Skip to main content

Cycling tour to Shiva Mandir

The sun was mellowing down in the sky. The trees were living behind long shadows down the asphalt road. It was four in the early evening but the sun sets early in the winter. I decided to take out my cycle and visit the Shiv Mandir near Gaimukh.

I started my journey. I kept a bottle in the bag-pack. The road was deserted. I stopped to fill the air in my tyres. I started with a gusto that issued on my lips in the form of a song. The sky was clear blue with an odd cloud was gliding along obliviously. The wind was mild, yet soothing. The leaves rustled as if whistling. The trees slow danced in the symphony. I pedaled along passing by elegant buildings and suave shopping complexes.

I entered the Ghodbunder Road. Many a bus and car whizzed past as I was cycling on the sides of the three-lane road. The road had a decline that helped me take a breather as the cycle went on autopilot. A couple of decades ago, Ghodbunder road was a single road passing through the forests of Yeoor Hills. A sole bus traveled to and fro across the entirety of Ghodbunder Road towards Borivali.

Pedaling along I passed the Suraj Water Park. It was the first water park that was built in Thane city. I kept cycling and reached Gaimukh. A creek flows on the right and on the left is the Lord Shiva’s Temple. Earlier adjacent to the temple was a hill but now a building was being constructed. The rampant depletion of trees in this area has been a concern. But who cares if our grandchildren don’t have oxygen to breathe.

Pedaling on the slope I realized it was to steep. I got down and started dragging the cycle up top. I reached the entrance and parked the cycle. The temple has intricate carvings. It resembles temples from south India. The courtyard in big. Children were playing as their parents looked on. I could see the Gaimukh creek in the distance. The sun was getting lower down by the minute and was about to set as I started pedaling back home.

Having a glass full of Sugarcane Juice I began my return journey. I cooled down senses and I felt amazing from within. Children were coming back from school waved me. I waved back at them. I pedaled through the Ghodbunder Road the volume of traffic being the only difference.

It was dark now the sun had set long before leaving behind a crimson hue. My arms and legs were aching. The last few meters on the ramp of my society seemed to be miles. I came back home feeling gratified and exhausted at the same time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newton: A Perspective

A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know the world hadn’t ended.                     -Batman, The Dark Knight Rises Newton is a story that resonates with this quote. Its a story of a common man who sets on a mission to conduct fair elections in Konar, Chattisgarh amidst resistance from maoists and naxalites. Pairing up with corrupt government officials and promising yet indifferent co-workers, honesty and perseverance are Newton’s best allies. With Cynicism and scepticism ruling the day and a vote count as meagre as seventy six. Newton quickly realises that he has to get things in order. He tries to educate the oppressed villagers about election who have already given up on the government, but is shoved aside by the security head who says voting machine is a toy and election is a lottery. “ Great work takes time...
1 comment
Read more

The Mountain

Siddhartha was born in the month of monsoon, in a small sleepy hamlet called Thione. He was a cute and a healthy boy born to a decent couple. The father was a craftsman and mother was teacher in the town school. They lived in their cottage by the green mountains of Thione. There universe was always peaceful and happy. Siddhartha grew up in an environment that was filled with love and care. He was an efficient learner and was quickly taking his baby steps. The first word he uttered was “Maa..” that left tears of lasting joy in his mother’s eyes. He would play for hours with his toys and would then have his lunch made by his mother. The courtyard in the house had a swing. A baby Siddhartha would swing like a pendulum sitting over it. One day his gaze fell on the green mountains behind their cottage. “Maa, what’s there in the green mountains? For how long they have been sitting there still?” He asked with an unmatched curiosity. “They have been there since a very long, long...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Empty Canvas

A paper is a writer’s canvas as the sun rose I showed up at the page and the blank page stared at me balefully afraid I closed the notebook. My friends would ask, “ W hat’s there in your notebook?” “ Ideas, words and creativity.” I would say, But they could find none. Let down by the bare page, “ Where are your w ords?” T hey would say I know where they are read them hidden beneath the layers of an empty canvas.
Post a Comment
Read more