Vijay Phanshikar 

 

 

AS ONE takes a leisurely drive or a ride or a walk on what has now got recognised officially as “Walkers’ Paradise” in Nagpur’s Civil Lines, one gets to understand more fully the definition of leisure offered by philosopher Dr. Paul Weiss: Leisure time is that portion of the day not used for meeting exigencies of existence. This 900-meter stretch of road from ‘Ramgiri’, Chief Minister’s Official Residence in Nagpur at the northern end, to the Police Gymkhana at the southern end, is one place in the city that has all the components that one can put together for a perfect time of leisure -- if one wills. The loosefooter has chosen to write on this stretch of road at different times in different ways. The most profound sense he gathers while visiting this stretch of road in car or on a two-wheeler or on foot is of its ability to offer a great locale for leisure. The loosefooter has often described the wonderful branches of great, tall, ancient trees arching over the passageway as a ‘Cathedral of Nature’ under whose canopy one attains an almost instant sense of being at peace.

 

The unmissable coolness the greenery showers on people on this road, the unmistakable sense of closeness to Nature (despite buildings lining both sides of the street), the unmatched feeling of one’s own smallness against the tall trees lining the street on both sides ... everything on this stretch of road invites everybody to forget “exigencies of existence” and surrender self to an experience of profound leisure that may not be any less than the bliss stemming from meditation. A couple of years ago, the authorities added a good sprinkling of well-made sculptures of men and women walkers in different styles and humourous captions -- pet-lovers on the walk, fitness freaks, fashion-conscious women, fat ladies in a hurry to reduce the bulge, boys loafing around, old men on a slow-patient walk, old person with a grandchild ... !

 

Looking at those sculptures, enjoying the craft of the people who made those possible, appreciating the very idea, abandoning the walk and squatting on the roadside grassy landscapes or benches, look up and deep into the foliaged canopies of the trees, or just observing the people enjoying the freedom to walk without the fear of vehicles etc -- without any hurry to go home or to rush for work ...! The Walkers’ Paradise offers all this and more. For, the loosefooter often finds some people with books in their hands, looking for a quiet spot along the road to sit down and read for whatever length of time. All this entails a happy fulfillment of one’s sense of leisure. This Cathedral of Nature (though groomed carefully by men over time) is one of those wonderful places to which the loosefooter would love to gravitate -- absolutely anytime! n