Park Sarcastic!

Parks in big congested Indian cities perform one of the noblest humanitarian services of providing comparatively safe and cosy corners to young couples, married or unmarried, to spend some precious private moments. But of course, there are various types of parks: some are smaller with bushy overgrowth all around and patches of thick grass interspersed with narrow gravel paths and stone benches at convenient corners; some other medium-sized but similar parks have additional facilities for children playing including toy gyms; some larger parks have cemented pavements rounding off the greenish ground in between, the pavement is meant obviously for the walkers; and some still larger parks with almost genuine football-cricket grounds in the middle with cement pavement running all along the square, and concrete benches thrown beyond the pavement, toward the borders. The latter variety is a multipurpose park—for morning and evening walkers, football-cricket matches, and of course, for the lovebirds. Out tale is about such a park.

 

The park presents an interesting sight from late afternoon to evenings. I’m not talking about the mornings, because the mornings are mostly serene with genuine walkers doing their scheduled rounds, an occasional football match and scarcely the couples except for some young groups sitting on the benches or loitering along the pavement and disturbing the serious walkers, often sipping tea and smoking. I’m going to mention this fact later too as to why people have to enter clean and green parks to smoke or take tea.

 

The late-afternoons and evenings are very special. There will be at least three separate football-cricket matches going on spiritedly all across the playground, defying either a hot summer sun or rains; some benches beyond the pavement would serve as greenrooms for the matches and the others would mostly be occupied by youngsters consisting of boys and girls; in a few benches one or two young ladies would sit keeping the remaining space reserved, perhaps waiting for their boyfriends; as we mentioned earlier some mixed groups would walk the slowest along the pavement blocking the genuine walkers; I see many other young men lighting a cigarette in an outside shop and then royally entering the park to relish it, don’t understand why; most of the youngsters would be without masks with social distancing disabled for all around thanks to their unholy clustering; and the most surprising aspect being the fact that the huge majority of the serious walkers would be the elderly people and senior citizens, barring a few younger exceptions. Well, this latter fact speaks volumes for the health woes affecting the younger population of India with a vengeance in the recent years.

 

That evening I finished my rounds, rested myself at a secluded corner and as I was exiting through the main gate I noticed a cycle rickshaw stopping near the gate, and a good looking, well-built young lady getting down. She settled the fare and immediately started speaking to her mobile as she headed toward the gate. I got curious: this means lovebirds come from quite a distance to this spot, most probably for a most memorable rendezvous. To confirm the same I re-entered the park and observed her from a distance.

 

Now, she is talking excitedly in her mobile, slowly walking along the pavement. After several minutes of talking she roughly stashes her phone into her hand bag and looks around aimlessly for some moments, perhaps not able to decide what to do. I guessed her boyfriend would be unduly late for the rendezvous and the vexed girl was in a double mind—to go back home angry or not to waste the evening by waiting a little more.

 

Finally, she seemed to have found her resolve. She started walking, keeping a genuine space, all along the pavement. I watched with more interest now if it was going to be a serious business of an evening walk. She made the first round and did not stop, continuing with the second round and not reducing the speed. I smiled with satisfaction. Well, by design or by accident or by sheer default the young lady did veritably indulge in some serious exercise which would hopefully inspire her to do it regularly or at least occasionally as long as her boyfriend continued to be late. By the time I finally made my exit the young lady was completing her fifth round, and taking out her mobile to check the time.