KOLAR: In an interesting test of endurance, a casual post-dinner chat among neighbours in Kolar’s Karanjikatte area (65km from Bengaluru) turned into a full-blown fitness challenge — one that left a middle-aged man poorer by Rs 4 lakh and four women significantly richer in confidence and cash!
The drama unfolded on the 5th Cross on Tuesday when a group of local women, busy with their post-dinner free-wheeling chats, expressed their wish to go on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath.Appi (name changed on request), who was standing nearby listening to the women, intervened and scoffed at their idea, declaring: “Ladies, it involves a lot of walking and trekking—you wouldn’t last!”
The women countered him stating that they had the strength and resolve to undertake the arduous journey. Not wanting to back off, Appi threw down the gauntlet in a lighter vein: “If anyone walks non-stop to the nearest town Narasapura (which is 15km away) now, they will get 10 grams of gold!” The women sought Rs 1 lakh in cash instead of gold. Appi, who thought the women were only capable of talking and not walking, agreed to the request.
Terms were set, local elders nodded in approval, and the husbands, perhaps with a mix of support and curiosity, agreed to the deal. The condition? If the women gave up, they would give Appi Rs 50,000 each.
The women embarked on their night walk at 10.45pm. With a car leading the way, another trailing behind, and a group of enthusiastic bikers escorting them as if in a VIP rally, the women set off into the night. With 5km covered, Appi started to sweat—not from walking, but from realizing these women weren’t joking. He rushed to them, offering Rs 10,000 each. “Take this and let’s just call it a night!” But the women laughed and continued to walk.
After crossing the 10km mark, Appi upped his offer to Rs 50,000 each, hoping to salvage his bank balance. But at this point, the women had their eyes on the prize—nothing less than victory would do. Finally, much to the disbelief of Appi and his now-silent supporters, the women triumphantly marched into Narasapura at 1.10am the next day. As agreed earlier, Appi handed over Rs 50,000 each on the spot and promised to settle the rest over the weekend, said the husband of one of the women walkers.
TOI contacted both Appi and the women for their comments, but they refused. While the women feared they would be reprimanded by the senior family members for accepting such challenges, Appi did not want to be identified as he feared he would be mocked for losing the bet.