The wonder of walk

My father, my wellspring, is a man of few words. He is also partially deaf. Two excellent handicaps, he insists, that have stood him in good stead through 50 years of wedded bliss.

My parents live in Bombay. So do 16 million other people, half of whom make the sidewalk their home, making it a wee bit difficult for someone like my Dad to take a walk.... on the sidewalk. But my Dad has been pounding the sidewalks of Bombay every day, for as long as I remember.

One day when I was visiting him, my Dad decided to invite me on one of his shorter walks — from Flora Fountain to the Hanging Gardens, nearly a five-mile distance. Here we were, making this arduous trek through a maze of potholes, beggar boys, dogs doing their business, hawkers doing theirs... but fortunately that walk turned out to be one of those cherished father-son memories that will live with me forever. My Dad proved to me that he could walk... and he could talk. In fact he was a fountain of exuberance as he sold me on the importance of a daily spiritual walk. He said to me:

"Walking opens up the universe in all its pungent perfections. It allows us to stoke and stroke our imagination and gaze past the window of our own world into the soul of the butterfly from whom we learn although it has not months but only moments to live. There is always time enough.

The author with his father Jemi

"Walking shows us that we live in a world where nothing is too small or too big. When man walks with mankind, on a common sacred ground, he becomes grounded, connected, illuminated; it allows him to reflect, to ruminate, and wonder and marvel at the magic of life. Standing still stagnates us, causes us worry and puts our spirit in a straight jacket.

"In a manner of speaking, when we walk, we break bread with many of nature’s creations. Walking forces us to find our feet and create our own rhythm in the pitter-patter of the planet...it helps us to find our muse and our music.”

Talk about shock and awe! I knew my Dad could walk but I didn’t know he could talk like that… and nobody had explained to me that walking was indeed an ethereal, spiritual endeavor. I began to see and feel the power and purpose behind a simple walk.

We kept walking and my Dad kept talking. He said:

"When we walk under the open skies we woo nature and nature woos us. We summon the power of the heavens above and the sweet anticipation of the ever-changing landscape gets reflected in the warmth of each new face and form that we pass and in our subconscious mind, it creates vibrations that hum and strum at the heartstrings of our soul. One step at a time, walking allows us to count our blessings, tell our stories and shine a brighter perspective on the ebb and flow of life.”

And then he went on to tell me this beautiful story about how Mahatma Gandhi had freed India from the clutches of the British Raj. He undertook a simple non-violent march with nothing but a fist full of salt in one hand and a walking stick in the other…and how all of India walked with him... and what could the British Army do? Nothing! They were stunned... just watched in a dazed silence! And that was precisely what I did... marvel at my Dad in stunned silence.

They say, the penny drops and the best learning takes place at the most unexpected moments... sometimes when we are in a state of despair and pain. I know. Not too long ago I almost lost my precious wife to stomach cancer. Amazingly today she lives without a stomach and two other organs... more amazingly today she lives and lives well... but the reason I share this with you — is that these days for my wife and me, the highlight of the day is the long walk that we take together. As my Dad taught me, it is only when we walk knee deep through the puddles and backwaters of life that we learn to overcome the undertow and like a catharsis, emerge on the other side, cleansed and energized. Walking together, hand in hand, on the green grass of earth, has allowed Rukhshana and me to say the unsaya­ble… and that is saying a lot about the healing effects of walking.

I hope that in some small way I have been able to set you on a new path... or reinforce an old one. I wish all of you the sweet joy of walking, hand in hand, with all of nature’s exquisite creations.