The morning walk is something I look forward, as it is a feast for all my senses. I step out, and the green canopy of the trees in the Mini Forest greets me and envelopes me. I feel the cool morning air; it invigorates me and encourages me to walk faster.
Just outside my gate, I can see a variety of colours…the different vegetables and fruits which the vendors bring in the mornings, to sell to the walkers and joggers.
My feet feel the hard cement of the road….and also the broken edges of the potholes that the road is liberally festooned with, especially as the monsoon progresses.
My ears catch the sounds of the car horns, first; then the exchanges between the vegetable vendors and their customers, as the usual haggling goes on. But as I go ahead, the call of the barbets and the koels add to my enjoyment.
The fragrance from the flowers in the push-carts makes me smile; and a little later, the smell of coffee has me confused…is it from the Cotha’s Coffee factory, or from Park View, the darshini which is right there, and where most of my birding outings end? I don’t know..but I enjoy the aroma as I stride briskly.
The sight of the Passiflora (Passion Flower) blooming in its red beauty uplifts my spirits. I step through a carpet of fallen Akasha Mallige (Indian Cork Tree) flowers, inhaling their heady scent, and look up at the flowers of the African Tulip and the Copper-seed Pod trees. The huge Eucalyptus trees also waft their faint but unmistakable smell my way.
I enjoy seeing the different people; some bundled up, some in shorts, some of the ladies still in their nighties….the Laughter Club, a fixture for many years, has its members laughing whole-heartedly as I pass. People do their yoga or pranayama, or just sit on the seats, talking, or taking in the peace of the morning.
I look at the software companies down one side of the road, and the houses on the other, and muse on this co-existence of the commercial and the residential. A convention hall is busy with people putting up floral decorations, preparing for a wedding.
A wonderful walk, that, in the words of the song, "fills up my senses", and sets me up for the day ahead! ⊕
Go to Google Maps and put in “Casa Ansal, J P Nagar 3rd Phase” and you will see the Mini Forest behind the apartment building. It’s a 1-km narrow stretch of trees, in four sections. It’s great for early morning walking, running and jogging.