Bhubaneswar, Jan. 7: Walking is therapeutic, ask any doctor. But, a morning walk in the capital’s Biju Patnaik Park can be rewarding even otherwise. If you time it right, chances are you will be ambling or pacing, depending on age and inclination, alongside mass education minister Pratap Jena or chief secretary B.K. Patnaik or some top shots from the world of business.
The park, variously described as walkers’ paradise and joggers’ stamping ground, is where the capital’s swish set descends early morning to “keep in shape”. Some walk, some jog and others warm up with stretching drills. Yoga nuts, too, find a place on its grounds.
Acquaintances are made rather easily and those looking for the main chance are quick to strike polite conversation as the first step towards more profitable future encounters.
“It’s true some people come here to develop contacts. For someone, looking for PR, there can be no better place as top notch bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen throng the park every morning,” said Ranjit Panigrahy, a young entrepreneur, who has resumed his walking habit after the gap of a few months.
Among politicians, former minister Padmnabh Behera and BJD deputy chief whip Arun Sahu are said to be regulars at the park which, with its 1.2km boundary, is among the better-maintained recreational facilities of the capital. Former body builder Congress leader Surendra Singh Bhoi often lands up with his two sons for a brisk walk. “I live nearby and if I am in Bhubaneswar, I make it a point to come. It’s good for health,” said the burly former minister.
Walking enthusiasts such as Srikant Satpathy, a mechanical engineer employed with a private company, have been watching the crowd here for the past several years. “The chief secretary comes early, often with wife in tow, and leaves early. Casual greetings apart, he won’t like being disturbed. But, there are several other IAS officers, who not only arrive a little late, but also walk for a longer time,” said Satpathy.
Satpathy was practising catching a tennis ball with a motley group consisting of young boys and middle-aged men. Some among the group then moved on to join the yoga class in progress a few feet away.
Among the IAS couple, who frequent the park in the morning, are Manoj Ahuja and Arti Ahuja heading the steel and mines and handloom and textiles departments, respectively. Doctors, too, have been bitten by the walking bug and quite a few of them living on and around the Capital Hospital campus, which is a stone’s throw away, land up at the lush green facility housing some beautiful pieces of sculpture. The hospital’s deputy chief medical officer S.N. Swain is said to be so addicted to his morning walk in the park that he cannot stand the thought of being transferred out of Bhubaneswar.
For the herb-loving health freaks, there is a kiosk just in front of the park’s entrance with rows of aloe vera, karela-jamun and amla juice cartons to choose from. “We also sell green tea and muesli,” said the salesmen, who work for a private company, which is said to have built up a strong clientele among walkers and joggers, who want a great beginning to their day at any cost.
