It was a
pleasantly cool Sunday morning, and it was that day of the month when we, from
the Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, were
to have our monthly Walk. The pleasant nature of the weather was a result of
the heavy rainfall the previous day. This time, the venue for the Walk was the
Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk. This
venue was not one of our regular venues, and we had been there just once
earlier, in July 2013. Other than a handful of us who were present back then,
most others were first-timers at the place. All of us were trying to soak in
the ambience of the Riverside. The Promenade was alongside the river Sungei Serangoon.
Set on the background of the river is a huge patch of greenery with a lot of
nice big green trees. The entry point is picture perfect. We chose a nice green
spot for the warm-up exercises, and then decided to make use of the scenic
backdrop and took a couple of group pictures, after which we started the Walk.
The riverside
promenade has two tracks running parallel to the river: one dedicated to
cyclists and the other one dedicated to joggers. It is indeed a pleasure to
walk or cycle on these paths as you have the river flowing by serenely on one
side, and you have a lot of beautiful flowering plants, with flowers of
different colours, sizes and shapes, dotting the place, on the other side. As
we walked, at our own paces, we caught up with different people. There were
many Lookout Points along the track which enable us to have a closer look at
the river.
Slowly, the Sun
began to peep out-- shyly at first, and then quite boldly. Along our way we
spotted some brightly coloured kingfishers, which were a treat to the eye. A
few monitor lizards were spotted too. The rich flora and fauna at the venue
reflected a healthy eco-system. As we continued to walk, we crossed the point
where the river opens out into the sea. Many ships were being anchored and
unloaded there. Somewhere around the same spot, a group of kayakers were
practicing enthusiastically and creating some wonderful formations and patters
with their kayaks. All this showed us that there are several wonderful things
happening around us at any given point of time. It is up to us to look around,
take a deep breath, listen to all the wonderful sounds, catch all the beautiful
sights and enjoy every moment of our lives.
As always, the
place had something new and fresh about it, which made us all feel good and
rejuvenated. Once done with the walk, we proceeded to our hosts’ (Jayanthy
Aunty and Rama Uncle) place in Kovan. We were warmly welcomed into their
beautiful house. I have always felt a wave of calm envelope me every single
time I sit at the lovely altar at their house, and this time was no different.
And I heard a few other members echo the same sentiment. Once everyone gathered
there settled down, we started off with the Opening Meditation. After reading a
few prayers and the names of people who were to celebrate their
birthdays/anniversaries in the month of April, we had our delicious brunch
served lovingly by Jayanthy Aunty and Rama Uncle.
Looking forward
to the next month’s Walk!
-
Preethi Saroja
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