Ramesh (@bighungrypanda) and I decided to have a park date on Sunday afternoon. We’d had a pretty long night the day before. The friends we were staying with had invited some of our other friends over, so the whole gang was together. We ended up talking and laughing till 3 in the morning. Naturally, waking up early and stepping out the next morning was out of the question. I was seriously tempted to just stay in bed all day, especially with the heat outside, but there was also this part of me that really wanted to go out and make the most of the Sunday. So, we figured an afternoon at Cubbon Park would be the perfect, lazy alternative. We finally got out of the house around 12 PM.
We booked an auto to reach the park, and honestly, the journey was kind of a nightmare. It was scorching hot—like “I’m melting into the seat” hot—and the dust and pollution just made it worse. To top it off, Bangalore’s traffic, in its usual glory, was crawling slower than ever. It took us a full hour to get to the park, but it felt even longer because of the heat and the random jerks of the auto weaving in and out of lanes. At one point, we seriously considered leaving the auto and just walk. We would've reached faster, I'm sure. But the burning sun stopped that train of thoughts pretty soon. We'd be toasted.
A Picnic
Since we hadn’t had a proper breakfast (a few chips and coffee don’t count), we decided to jump straight to lunch. While still in the auto, we placed an online order for food, hoping the timing would work out perfectly. And to our surprise—it did! As soon as we arrived and managed to stretch our legs after the bumpy ride, the food was delivered about 15 minutes later. Small wins.
With our lunch packed neatly in brown paper bags, we walked into the park, looking for a good spot under some shady trees. The park was buzzing with its usual weekend crowd—families laying out mats, couples sitting under trees, kids running around with ice creams, and dogs—so many dogs. After walking around a bit, we found a nice shaded spot with enough room to stretch out and set up our mini picnic.
Lunch was simple but delicious—nothing fancy, just comfort food that hit the spot. I had a bowl of pasta with grilled paneer and Ramesh got a bowl of chicken biryani. We ate, talked, and took our time with everything. That’s the best part of park dates, I think—there’s no rush. You just sit, breathe, and let time flow around you.
Once we were full and happily lazing around, Ramesh put on a movie on his phone (because yes, even on park dates, he needs some screen time), while I pulled out my book and began reading. It was peaceful—birds chirping all around us, dogs barking in the distance, the rustling of trees, and occasional laughter echoing from other corners of the park. A woman walked by with her husky, who was the fluffiest thing I’d seen all day. I was this close to asking if I could pet him but didn’t want to seem like a weirdo.
After a bit, we got up to stretch and ended up playing around like little kids—running after each other, laughing like idiots, tripping over roots and laughing some more. It felt silly and wholesome. Sometimes, you just need to let yourself be childish and goofy, and it heals something deep inside. I don’t even remember the last time I ran just for fun.
While we were there, I remembered how a few of my friends who stay nearby spend most of their weekend afternoons at this park. They’ve told me about these little book clubs that meet here—people sitting in a circle on mats, reading and discussing stories. It sounded like the dream. Imagine being surrounded by nature and books and people who love stories as much as you do! I stood there, watching a small group that was clearly part of something like that, and it made me want to move closer to this part of town immediately.
There’s something so grounding about being in a park. Even in a city as chaotic as Bangalore, Cubbon Park feels like this calm little bubble where time slows down, and life feels just a bit lighter. As we packed up and started walking back to the main gate, I found myself smiling for no reason.
I guess that’s what a good Sunday feels like. No drama. No expectations. Just sunshine, good food, a little bit of love, and a lot of green.
