Keep walking… walk alone…….

                 The college campus bears a deserted look in sunday afternoons. If someone ventures out of the hostel and take the usual road to the college he/she might think that a curfew has been imposed and shoot at sight order has been in effect with snipers atop of the buildings baying for the blood of any defaulter of the rule. The silence gives an awkward feelings and it seems like a young widow along with her family members are mourning the sudden demise of her husband in a nerve breaking silence. The usually busting roads are deserted, except from the security guards who sit because of their duties. I tend to ask myself what goes on the mind of a private security man sitting in one place day and night in sun, rain and cold with virtually nothing to do. But let’s leave that topic aside. Because I don’t want to know and if ever I would be offered a job of a security personal in a private security firm I would never go there though he might be willing to pay me 1lakh per month.

             Last Sunday I ventured out of the hostel in the afternoon to go to the market and in the 20 minute walk from the hostel to the college main gate I only saw 1 security guard, a couple sitting on the bench under a tree and busy with their gossips and one of my senior. All the shops in the college market area were close, the parking area was deserted. The SBOP (State Bank of Patiala) ATM was free but I have no reasons to go there to check the balance because I know my greedy ex-employers have not yet released my EPF (Employee Provident Fund) though I made an application more than 3 months back. Walking down the lonely roads I luckily found one of my friends going somewhere with some of his friends. We greeted each other and he asked, “Where are you going?” I replied, “Going to 22no phatak. (A place in Patiala, nearly 1km from the Thapar University)” He gave me a strange look and asked, “Alone??” I nodded and hurried away from him.

This is not a unique incident where people ask me why I always venture out alone. Many a times I have faced the same question from my friends. But I like venturing out alone because you are with yourself for that period. In the past when I used to stay at home I used to go to nearby unused air field by bicycle and spend both quality and quantity time there. When you are alone in a long stretch of field then you feel that you are free and can do anything and suddenly you feel better. One of my greatest pleasures in the past was to go to the unused air port field and just sit there to watch the sunset. And return back before the darkness arrives. I got inspirations for one of my best oriya story in Navami (the day after durgastami) day of the year 2003 while sitting there. In 2007 I went there, sat on a broken wall and cried because both of my personal and professional life was in a pretty mess and complained to god about my apathy. And my tears paid dividends as after a few days I got both my personal and professional life back in track.

But now a days my simple pleasure of loneliness has been sabotaged by increasing construction and criminal activity in that particular area. In the unused land the building of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) is being constructed and I don’t think the construction work would be completed in near future because of the slow pace of the work and the vast stretch of land. The university authorities have built boundary walls but the single tree on that vast stretch of land is still standing tall. I have spent countless hours beneath that tree in my early days. The unused air port field is under constant police supervision because of a notorious incident. Few months back some people abducted a young boy of a local businessman at gun point while he was going to school with one of the servants with the help of a Bolero car. After several hours of search the police party found the bolero with the child and the abductors in that area around 10pm at night. Police personnel drove away unsuspecting people having an innocent smoke at the near by pan shop after a hard day’s work. After this particular incident the police became extra prompt and checked for documents of each and every 2 wheeler and 4 wheelers at that point. From that day I don’t venture around that area because the required loneliness is gone.

          I like being alone for most part of my day as I get ample time to be with my souls and concentrate on the small pleasures of life like listening to the mesmerizing old hindi songs by legendary singers and songs of rahat fatheh ali khan, playing mission games and trying hard to publish a research paper in an international journal. And about walking alone, I am not the only person to do so. When Mahatma Gandhi disobeyed the salt laws of british and started his walk from sawarmati ashram to dandi, a port city of gujrat on 12th March 1930 he was also alone. By hearing this story Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore said those legendary lines which became the theme song of the people who walk alone.

"Jodi Tor Dak Soone Keu Na Asse

Tobe Ekla Chalo re Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalore

Jodi Keu Katha Na Kai Ore Ore O Abhaga

Jodi Sabai Thake Mukh Firae Sabai Kare Bhay

Tabe Paran Khule O Tui Mukh Fute Tor Maner Katha Ekla Balo re

Jodi Sabai Fire Jai Ore Ore O Abhaga

Jodi Gahan Pathe Jabar Kale Keu Feere Na Chay

Tobe Pather Kanta O Tui Rakta Makha Charan Tale Ekla Dalo re

Jodi Alo Na Dhare Ore Ore O Abhaga

Jodi Jharr Badale Andhar Rate Duar Deay Ghare

Tobe Bajranale Apaan Buker Panjar Jaliey Nieye Ekla Jalo re”

           Walking alone is not only restricted to me. When 2 things come in a people’s life then they walk alone to meet their destiny. These two are totally different entities that are success and failure. When success come the road to the podium is lonely and when you encounter failure the road to the resting place is also deserted. After a hard earned victory a person walks to the podium to receive the award. The happiness that comes with the victory is instantaneous and when the person looks around himself to find someone to share the glory he finds he is alone in the middle of nowhere. He is alone because in the pursuit of the success he has left his fellow people and has walked a lonely road. When failure comes the person accepts the truth and meets its desired fate alone. The lover who has failed to convince his or her love walks down a lonely road to oblivion. In this regard I am quoting one of my favorite song from one of my favorite singer, kishore kumar.

“Kitni akeli thi woh rahein hum jin pe , Ab tak akele chalte rahein Tujhse bichad kar bi oh bekhabar tere hi gum main jalte rahein”

            From the ancient ages legends face the lonely paths and walk the last stretch of their life alone. After the battle of Mahabharat the pandavas got their kingdom but the battle had taken the life of all their sons, relatives so they ruled a lonely kingdom. Sri Krishna went back to dwaraka after the battle only to see his siblings kill each other over alcohol and power. When he wanted to get some rest and retired to the forest an arrow preached his legs which caused his death. The man never wanted to kill Sri Krishna but he mistook his legs as the ear of a dear. When the pandavas went to swarga (heaven) only the eldest yudhistir could make it to the top because of his honesty. He had to walk a lonely road after all of his siblings died due to their ego while attempting to scale to the heaven. Many famous personalities live their last life in pure isolation and die a lonely death. Walking alone is never a shame but a necessity. So keep walking and walk alone….