At 4:35, I was practically gasping for some fresh air. It had been a long day, and I was in no mood to be cooped up at my desk. Not being able to rein in the bug-list worsened things. I threw in the towel at 4:40. Screw it. Life was calling and I wasn’t going to let it pass by.
At 4:40 I was on my bike racing away from office. Anywhere! In my mind I planned to visit the new Baner road again, touch Sadanand Hotel and be back in half an hour. It quickly corrected course though and replanned the route to head instead in the opposite direction towards the lush green DRDO estate. This road would lead into the Bombay-Bangalore bypass from where I could merge back into Baner, take in the new road one more time and then return back to work. It would probably take closer to an hour. Ahhh! That’s better.
20 minutes later I was riding gaily through DRDO, taking in the cool late afternoon clime. I kept an easy pace and did some math in my head about wheel sizes and speeds. But at no time was I missing out on the view though. Necklace Garden was a welcome sight with its beautifully manicured and freshly watered lawns. It ended all too soon though and I had to turn off towards the bypass.
“Weak bridge. Heavy vehicles not allowed.”, the sign read. I hoped the Navigator would cut it through and sailed across, right in the middle of the highway.
The road inclined upwards gently past Pashan Lake. The only sound was of the chain whirring and the wheels spinning. Trucks rumbled by occasionally. I was at the top of the incline, just before the Pashankar Showroom – my favourite spot on this road. I smiled and let the wheels do their thing. What followed was an exhilarating experience of sheer simplicity. The bike picked up pace and was quickly running in the low forties while I held on and enjoyed the thrill.
I was already much feeling much better.
I turned off the bypass into Baner and continued to sit back until the inclines turned northwards again. Even then, I kept an easy pace and enjoyed the warmth of the setting sun behind me.
I was back in my seat exactly an hour later. Nerves soothed, it was back to the grind. But with a smile this time.