A walk on the stretch of loose granular substance spread along the riverbed can spell magic, says G. V. Ramana Rao
Photo: K.R. Deepak
Tranquil ambience Burning extra calories while working out on sand stretch by the river side can have a special impact
For people with a streak of romance, it serves as Baywatch, while others refer to it as Marina beach. There are no lifeguards to save people drowning in the sea like in the soap opera, nor is it a beach with a sea in the vicinity of Vijayawada city.
But the place has become a big attraction for a section of people who love the stretch of sand that exudes a magical effect. Sand-walking is a new trend catching up fast among city-dwellers.
The sand-walking track across the Krishna River on the right bank in Guntur district stretches for about three to four kilometres from the new Kanakadurgamma Varadhi upto the point where the river turns slightly towards the east.
“Once you come here for a walk in the morning, you cannot go anywhere else,” says Sivanarayana who has been walking the sands for nearly two decades now. He comes here with his friends every morning to sweat it out in the sand and then takes a cool dip in the river.
Sandwitch factor
With the sand track located in the virtual backyard of the Vijayawada Club, many of its members have become regular sand walkers. “Each group has its own perception. For youngsters, it is Baywatch but the group of Punjabis calls it ‘sandwich’ and there is a reason for it. In Punjabi ‘wich’ means place,” explains Murali Krishna, the club secretary.
Many fitness freaks use the track to push the envelope. Satish, properitor of the Vijayawada unit of Lakshmi Ford hits the track when his weight crosses the 90-kg mark.
After running barefoot for a couple of hundred metres, he walks for a while to catch some breathe before beginning to sprint again. He relies on a backward walk for a uniform exercise of the back muscle. According to a survey based on a series of studies by the Udine University in Italy, the energy consumed by a person walking on sand is 1.8 times greater than what is used up while walking on a compact terrain.
On sand, the energy consumption increases in proportion with the speed of walking but same is not the case with compact surface. In other words, walking in sand is more beneficial compared to a compact surface.
Knee joint replacement expert M.J.Naidu says walking in the sand causes less harm to the knee joints. “Walking barefoot in the sand is good for people suffering with the flatfoot problem. Sand walking is an excellent exercise for the foot muscle,” he says.
Close to nature
Baldev was advised by his doctor to tread the sand stretch to get rid of backache. He says the pain has subsided considerably. The refreshing ambience is an added advantage. Unlike in a four-walled gym, the ever-changing view is spectacular. The scene of the sunrise over the Yenamalakuduru hillock is a feast to the eyes. The city skyline over Gunadala Hill and Kanakadurgamma varadhi provide a breath-taking backdrop to the river. Twitters of winged creatures such as koel, coucal, golden-backed woodpecker, white-breasted kingfisher and redwattled lapwing birds that are a rarity in cities, lend a unique touch to the place.
Another unique feature is that nature takes care of the maintenance of this track. If the scorching sun sanitizes the sand, the hot breeze sweeps it and the morning dew cools it down before consolidating it.
Krishna Jalasankar is the presiding deity here. Many walkers offer prayers either before or after the walk. Dasari Venkateswarlu, a veteran athlete, attributes the development of the approach to the sand track and a temple here to philanthropists like Chennupati Seshagiri Rao and Ilapuram Venkaiah. They also secured permission from the irrigation department for use of the stretch for exercise closing all options for sand quarrying here.
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