Run Raja Runnn... Walk Walk...Walk in the Park...

Again something related to IFS-2014.... My walking test...

Distance: 25kms... Time Limit: 4 hours...  Location : Delhi Zoological Park... Weather : Foggy February Winter... Mood : Upbeat after a Good Interview :D

This is one test which i was really worried about..more than the interview ! We are supposed to walk 25kms (14km for girls )within 4hrs with all those Animals looking at us weirdly... :'( 

The date of Walking Test was 2days after interview with Medicals@safdarganj in the middle. So on this chilly foggy Feb morning i reached Delhi zoo after Taxiforsure made sure that i book another cab by cancelling at last minute. We were asked to be there by 6:45 AM. Sun was not yet out, mist was not yet clear, n our cab driver dint know where or what was this Zoo... A passerby translated Zoo as "Chidiyaghar" and then his spark lit... Anywayz we reached there on time and after initial docs stuff, we were ready to walk...get...set... goooo....

I feared this test alot as i dint practice for it much.. How can u practice 25km walk? Can u tell me how? :P So i jus waited for the W-day (Noo..not womens day.. :P)and it finally arrived. We were given small intro by the Director of Delhi Zoo, an IFS officer himself of 83 or 84 batch. The zoo circumference was 2.5kms and we had to make 10 rounds on solid Tar road. There would be 10 tokens against each candidate with roman numbers, which we must pick from the middle point of the round and submit it at the starting. There were biscuits, lemons, Volinis and Ambulances(Yes, you heard it right) available at both the checkpoints...They had big clocks with exact time at checkpoints to note down each of our timings during rounds. With this info, the walk started at 7:15.. n our deadline was 11:15.

So the walk began... 1st round i just wanted to walk fast and see how much time it takes... it took 23minutes for me... n then i started running walking running again walking....n at half time i finished 5.5 rounds... This was my target and im glad i did it.. I had to be very conscious about this as they were very strict on timings.... My body wasn't giving me much trouble till 7 rounds... i was having little pains but it was manageable... The horror started post 7th round and the round 8 9 10 were just about going bad to worse each round...I ensured that i get exact 55minutes minumum for the last 2 rounds (as i took 23minutes with only walking initially).. but oh man..these last 2 rounds were like literal hell... It was getting tougher n tougher... My legs had become like some pillars which were just refusing to move... still i kept on marching ahead by occasional running n walking moving those pillars... All animals from that White tiger to Elephants to Deers were feeling sorry about my plight... but poor animals...What can they do... :'( 

For the very last round i got 30 minutes to finish...Physically i was deteriorating fast.. but mentally i was becoming more n more determined.. i had to push myself like a Telugu hero wounded by Villian's bullet, still trying to stand up to do that one last Climax fight to save my heroine...n all along people were telling me... "Bhayya, walk fast walk fast... apka nahi hoga.. jaldi kariye"... I was sure that i would reach there, but these people made my time terrible.. Instead of saying "aapka hojayega", they were telling "aapka nahi hoga, sara effort waste hojayega" sort of stuff... instead i had to console them ki.."Tension mat lijiyega, mera hojayega".. :'(

Finally... i reached my destination 5 minutes before...in 3:55hrs. All the guys (3 of them) behind me gave up and All the guys before me finished it off.... n i gave that last token at the Start point n Just fell off like a pack of Cards just adjacent to that guy who collected that token... upppphhhh.... I wasn't energetic even to say one "Yesssss..." also after successfully finishing it. I had to limp back to hotel after some 30mins holding my dad's arm.

It wasn't nightmare till this time yet. My pain had just began. I barely walked not even 100mtrs also for the next 2 days. My body was paining like a tender chicken. I couldn't walk even a step for a full day. I dint bath also that day as i had so severe pains that i slept off with that sweaty salt all over me. It took 2 full days for me to put my foot out to walk a metre also. Volini became my Best Friend.. It was a terribly painful experience, but yes u ll love it. I feel sorry for those guys who fail here, coz even though they get another chance to walk if they get selected, seems the test would be in Summers when the weather would be far severe. I feel sorry for those also, who clear this walking test and couldn't find their name in the final list. Its far heart-breaking. After having suffered so much, still u end up loosing. Life is hard sometimes.

I wanna thank my dad for his great support during this grueling walking test. After everyround he kept on motivating me.. asking me to walk faster..giving me something to drink/eat..n supporting me.. I asked my dad to specifically come with me, as i was not sure of my future after this walking test. I myt very well land up in some hospital in delhi and there should be someone to take care of me. Thankgod, he was there for me n thus happy ending too. My dad would have never seen me suffering so much right from my birth... but i atleast knew that the distance between me and my rank was just 25kms..for many its infinite..So dad, no-pain no-gain...Thanks Dad... Love you... :)