The Evening Ride

I just came back after cycling around the familiar streets of my beloved city, a practise I started mid pandemic. Every evening at around six, I take my cycle out through the narrow lanes of Malleswaram, an area that never fails to bustle with activity in the evening, I guess people are now tired of sitting at home and have come to accept life as it is. This evening ritual of cycling has become a somewhat meditative experience in itself, and is an activity that I rather look forward to after spending hours working from home, or at least sitting at home. 

And so as I begin my solitary journey glorying in the familiar feeling of my mask, I ride through the city to encounter winding roads that continuously go up and down like a roller coaster of sorts and with every climb I look forward to the drop that follows. As I start the local descent, I let go of any thoughts or worries that I have in my mind, a complete surrender and follow the undulations of the road wherever they may take me, until I reach the next hurdle which I then navigate afresh. This process of focus and letting go in succession serves as a lesson in itself and the surrender that follows the period of focus is quite a blissful experience. As I ride, I am also made aware of my own breath and a powerful pulsating feeling that follows a particularly steep climb. I must confess, I don’t always pull up my mask to cover my nose while I ride, as I discovered very early on, I don’t particularly like the smell of my breath, but I do quickly pull it up the moment I encounter a reasonable crowd or traffic; better to bear with my bad breath than to risk an infection. 

I ride on thus, and past the lake at Sanky tank, through the quiet and serene streets of Sadashivanagar. With the lake on my left, I ride through the shadows provided by the canopy of trees, and watch the sun set slowly, reflecting my own leisurely pace, and take in the fresh air that only mother nature can provide. The wind whistles passed my ears and the moisture from the gentle evening drizzle that is quite typical these days, feels almost cleansing. I continue this sojourn and pass many familiar places that I often visited in the days gone by, it almost seems a lifetime away, and see that they are as they always were, but for the crowds that they used to attract. A strange nostalgic and solemn feeling overcomes me, as I now proceed to travel passed the house that was home to many a sweet memory with friends who soon became family. 

Onwards I go, to visit the now desolate green turf where many nights were spent in intense football and laughter with friends I have not seen in many months. As I pass through many such changing scenes, I am well aware of the many feelings associated with them and yet I find myself strangely detached. They all appear to be a happening, flowing with me as I ride the ups and downs of the road and navigate the traffic while resting within. I now begin my journey back to my home in Malleswaram, and carefully choose quieter streets that are naturally conducive to reflection. I am finally home again and park my cycle under the stairs as my breath now eases into a meditative rhythm. Having washed my hands, I then make myself a cup of tea and ease into the chair in front of my window, reflecting on this experience. With every sip I take, I taste the essence of all that is good, and sit quietly enjoying the natural stillness that now overwhelms my mind.