THOREAU INFLUENCE

This is a copy of the mail sent by one of my acquaintances. His quotes from Thoreau and Kundera were really fascinating. I thought you should all have a chance to read it. Also, if you dare, join FYRE BIKERS of Kalamassery - I too am a member! Biking Miles with Smile!
By the way, Jojo happens to be an MSW, my junior from TISS.


Hi!
Trust this finds you in the very best of health and spirits. I have been doing quite well, btw. Some three years since I have been in this place, Chintamani. So kind of that nomadic feeling is bugging me once again. For this is the maximum period I have stayed in any place throughout my life. Also the urge to just see places and that too on cycle, wandering around without any burdensome thought…reared its head few months back. Now it’s like almost, delivery time…..
Henry Thoreau once said, while he had gone and stayed in Walden for around two years, all alone, some two centuries back “…because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived”. Take some inspiration from that….do whatever you really really want to do and come out of it, a little bit more enlightened.

Plan to take off from my work for around two months or so starting this month end and spend cycling, meeting up with people during the time. Though I have not read much of Milan Kundra I found this quote of his quite motivating which was incidentally forwarded to me be one of my cousins with whom I shared the plan initially. This time very consciously trying to get away from the route bit. See, if it makes any sense to you, eh!
“A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.”

Currently thinking of covering Karnataka & Goa, very extensively, but there is no “fixed route”. Don't know, if time is there, then probably cross over to Tamil Nadu, move around to reach the southern end and then enter Kerala and ride up to reach home @ Kottayam somewhere around year end. The plan is to be mostly on the state highways and other smaller roads, avoiding the National Highways as much as possible. The NH has become a soulless road, of late, I feel and it’s a torturous stretch for cyclists and others who travel exposed to the elements.
This time, unlike last time way back in Oct-Dec 2001(when I did Udaipur-Kottayam strech), I'm going to take it much much easy. The focus would not be towards covering so many kilometers in a day but rather on other aspects such as
· Interacting with children and others. Talk to them about the environment and the way currently things are moving forward and how we all can stem the tide. Some kind of message, eh! Also kind of promote cycling because it has solutions to so many of the problems confronting us today. (Seriously, u don’t believe)
· see the kind of impact NREGS is making in people’s lives across the state. Now this is something again quite close to heart and large amount of my work, currently, is related to that only. Just wanted to see the kind of impact it is making on people’s life.
· There are many people who are working on Nature, Natural farming and Alternative Education related aspects across the state. So kind of stay with them and learn a bit or two, eh! For that is something I would like to try my hand at in the near future. Though think time is going to be a constraint. But I will give it a hard try.
· See all the places which I have been wanting to for a very long time, particularly the entire Western Ghats stretch; all those forests and mountains which I love so much. It’s going to be tough riding up and down but I think it would be worth the effort, eh! Any in any case I would be doing that stretch after I would have been on road for few weeks, so hopefully would have built up the required strength and endurance.
· Try & stay with people only in villages and other places unlike last time when I mostly put up in dhabas, hotels et al. This time I just want to stay with people in the villages and accept whatever they would offer me. And wherever they don’t, just move ahead….Hopefully by the end of the trip I would have built up few more relationships….
· Finally, hopefully discover and re-discover myself. And being alone on the trip is going to be helpful, guess. For I think one can have a communion with oneself, eh!

Preparation wise nothing much has happened till date but that is not making me lose my sleep also. Already have got permission for a sabbatical from my workplace. The one from amma….well almost!!! The mind is quite ready and so is the body and everything else should fall in place !! It's all there in the mind. Have jotted down as to what all I should be taking along with me. Again possessions are going to be limited, for otherwise your whole attention, would be on that only. This is a really low cost tour…don’t want to splurge on myself,eh!! Physically I, think, am quite fit and on weekends it's not a problem to cover 40 odd kms in 2 hours flat. But in any case don't think want to keep on eating the kilometers, while on the tour. Think in a day just want to do somewhere between 50-75 kms per day. Also I have to get a new bike also. Currently I have a BSA Mach but don't think she would be able to take the rigour of such a long tour…
Thanks for reading till here. And, if you are interested, why not join in…..
Wud luv to hear back from you…anything. Once again hope all is really well at your end.
Take care
jojo
currently @ Chintamani, some 80 kms NE of Bengaluru
-- "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."...Henry David Thoreau