'Long walk' down the memory lane ( A memoir)

'Long walk' down the memory lane

My passion for long walks, adventurers and misadventures related to it...

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Psychologists say people can remember things from the age of three. One distinct memory I have about my early childhood is my first long walk. May be I was around three to four year old at the most. I had set myself for a long walk in evening. I had walked almost for a mile or so or even more. I was about to go out of the town. Somebody recognized me at out skirts of my home town and brought me back home. My mother has vivid memory of that incident. She thought I was lost or somebody might have kidnapped me. At that time, child theft incidences were discussed & gossiped a lot. Lot of hearsays and fearful fantasies were rumored a lot, in ladies meetings. No SMS or email, as it was in late seventies.


Another memory I have related to long walk, is about an incident that happened in Tumkur. I was around seven to eight year old at that time. We had watched Dr. Raj Kumar movie ‘Bhakta Prahlada’ in a matinee show in the city cinema hall. Then in the evening, my father had taken us to some drama company. Since my father was well known there, we had access to back stage and green room. We kids were very tired. We slept on floor as early as 8:30 or 9:00 PM. After sometime my father had noticed that I had suddenly disappeared!!!

I had sleep-walked outside Drama Company, into the town.


My father took Auto rickshaw which was used for canvassing and advertising about Dramas held in the evening, started looking for me. All I remember is my father shouting through mike in an auto rickshaw, ‘Shankara… Shankara… Shankara…’

Finally happy ending!

Somehow I have strong liking for long walks, even in subconscious level too…!

My most adventurous long walk, I have walked was when I was in my late teens. From my hometown, about thirty kilometers away, there is a small town by name ‘Kottur’. We have a good road connectivity and railway link to Kottur. Train goes to that place daily in morning and returns in the afternoon, around two PM. Once I had gone to that place by train in the morning on some work. I was supposed to collect some money from my father’s contact. I reached Kottur and met concerned person, He said, he will send money later as business was down.

Then one crazy bug bit me, I guess. I thought it would be wonderful to walk in railway track back to home than traveling by bus or train. It was full moon day. I thought it would be exciting. Needless to say I am very impulsive person, I decided it would be great to trek and decided to do it. Like modern day punk would say, ‘Just do it’. I had very less money, but sufficient to eat and go back to my home town by bus or train. I felt I should spend that money or I would change my mind about railway track trekking. I ate in a restaurant and went to a movie!!! When I came out of movie I had two or three rupees left in my pocket. And I spent all that money on buying chocolate and peppermints, which I thought would be useful during my long trek.

When I reached railway station it was nearly 5:30 PM. It was summer then. It would get dark only after 7 PM. Railway station was deserted. Roughly I had to walk 25 kilometers to reach my home town. I thought I would reach my home by 9 PM.

Then long journey begun. I started trekking on railway tracks. On railway tracks there were wooden strips at equidistant and remaining space was filled with fist sized stones.

I was walking in my own pace; I didn’t hurry-up as I knew I would get tired quickly if try to trot at high speed.





I had walked for almost one and half hour with out a worry or a care. It was a beautiful long walk. It was like a meditation. Initially my mind was swarmed by all kind of thoughts. Gradually I could experience that my mind was calming down. Long walk had a soothing effect on my mind. Large vacant landscape, cultivating lands, sun set, colorful evening sky, soothing cool breeze in the summer evening… Wow!

All was well, but trouble started when it started getting dark.

I had thought there would be some street light or kind of lamp post near railway track or at least some people movement. But Alas! There were none; for no trains would pass in that track except one in morning and same train returning in the after noon.

Slowly fear started gripping my mind. I started panicking. I started hurrying up.

Luckily it was full moon day; there was some moon light to guide me through the railway track. As beautiful evening got transformed into frightening darkness; every silly sound started building anxiety in me. Dry leaves & bushes were making strange sound whenever there was strong wind movement. To fight fear, I thought of all science books I had read. To cheer-up my sagging spirit, I thought of great scientists like Newton, Einstein, CV Raman etc… But all this had short term effect in reducing my anxiety.

What to do? Will I reach my home safely? Question like this started growing in my mind. Romantic in me took a backstage.

In dark I could see some tiny villages/hamlets across railway track. I thought of going there for a night stay and shelter. But issue was they were at least a mile away from the railway track. I was not sure if anyone would entertain me. By that time I had walked for more than three hours. Physically I was getting tired. I had exhausted my chocolates, peppermint and my energy. I was perspiring; but did not stop or sit for a minute to relax, for night was progressing at alarming speed…














On the way to my hometown, there is one prominent railway station, ‘Malvi Dam’, where train stops. I was hoping at least if I could reach there, I would get some help. Around 9 PM, as I was crossing one farm field, I saw someone working in the farm field. He was around 100 meters away. I shouted for him, ‘helloooo’.

No response.

I tried calling him again, ‘hellooooooo’, and this time more desperately.

In moon light I could see him straightening up, turning towards the direction of the sound. Was he annoyed? Amused? Scared? Or? I could not guess as I could not see his face in the dark. I could sense bit of hesitation in him. Finally there was some response; he retorted ‘Who is that?’.

It was difficult question to which, I had a pages of answer, to make him understand my position and tell him about myself. I tried my best, to make it short and sweet!

‘How far is Hagaribommanahalli is from here?’

No response.

‘I am coming from Kottur, I lost all money. So walking towards Hagaribommanhalli. I am son of so and so. My father is Govt. High school teacher’ hurriedly I explained him.

There was a long silence. I was not sure I had explained satisfactorily. But I had good faith in village folks, once convinced they would definitely help anyone.

Finally, he asked me to cross the fence and enter the field. Then he asked me several questions to confirm that I am not a thief! Then what he told me sent a chill down the spine. Since it was crop cutting season, thieves attack was common. Farmers were very much upset about thieves robbing their crop and their six months effort. If they get slightest of a doubt or suspicion they would hack them to death without caring about consequences. Sometimes mere suspicion itself is enough. In this kind of cases, even police wouldn’t care much.

I explained him, who am I? Why I am walking down the track. I had to cook-up a tear jerking story that I lost all money and walking since evening to reach my home. I explained him where I live, my neighborhood and all that to establish my identity and to instill security feeling in him.

Hagari bommana halli is good business center and it has APMC market for all agricultural products. Farmers and nearby village folks visit my home town quite regularly for one or other reasons. Many time to watch movies and have entertainment. Luckily he knew my home town well and believed my story.

He asked me to sit on a hay stack as he was expecting his people. He continued with work, occasionally chit-chatting with me.


Around 9:30 PM, his folks brought supper for him. They were around ten people. They had plans to work in the field till late night. Then I had to tell my story again to all. All of them sympathized with me. They assured that I can reach my home by catching the first bus in the morning.

We all had supper together. It was jowar roti and some spicy curry. Although I am a vegetarian, I did not bother to ask whether curry was non-veg or veg. I was tired and ate like a wolf. After dinner they said I can sleep on hayrick. They put on khowdi or typical village bed spread on hay stack.

With stomach full and feeling secure, romanticistin me, woke up. I started enjoying full moon day, clear sky filled with tiny sparkling stars, cool breeze, primal scent of the earth and farm atmosphere. I could hear farmer working in distance. Then fell asleep.

I woke-up to morning sun, feeling refreshed. Walked to nearby village, along with farmers. I am grateful that they offered me morning tea and bought me a bus ticket to my home town.


Reached home around 8AM, explained everything to my parents. There reactions? I leave it to your guess. They reacted like any other anxious parents, but my father was lot calmer than my mother.

After all this, my enthusiasm for and romance with long walks has never come down a bit. I still go far a long walks, but mostly in concrete jungle of Bangalore. So not much adventure these days!!!