Sukhna…
Anybody who has not witnessed the beauty of the place, at dawn, especially on a Sunday, has not lived enough. Yes, it is that beautiful and I am, in no way, being hyperbolic. Despite having lived in Chandigarh for three years, two – when I was doing my Masters in Social Work and ten months since I shifted here after marriage, I had never seen the beauty and wonder of the place for what it really was. It is only now that I have had the awakening, pun intended. I wake up at 6 and go for a walk/jog and believe you me, my dead brain cells are coming back to life; my body and I are on talking terms again. I have finally found the elusive Holy Grail.
It is hard to believe that, previously, I had visited the Lake only as a tourist. You go there in the evening, wearing your best clothes, pedal a little on the boats, sigh and observe, get your sketch done, enjoy a bhelpuri or two and you are ready to head back home. But, the early morning show is the one you should buy yourself a ticket of. It is free, it is gold.
Did I know that miraculously fit and zany souls practiced Rowing, yes the sport, in the Sukhna waters, the very sight of their bright orange and blue racing shells making me drool? Did I know that Fencing, Gymnastic, Wrestling sessions are also held? Now, to that you add yoga, rings, bars, joggers track, guitar and photography enthusiasts, physical training for police administration students, the beautiful birds, light instrumental music making you swoon, the sitting space, the view and so much more too. You will find people of all age-groups, shapes and sizes running, walking, skipping, hopping, chatting, defying gravity and being grateful for the soulful, spiritual extravaganza that the Sukhna landscape offers. I do wonder if the true blue Chandigarhians – the original ‘born and brought up’ UT flock ever take this place for granted. Do they value the blessing that they have been served on a platter? I suppose they do as you will see most of them never littering the place, never spitting, defacing or vandalizing the property. I recently observed a group of five walkers, picking up disposable plates and bottles, among other things (apparently someone had had a late night party at the lake and forgotten to clean up after themselves) and putting them in the bin, all the while joking, “lagta hai kal raat achhi daawat thi yahan par.”
Wait, there’s more. The show-stoppers, without a doubt, are children and the elderly. I am all smiles when I see young, fitness loving parents bringing their babies (children as young as 1 or 2, 4 or 5, 8 or 9) along, leading by example and inculcating in their offspring the importance of staying physically active, all the while ensuring that they grow, despite the modern-day limitations, in the nature’s lap. But it is the elderly that I particularly envy, especially this 6 foot 2, fit as a fiddle, unbelievably handsome septuagenarian who almost always takes my breath away. Before anybody reading this starts rolling their eyes as if to say that I have a thing for older men, I must clarify that it is the spirit, as opposed to his looks, that I am after. Well, actually, looks too (Wink). I have also come across a few replicas of Khushwant Singh, as they walk the talk with their friends, discussing current and personal affairs, throwing caution to the wind and giving two hoots what the world will think.
Do not go by what I say; a picture paints a thousand words, go experience the sway!