Lalbagh - Sassya Kashi

I have visited Lalbagh in around 2002 , when I came to Bengaluru for friend brother marriage. We went to Lalbagh as it is Tourist spot. First impression was not tress but the lovers, young ones and old ones and few doing time pass like us by seeing them. I thought 💭 it’s big and have lots of spots and people come here spend time and to do other stuff etc. That’s it, that was the impression of Lalbagh. Fast 💨 forward to 2023.. Even though I am settled in Bengaluru from 2005, not even once I could visit Lalbagh, not even for world famous flower shows which happens every year. 

Recently happened to join Running 🏃‍♂️ community called Pacemakers , and they said twice a week I have to visit Lalbagh for practices. On one recent Tuesday morning at 5.15 am entered Lalbagh with mixed feelings since didn’t know what to expect from it, considering my decades old experience..

As I stepped in , pictch dark and so silent it was , as if  trees were sleeping and it was looking like all the trees are deep asleep and all the humans were acting conscious not to disturb their sleep. Here and there I could see few people slowly walking in. The weather was pretty cold 🥶 compared to city weather, full of mist 🌫️ with chilled breeze hitting your face softly. 

I could manage trace Pacemakers group , joined them and started warm up run 🏃‍♂️ just following other group runners since didn’t knew the inside routes. As I started running 🏃‍♂️ and started breathing in! I could feel the difference of fresh air going into the lungs 🫁 comparing to my old runs where in used to run in the evenings on the roads and the air was mixed with pollution. I could feel the difference of fresh air. As I started exploring the route, there was middle aged man was doing weight work outs with help of bricks 🧱, (was thinking 🤔 how privileged we are yet we are). After going further another man (Divyang)(handicapped) was walking with clutches. Further I ran, very old couple(must be in 80’s) were walking holding hands. I was lost in thoughts, whats is wrong with us, why we take things granted. Why don’t we realise value for things, why we wait to take action until something happens. Why they realise value for things  and why we don’t ! May be they are special child of Gods. 

Further i ran, here comes lighting in few places, like pearl set hanging(wish  I could show the pics) and illuminating in the dark sky. Some where I felt am I running in my dream( considering it’s usual deep sleeping time).

Then cam back to the spot where we hang out to workout. Did some warm up drills to go for long run. It’s a loop of 1.6km and bigger loop is 4.5km. Then started slow 1 hour run, by then it was around 6am and different humans started walking in. Mostly the elderly ones and younger ones were less comparatively. Thought they must be sleeping 🛌 like me who slept all these years 😉. 

Then there is lake and one can walk or run around by and there’s is a big fountain ⛲️.. By then 30 min run was over so they say people start hallucinating in 3rd quarter of running so I was like am I dreaming still! first the beautiful trees 🌳, then the superb misty weather(not realising if I m sweating or wetting with mist), then there’s beautiful lighting, different human beings(every one of them had story to tell by their faces), then the the lake, water fountain, big rock hill middle of no where.. by then my buddy stated gasping and talking (to stop or to continue the run)then realised.. oops it’s a reality and finally I’ve started seeing beautiful  mornings. By then  I was reaching end of 60 minutes of running. Then rejoined the group (will blog about pacemakers group soon) and did some post run stretches with them and by then sun ☀️ was coming up ⬆️. Ohh god , so many people were tired and fed up of telling to see the sun ☀️ rise which I was witnessing, did salute 🫡 to him and then slowly started walking out of the Lalbagh.. 

If you see Lalbagh from outside, it’s like magnet 🧲 of tress where in all were getting pulled into it.. It was a beautiful 🤩 experience and hoping to have the same..