Racing towards good times

A perfect weekend is like a distant dream. I usually don’t get too many breaks as I travel for my tournaments and races. So I anxiously wait for days when I can spend a day or 2 with myself and my friends. And when this rare opportunity presents itself, I make the most from it.

Two days amidst green area and some peace, with just myself and my thoughts, away from all the crowd, glitz and glamour is my idea of a perfect weekend.

On Friday evening, I look forward to getting away from Chennai, my hometown. The sweltering heat, monotonous lifestyle, heavy traffic and concrete jungle make me want to swing to the other end of the spectrum.

So I go to a peaceful, quiet getaway and Kodaikanal is always on top of the list for a holiday. My family owns a house near the thick forest and next to the lake. This is quite a contrast to where I live in the city, right in the middle of all the sari shops with aunties bustling around. The pleasant weather is another factor that pulls me to Kodaikanal.

I start driving on Friday evening, with my friends and spend my weekends only them as I am with my family through the week. It’s not always a planned trip.

One of my friends may decide to go to Kodaikanal on the spur of the moment. Most of us will be bewildered by the plan at that time but will finally agree.

And once we reach, we make sure that we get adequate rest and sleep. Sleep is another thing I look forward to on weekends. As a sportsperson, we hardly get any. I never sleep without racing around a ring in my head and I always wake up early, even if I sleep late. These are old habits of mine that will die hard. 

On Saturday morning, I walk around the garden and enjoy the nip in the air. I also go for a short run around the lake. I love cycling near the lake as well. After coming back, my friends and I usually play some fun games, kick around a football or listen to some soothing, mellow music. We have a special set list which we call ‘Kodai music’. It’s a fun set that comprises songs by John Mayor, Jack Johnson and ‘Odesza’, one of my favourite bands.

There is not much to see in Kodaikanal and we just go there for some peace and quiet. We don’t talk too much because we all meet through the week anyway. It’s not about catching up with each other on our lives but just a healthier way of detoxing and enjoying the food and weather.

I am a big foodie so I come back by noon and plan lunch.

My perfect weekend is not complete without good food and the choir of cutlery. My tryst with cooking started in 2009, when I went to Europe to visit my cousin. I was alone at home and my aunt (his mother) mailed me some recipes to try out. It was the recipe of a delicious chicken ‘biryani’. That fuelled my interest.

My dad loves to cook too. He and my aunt would mail me recipes and I replicate the same whenever I am travelling or if I am alone at home. I improvise on it after I have tried it out the same way. It never comes out well when I improvise so I keep experimenting with the recipe.

In Kodaikanal, it’s usually a cook out and we have a barbecue lunch. I freak out with exciting dishes like pastas, chicken curries, wraps and salads.

We do the same thing on Sunday as well; just walk around and stay within the comforts of home. There isn’t much to see there and we like it that way.

I never think of future events or strategies during my weekend. Why would I? It’s my perfect weekend. It’s about clearing and emptying my mind for those two days. And before I know it, the weekend would have raced by. I come home with great memories; something I can cherish it to the fullest.

(As told to Anushka Sivakumar)