble on one side of the road. I couldn’t risk the slushy muddy strip on the side of the road which in another city would have been called a pavement or sidewalk. But, of course, we don’t have those things in Gurgaon. I didn’t fancy a mud bath.
I examined the pool closely and found that some rock or brick was jutting out of the waters, enough for a toe hold. By performing a complicated manoeuvre which required the agility of a ballerina, the flexibility of a Yoga teacher and the stride of a long jumper, one could reach a dry spot on the side of the road. I managed a clumsy flop with only a slight crick in the neck, a cracking in the joint and a smear of mud on my slippers. The three men gave me strange looks. They were probably sniggering behind my back.
I reached Galleria, spent a pleasant hour on dry land and braced myself for the journey back. I managed to leap across the pool and made it to the road with my toes and dignity intact. This time there seemed to be a conspiracy among the neighbourhood cars which had no intention of allowing me to cross the road. I was stuck on one side forced to share space with two pigs that seemed intent on increasing the porcine population in our city. I turned away from the live Animal Planet Special and waited for a lull in the traffic. Where are those Walk/Don’t Walk signs when you need them?
The cars are a superior species that completely ignore anything that did not have four wheels. Walkers were the lowest on the food chain. Even passing cows got more respect than passing pedestrians. I vowed to be kinder to common man or woman on foot the next time I was in a moving vehicle. I picked up my daughter and sank thankfully into the seat of my car. It would be some time before I ventured to walk on our roads again.
