"आप के पैर बहुत हसीन हैं! ईन्हे जमीं पर मत उतरीएगा!! मैले हो जायेंगे!!!", एक हमसफ़र (Your legs are very beautiful! Never keep 'em on the floor!! They will get dirty!!!", a fellow traveler), I remembered Rajkumar leaving a note on Meenakumari's legs in Pakeejah while participating in the 100km Death March @ Bornem-Belgium. That kept me wondering if it would be apt to leave a similar note on the legs of all crazy participants,"Bravehearts! Appreciate all your courage!! But, do take a good care of your legs or else you won't have the pleasure to place your legs on the earth anyway!!!".
Honestly, I myself would never have fallen into this (death) trap. What I termed A stupidity upon that time was Once in a Life Thing for Naveen and Sneha and they really pulled me into this deal of walking for 100km. This is supposed to be the toughest walk in Belgium called Dodentocht (Death March in dutch) exhibiting "Walking for a Better World". Once it became our mission there was hardly any way out and we all wanted to give our best shot at the event and started training for it. The trainings went on rather well and we all geared up for the day or rather night of the event...
The start of the event (9pm in the evening) must have been etched in every participants' memory for a long long time. Amidst glittering lights and camera flashes, the flock of brave-hearts started ambling on a bannered road with spectators cheering up from both the sides. If you have no hopes of participating in the upcoming Olympics, World cup or Grandslams etc. and still want to enjoy a bit of cheer and adulation, want to locate yourself on a big video screen of a sporting event, I would strongly recommend you to participate in this walk. The night really comes alive with the barbecues, musical nights on the way and you really do not realize the monumental task ahead. With people eating, drinking on the roadside cheering you up, kids eager to shake hands with you, you start believing that you are indeed somebody special. You are raring to go...
Unfortunately, things don't stay that cheerful for a long while though. After midnight, the cheers start fading, roads become deserted and you along with your group comes up to terms with the arduous task ahead...75kms to go and start taking one step at a time. The only solace during this phase of the walk is amiable surroundings with cold breeze blowing along the lake side, in addition to the unfaithful companions like glittering stars and the shining moon. Eagerly you start looking forward to that upcoming pit stop where the volunteers and support staff are set to pamper you with food and drinks. Some of them offer you hints as to how to relax your legs and keep yourself rejuvenated.
Towards the dawn though, the romanticism of the walk is on its way turning into a bitter marriage. You start realizing that you have not had sleep for the last 24 hrs., the body clock starts to deviate and you sense a lot of uneasiness to continue further. Your legs become heavy, head becomes heavier and at heart you start cursing yourself and the rest who pulled you into it. Sleep on your eyes, you have no energy to have a look at mesmerizing sun rays penetrating the mist atop green fields. You just want the damn walk to end and end as soon as possible. Most of the walkers get convinced at this point midway that divorce is the only solution to redeem themselves from this brutal world.
A Brave Team
All of us, I must admit are very strong characters to start with. Naveen, I know was zilch in swimming when he came to Leuven and he persistently developed himself such that he now swims 1-1.5km nonstop, not an easy feet to achieve any day. Sneha, another courageous character is born to walk. I have witnessed her feet full of blisters during one of the training treks and believe me, I still wonder as to how she pulled off those 7-8 hrs (35kms) of walking on the training day. Unfortunately though, the hip injury sustained during the training sessions took its toll on Navin#. Neither pain killer spray nor Physiotherapy could subside his pain and he decided to call it off @ a remarkably well pulled 50kms. Sneha#, to her nature persisted. Small jogs kept her blisters quiet for a while but beyond a point when they started exploding, it became unbearable for her and she pulled off @ credible 57kms leaving me and Noorjahan* (alias Noorie) for the rest of the walk. Noorie had joined us from Rotterdam and I had known very little about her. The stories narrated by Sneha a priori suggested that there is a lot to admire about her.
Walking with Noorie
My first interaction with Noorie was through a group e-mail where she had listed 17 items essential for 100km walk. The mail left me in a huge dilemma, to laugh or to cry. I burst into a huge laughter as I could not cry. While I preferred to walk 100kms without any baggage and if allowed even without any clothes, it appeared to me as if she wanted to set up the entire family @ Bornem. During the walk though, she was full of zest, zeal and an unimaginable determination. With ~50km to go when Naveen asked her if she wanted to go ahead, she nonchalantly responded, "हां, कर लेंगे!!!"("Yes, 'll finish!!!") I have to admit, her nonchalance at that stage gave me a lot of confidence and trust during those sleepy times. With 43kms to be cracked in 10 hrs time, I suggested Noorie to reduce the amount of breaks on the way. Beyond a point of walking, you realize the importance of Newton and his contribution to science. Legs started up in motion, are better to be kept in motion and every re-start becomes a real ordeal to move an inch. We progressed at a decent pace during this phase as we could surpass some of the fellow walkers to get over our inferiority complex of being at the tail of the tail midway. Yeah, at the 50km mark, we were the last who persisted walking with the hope to finish. Meanwhile, the friendly weather during the night had turned into a nightmare because of the glaring Sun. The scorching heat was making walking more and more taxing and both of us collapsed on the ground as soon as we entered the shadow of a park. After 10-15mins or so, we were shaken up by the volunteers again, "Guys, Liten! you are at the end again. If you want to finish, you have to start walking and start walking now". With heavy legs we started again. The power of power nap came to our rescue and we found ourselves rejuvenated as if we had had a good nights sleep.
"Noorie, but what motivates you to follow this craziness?, Brutally walk 100kms in such a taxing weather?, Why the hell you want to walk 100km? ", I posed a question to Noorie and she slowly took the cat out of her bag, "Guruji, All I want is to see is my dream Prashant (her husband) witness me crossing the 100km finish line. I want nothing else. He said he would be here in Bornem around the finish time and all I want is to...". It's incredible what women can do for their men. I was awed as I could not control my laughter to pose another query, "But, what if he tells you to do 100kms again?" "I will divorce him", Noorie was spontaneous, "I will divorce him. Do 100kms again and marry him again". Incredible, simply incredible!!! I have never seen such a bondage before and probably will never witness the same in future. In the contemporary age of short lived marriages, broken relationships, strained lifestyles, it was indeed a pure joy to witness such a pious objective to accomplish an arduous task and was indeed an honor to be a part of accomplishment.
We finally have the Pineapple!!!
Slowly and steadily, we went ON and ON and found ourselves at the finish line @ 20:58 hrs, 2 mins ahead of the 24 hrs of prescribed time. On the chores of "Profeciat!!! Proficiat!!!" (Congratulations!!!Congratulations!!!) from the crowd, we received our Pineapple, Beer and Certificate and the Medal. Prashant with his eyes wide open was there to witness the accomplishment and I felt happy for both of them. I had to admit to Prashant during our first meeting itself, "Maaan!!! You have a very very courageous wife." Long Live the couple...
After the record breaking (when I broke my own record) event if television crew poses me the question as to why I did 100kms? Here is the list:
0. For the Pineapple: Yeah, I can do anything and everything to get the pineapple. I love the fruit so much that...
1. For this brave team & an excellent support: I think I owe it to them. It would indeed have been very unfortunate if none of us would have finished successfully. Not only we, all the walkers gave their best at the event, the support provided by Ruth, Laura and Akhil was fabulous and timely. Thanks a lot!!! In any drama team, they say, back actors are more important than the front actors. I stand by it.
2. For my grandchildren: Yeah!!! I believe they will be proud of having an adventurous grandpa....lol.
3. For That somebody: who I believe saliently admires this spurious craziness as and when it pops up as much as I do...
________________________
* I hate the distortion of such a good name. Whenever you say Noorjahan, you yourself feel like a Shehenshah. No, I am sorry but Noorie does not offer that royal touch.
# If my reading is correct, Naveen and Sneha will give another shot at Dodentocht with vengeance next year. I will always be there to support both of them.
Honestly, I myself would never have fallen into this (death) trap. What I termed A stupidity upon that time was Once in a Life Thing for Naveen and Sneha and they really pulled me into this deal of walking for 100km. This is supposed to be the toughest walk in Belgium called Dodentocht (Death March in dutch) exhibiting "Walking for a Better World". Once it became our mission there was hardly any way out and we all wanted to give our best shot at the event and started training for it. The trainings went on rather well and we all geared up for the day or rather night of the event...
The start of the event (9pm in the evening) must have been etched in every participants' memory for a long long time. Amidst glittering lights and camera flashes, the flock of brave-hearts started ambling on a bannered road with spectators cheering up from both the sides. If you have no hopes of participating in the upcoming Olympics, World cup or Grandslams etc. and still want to enjoy a bit of cheer and adulation, want to locate yourself on a big video screen of a sporting event, I would strongly recommend you to participate in this walk. The night really comes alive with the barbecues, musical nights on the way and you really do not realize the monumental task ahead. With people eating, drinking on the roadside cheering you up, kids eager to shake hands with you, you start believing that you are indeed somebody special. You are raring to go...
Unfortunately, things don't stay that cheerful for a long while though. After midnight, the cheers start fading, roads become deserted and you along with your group comes up to terms with the arduous task ahead...75kms to go and start taking one step at a time. The only solace during this phase of the walk is amiable surroundings with cold breeze blowing along the lake side, in addition to the unfaithful companions like glittering stars and the shining moon. Eagerly you start looking forward to that upcoming pit stop where the volunteers and support staff are set to pamper you with food and drinks. Some of them offer you hints as to how to relax your legs and keep yourself rejuvenated.
Towards the dawn though, the romanticism of the walk is on its way turning into a bitter marriage. You start realizing that you have not had sleep for the last 24 hrs., the body clock starts to deviate and you sense a lot of uneasiness to continue further. Your legs become heavy, head becomes heavier and at heart you start cursing yourself and the rest who pulled you into it. Sleep on your eyes, you have no energy to have a look at mesmerizing sun rays penetrating the mist atop green fields. You just want the damn walk to end and end as soon as possible. Most of the walkers get convinced at this point midway that divorce is the only solution to redeem themselves from this brutal world.
A Brave Team
All of us, I must admit are very strong characters to start with. Naveen, I know was zilch in swimming when he came to Leuven and he persistently developed himself such that he now swims 1-1.5km nonstop, not an easy feet to achieve any day. Sneha, another courageous character is born to walk. I have witnessed her feet full of blisters during one of the training treks and believe me, I still wonder as to how she pulled off those 7-8 hrs (35kms) of walking on the training day. Unfortunately though, the hip injury sustained during the training sessions took its toll on Navin#. Neither pain killer spray nor Physiotherapy could subside his pain and he decided to call it off @ a remarkably well pulled 50kms. Sneha#, to her nature persisted. Small jogs kept her blisters quiet for a while but beyond a point when they started exploding, it became unbearable for her and she pulled off @ credible 57kms leaving me and Noorjahan* (alias Noorie) for the rest of the walk. Noorie had joined us from Rotterdam and I had known very little about her. The stories narrated by Sneha a priori suggested that there is a lot to admire about her.
Walking with Noorie
My first interaction with Noorie was through a group e-mail where she had listed 17 items essential for 100km walk. The mail left me in a huge dilemma, to laugh or to cry. I burst into a huge laughter as I could not cry. While I preferred to walk 100kms without any baggage and if allowed even without any clothes, it appeared to me as if she wanted to set up the entire family @ Bornem. During the walk though, she was full of zest, zeal and an unimaginable determination. With ~50km to go when Naveen asked her if she wanted to go ahead, she nonchalantly responded, "हां, कर लेंगे!!!"("Yes, 'll finish!!!") I have to admit, her nonchalance at that stage gave me a lot of confidence and trust during those sleepy times. With 43kms to be cracked in 10 hrs time, I suggested Noorie to reduce the amount of breaks on the way. Beyond a point of walking, you realize the importance of Newton and his contribution to science. Legs started up in motion, are better to be kept in motion and every re-start becomes a real ordeal to move an inch. We progressed at a decent pace during this phase as we could surpass some of the fellow walkers to get over our inferiority complex of being at the tail of the tail midway. Yeah, at the 50km mark, we were the last who persisted walking with the hope to finish. Meanwhile, the friendly weather during the night had turned into a nightmare because of the glaring Sun. The scorching heat was making walking more and more taxing and both of us collapsed on the ground as soon as we entered the shadow of a park. After 10-15mins or so, we were shaken up by the volunteers again, "Guys, Liten! you are at the end again. If you want to finish, you have to start walking and start walking now". With heavy legs we started again. The power of power nap came to our rescue and we found ourselves rejuvenated as if we had had a good nights sleep.
"Noorie, but what motivates you to follow this craziness?, Brutally walk 100kms in such a taxing weather?, Why the hell you want to walk 100km? ", I posed a question to Noorie and she slowly took the cat out of her bag, "Guruji, All I want is to see is my dream Prashant (her husband) witness me crossing the 100km finish line. I want nothing else. He said he would be here in Bornem around the finish time and all I want is to...". It's incredible what women can do for their men. I was awed as I could not control my laughter to pose another query, "But, what if he tells you to do 100kms again?" "I will divorce him", Noorie was spontaneous, "I will divorce him. Do 100kms again and marry him again". Incredible, simply incredible!!! I have never seen such a bondage before and probably will never witness the same in future. In the contemporary age of short lived marriages, broken relationships, strained lifestyles, it was indeed a pure joy to witness such a pious objective to accomplish an arduous task and was indeed an honor to be a part of accomplishment.
We finally have the Pineapple!!!
Slowly and steadily, we went ON and ON and found ourselves at the finish line @ 20:58 hrs, 2 mins ahead of the 24 hrs of prescribed time. On the chores of "Profeciat!!! Proficiat!!!" (Congratulations!!!Congratulations!!!) from the crowd, we received our Pineapple, Beer and Certificate and the Medal. Prashant with his eyes wide open was there to witness the accomplishment and I felt happy for both of them. I had to admit to Prashant during our first meeting itself, "Maaan!!! You have a very very courageous wife." Long Live the couple...
After the record breaking (when I broke my own record) event if television crew poses me the question as to why I did 100kms? Here is the list:
0. For the Pineapple: Yeah, I can do anything and everything to get the pineapple. I love the fruit so much that...
1. For this brave team & an excellent support: I think I owe it to them. It would indeed have been very unfortunate if none of us would have finished successfully. Not only we, all the walkers gave their best at the event, the support provided by Ruth, Laura and Akhil was fabulous and timely. Thanks a lot!!! In any drama team, they say, back actors are more important than the front actors. I stand by it.
2. For my grandchildren: Yeah!!! I believe they will be proud of having an adventurous grandpa....lol.
3. For That somebody: who I believe saliently admires this spurious craziness as and when it pops up as much as I do...
________________________
* I hate the distortion of such a good name. Whenever you say Noorjahan, you yourself feel like a Shehenshah. No, I am sorry but Noorie does not offer that royal touch.
# If my reading is correct, Naveen and Sneha will give another shot at Dodentocht with vengeance next year. I will always be there to support both of them.
11 comments:
Hey Guru, I relived those moments (and trauma), reading your blog. It was our "Dandi March" on the day of Independence. I once again, thank all the fellow walkers, you, sneha, naveen and our hard-core supporters Ruth, Akhil and Laura. It was a great team. I also salute the organizers and ever helping volunteers of Dodentocht and the general public and children whose unconditioned support makes walkers to walk Death March. The walking path was clear of any kind of intrusion, even churches on the walking trail, had altered their service time to facilitate the walking!!!
It was once in a lifetime experience and I wish to have more and more such experiences…with our team (Guru, I suspect that you will be pulled in again).
A small note: “Walking for a better world” is the motto of Dodentocht, not only for the year 2009.
oye 100 km. i would have never dreamt of it. just thinking if i ever walked for 100 km adding the entire distance i walked from the time i was born :D
Walking 100 km at a stretch... Man, that requires something called courage.
Hats off man! I salute your perseverance! What an innings! :-)
Noorie,
Thanks!!!
The correction is in place now. Wish You have many more experiences but nothing would beat the first one...hahaha.
May be you should try this one next year: http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.be/
may be you should also consider joining some of the NBH hikes as well.
Praveen & Hari,
Thanks for your appreciation. It was indeed "An Experience to Remember" rather "A Walk to Remember". Thank you!!!
Hats off to you.
Oh My God. You walked for 100 kms continuously and lived to tell. Can't even dream of that at this point. Great job man!
Mridula_TheVetaranBlogger,
Thanks a ton for the appreciation. I have to admit, I am a fan of your blog and you really entertain the audience with good posts almost everyday. Keep it up...
Hope I get to travel and blog as much as you do :)
Thanks Sid,
Hope you dream it once and do it time and again. It's fun the first time for sure...
Nice reading your blog.
Hats Off for your courageous March!!!
Love to participate once when I get a chance.
PS : probably I am your friend's friend's friend to be here :)
Vivek,
Thanks a ton for the appreciation!!!
You are welcome!!! It's indeed a small world. Hope that 'll like the future posts as well.
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