(In the park after walk)
“Few people know how to
take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye
for nature, good humour, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing
too much.”
-Ralph
Waldo Emerson
I started morning walk
religiously after I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2009. I had unitary tract
infection (UTI) and was running with high fever. The fever did not remit after
taking medicines. The doctor advised me to
go for urine culture and various tests including blood sugar test. My blood
sugar level was detected high. He prescribed medicines for UTI after he
examined the urine culture report and also medicine for diabetes. I took
medicines for UTI, but waited for taking medicines for diabetes.
My doctor friend, writer Dr.
Sriprasad Mohanty, was, at that time, working in MKCG medical college and
hospital in Berhampur. I rang him up. He advised me to wait till he came to
Cuttack at the week end. He examined my test-reports, told me not to take
medicine for high sugar level in blood; instead, he advised to regulate my food
habits, avoid sweets and starchy foods, and go for morning walk every day, at
least, for forty or forty-five minutes a day. After two months of following his
advice and restrictions on food, he told me to test blood. His reasoning; if I
took medicines and also followed the instructions on food and walk, the effect of
the latter we could not know. I followed his instructions and after two months
I got tested my blood sugar. It was normal. I continued with morning walk and
tested my blood sugar, at least, once in six months. My sugar level was
remaining normal.
I did not take medicines
till 2014. After that, I had to take medicines since blood sugar level could
not be controlled with regulated food habit and morning walk only. Stress and
work pressure in the office told on my body and mind.
(Morning walker at a breakfast meet)
Morning walk became for
me a habit and later, an addiction. If for some reason, I did not go for a walk
in the morning I felt uneasy the whole day. If I had been on tour or travel to
other places, I would find time to go for morning walk. Before I came to stay
in Bhubanswar, I was in Cuttack. I would wake up early, finish my morning
ablution and start for walk by six in the morning. I would cover the Jobra anicut
which is a few metres less than two kilometres.
( After walk, at a tea stall, Cuttack)
In Kalinganagar,
Bhubaneswar where I am a resident, I go for walk every day to the Abdul Kalam
Park, also known as Baga (crane) park every day.
Most of the morning
walkers form into groups. They walk together, discussing and chitchatting, and
also sit for a few minutes after the walk. Sometimes, they relax or add to
pleasure, by taking tea at the stall behind the park; physical exercise as well
as unwinding, if one has any kind of worry.
Our morning walk group
consists of engineer, academician, geologist, administrators, bankers and
police officers. Of course, all have retired. We are having ample time. Sometimes,
we organize picnic. Someone or other of our group host breakfast or evening
tea. What calory we loss in the walk, perhaps, we replenish in breakfast or
evening tea.
( morning walker in an evening Khatti)
The topic of discussion
in the group depends upon the contemporary events; maybe literature, general
election, Russia-Ukraine or Israel- Hamas wars, inflation, love of the young
people without fear or live-in relations, corruption in government works and of
the political parties, colony politics, in other words, anything on earth. Since the members
have come from different background and having varied experience, they
contribute to the discussion and make it lively.
The walkers return happy
after the walk and wait for the next morning to join the group and walk.
*****
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