For any runner, Saturdays always call for a long run (or at least for me, when Sunday means going to church). With two slope intensive races just around the corner (something like next weekend) Aarey provided the perfect setting to train.
So woke up groggily and grudgingly sipped my black coffee, my wake-me-up. Finally riding my way to Aarey. I slowly but surely made it up the slopes to New Zealand Hostel and took my customary right turn after it. What I seen next kind of baffled me. Just at a desolate part of the turn stood this beauty, a vision in green... who wears green... ooh wait, my vest is green... but she was decked in green, from head to toe. Anyway, she was a vision to behold, with thick black hair (the kind of which the ladies from the South have been blessed with), with a figure that could give any model a run for their money, and those lovely luscious lips that made Angelina Jolie's look like just line.
There she stood, her beauty captivating, alluring, even to someone like me. Was she even real? Was she just a figment of imagination? Who make someone so gorgeous, other than the divine? Was she some supernatural entity? Was I seeing dead people? The endless questions that ran through my head, faster than my feet could run.
She slowly glanced towards me and gestured to join her. Now as my mother taught me "Not to talk to strangers" I tried to avert her glance and ignore and make run for the hill, slowly saying to myself, lady you're barking up the wrong tree. But her beauty began to reel me in, and as much as I tried to fight it, the more I felt the irresistible force of her attraction. So I finally gave up trudge towards her.
She smiled at me (lighting up millions and millions of light bulbs) and said in the most hypnotic of tones, "I haven't seen you here in quite a while". Her voice was hypnotising, like Kaa drawing poor Mowgli to her... was she Scarlett Johanson in disguise? But wait, how did she know I haven't been here in a while ? Have I met her before? Do I know her? How could I not remember such a beautiful creature? I mustered all the courage I had and hesitatingly asked her "Are you from around here?" To which she responded, "I am here." That was a pretty strange response, maybe she made a mistake answering me. She asked if she could join me for couple of kilometres of run. How I could I refuse this beauty, come on, I was completely enamoured by her.
So slowly and steadily we trudged on at a pace I thought that would be comfortable for her. She then began to strike up a conversation. Not being much of a conversationalist during a run, probably the only time I succeed in keeping my mouth shut, I gave her an annoyed look. But she somehow ignored it and continued chatting.
"So you must have heard that they plan to cut down the trees here to make a shed for the Metro project?" She asked in the most lilting of voices. All I could muster was a simple nod my head, after all I wanted to conserve my energy. "Isn't it sad," she continued, "Aarey houses such a vast bio diversity of flora and fauna. All
Would be lost if this shed were to come up." "That's true!" I finally managed to mutter, "But what else can we do?" She looked at me and smiled, "There's so much that needs to be done. There's so much we can do."
Who was she, I muttered in my head, was she from some Green Peace like organisation and she was dressed in her uniform trying to recruit to her cause. As if she read my mind, she said "No no, I am not from Green Peace or any such organisation and no I am not trying to recruit you for any cause. I am just like you, concerned about my well being." This baffled me, how did she know what I was thinking? "No no that's not I what I meant!" Going all pink with embarrassment. "There's nothing much we can do because the government has already decided, and doing this in the guise of progress. But this is just an excuse. The idea is to sell the land to the builders and Aarey is a prime spot. This is in a way a nexus of the builders and the government." "Exactly!" She exclaimed, "this felling of trees are just in the guise."
"Aarey is the green lung of the city. Cutting it down will worsen an already bad situation", she said with matter-of-fact expression. "We are already facing acute pollution and uncertain rainfall. Trees help to balance it out, besides helping maintain the level of oxygen". As she spoke passionately she slowly drew me into the conversation.
"True, we need to progress, but sadly it should not come at the cost of the future" I said getting drawn into the discussion. "Yes that's true, there'll be no fresh air for the future generations. Not to forget flooding and soil erosion. This could lead to further complication."
"Though the government said that they will replant the cut trees at another location, I don't trust them. From past experience they are all talk, just empty promises. Sadly most politician are liars" I said with a shrug, "Most of them are greedy and don't really care as all they want is to make a name for themselves and make a quick buck."
"Sadly but true!" She said, "the only thing we can do is spread awareness and keep the pressure on the responsible people and keep them in check. We need to educate as many people as possible to dire consequences that we face in a city without its green lung."
And as she went on and on how we need to protect the trees and save Aarey she held my attention in a vice like grip, holding it, mesmerising it, enchanting it. And I became a willing participant in her conversation.
We finally reached the point where I had met her initially. She glanced at me with a sad longing eyes, which had tears welling in them, and said this where we part our ways... well not exactly like that... she said this where she would need to take my leave. As I gazed her walking away from me, this beautiful heavenly vision, I mustered courage and said "who are you and have we met before?" "Yes", she said I that beautiful hypnotic voice, "We have met several times. I am Aarey!" Saying this she just disappeared, like an apparition, she vanished into thin air.
Stunned by what I just heard, what I had just saw, I completed the rest of my run in a daze. Although I may have initially been suspicious of her, didn't my heart burn when we got deep into conversation. But what she said did leave a lasting impression, along with her beauty, of course. Made me question myself "What have I done to save Aarey? What have I done to save nature for a better future? What have we done to protect the future?"
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