Blockdown Walk

 Blockdown Walk

I would tell you now, all the nasty things, I noticed even during a total Blockdown, in my sphere of activities.

1. Mind you, I do not go in the opposite direction  to Gelioya or Kurunduwatta where a nasty guy from SLPP has made the life of an average person a misery. Only twice I went in opposite direction to the nearest Branch of Bank of Ceylon, when the road from Peradeniya to Kandy was closed due to unruly action of JVP inspired strikes in the Campus which I boycotted in theory and practice.

Today, I had only Rs.100/= in my purse and I had to walk to the Bank with impending rain forecast by Google. A cloudy day without much humidity an ideal day for walking. I was stopped by my wife yesterday and all the gear was ready except the bills to be paid.

I was up by 3.30PM of my day time nap after lunch and there was no rush to find the unpaid bills. I had only a cup of tea and two pieces of cake                         (the current bread is awful without butter and jam) and with only an umbrella in my hand and with an empty purse with two bank cards. The debit card,                    I dispensed with a few years ago to avoid heavy interest rate. I have stopped the land phone calls totally having told my intention twice or thrice in advance to my friends to stop paying unnecessary taxes to this failing military government. They failed us with Coronavirus and  I have recorded those events in correct scientific perspective, in my blog space and in a book at Amazon’s.

Today is about my stroll not politics.

2. From our home to Panideniya shops is the "Maranthika (deadly) Tract" on a busy day with traffic. Two have succumbed in this stretch in one morning and sadly one was a Muslim gentleman (Mr. Hameed) who saved my life many a time jumping to moving vehicles coming from the right side, in my rush to catch the bus to Galaha Junction. 

The  morning lecture is at 8AM. 

The bus from Panideniya take half an hour for a five minutes trip by the car. 

There was no parking lot, in the University for my car.

3. The next stop is Penideniya, which I call "The Appiriya Town I".     There used to be only one "Appiriya Eating Shop" and now the whole place has become an “Apaya (Hell Tradition)”.

There was a big puddle of water in the middle of the road in addition. No buses today blocking my view and all shops closed. There is 90 degree angle at this junction and there used to be a mirror to help road users. It is no more.

4. Third stop is the Peradeniya township, which I am at a loss to rename it but slightly better than Panideniya.

I would call it "Appiriya Township II".

I think I am going to have a break for a bit of Coriander Drink (my standalone recipe for Coronavirus not time tested, yet). Now these are the few things, I remember out of the many forgotten observations.  One day delay in recording helps my memory to clean up quickly unlike the cellphone or the computer.

Loss of bad memories is a blessing at all times.

5. The approach road relatively clean due to heavy rain washing the rubbish to a stream that joins Mahaweli River. Where buses were parked, I saw crushed up foreign illegal cigarette packets in plenty. The police say they have stopped this menace but Panideniya is the standard route for smuggling drugs,   to university undergraduates. I won't go into details how Mahaveli Ganga is used for transportation of drugs where only the surface road is checked by the police.          I believe police do not want their boots to.be wet.

The rock behind the petroleum station fully exposed is covered by a large polythene sheet. A handy engineering feat to prevent soil erosion.

6. The bridge is littered with rotting rice packets. I believe they were left for dogs. Even the dogs repel the smell of them and they do not partake the leftover. Mind you, rice rots in a few minutes unless one puts the leftover immediately into the fridge.

The British outstanding construction stands tall and the only Lankan addition is an ugly cement payment blocks, to the approach of the bridge.

There are many cracks and gaps between the blocks.

7. Beyond, the bridge was a big iron frame hosting Buddhist Anniversary of 2600.

It was very ugly.

Why it was not removed after the celebrations, I do not know.

8. The Galaha Junction was peaceful only one post left with, all the rhetoric in words washed and blurred.

To see this place without banners and posts was a long term dream of mine.

Why police has left one piece?

9. There were three dogs on my onward stroll but only two on my return. They are at a loss but guard the place two years after closure of the campus.

I wish all graduates (if not undergraduates) should salute Sir Ivor Jennings.

Only dogs seem to have taken that to their heart.

10. The Peradeniya Botanical Garden closed.

Right in front is the ugly entrance to the Children Hospital, blocked by large number of three wheeler drivers.

Ugly sight and site.

I vehemently opposed the idea but politicians prevailed. The political name stands clear in the name board.

However, with the pandemic in full gear that is the final resting place for some of the unfortunate kids.

11. The Rest House is no more but sold to a privateer.

12. At the Bank of Ceylon only three using the till. The ZIM card tray was out of order. 

Apart from withdrawing cash uploading data was my intention.        

I have to come here again for uploading my ZIM.

Two trips for two jobs.

13. The Veterinary Hospital was open and they were busy. 

That was good and that is the reason I did not see many stray dogs.

14. I did not bother to go up and see the hospital I worked for nearly 16 years. Yes, I came out never to return even for a guest lecture.

The newly built research laboratory was closed. By the way, it never opened after colossal amount of money spent.

15. Finished my job of withdrawing money from the bank, I got a bright idea to extend my walk  to the Royal Mall, but after a long walk, I found it closed.

16. The Cargills Food Store  near the 3 way junction was closed.

17. Crossing the railway track was easy without railways running. Bit about railway tracks later.

18. The laundry my regular visiting place was closed. I have only a pair of cloths to collect.

19. All the "Plants Shops" were closed.

Anyway, I have stopped buying exotic plants for over two years. It is too much time caring for them but           

I now collect only seeds. 

My paddy seeds are sprouting and replanted plants are doing well. I will report on paddy experiment when I get the first batch of seeds. On my return, I saw one shop opened and selling seed paddy.

20. The return trip was not eventful except avoiding  bumping into that shoddy guy. He did not notice me but was having a deal with another guy.

21. Coming home empty hand was not my intention. All the fruit stalls were closed. There was one lorry selling vegetables but no fruits.

22. On my way up even the two Ram Banda Shops were closed.

23. My stalling was noted by a guy who  ran the smaller Ran Banda Shop to open the door slightly.  Before me a young guy rushed there and bought              3 bananas. Mind you Rs.40/= a piece. He was obviously hungry with all the food stalls closed.

He offered me the rest of the bunch and I said     I want the big bunch since it was Ambum my favourite.   

Rs. 600/= down but added two medium sized paw paw each for 150/=  to balance the weights in my hands.

My maximum  weight carrying capacity is 5 Kg.

I am left with only Rs.100/=.

24. Long walk home and I decided to walk on the railway track which is straight unlike the  windy road with ups and downs. I could rest on a bench at the railway station, if rain intervenes.

25. I forgot that the ground to platform was four or more feet high to prevent passersby using that route. I thought I could not make it with my own legs, in one go. Transferred  the load to one hand and gripped the iron railing firmly and with a mighty intention got one foot up and the other came up instantly, without dropping the ripe bananas.

A mighty  sigh of relief.

Physical coordination counts even at old age and do not try the impossible. If I plan a long walk,        I make sure there is company, not a dog by the way but Coronavirus has made that luxury unavailable.  I surveyed the ground plan of the tracks which are concentrated in one point with criss-crossings of tracks. My physics brain could not figure them out.

26. The reason for taking this route is to see the little pond there with lily flowers. Unlike the one previously mentioned had several varieties. The little carp fish I used to feed is “Hugh Now” with its mouth and nostrils or gills at surface level unable to go down when a stranger comes near.

Obesity is a problem even for a fish, especially gold fish.

Do not over feed them.

27. I raised up the hill and my first intention was to down two bananas and that was the total calorie cost of my walk. Do not eat them like a kid at half way stop what was meant for family consumption, never mind even if nobody eats.

Resisted eating any.

28. The final bath becomes much pleasing with sweat all over me. But do not rush to the bathroom until the body cools down. It is really not physiological and the body cannot handle it which I have learnt without     a sports master, in my days.

29. Mind you, I paid the Water bill and Telecom bill at the Kheel’s Super Marker, on my return.

They checked my temperature and it recorded 35 degrees and I could not believe (which I expected to be around 37.8 at least). I think Chinese have dumped all the cheap digital thermometers in Ceylon and please do not believe in them for use in Medical Practice unless you have  a mercury thermometer to verify.

That may be the reason the Coronavirus is rampaging now in Ceylon.

30. I had a peep at Galaha Junction for my fruit vendor's stall  but closed. He generally has good collection of bananas.

Mind you I hate Seeni Kehel and I have renamed  them as Rubber Kehel.

31. The two schizophrenics who have the typical fixed routines were at Peradeniya looking for food and shelter from rain. I avoided any mode of communication with them fearing any fixation on me.

32. The fearsome old women or Achchi was seated in front of her boutique without any sale items. She terrifies anybody who tries to overrule her dictatorship. I think she would have done a better Woman President role than our current incumbent.     She is down to earth in her management of the few stalls she owns and she has seen their natural development and changing hands over the years. She probably in her nineties and I have never seen her full standing stature, always in couched up mode and all the instructions are relayed to the back of the stall verbally and are acted upon, promptly. I used to go there and buy the pots sold there especially during new year. I do not think she recognised me with my grey hair and half grown facial hair.

Mind you I used to wear immaculately, those days, perhaps even with a tie.

33. I do not know how these three survived to old age, when I find even climbing high steps daunting.

Probably they are fixated to the place they love and do not want to depart to new lives or a new round of births.

Attachment is the substance of Rebirth, according to Buddha.