The Subu Darshan

Barring the black silhouette of Subramaniam "Subu" Narayanan, I have not seen any proper photograph of this entity. That is, until I receive this one as we alight at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport on July 27, 2018 Saturday afternoon.

Despite Ram (Ramashankar Pandey) threatening me with Subu's metre long stride which can only possible if you are lanky enough - six feet plus - this image of him was actually fear-inducing. Oh My God! kind of feeling. A fair looking multi-lingual blockbuster Bahubali Katappa? Or is it some Arabic character? Unable to decipher.

While it took some time for our baggage (Ram, Hari Kausik and mine) to crawl out on the slow moving conveyor belt at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, I was  catching up with the WhatsApp message from Subu, saying that he had left Ernakulam (what's this Palghat brahmin doing in Ernakulam while his parents live there? This mystery will get dissolved in a few hours time!) and on the way, this six feet, four inches Palghat Brahmin, halted at a mandir seeking blessings for the successful completion of his proposed epic journey. Religious?

Epic journey, hmmm...

3,600 km. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir. On foot. Purpose: to spread road safety awareness. Social cause, yes. Why should he take the trouble of doing this? Aren't there thousands of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) engaged in this activity, funded by Government and various charity organisations at home and abroad? Yes. Still, why Subu should undertake this walkathon? Is he mad? Crazy?

Questions whirling in my cranium. Habits die hard, truly. Keep asking questions and you will find answers is my firm belief. If not instantly at least some point in time.

Epic journey... Epic? How?  "A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a nation," reads one of  several dictionary offerings when I googled for meaning of this word. Another version said, "An exceptionally long and arduous task or activity".

Yeah, that's it. The second one fits perfectly. Oh man, this mechanical engineer with global exposure in the international lighting giant Hella India (MNC, that is) will be covering a minimum of 60 km daily - repeat, 60 days daily - to cover the 3,600 km distance in two months time with a few rest days in between.

Sixty days? 60 km daily? Walking? Possible? Has anyone done it? I refrained from googling to know the ground reality. What's the point? Can understand if someone does this to win a prize at international games. Not this exercise. That too to promote road safety.

Even at a normal walking speed of 5 km/hour - which I usually do - it would take 12 hours to complete 60 hours. What kind of stamina required to be on one's feet for such a long duration. Not for one day or two days, but two months and more. Animal spirit? Hey, Subbu! Okay, okay, Hey, Ram!

"Don't think, he (Subu) is hallucinating. He has done it," informed Ram as we wait for the baggage at the southernmost airport in India after almost three hour long ride from Delhi.

Done it? Truly a bombshell. My jaws dropped. Yes, that's the back story which we eventually will  return to.

Ram's handset trings. "Five minutes. We will be out. Which gate? Where?" Ram sharing and seeking information with someone invisible.

As we step out of the airport precincts, a tall, lean human frame, eyes covered with tainted spectacles, sporting a collarless colour banian in electric blue with a tight track suit(?) waves at Ram and comes forward.

"Hi, Rama! .... Hello Remeshji..."

That's my maiden darshan of this walking sensation in God's Own Country. His backstory is so riveting, I discounted all fears of this man-machine dropping out midway. 3,600 km target will be child's play for him.

(Left to Right:)Subu, self, Ram, Nishant Balan. (At the rear:) Binu John and Hari Kaushik

Remeshji .... Typical Kerala slant. His roots are pretty strong, despite his global stint with the multinational outfit. Not like many others who wantonly abandon their home country linkages: change their names under the pretext that Indian names are unpronounceable for foreigners. Acquire a different accent. Nothing wrong so long such things are practiced where they serve. Certainly not when back home. That's hypocrisy.

Subu has no such trappings. He is truly glocal. Indian to the core, handling global clients on their turf with his Indianized accent and approach. Perfect.

A quick selfie with Ram, self, Hari, himself, Nishant Balan, Binu John. Subu is so tall that he is able to capture all of us in one single frame from some vantage point. What could be the length of his arm, I began to wonder. Ram and Subu are familiar now. What about the rest? Hang on.

Two Innovas. Ram, self, Subu, Hari jump into one while the rest into the second one.

Our first destination: a local hotel where a crew of press reporters waiting for the maiden press conference by the Hella men: Ram and Subu. A quick exchange of logistics of the distance between Tiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari, from where his epic journey would commence the next morning. Also, the talk veers around the arrival of rest of the crew.

Rest of the crew? Bound to be. Such an arduous two month long walking trip via the Western coastal road form Kanyakumari to Kashmir needs a battalion to manage the logistics. How big the crew would be? No idea at this juncture.

Innovas navigate through the afternoon traffic of Tiruvananthapuram for the press conference arranged at a city hotel.

The moment Subu alights, lensmen go berserk. Nothing unusual. After all, the man's mission is unique. Above all, he is son of the soil. Extra interest. The pull of linguistic and cultural affinity is irresistible.

On the second floor, Rahul Sharma, the key architect of the entire unfolding drama is waiting to kickstart. Quiet and unassuming. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to witness his prowess in organizing skills. Success of anything is "collaborative" a key theme both Ram and Subu will be keep muttering throughout.

Some climb the flight  of stairs and some resort to the elevator. The show begins with a press conference in Tiruvananthapuram, 100 plus km away from the starting point of the epic journey. We would be returning to the same city soon on our way to Kashmir. That would be a unique experience with a lot of pomp and glory.

(To be continued)

Read the Curtain Raiser here

Read  "Who Is Subu?" here