I have always been a fitness enthusiast and prefer to keep myself engaged in some form of exercise. But as my workplace reopened this week, I devised the best form of exercise that can keep me in shape and help me avoid contracting the disease — I started walking to office.
During the entire lockdown, I had been extremely careful to follow all safety guidelines — from washing hands, to using masks and remaining indoors as much as possible.
At a time, when the infection is at its peak, I didn’t want to ruin the months of effort I had put in to stick to the protocols. But at the same time, I didn’t want to miss office as it opened after a gap of over two months. Hence, I have been walking 10km from my Garia home to my office at Gariahat. It’s stressful, but it’s my best bet, considering that I am 56 and the fact that I have a teenaged son at home.
Prior to the lockdown, I would either take a bus or change multiple autos to return home. But with the rush of passengers — most of them throwing social distancing protocols to the wind — I decided to not to take a chance on Monday. The distance, which would earlier take me 30 minutes, now takes more than two hours to reach. But I will continue walking to office until more transport options are available and the crowd eases.
Initially, I thought travelling by autos, but the long queues discouraged me. On Tuesday, I started early from home and left office a bit early as well. In the early morning and evening, the walk doesn’t hurt. The heat can be a bit taxing though and I try to avoid the same.
(Chakraborty, a photographer and photo/video editor, spoke to Tamaghna Banerjee)
Source: Times of India
