Steps. Steps. Steps.
I think this is quite unique about the National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla, the National Training institute of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service.
Our hostel, Yarrows, is located at the top of a hill, while the academy is located at the middle. So in effect we have to go down the steps to reach the academy in the morning. For lunch, we climb back up. After lunch we go down the steps again. After class, we again go up. Our squash court, tennis court, gymnasium, Table tennis court are all located at different slopes of the hill, that we climb up and down the steps which are all over the place. God help that OT, who forgets something at the hostel, and remembers about it after he/she reaches the academy.
Here is a guided tour from the academy to the hostel.
Let’s get some head start.
You have successfully climbed 15 steps now. You think it’s not a big deal. But wait. You have miles to go!
That’s 18 steps for you. Climb that, lazy ass! Oh! Once you are done with this, you feel that your heart rate has slowly and steadily climbed up. And then you start climbing these.
That’ again 13 steps for you.
By the end of this, your breathing is slightly heavier. You can really feel your heart pounding in your chest. To make it interesting, now continue up this oval flight of stairs.
These number a total of 16 steps. Once you climb up this, now you can hear your heart beat in your ears. You want to sit for sometime. But, there’s still more way to go.
After these 19 steps, you feel that you might spit your lungs out. Smokers readily understand that their lung capacity is that of a 5 year old. Combine that with the cold air of Shimla, that keeps your mouth dry when you take deep breaths. By the end of these, your quadriceps feel pumped. But Hey! we have more in store for you.
Here is a small group to calm your heart rate. (5 steps)
Ready for your next High intensity interval training? Here you go!
By the end of this ( 18 steps), you start cursing the day you filled IA&AS as an option in your UPSC DAF. You curse Shimla, you hate the Himalayas and everything here. In fact, you wish you were one of those monkeys who effortlessly keep going up and down this mountain.
Here’s something to calm you down. More steps! (Eight)
After these ( 17 steps) you don’t care about it anymore. You feel like a robot, who has been programmed to keep moving his leg up and down for no purpose. However, this my favourite part of this whole step climbing routine. Because, after these 17 steps, comes a diversion. You can either choose an inclined plane which has lesser number of steps interspersed here and there, or you can choose some more steeper steps. I don’t know why, but I usually choose the steeper steps, even though I would have been cursing these steps all along.
( The incline which I usually don’t take)
The path I take (16 + 9 + 4) steps.
And finally you reach this majestic building, built by none other than Ernest Baker, on the left side of which is a view of the Shimla City..
When you reach there, you feel a slight sense of accomplishment. You realise that your physique is still not in tatters and that cold breeze from the valley will slowly brush your skin as if appreciating you for your accomplishment.
Then again, you repeat the whole cycle in the evening and for every other thing outdoorsy thing that you want to do.
Here is a small calculation that I have done. The total of those steps come to around 168 which we climb minimum twice a day. That comes to 336 steps in a day. We are in Shimla for approximately 280 days in a year, which means we climb a whopping 94,080 steps in a year ( minimum). To make it sound better, I am going to count is as 1,00,000. I am pretty sure that is as unique an experience an academy can provide.
I have started to love it and the health benefits that have started to accrue because of it. I am quite sure I’ll take this experience with me to the grave and cherish it.