It's Raining, It's Pouring *

It's official now, something we have been sensing for a while. It's raining babies, and more specifically, the 2nd ones. 

Don't get me wrong, having babies is great, we have two children of our own. One may have as many babies as one wishes, anything from 0 and upward is cool, although it is best if you stop at 2... warna 'Yogi' aa jayenga. What I am alluding to is the sudden realisation for many couples who had stopped at one child to have the second child. The data is quite stark. Couples I know, who had their first child anytime between 2010 and 2019 are suddenly in the queue for their second. 

There are many possible reasons for this. 

Firstly, it could be just coincidence. At our age, most people we know have had their first child a few years ago and it may just be the right gap as per them. However, the numbers and the diversity in gaps is definitely noteworthy. Also, the number of 2nd children in the pipeline for couples who had earlier 'declared their innings' is quite stark.

Second is the most common reason for everything nowadays, 'The Lockdown'. Lockdown has made people realise the value of family. Shabnam tells me examples of long steady couples getting hitched, I have known people change organisations to go closer home. Logically, couples who may have delayed or stopped planning another child for career reasons are re-evaluating their priorities.

The third is a bit more nuanced subset of the second. I know of many examples of couples with a single child struggle through the lockdown to keep them entertained. All this while, us 2 children couples spoke of how the kids kept each other engaged and occupied. I think the single child couples have finally given in and decided to prepare for the next lockdown. 

TLDR: Many couples having second child recently could be a coincidence or one more side effect of the lockdown. 

Whatever the reason, I wish all couples on the parenting journey all the very best. Just remember, when it comes to kids, 1+1=11!

* This article is written in jest. I don't mean to belittle the pandemic or it's struggles or trivialise the enormous decision of having a child. If anyone is offended, my sincere apologies.

Trekking with kids

It's monsoon and as the unlock takes shape, there is a strong urge to head into the Sahyadri's for day treks. Few parents have asked me for kid friendly treks. I thought I would blog it here so that it can be useful for all those who want to take kids for treks.

I have been taking my elder daughter for treks since she was 4 years old. Recently, we introduced our younger daughter (who just turned 4) to a couple of treks. I have also seen some young kids in treks we have gone for. So I can speak with some experience here.

First and foremost, most kids above the age of 4 can trek. As long as the child is 

• reasonably disciplined and will follow instructions, 
• is not a complete home baby and does enjoy physical games and plays outside with his / her friends,
• is a bit flexible with food and will eat outside
• is comfortable with hygiene (will pee in washrooms outside or behind trees), 

the child will have fun on the trek with the parents. Only thing to avoid is a high endurance trek or a trek in intense heat. Monsoon and winters (December -Jan) are the best time. 

Secondly, children are inherently good at trekking. Their body weight distribution and lack of preconceived notions on what they cannot do, and our ability to pull them along, largely compensates for their lack of limb length and lower strength and a slightly lower attention to caution. Parents need to understand this point and not stress on their kids too much. Infact, 8-10 year olds will typically be much more agile on a trek than their parents, especially when going downhill.

Lastly, the only thing to be careful when trekking with kids is to plan better and be better prepared. Good grip footwear, backpack with small water bottle, good and adequate snacks and proper fitting raincoat are absolutely essential for a monsoon trek with kids along with dry clean clothes to change into after. For a winter trek, just remove the raincoat, everything else is constant. Moreover the schedule, when and where to eat breakfast, where to stop for bio break, when and how will lunch be managed becomes important. Travel times are best kept optimum when taking kids along as should things we carry up the mountain. Thus, treks with short drives and good food options at base and near the top become quite attractive.

That being spoken, let me list down a few options which are very amiable to take kids along.

1. Tikona - Located to the east of Pawna lake, this is a nice gentle trek which can be done by beginners and small children. The drive is a bit long from Mumbai (3 hours). But a location of choice for Puneri's.
2. Asherigadh - 100km north of Mumbai, located off the highway, this is a simple and wonderful trek. I have taken beginners and a small group of kids on this trek. There is a wonderful view of the Ahmedabad highway and some lovely ponds on top. Best done in monsoon.
3. Matheran via Dodhani - 50 kms from Mumbai and 10 kms from Panvel is a small village called Dodhani. From here, there is a lovely and simple trail up to sunset point at Matheran. The advantage of this trek is the simplicity, the route and the fact that you reach up in Matheran where all amenities are available.
4. Korigad - Schools take kids for picnic up this trek. It is the most simple trek (climbing stairs) and gives a lovely view of Aamby valley from above. Again, only constrain is longer travel time. Korigad, Tung and Tailbaila are all located near Aamby valley and take 2.5 to 3 hours to reach with the Lonavala traffic to navigate on way back. However, the upside is that there are decent resorts and food options nearby.
5. Tung - Took my kids up this one recently. While we stopped half way, it has a lovely view of the Pawna lake. Some tricky patches for smaller kids but quite easy for 7 year + group.  
6. Tailbaila - This beautiful mountain remains in my bucket list of treks to repeat. It is 2 pinnacles with wedge in between. The pinnacles require expertise and ropes and skill to climb. However, the wedge has a small windy temple which is a lovely place to take kids. 
7. Bhivgad - Most would not have heard of this one. But I took my 4 year old with my favourite trekking group V-Rangers. It is a nice trek and my daughter did it well. Go with someone who knows the route
8. Kothligad - A nice long walk up a twisty mountain trail to reach the base village. From there, it's a short, slightly tricky but completely safe climb. However, easy access to food and water at base and atop makes this one which can be done with kids. Only mountain top I have found (apart from Harishchandragad) where they sell packaged mineral water :(
9. Avachitgad - A bit long with a 3 hour drive on the Goa highway, this trek is simple and the view from top of the Konkan railway makes it quite worth it. Villagers at the base are happy to provide you home cooked meals and give you the complete village experience.
10. Nakhind: This is a small trail ahead of Badlapur about 2 hours from mumbai. It leads to a rock with a hole in the middle, a nice windy place. The trail beyond this may not be suitable for kids and beginners
11. Karnala: Easy to reach, very famous and crowded, this trek can be done by kids. However, it is a bit lengthy and the last patch will require some assistance which should be available in plenty on weekends.
12. 
    Harishchandragad - One of the most famous treks in the Sahyadri's, this mountain has it all atop including caves, temple, pond, food, tents, being the 5th highest point in Maharashtra and the wondrous site called Kokankada. There are many routes up and most require some expertise. However, the route up from Paachnai is very easy and kids can be taken this way. If you want your child to experience living in the elements, staying overnight in caves, putting up a campfire, rising up to see a sunrise, this is definitely the place to go. However, take some expert along. Cannot be planned for a single day trek given the travel time (5+ hours to Paachnai) and the amount of things to see atop.
13. Leaving the best for the last, actually missed these to gems earlier. Sondai and Irshalgad - Located a mouth watering 60 km from Mumbai and just off chowk (near Karjat), these 2 mountains offer a simple climb for the most part and a breathtaking view of the Morbe dam and its lake. I have taken my kids twice up Irshalgad in last 1 month and its been quite fun. Ofcourse, your priority has to be the journey and not the destination as its a bit long all the way up. 

There you go. 13 options with differing levels. There would be more, like Ahupe ghat but I haven't experienced those myself. Do tag other options in the comments for all to refer.

As I end this blog, I would like to reiterate that kids are very comfortable trekking and only need to follow rules and be comfortable with outdoors. More than the kids, it is the parents that need to prepare themselves for a trek. Plan the trek well, set ground rules before starting and do not stress much. Also remember that its the journey and not the destination that matters. So enjoy the trek without having to reach up.

Carry spare clothes (especially in rains), adequate food (carry fruits, chocolates, khakra and such carby stuff, avoid junk like chips), adequate water for the location and weather. Also take enough bags to carry wet and dirty clothes and all the garbage you generate back. Lastly, please remember, trekking in monsoons is messy. If you are not comfortable with your kids getting all mucky and drinking natural water from the cisterns and playing in streams, you may park your trekking plans for the winter. 

When you’re 40 and you know it, write a blog!

 

I remember when I turned 29 and proudly proclaimed ‘28 till I die. what an awesome year it has been!’ Well, no such proclamations today when i turn 40. 40 is indeed 40. But that’s a good thing. 

It’s just the right time to reflect back on life and how it has turned out for me.

20s - Exuberance

As I look back at my life, the 20s gave me some unique experiences. Cracking CAT and the 2 years at IIM remain one of the most life-altering and memorable events in my life. Many more milestones that shaped my future followed. My career defining first (and thus far only) job at Asian Paints, my first airline travel, my first international travel, my first car, my first f1 race, my first house, my first promotion. 20s was good. Money in the bank, no major responsibilities. I discovered the joys of trekking and fell in love with the Sahyadri’s. I started running and ran/walked my first half marathon. Only regret was a lack of companion to share it with. The 20s addressed this concern as well towards the end as I met Shabnam my future life partner and companion when I was 29 and we got married a few weeks before I turned 30. So, in toto, 20s gave me everything I could ask for and I was on top of the world. Thank you 20s!

30s - Stabalisation

The 30s has been a far more humbling and learning experience. First and foremost, I learnt to live with and fell in love with my partner. I realised how 2 people grow to love each other, understand each other, adapt, and adjust to each other’s personalities and become 1 team. Shabnam has shaped me, helped me, improved me, and practically become a part of me in this decade as I have become hers. Our life is interwoven and all our life decisions mutual (including what to binge watch). This was a significant change from the 20s. ‘Me has become We.’

Second, I became a father, once and then again. Being a father of 2 amazing children has made me realise how indeed ‘child is the father of man.’ There is so much I have learnt and so much I have grown due to fatherhood. And I can state the same for Shabnam. Motherhood has made her realise facets of her personality and her capabilities no one knew existed. Parenting has changed our perspective towards the world. I have become more careful with my choices and a bit more patient, although more is desired here. It has also changed the content we consume, the things we bring at home, the people we hang out with etc. most parents would get the drift. My usage of social media reduced, my heroes have shifted from Anurag Kashyap, Sebastian Vettel, Rohail Hyaat, Amit Trivedi to Shabnam Lilani and my kids.

The 30s has also helped me consolidate in other areas. Bought and set up the house we decided to live in; grew in my career and took more risks with my career (a stint in HR) and explored more aspects of my professional capabilities in larger and wider roles; travelled to Europe and the US for the first time; ran more frequently but lesser distances, climbed more mountains (also took Shabnam and the kids), saw more F1 races, became financially stable and secure.

Overall, the 30s has grounded me (lower centre of gravity at constant weight), matured me (with some grey hair) and shaped me (pear shaped for now). Thank you 30s!

40s - Consolidation and Contribution

Now come the 40s, I am officially over the hill. A bit of flab and grey to show for it. The 40s gives me a lot to look forward to and many things still to achieve. I want to declare it here so that while some will happen with time, I can keep pushing myself to achieve others.

1. Parenting – Our kids will grow and become tweens and then teens in this decade. I hear of the challenges and certainly will have a lot to learn, experience and do here to help them become better adults. I look forward to engaging in math and science and sports with my kids. Arts and humanities and life skills will continue to be Shabnam’s forte. 
2. Travel – still so much of the world to see and experience, Covid permitting. There is Sports in Europe (football game, F1 race and tour de France) besides seeing the far east, Australia and many more lovely places all over. 
3. Learn to ride a bike – this remains in my bucket list, and I will achieve this in this decade.
4. As a professional, I take up a new and higher role next month onwards. I wish to start afresh and consolidate into leading a large function. 
5. The most difficult one- I feel that with the basics in place, ‘purpose of life’ need to be a higher focus now. My purpose is to be happy and do things that make me content, proud and gratified and I will focus more on that than run the rat race and swim with the tide and do what is expected of me.  This would include
1. Read and teach – have done some bit in the last decade, need to do more.
2. Contribute – life has got me to a place when I can and should give back more, through both time and money.
3. Stay fit and healthy – Last few years has indeed been a health revolution and I am sure it won’t be a challenge to find avenues as long as I can get my lazy ass move. This decade, I need to swim more (kinder to the knees), play more football, trek more, cycle more, play some squash and eat better.
4. Later in the decade, we may want to calibrate my life choices in terms of the city, career, house and review how we want to plan for our empty nest 50s. 

Looking forward to the 40s with great excitement and anticipation

What I learnt from the Lockdown

So now that most people have had their say on the lockdown, the new normal and everything linked to this, its my turn.

The most amazing thing I have learnt is the resilience of children. They have had to make massive adjustment to their life, without any understanding of the problem. The way they took the change, shows yet again how we underestimate the ability of children to adapt and find their happiness in what is around. It is a great lesson for us millennial parents who try to protect our children and give them perfect lives. I have learnt that children find their happiness and learn to live with what they have and as parents,  we should focus more on making our children ready for the vagaries of life than giving them a cocooned existence. 

The other amazing thing is the resilience of the poor and self employed. They have borne the biggest brunt of the lockdown. Many daily wage earners have lost livelihood. The government, which did a great job to try and prevent the spread in first 2 months, was very insensitive to the concerns of this group.  But many have found ways and means to survive, pick up jobs which came up, find ways to reach back home and try to put their life back. I don't mean to undermine their sufferings but applaud their spirit.

The third thing that the lockdown showed was the power of free markets. The way the lease rentals corrected (and continue to correct), the way the prices of hygiene products and their constituent materials shot up, the way supply ramped up, the way labour markets rose and then came back, its quite a good education to all of us on how free markets behave when demand/supply is suddenly disrupted. It would be interesting if someone put up the data on this. An interesting side note to this is how demand has got shaped to the available supply and modified lifestyles. I see lot of people buying cycles (latent demand), postponing high-end cellphones (supply shortage) and so on. 

Lastly, I think this lockdown has certainly helped people realise what really matters. Many have got back closer to their families and their roots. Some have relocated (even permanently). While the job market does not allow it today, and remote working has set new benchmarks, I foresee attrition with people willing to settle for lesser closer home than slog it out in cities for some more money. 

This is my tuppence on the Lockdown. Stay safe everyone.

The modern all pervasive corporation

Disclaimer: This post is just food for thought. I don't have any plans to start a revolution. I am quite comfortable in my corporate environment and see the merits far outweigh the concerns. Also, this post is not intended to undermine those passionate achievers, entrepreneurs, leaders etc. who have caused a positive shift in human life. This post is for the larger majority of us who think we make a difference but in reality just add up to the numbers

The pandemic has got me thinking at levels I have not done in the past. Questioning the purpose of our existence, our actions. The fact that I read a bit of Harari's seminal work Sapiens in this period has also contributed to the thinking. 

There is no doubt that the human race is at its most comfortable stage in its history. In terms of human suffering due to war, food shortage, poverty etc. we have made great progress as a collective. In terms of general comfort whether its toilets, running water, accessibility, a roof on our head, gadgets to make everyday life easier; the current human race has it all and things will only get better. There are challenges no doubt, of unequal distribution of wealth and resources, poverty, lack of freedom in pockets but all these have seen a reduction in last 100 years.

In my view, there are 3 large contributors to our current state. The first 2 are fairly obvious. The third needs some discussion

1.The industrial and scientific revolution and the mass appreciation of role of education and science in making human life far more easier 

2. The role of democracy in allowing free thought, freedom to pursue your interests 

3. The role of free markets and the emergence of the role of large corporations in making everything an economic decision. 

The role of corporations in making the world more efficient and self-sufficient cannot be understated. Many areas get resolved when corporations come in. Large projects are executed, capacities created, bottlenecks resolved. Structural cost reduction, Structural demand generation (breakfast cereals??) etc. I have seen firsthand how the mandatory CSR spend requirement of the government in recent years has seen so much more professionalism and structural work being done in this space. Even the space of sustainability is driven by corporates seeing it to be of long term value. Electric cars are being made more efficient and economical by the day. Pharma companies continue to research in making more effective and cost effective drugs. Telecom is continuously trying to reduce cost, improve access. Start-ups are trying to identify gaps in the market and plug them with unique solutions.  Every corporate is working on making itself larger, more productive, more cost efficient, more responsible. All this makes the world a better place to live. Many of us have created tremendous value through our corporations. Henry Ford, Dhirubhai Ambani, Steve Jobs and many more such legends have achieved greatness through the route of corporations.

How has this modern day corporation evolved. It was not a concept that existed 500 years ago. Yet today, many of these are larger than the economies of some of the countries of the world. And who knows, 50 years hence, people may be known by the corporation they represent rather than their country or race or religion. 

But this is not the objective of my post. It was just context.

What is a corporation. A collection of people, driven by a common objective, creating a pool of assets and resources. People come and go, the objective remains, the resources increase. How has the modern day corporation managed to be so pervasive. An average human spends one third of his productive life dedicated to the service of a corporation. If you add time spent travelling, time spend preparing to become worthy (education, technical trainings etc.) to this, it may seem that the purpose of modern day life has become to be worthy of serving a corporation. Makes me wonder if we have conquered the hardships using corporations or converted hardships from the earlier ones to now serving corporations. Has the purpose of humans become serving corporations?

While at a whole, every organisation is striving for excellence, at the micro level it is doing this by creating a very high sense of purpose for its employees. Terms like vision, engagement, value creation, customer centricity and many more have got coined to capture, justify and rationalise everything we do in there. Banal pursuits become matters of life and death. High stress environments are created.  The vision and purpose of the organisation and serving its customers becomes the purpose of existence of all its employees. I may be working for a cigarette manufacturer and killing my customer, but i have to make sure every single packet is made, supplied and sold as quickly, efficiently and creatively as if everyone's life and not death depends on it. 

In some sense, isn't a modern corporation similar to a religious cult? Here we worship the customer, the shareholders profit and the corporations vision. Isn't it curtailing our freedom to do as we please? Doesn't it limit our actions, regiment us to think, talk and act in a particular manner? 

Case in point is Messi. One of the greatest footballers ever, richest sportsperson of our times, loved by millions for the joy he has given to them with his skill. Stuck in a contract to play for a club he doesn't want to. If he opts out, his career is stuck in a legal battle where the only people who win are the legal corporations on both sides. With all his riches and fame, he is a slave to his situation due to the modern corporation.

The corporation has given us all an opportunity to create impact which we may never have done as individuals. However, it may still merit a thought if this justifies it becoming a purpose of existence. 

Fundamentally, the purpose of all our existence is the same, the pursuit of happiness. How to achieve happiness may differ for each individual. In varying degrees, all of us have different things that make us happy. Some may get happy creating wealth, some by travelling, some teaching, some watching their children grow, some pursuing arts, some sports. However, the corporation regiments us. It tunes our thinking to make happiness equal to reward, and hence performance. Performance to meet the organisations vision, targets, KPIs. Of course this has caused tremendous human progress in last 200 years. It has created tremendous value, sustainable solutions for many problems, advanced technology. All of us have reaped the benefits of corporations in action. But then how do we balance the overriding influence the corporation has put on our worth and on our behaviour and our priorities?

Maybe, its time to for us to stop worshipping corporations and stop being corporate slaves. Or maybe, that time hasn't come yet. Lets just live for the weekend until then. 

Diary of a Nationalist

 

8 am: Dear Diary, today is going to be a wonderful day. It is the day I get to show off my new Bharat Mata tattoo. Got it done on my biceps yesterday night. It looks fab, especially with my black 'Being Human' tee.

This tattoo is an answer to all those intellectual traitors who keep giving sermons using big words like Jingoism etc. I think they know nothing other than big talk. We should be proud of our county and what better way to display the pride than this tattoo. I am going to get so much attention at the nationalist march tonight. More on that later, right now I am just excited walking around with it.

9.30 am: The day continues to be awesome. Managed to sneak into the bus before it halted and beat all those losers standing in the queue. I was lucky, managed to grab the last vacant seat. Now I can sit and browse thru the Indian Army Fans page on facebook and like and share all the pics. Nothing makes me feel more patriotic than sharing pics from this page. I share everything. My friend Vikas started lecturing me that day on sharing responsibly. Bahut pakaya, something about checking facts etc. Who has the time boss. Share what you like, and let people who want to, figure out if it is true. Anyway, this old lady came and stood beside me and started staring. Stupid old people, try to stare you into feeling guilty. Not going to happen woman. Here, look at my tattoo!

10 am: Too much traffic boss. Don't think I will reach college on time. Not that is matters much, but sitting in this heat is quite irritating. Atleast in the college hostel there is eye candy. And this aunty continues to stare at me. No way are you getting this seat lady, not in this heat and traffic. Wish I had a bike, then I could cut thru this traffic, jump signals and get to my destination faster. Need to start pestering dad for that bike he promised me for finally clearing first year.

10.30 am: My cousin Pinku called. He is in 10^th and wanted my advise on further course. I told him how to go about making a fake caste certificate. It will help him get into science and then either medical or engineering. He didn't know this was possible. I explained to him how I did it and managed to get into BE in Mumbai university. After all, its all about getting in. Baad mein toh degree mil hi jaati hai. Pinku was quite surprised and grateful. I even gave him the contact of Anil Bhai, who does the caste certificate work, and told him how to haggle for a lower fee. Pinku was going on and on about how thankful he was, so I asked him to send me some fresh raunchy clips… he is always well stocked with those on his cell.

Feels good when you can help your family. Now I feel like a responsible elder brother, responsible and patriotic.

11.30 am: Finally reached and settled in the canteen.  The bus ride was quite sad, but I made it up by managing to brush against this hot chick wearing a tight kurta, in the subway crossing. It was dark inside and a bit crowded and I too full advantage of the situation. Mast maal thi… she gave me a dirty stare, but who cares, bahut mazaa aaya. Awesomeness level of the day restored. Now to boast about it to my gang.

3 pm: Attended Prof Nene's boring lecture post lunch to nap on the last bench. Got caught and thrown out. Since everyone’s attention was on me, I ensured that my tattoo got a lot of visibility. Even some of the chicks were staring at it. The gang met up finally in the canteen. Could not get to boast much about my morning exploits in the subway though as Sunil kept yapping. He is such a talker, has so many things to share. Today he was telling us how his dad managed to evade taxes and convert white money to black.  Apparently, there is a concept of charity. So you give money to these farji charities in cheque and they return you cash, after taking a small cut. You can show that entire cheque payment for tax deduction. Solid idea hai, tax bhi bachenga aur white to black bhi. Let me tell dad. He was cribbing last week that this time he may have to end up paying tax. Let me also use this opportunity to make my case for a bike.

6 pm: What an afternoon! Our students union met and conducted a dharna outside Prof Phanse's residence on campus. That asshole actually had the guts to fail our president Ganesh for the third time in his Vivas. This time we had warned him of consequences, but he failed him again. So we started a rumor that Prof Phanse insulted our national leaders. Wasn't difficult at all. He is anyway a jhola carrying commie, all with a beard and kurta and all. Also keeps quoting Marx etc in class. We just put some random statement against his name on whatsapp. Anyway, people believe everything they read on whatsapp. There was a good turnout of 45 of us. We made some placards, clicked some selfies and shouted nationalistic slogans. Sunil gave the idea to do some toh-phod. So we threw stones and broke his window pane. I took advantage of the situation and even threw 2 stones on Prof Nene's window. 
Need to head home now.  We have to attend this nationalist march in the evening. Need to be ready for that. This march is a big deal for us. Dad is one of the organisers and has taken a target of getting 100 participants. All of us are going and doing our bit to help. He is giving me and Sonu Rs 10000 and mom Rs 15000 for help him. Mom and Sonu already blew the money on shopping yesterday as they want to look their best in the evening. Sonu has her eyes set on this top on display at the Gucci store. It has the right colour for today’s event too. It will however be no match for against my new tattoo. I also ended up saving Rs7000, which I plan to blow up tonight. All us friends will go to the disc after the march and get piss drunk. Post that, we plan to drive to Igatpuri in Sunil's car.

Mom has conned our maid into attending with her kids by promising to pay her for the 4 days she took leave last month, when she had jaundice. Mom has an awesome way of dealing with these lowlife losers. She just cut her salary and told her to give proof of illness.Now she is giving her that same salary if she promises to get 4 people in the march. I am sure she will find a way to recover this later. Last time she just chipped an old plate and blamed the maid and cut 200 Rs. Mom is the smartest, I tell you.

Dad has invited all our neighbours from the society. Many are joining. Except for that stupid Mr. Dhingra and his wife. They have a solid superiority complex. Just because their son is in the NDA, they think they know best. Mr. Dhingra started lecturing my dad on the being patriotic in actions and not to show others, or some such crap. Too much pak pak the Dhingra’s do. And Mrs. Dhingra, she really doesn't know how to dress up. Her son is a year elder to me, but she still wears jeans and skirts. She even goes to the society Gym. Once I was sitting with my gang and she passed by, I got a smart idea and cooked up a nice story about how she had invited me home one day afternoon, when no one was around, and seduced me. That story became quite famous.

Anyway, I will sign off now diary. Don't think I will get time to update tonight after the march and post march partying. It’s been a good day. Rather it has been a great day. I feel so proud and patriotic with my new tattoo. It’s too bad that the sleeve of my t-shirt keeps slipping down to cover the face of the tattoo. Wish Bharat Mata could see my exploits.

Chronicles of a marathon

Some thoughts that crossed my mind when running the Standard Chartered Mumbai Half Marathon 2011. Most of this was created while running and immediately after... took a while to pen (key?) it down

Before starting
Very important to lubricate all joints.Especially for us sweaty people.

A sleeveless vest and shorts may be excellent to run in, but they ain't the best thing to wear when taking an auto at 5.30 am. And the nakedness does seem a bit out of place in Marol, thankfully it ain't that cold. One has to also be dispassionate about what to carry (still regret carrying that stupid pack of biscuits all the way and back home) and always alert of stuff falling of from ones small pockets.

Ah the small joys of knowing the importance of stretching each and every muscle and how to do the same. Thanks striders!

And so it begins, seems like the qualifying times and registration cutoffs have helped. The crowd is much lower this time, I reach the start line within 6 minutes of the gun, this is a new record. Still, thank god for timing chips and stop watches.

While running
First 2 kms are spent sidestepping the walk in the park runners... Dude, if all u want to do is walk, do it to the left please. We may be amateurs, but we still have our internal targets to beat. And if you are walking already, maybe you are in the wrong race.

The 2 U turns, stupid stupid stupid. How can you have 2 U turns in the first 2 kms. Total pile up of the crowd and the momentum breaks. I have done the first 3 kms in 23 minutes and at this pace, it doesn't look like I will break the 2.5 hour barrier this time.

Here comes the Sea Link. And now we have a good rhythm going, the 4th km is done in 6.5 minutes, maybe they put the km marker incorrect... still, we are making pace. Running on the sea link at the break of dawn is something else. The 45 minute early start has helped. It is beautiful and the weather is fantastic. There is a strong urge to stop and admire the orange sky... but no, we have a time to beat!

And are we beating the time or what! Seems like the initial slow pace was all due to the side stepping and the U bends. I am doing a consistent 9 kmph now and the 2.5 looks very possible now :)

As we cross the 1 hour mark, I can almost see the 9 km marker. Think its time to take my first sip of water. By now I am harboring hopes of crossing the finish in 2 hours 25 minutes.

And here we are at Haji Ali. This time, there is huge bunch of people offering water, biscuits, glucose, oranges and sweets. Seems like everyones aping the Peddar road residents. But you guys are the original and the best... salute!

The smart marketing managers at Lucozade decided to offer free bottles to the runners mid way. However, maybe they should have applied their minds a bit on the bottle size. No one wants to carry a 500 ml bottle and run. Soon, there are half drunk bottles being thrown and then there are no takers. Everyones gone back to their favourite carry along, the 200 ml kingfisher water bottle.

Its 14 kms and finally the dreaded Peddar road uphill and flyover arrives. Having run over it last year, this year I take the more prudent approach. After a 14 km run, I take my first walk break. This one is going to last until I ascend the flyover. It wasn't part of the plan, and my rhythm and 2.25 target is gone, but in hindsight, I think this break helped me in my last 3 kms.

My calculating mind tells me that the full marathon lead pack should be crossing me any time soon, I was right, there they are, bang on cue. We meet right on top of the flyover. What amazing pace, you cant help but applaud in awe. And the Indian lead pack is not very far behind the Africans. Its only 8 kms for them yet. 34 more to go!

Its 16 kms now and we have turned onto the Marine Drive. Again the impact of the early start is obvious. This stretch was dreaded in the past cos you are anyway low on energy at this stage and suddenly there is no protection from the sun for a long stretch. However, this time, the sun is milder and at places, the tall buildings give shade. By now, every shade is sought very longingly. A lot of water is being poured on the head.

The first of the Star One cool zones arrives. Brilliant concept, very well placed, very welcome. Thanks Star One

The 17 km marker has come, and there is strong motivation to walk. But I have to keep running. These 3 kms are for the 3 most important women in my life.

Target at the start was to was to cross 17 km marker before the 2 hour mark. We have beat that with more than 3 minutes to spare. Target is now very much in my reach. However, 2 hours and 25 seems out of reach :(

We cross 18 kms at exactly 2 hours and 4 minutes. The 2nd 9 has taken the same time as the first 9. The initial slow pace in the first 9 was as impactful as the 0.5 km walk in the 2nd one :(

The 19th km is the toughest. I have managed to run it, but it took 9 minutes, this is not good. I do the smart thing again and stop running. The body is screaming for nourishment now. Time to take in some glucose.

We are running again. The 20 km marker is crossed at 2 hours and 21 minutes. The break at 19 helped. I am able to run the last km at decent pace. Finally as i cross the line, I know I have done it. The clock says 2 hour sand 34, my stop watch tells me that its 2 hours and 28.5 :). I feel amazing, I feel awesome, I feel ecstatic. In this euphoria, thankfully I remember to stretch. Each paining muscle is done justice to.

After Finishing
You always end up meeting so many people at the marathon.This time, I meet folks from IIMB, office and my trekking circle after the finish line.

I clearly am in the best shape of my life. Not only am I able to stretch after the run, the 2 km walk to marine Lines station ain't as painful.

Learning of the day, "Running with a wet bum can cause severe cold." Seems like all the water I poured on my head went on my back and was soaked by my vest and shorts. Since the sun on the front, the posterior remained wet and cold for the entire duration and even after. Sneezes start within a couple of hours and by night the cold has taken a strong grip and there is mild fever. I am in miserable shape in office on Monday and on Tuesday, I take a sick leave. A small price to pay for an amazing self victory.

Finally, to summarise

  

Bib	Name	Category	Net OverAll Rank	Net Category Rank	Net Gender Rank	split @8.1K	Gun Time / Chip Time
9521	Aliasghar Bawa	OPEN	2131	1607	1952 / 5809	0:55:47	2:33:48 / 2:28:33