tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307634982024-03-13T19:52:49.360+05:30Shooting HoopsWell, I am guessing my blog postings will be like shooting hoops. Some may score, some bounce off the rim and some unintended air balls. Hopefully very few air balls!Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-64912763795514627252022-05-31T06:41:00.006+05:302022-05-31T12:13:36.351+05:30Using Bangalore Public transport, a personal experience.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyFyOqQomjL4eDzzCmamigVqUSFz88V1lVQwe91gvjAJcMrU-Q8HlPMQiQBZgYL-T7tUSgk3Opz5-Dul4k-v4qdng0zEDLohHzeQ-Jbp3BoZhcq3fu0cGEubB00UKe9Aa9542FfnvvJJKUGEQ-muCSEmwshuD7nP1Nh7TvS39XjZq8UYCdgw/s1482/bmtcandmetro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1482" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyFyOqQomjL4eDzzCmamigVqUSFz88V1lVQwe91gvjAJcMrU-Q8HlPMQiQBZgYL-T7tUSgk3Opz5-Dul4k-v4qdng0zEDLohHzeQ-Jbp3BoZhcq3fu0cGEubB00UKe9Aa9542FfnvvJJKUGEQ-muCSEmwshuD7nP1Nh7TvS39XjZq8UYCdgw/s320/bmtcandmetro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I am of the strong opinion that the solution to <b>Bangalore or Bengaluru's traffic problem</b> is public transport which is primarily <b>Metro rail</b> and <b>BMTC buses</b>. Whenever I can, I try to follow through with that for my travel. Usually, it has been mostly on Metro when the point-to-point connection is perfect. But, on 25th May 2022, for an evening tryst at Bangalore club, I did the Metro + Bus which is the ideal last-mile connectivity instaed of an Auto if you keep cost also in mind. This blog is my experience from that trip and later my observations and comments. Bear wth me as its a bit long but I thought detailing it would help someone somewhere sometime to improve this critical means of transportation for our beloved city.</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;">At 7pm on a weekday, Google was estimating a drive as well as public transport (mix of metro + bus, metro + walk, or metro + auto) to be about an hour give or take a few mins. Since I was alone, the public transport cost was very much in my favor as by car meant I would use about 2.5 liters of petrol for the 30 km total distance which would cost approximately 250 rs.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6.30pm: Outward journey, Home to Bangalore Club:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">6.30 - 5mins - Walk 500 meters to Silk Institute metro station.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6.45 - 20mins - Metro to RV Road station (25 rs)</div><div style="text-align: left;">7.10 - 1min - Walk 50 meters to Jayanagar 38th cross Bus stop</div><div style="text-align: left;">7.15 - 30mins - BMTC bus to Bishop Cottons stop on Residency road. (20 rs)</div><div style="text-align: left;">7.45 - 5 mins - Walk 150 meters to Bangalore club</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>7.50pm Reached. Total time: 1hr 20mins. Cost 45 rs. Total Walk: 700 meters</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>10.30pm: Homeward journey, Bangalore club to Home:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">10.30 - 15mins - Walk 1km to Townhall Bus stop (because of missing Bus stop, details below)</div><div style="text-align: left;">10.45 - 10mins - BMTC Bus ride to KR market after waiting 5 mins (5 rs)</div><div style="text-align: left;">10.55 - 5mins - Walk 500 meters to KR Market Metro station</div><div style="text-align: left;">11.10 - 25mins - Metro to Silk Institute (35rs)</div><div style="text-align: left;">11.35 - 5mins - Walk 500 meters home</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>11.40pm reached. Total time: 1hr 5 mins. Cost 40 Rs. Total Walk: 2kms</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total cost: Rs. 85. Total travel time: 2hr 25 mins. Total distance walked 2.7kms</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now my comments. The outward journey was perfect and very pleasant. It was a short walk to the Bus Stop from Jayanagar Metro station. The place was clean and I could sit comfortably for a few mins until the half-empty bus #13 came. Interestingly this bus is not listed by Google and I had to confirm with the conductor before boarding. The bus filled up at Shantinagar TTMC but did not become over crowded. All in all, a perfect commute.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Homeward journey was not as smooth. For starters, no busses back to Jayanagar appeared on<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAO7sTLLwYLWA5rNFfq8OU7OijWlv9F-K7jG-9ZHaHxlGcM-xV8dd9bWvFlO-9zeunXmwUbxLNAVGNsx2JiOd-VZPIxEWivjr-6cicxOE0Qvjb6HRjEUqlZVXtaZfB368dA5FGA7UC1Tmd6IV2EKLM08QMnuENutcBflXcgRSOLofhhgr84k/s1820/bloreclub_return_journey_withinfo.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1820" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAO7sTLLwYLWA5rNFfq8OU7OijWlv9F-K7jG-9ZHaHxlGcM-xV8dd9bWvFlO-9zeunXmwUbxLNAVGNsx2JiOd-VZPIxEWivjr-6cicxOE0Qvjb6HRjEUqlZVXtaZfB368dA5FGA7UC1Tmd6IV2EKLM08QMnuENutcBflXcgRSOLofhhgr84k/w200-h107/bloreclub_return_journey_withinfo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> Google options. Because start was after 10pm? The best option was a bus to Majestic and then Metro. However, the location shown as the Bus stop at Richmond circle had no stop sign or structure! One bus going towards Majestic did not stop there even as I waved. I asked someone at a small shop who waved his hand casually to indicate there was a stop further toward Kanteerva. I walked about 500 meters to it, only to find the stop in the dark and cars parked in front of it! Clearly not functional at that time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSxPi2ALDVKvJpff-8HNXnDjlUyindFjyJ1X0fLevztUCA5UeCYSPrytM_9NCy6pPm1gFx1msz0qSUzGejojvBrlcDAhkTjb_WV4sfsOfnJZARiqQw__qFowDPxLlOwuqH2pCVGkbyuDEVBBdSxNzAs3UKYpJTmsDdJoezHAYqKrflRiWyoc/s800/car_parked_busstop.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSxPi2ALDVKvJpff-8HNXnDjlUyindFjyJ1X0fLevztUCA5UeCYSPrytM_9NCy6pPm1gFx1msz0qSUzGejojvBrlcDAhkTjb_WV4sfsOfnJZARiqQw__qFowDPxLlOwuqH2pCVGkbyuDEVBBdSxNzAs3UKYpJTmsDdJoezHAYqKrflRiWyoc/w200-h113/car_parked_busstop.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZmn6bI37wO89Y5Gj21gPMbBJB1fImvdClzPdInUV9sKARRPQtEL5jQPB-2p2ToO8QW77FlST0m89_SBkQD2jqXvc6gHM5xjTAv-gk77wxpEBVrUFT3x3u1peS8ibavZcnPOaM_auF-i7qqvBFA4muveSw0WfinJxXRPP95veDFa1ZkY2n6o/s800/car_parked_busstop2.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZmn6bI37wO89Y5Gj21gPMbBJB1fImvdClzPdInUV9sKARRPQtEL5jQPB-2p2ToO8QW77FlST0m89_SBkQD2jqXvc6gHM5xjTAv-gk77wxpEBVrUFT3x3u1peS8ibavZcnPOaM_auF-i7qqvBFA4muveSw0WfinJxXRPP95veDFa1ZkY2n6o/w200-h113/car_parked_busstop2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Knowing the area a bit, I made a spot decision and walked further quickly to the Corporation Circle Bus stop hoping to catch a bus to KR Market. After 5 mins or so one came by which I got on. It stopped near Kalasipalya. The area around was quite scary but I made it to the metro station after a brisk walk with another commuter who knew a shortcut but with non existant lighting and worse conditions than the longer main road. I hurried in as I didn't want to miss the train if it was arriving shortly because a wait would be 20mins. Checking the sign for the track towards Silk Institute was confusing due to poor graphic design, as explained below. Thankfully more signs and the guard helped to ensure I took the right one. Rest of the trip was smooth.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I do feel, METRO + BMTC or just BMTC is a winning combination for any commute if everything goes well with time, location, quality and rush of the bus. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Things that can be improved:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1) Bus timings and options. I relied on Google for this. Clearly it was not perfect.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2) Bus stops. All bus stops need sign and structure for seating. Buses need to stop properly there. NO PARKING of vehicles should be allowed in front of it at ALL times.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3) Pathways/roads from closest bus stops to Metro station and viceversa should be clearly marked and lighted.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4) Proper and secure bicycle stands at the suburban stations, ex Silk Institute, would help commuters especially now with schools starting, to bike up also.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On my trip, if I had family with me or seniors, the homeward journey was not possible or would have been extremely unpleasant. I either had to take an auto or cab to a nearby Metro station or all the way home.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUNtCsF4UQIuKb7EJwG--XyZy6CVA0059B8xl8a9RVKImHwvAL1MILCgp7JMw07f2Lc7UbKcjS36AVvrpVlYBbWnZgavm23ZuiHJvM9QdSj4CFfDRWE8zFtlgnvV8m50fxM51Oip2-l2GOVlzKZZ8Ld5DhC2zwA4W0f0SzNc6VzIlCL15sYY/s800/metro_sign.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUNtCsF4UQIuKb7EJwG--XyZy6CVA0059B8xl8a9RVKImHwvAL1MILCgp7JMw07f2Lc7UbKcjS36AVvrpVlYBbWnZgavm23ZuiHJvM9QdSj4CFfDRWE8zFtlgnvV8m50fxM51Oip2-l2GOVlzKZZ8Ld5DhC2zwA4W0f0SzNc6VzIlCL15sYY/w200-h113/metro_sign.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I took a photo of the Metro sign above the escalator (later) as I was hurrying down to the side where the train to Silk Institute would arrive. I made a mistake. Check and decide for yourself if others in a hurry like me would make the same mistake and even board a train if it has just arrived without checking further?</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think so. I feel a better more clearer sign is needed or just split it to 2 for either side of the escalator so that NO ONE can be confused.<br /></div><p>Final points. My pet peeves on the current goverment policies regarding public transportation. No amount of widening the roads, underpasses, flyovers, smart signals, etc will alleviate the congestion. They are all bandaid fixes which within few weeks or months will become bottlenecks. Need of the hour is lesser vehicles on the road and MUCH MUCH MORE investment and use of PUBLIC TRANSPORT. It should become so good, that I can take my family, even toddlers, and seniors without a second thought!</p><p><br /></p>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-39421706454423605712021-06-04T12:06:00.003+05:302021-06-04T12:06:35.549+05:30Modi phenomenon<p> WORK IN PROGRESS</p><p>Need to pen something on why so many of my good friends seem to be under the spell of Modi and his divisive agenda. Am I wrong and they are right that he is a strong leader and good for India? or Am I right and they are under some cult like spell which is going to lead India into darker paths ahead?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-77880225426814221852021-06-04T11:44:00.003+05:302021-06-04T11:57:47.781+05:30Hard physical work vs intellectual superiority<p>WORK IN PROGRESS</p><p>Lately, I have become philosophical with absolutely no academic background in it. Usually these thoughts occur as I run or drive or just laze around watching umpteen tv shows in these lockdown times. Much of these just dissipates within hours or days and I can hardly recall what it was that I was thinking so deeply about.</p><p>Today, I decided to put down one such weird thoughts before it too fades out of my memory.</p><p>I was blessed with strong stable parents and above average intellect. That combination gave me good education, opportunity to go abroad and excel in a limited way and get a good paying job. Luck played out with good perks and options at the company allowing me to semi retire after just 15 yrs of working. This after we realized that we had enough assets to take care of our parental responsibitlies (education/wedding) and enough left over for indulgences and retirement. Of course, this also meant no more ambitions to aspire for societal higher standard of living and luxuries, which was perfectly fine with me.</p><p>Which brings me to the question I pose here. Is it fair that I should be rewarded in life so much more just because of god-given superior intellect over a similar person born at the same time, all other things same, and only able to leverage their body and worked multi times harder than myself but not rewarded anywhere close to myself. Why is intellectual superiority rewarded so much more than physical hard work?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-15373388193556169572017-11-02T13:22:00.001+05:302017-11-02T13:22:28.900+05:30Trump phenomenonI challenged myself to describe the Trump phenomenon in USA, on how and next what scenarios as succinctly as possible. All are my opinion after reading and watching reporting on the events surrounding the elections last year.<br />
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How<br />
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Trump nomination itself was a surprise to most of the conservatives. Everyone waited for him to quit right up until the very end. But as he has shown increasingly a penchant for, he survived many setbacks which would have floored any other politician. His approach was not to be apologetic but to accept and be brash about it or just outright deny and lie. This characterized him as a bold strong man to his supporters and not weak due to his indiscretions that he refused to apologize for, to his haters. The pundits missed a very important factor in his strength. There was and still is in my opinion about 20% of Americans who truly feel the same was he does where racism is concerned which was his most important campaign agenda. Immigrants are all criminals and African Americans are better off as slaves. A part of that percentage (25%?) the Nazis advocate that view openly, the rest in private. This was his solid base. To this his campaign cleverly tagged on pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-christian, anti-LGBTQ, pro-coal to attract conservatives for which this was important. I doubt he himself cared about any of these but was clever enough to dog whistle these issues to show he was for them. None of his conservative challengers could advocate all these as openly as he was doing which eroded their support letting him clinch the nomination. <i>Next up the presidential elections. I feel he won this because of a perfect storm in American politics. Over confident Hillary, Russian hacking and interference, middle class white america feeling marginalized and ignored, 8 years of a black president who a lot of white conservative America hated, Hillary's email and Bengazi issues and a misogynistic streak in American which does not like strong and smart women.</i> All favored Trump. Remove any one of the above, chances are he would have lost.<br />
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Next what<br />
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Trump will shortly complete a year as president. For most of this haters it has been a disaster. For his supporters he has delivered on all the bluster they wanted from him against things they hated or liked. The fact that there is nothing concrete that he has achieved wont matter to them. So, he is a success for the 20% and some 10 odd % hanging on because of their favorite issues. All indications are he will not complete another year given the pace of<b> Robert Mueller</b> investigation of this presidency. In all likely hood he will resign before he gets indicted and impeached and go back to making his brand more lucrative using the infamous publicity he generated. My prediction by the end of 2018.<br />
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To conclude, my pet theory is Trump ran for presidency solely to increase his brand value and hence his net worth and most likely expected to lose the nomination after making noise in the campaign. I doubt he ever thought he had a good chance of winning the presidency itself. After surprisingly himself, I feel he is just looking for a way out before things get too hot and all this shady business deals come to light as has happened for <b>Paul Manafort</b>. Note that he is yet to release his promised Tax returns.<br />
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All said and done, Trump is nothing but a <b>crooked (much more appropriate here) business man</b> and the only thing he really truly cares about is Money!<br />
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<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-31107111080616860282014-10-21T07:39:00.000+05:302014-10-29T17:39:41.618+05:30Marathon #2: Namma Bengaluru!Well, here we go again! At least I am sure that's what my family was thinking when I said I was going to run the inaugural <a href="http://www.bengalurumarathon.in/" target="_blank">Bengaluru Marathon</a>. I had some reservation on how well it will be organized considering that the sponsors were doing it for the first time, but with some persuasion from my running partner, Bipin, I also registered. Bangalore hosts many runs already, TCS 10k, Midnight Marathon, Life is calling/Celebration half marathons as well as the Ultra Marathons. So, why is this inaugural? Well, the organizers are trying to position this as a signature FULL (42.2 km) marathon event for Bengaluru on the likes of Chicago, London, Mumbai marathons. Accordingly the run is through the main city streets so that the citizens can also take part albeit by cheering. Of course they have a long, long way to go, to even be thought of in the company of those mega events. But a start is a start, so inaugural run it is!<br />
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We allocated about 4 months training for it, which should be enough as we both run regularly and were already fit to run 10 km comfortably. For me, the debacle at my <a href="http://jumpshots.blogspot.in/2013/01/running-mumbai-full-marathon.html" target="_blank">first marathon attempt in Mumbai</a> was hanging over my head. My primary goal therefore was to correct those mistakes and have a good comfortable run. It helped that my friend was also looking to just complete without any injuries. <br />
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And so began the grueling training. My training schedule was to run 2-3 times a week with a long run on Sunday with my friend. In addition, I played about an hour of Badminton twice weekly and couple of hours of Basketball once. Enough for fitness, I thought. Total running distance per week started from 20 and went up to 45 km with the long run at 10 km in the beginning and reaching up to 30 km in the last month. I also did the Mysore celebration half marathon during this period in 2hr15min. In total for the 14 weeks, including the final run, I had done about 400 km. Ideally, some more running is advisable.<br />
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Even though the event publicity was low key, the organizers did a great job helping out the runners prepare. They organized many long training runs with support of volunteers and critical aid stations. We could participate in only one though, the pipeline run behind Art of Living center, where we were able to run for 28 km. It was great and gave us the confidence that indeed we were ready. They sent a free training t-shirt with our name, providing some much needed motivation. Pacers were designated early enabling runners to contact them and get some useful training and nutrition tips for our target time goals.<br />
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Some mistakes which I corrected by leveraging from the experience of my 1st attempt and advice of veteran runners:<br />
1. <i>Train more this time.</i> I did 4-5 long runs (20+ km) compared to just one last time.<br />
2. <i>Carb(Carbohydrate) loading.</i> Started 2-3 days prior rather than just the previous night! I snacked on bananas, apples and bread(multi grain or whole wheat). Too many apples did cause constipation, so I laid off it a bit the last day. Also ate extra roti/chappathi and 25% more rice for lunch/dinner in the days prior. And the obligatory, runners favorite, Pasta for lunch the day before. These preparations are very much individual, so figure out what works for you during the training runs and NOT on the actual run!!!<br />
3. <i>Hydration</i>. This time I planned to take electoral laced water as early as possible and continue that all through the run.<br />
4. <i>Painkiller spray</i>. I also decided on getting the painkiller sprays as soon as my legs start aching instead of gutting it out as I did until the cramps hit.<br />
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Did it help? Well....find out below.<br />
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Race Day! Our morning routines and commute went as planned. My friend and I made it in perfect timing to the 5 am flag off and soon we were pounding the streets inside Cubbon Park on a very cool and pleasant early morning. There were plenty of aid stations with friendly volunteers to follow my hydration plan. I did <br />
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not grab and run but neither did I stop too long. Just enough to drink comfortably and continue running. I took bananas or biscuits at each station. Few times both. Oranges only a couple of times. In all I must have eaten about 10-12 (small) bananas, 15-20 glucose biscuits!<br />
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My family had come to cheer me up at Adugodi U-turn with bananas and water. It was nice that they could see my huffing and puffing. Advantage of a local run! Kudos to a gentleman near Ulsoor Lake who was <b>handing out chocolates </b>and reminded me of Mumbai! Traffic Police did a great job cordoning off the roads until about 4 hours into the race. It is so much easier to run without having to worry about vehicles zipping past inches from you.<br />
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Highlight of the Bangalore Marathon for me were the <b>awesome Army people</b> who lined up along the inner ring road near EGL for about 2-3 km stretch. They read out the names from our Bibs and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9gDHPjxWnw" target="_blank">clapped all the time as we passed them</a>. Both ways! Fantastic. Of course, thanks to all others who took time out of their Sunday routine and cheered along the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26wadTZHgoEqFlJ5GxTtuoiXRO5BJx2WUw4GeFwak54YbN_JeT-XhpRWe9ZdFNvWoA4c7CSDaJW9bDFM-3MvKoj1FwTzG6d4eg2uH7nNDU1OajaGHe4UihWcfiQlxTPbwmO5-IA/s1600/10702107_750887171650153_7901926217849936966_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26wadTZHgoEqFlJ5GxTtuoiXRO5BJx2WUw4GeFwak54YbN_JeT-XhpRWe9ZdFNvWoA4c7CSDaJW9bDFM-3MvKoj1FwTzG6d4eg2uH7nNDU1OajaGHe4UihWcfiQlxTPbwmO5-IA/s1600/10702107_750887171650153_7901926217849936966_n.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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I was feeling really good as I crossed the 30+ km mark which is where I was worried about hitting my wall as in Mumbai. But it did not happen! Guess all my precautions and the slower steady pace paid off. Body felt really good coming into the old airport road near Domlur Flyover. In fact, I increased my speed slightly here even though it was going up! If not for the traffic getting released I could have gone even faster but maybe it was for the best that I stayed with the pace. I was on auto-pilot from here on out running steadily on a fairly free and very pleasant infantry road and started stretching (6 min/ km) as I went down Kasturba road for the last few kilometers. The final ping at the finish line on the Kanteerva indoor running track was a welcome sound. I had completed and was still able to stand! Very different from Mumbai where I had immediately limped over to the medical tent looking for help! Here, I did not even notice the Medical tent! :) Instead I walked over to the water station and hydrated well.<br />
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We had some nice breakfast provided by the organizers and then drove home happily treating ourselves to some well deserved ice-cream on the way.<br />
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So, preparation, planning and sticking to a reasonable pace and goal were the keys to a successful marathon run. Good luck on your attempts!<br />
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My official timing/splits can be found here: <a href="http://www.timingindia.com/">http://www.timingindia.com</a> (find Shriram Properties Bengaluru Marathon 2014) and enter my name Nanda Ramesh or bib 43115. I finished <b>410 overall out of 716 finishers</b>. 61st out of 108 in my category. Veteran (45-55yrs) Mens.<br />
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You can check out a flyby of the route (click onthe 3D button) and much more details like elevation/pace at the following link where GPS data from my actual run is uploaded. <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/770801595" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://www.mapmyrun.com/<wbr></wbr>workout/770801595</a><br />
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By and large, a commendable effort by the organizers in pulling of this event. Their support and encouragement during the days before the race was fantastic. Race day logistics could have been better but then this was their first time and their enthusiasm balanced out the hiccups.<br />
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Thanks to all who contributed making this event a success! And here's wishing you will be bigger and better next year. Target: 2000 finishers! Looking forward to it!<br />
<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2Bengaluru, Karnataka, India12.9715987 77.59456269999998312.4764182 76.949115699999979 13.4667792 78.240009699999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-87382428277537206782013-08-25T16:18:00.000+05:302013-08-26T21:02:24.463+05:30And now comes IBL : Indian Badminton LeagueFive years back IPL or the Indian Premier League for Cricket was launched and I <a href="http://jumpshots.blogspot.in/2008/05/ipl-experience.html" target="_blank">blogged</a> my thoughts on it. This year, IBL (<a href="http://www.indianbadmintonleague.co/" target="_blank">Indian Badminton League</a>) for the badminton fans has been launched with much fanfare. Though the games are miles apart, the player auction and marketing is modeled after IPL, so a comparison is inevitable at least as far as the league is concerned. Personally, IBL is much more easier for me to follow and analyze as I have played the sport for more than 30 years.<br />
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First, about my first hand experience of the IBL when the Awadhe Warriors beat Mumbai Masters 3-2 in Bangalore. We went for the 600 Rs stands. I picked this tie out of the 2 played here primarily to see Lee Chong Wei. That is, I don't feel much allegiance to Banga Beats or any other team. I did not go wrong. He was clearly a class apart when he shifted to higher gears. I also enjoyed seeing PV Sindhu taking on Tine Baun and a chance to see top 5 doubles players in action in the Mens doubles.<br />
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Good things:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHxTpW1QVq0acGGGS7mqKSOSgqlPGY4S-zItApUYAMAG8ka4Wg5gl8tl1IleeHbqKUJyDIiJUxwtW3k29otv8Xc1StUFv_WetazxCdkNgFy5q_0dMfolmJb5nZ-v-CRePN0_6sA/s1600/DSC_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHxTpW1QVq0acGGGS7mqKSOSgqlPGY4S-zItApUYAMAG8ka4Wg5gl8tl1IleeHbqKUJyDIiJUxwtW3k29otv8Xc1StUFv_WetazxCdkNgFy5q_0dMfolmJb5nZ-v-CRePN0_6sA/s200/DSC_0464.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
We reached there by 7.30, 30mins before start but were still too late to get parking at the venue and were able to get seats only about 10 rows up or just 3rd from the top in the upper tier! But, we were pleasantly surprised with the view as it was pretty good and court did not seem too far. We could follow the action live quite well. The arrangements were done well and looked very colorful, especially considering the short time they had. Seats were new and clean. Replay screens were well placed. Scoreboard was large and visible. DJ Music and the Juggler during the breaks was a nice touch.<br />
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Quibbles:<br />
There were no updates or attempt by audio to inform the viewers about the matchups and updates until the games started. It was shown on the big screen but tough to read from the stands. There has to be someone talking and keeping the fans spirits up along with the DJ. Food sold in the stands were too pricey. A tiny box of popcorn was sold at 50Rs. Muffin at 120Rs! Pav-bhaji and Chat available outside were priced better at 50 and 30 Rs, but were not good. When outside food is not allowed, arrangements have to be made to provide reasonable choices. Parking has to be organized better as it is easy for them to estimate the number of cars. I was forced to go around the stadium and park in a unsafe place. There was a good chance the car could have been vandalized given that we were not going to be back before midnight. We were also not informed about pre-game programs that they had arranged outside the venue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlaPUUCKxGdgAner8B1ys4y5v8GP55xO93hlT36NRRS6S35P1WgYKk6bv1YXH8vXatIaAKxX2PpiMEQmHb5sCqR8IVZKdwR1yy5pEzj-Z1qs_F7Bx208pE3EMX1HYf0ZlDlgRPA/s1600/DSC_0471b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlaPUUCKxGdgAner8B1ys4y5v8GP55xO93hlT36NRRS6S35P1WgYKk6bv1YXH8vXatIaAKxX2PpiMEQmHb5sCqR8IVZKdwR1yy5pEzj-Z1qs_F7Bx208pE3EMX1HYf0ZlDlgRPA/s200/DSC_0471b.jpg" width="183" /></a>Now, my take on the whole concept. Well, to be honest, I did not think I would have such a good experience live. This is the first time I have watched badminton from the stands and it was quite enjoyable. The length of the tie was still too long in spite of the scoring changes and given the starting time of 8pm, finished just past midnight. Both my kids (12,8) dozed off towards the end. Not acceptable if they have school the following day. There should also be a block of tickets at a more affordable cost, say 100Rs, for the common man as well as to attract new fans. There were plenty of empty seats in 300Rs stands even though the game was "sold out". Not sure why.<br />
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Will it be successful? Tough to say. Right now, they are riding a high on the novelty and it all looks good. But I feel individual sports such as badminton, tennis, squash, etc are more exciting when played in the tournament format. This is because each win has much larger value and players play harder and it is easier to root for the individual. In league format, I can never relate to a particular team with its motley mix of players, some of whom I don't really care for. League format such as this works for team sports like soccer, basketball or cricket where it is easier to follow and like a team. The auction was not conducted properly with some average players fetching high prices while good contributing players paid low. That will make the stars balk at participating in future editions. <br />
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So, the question is: Would I prefer watching matches in IBL format or in a Super Series tournament (if they can bring it) in Bangalore. I would definitely prefer the Super Series. It is much easier to root for your favorite players then and enjoy their success. IBL is fun but I cannot see it sustaining interest for a long time and without attracting serious TV ad revenue. But, I would love to be wrong in that regard. Good luck to them!<br />
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<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-31191301008295149762013-01-23T14:08:00.001+05:302015-07-24T12:53:04.533+05:30Running the Mumbai Full MarathonA Full Marathon was something that I had never before considered even though I have been an avid runner since high school, which *ahem* means, I have been running for more than 30 years now. I have done my fair share of 5k and 10k's during that time. However, the thought of doing a full marathon took seed only after I successfully ran a Half Marathon in just under 2 hours. Feeling good, I thought, how much more difficult can a Full be, especially if I ran at a slower pace and trained a bit more. Surely, I can run another 21kms? Little did I know how wrong that assumption was!<br />
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Excited, I checked on possible venues for my maiden attempt. Pondicherry did not have timed runs, Chennai, Pune were done on a smaller scale. Midnight marathon in Bangalore was not my cup of tea. Since Mumbai is the biggest and best organized in India, I selected it and promptly registered as soon as it opened in Jul 2012 with plenty of time to prepare for the run to be held on Jan 20th 2013.<br />
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<a href="http://www.procamrunning.in/scmm/" target="_blank">http://www.procamrunning.in/scmm/</a><br />
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I trained for about 5 months, running 3 times for a total of 15 to 25 kms every week. That is a bit less but I thought it was enough since I was also playing some intense badminton and basketball, 6-8 hrs every week. Long runs I did were 27 kms, most of it inside Lalbagh (thanks to family for the water breaks!), Mysore Half in Oct and several 10 to 15km runs.<br />
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Finally D day arrived and I flew into Mumbai 19th morning and got picked up by my nephew who I was going to stay with. The logistics to make it to the venue is quite a challenge as my nephew stayed in Bandra and the run started at 5.40am from CST, Colaba (20kms away). I had to get up sometime after 3am, eat something(apple,banana), do my morning duties and catch the local train to Churchgate by 4am! After using the station "facilities" once more, I was in the holding area at about the right time. So far so good.<br />
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The dusk and the chillness of the night was not on my mind as I pushed along with the crowd from the holding area onto a road. I walked slowly towards start mat, which was by now pinging incessantly as the runners crossed it, glad to finally start running.<br />
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The runners were stretched out well enough for me to hit my pace quickly and I felt really good and confident as I crossed the first few kms in slightly faster than my target pace of just above 6m30s/km. I slowed down a bit hitting my target pace by the 4th km. Feeling confident, I rejected the initial water breaks. Very quickly we were on the long and scenic marine drive. Quite a few spectators were already out, some supporting all with colorful banners and others looking anxiously for their chosen runners enthusiastically encouraging them as they passed by.<br />
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At the 13th km or so, we turned onto the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link. Surprisingly, it felt quite flat as the slope is gentle. I tried to enjoy the view of boats on the sea, terns flying overhead as well as the beautiful sunrise over the Mumbai skyline, while running. Photographers were sitting in the middle of the road here trying to capture runners against the bridge pylons which towered over us. The link ends at about 18th km and I was still running along steadily reaching the half way mark of 21km in 2hrs 19mins which is what I had planned. I was well ahead of the 5 hr Bus (pacer).<br />
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It was at this time that I started feeling some fatigue in my leg though my aerobic stamina was still good. I dropped pace a bit mindful of the fact that I still had 20+kms more to run. But the fatigue increased so much so that I started cramping first in the legs and then the hips and pretty much all over by the 25th km. At this time the leading bunch of the Elite runners who were flagged off at 7.40am passed us as if we were at stand still! I had been hoping this would motivate me but the cramping was too much, so I decided to stop and walk for a bit. My goal of not walking at all during the run was now broken.<br />
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Even after walking for a couple of kms, the fatigue did not reduce. The 5 hr pacer group passed me around 28th km and when I tried to start running and stay with them, my body just refused. I walked for another 2 kms when the 5.30hr pacer group came by on their walking break. I walked with them for a bit but again was unable to switch to running when they did as I cramped up pretty badly after just a few steps. So, it was another 5mins or so of walking.<br />
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I realized that if I kept walking it would be well over 6 hrs before I could finish with no chance of an official timing. All this time I had taken as much liquid, water and energy drinks as I could. I gingerly started running at a very slow pace and thankfully did not feel any cramps. I decided to be extremely conservative from now on out with the goal of finishing under 6hrs. So, it was 800mtrs of slow jogging and 200mtrs of walking.<br />
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During this extremely hard last 10kms of the run, the help and support of the Mumbaikers cannot be praised enough. They were out there along with the race volunteers almost every 100 mtrs or so, kids, women and men all handing out water, chocolates, candy, biscuits, banana etc.., I took all their help as much as I could. A lady even held out cut up banana pieces as we looked too tired even to peel one. A welcome gesture which enabled me to grab a few pieces. They were providing wet sponges and ice packs to cool us off. But as the weather was quite pleasant I did not feel much need for it. I let them rub my legs with the ice pack once to relieve the cramps and another time used some pain killer spray.<br />
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It was the longest 12kms run I have ever experienced taking me almost 1hr45mins. The end point seemed so far away even when I saw the 1000 mtr marker! My mind and heart wanted to stretch out and run in a burst of energy and glory at this time but my body flatly refused to co-operate. So, it was very much a subdued and limping me that crossed the finish line, happy to hear the final pings from the chip timing recorders.<br />
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I had finished my first Full Marathon. At that time it was very exhilarating and all other factors such as time taken, body ache, etc.., did not matter at all.<br />
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I then wobbled over to the Medical base camp to get some help for my cramps. I looked in on a scene straight out of some war movie, minus the blood! The tent with 30 or so beds was fully occupied with runners in various states of agony. Doctors and volunteers were bustling all over giving drinks, massages and comforting smiles. After drinking some fluids and lying down for a bit I got out to find my nephew who was getting worried since I was way past the optimistic finish time I had given him. Together we went to collect the goody bag which contained much needed nourishment. Then we walked out of the area and had some nice Mumbai style grilled cheese sandwich and chats from road side stalls as I could now ignore my diet restrictions!<br />
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I had finished 1652 out of almost 2600 runners whose bib numbers show up on the timing site though I believe there were well over 3000 who started. Splits and other details can be seen at this <a href="http://www.timingindia.com/raceDetails.php?event=scmm13em&bib=233" target="_blank">link</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.timingindia.com/raceDetails.php?event=scmm13em&bib=233" target="_blank">http://www.timingindia.com/raceDetails.php?event=scmm13em&bib=233</a><br />
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Upload of my Garmin data which also gives you a nice aerial flyover of the Marathon route can be seen <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/167434998" target="_blank">here</a>:<br />
(click on the View 3D map of this route, Large version to the right)<br />
<a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/167434998" target="_blank">http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/167434998</a><br />
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Final thoughts. Well, this experience was a revelation to me on my own running limits. Just because I could do the 21km or half comfortably did not mean the same with the full. A veteran runner told me that the challenge of running the full starts after you have run 30km and I have to agree. I am still trying to understand why I cramped so much. Reasons could be that my training (continuous running and not just fitness level) was not adequate, not enough hydration the previous day, not enough carbo-loading prior to the run or a combination of the 3. People later also explained to me about stored Glycogen getting depleted at around the mark when I hit my energy limit and started cramping, commonly called <i>hitting the wall</i>. I feel what happened to me was that I hit the wall around 27th Km marker. Then my walking rest and nourishment that I had in the next 30 mins gave me just enough energy to finish the race.<br />
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More information on that can be found at the following links:<br />
<a href="http://running.about.com/od/marathontrainingfaqs/tp/avoidhittingthewall.htm" target="_blank">http://running.about.com/od/marathontrainingfaqs/tp/avoidhittingthewall.htm</a><br />
Another long one below. Thought this guy had it worse than me, his initial description is close to what I went through. FYI, as per my Garmin I burnt more than 3000 calories during the run.<br />
<a href="http://www.runningplanet.com/training/marathon-wall-how-to-beat-it.html" target="_blank">http://www.runningplanet.com/training/marathon-wall-how-to-beat-it.html</a><br />
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Good luck to you all in your runs or other similar crazy goals!<br />
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<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-71367536542904708122012-03-04T15:03:00.000+05:302012-03-04T15:04:42.059+05:30Only men pleaseWell, don't try to interpret the title too much and start wondering about me! :)<br />
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It is the title of a book in which one of my stories got published. Yes, my first ever in book form and I feel quite good about it. You can buy it <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/only-men-please-8188234680/p/itmd68vxwfh9fbfg?pid=9788188234684">here</a> at a good discount.<br />
<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/only-men-please-8188234680/p/itmd68vxwfh9fbfg?pid=9788188234684">http://www.flipkart.com/only-men-please-8188234680/p/itmd68vxwfh9fbfg?pid=9788188234684</a>
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It is an anthology of 35 stories, selected and edited by <b>Meenakshi Varma</b> and published by <b>Unisun Publishers.</b><br />
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My story in that, "<i>Ghosts of Guilt</i>" is quite serious and written when I was in that particular sentimental mood. If you do read it, please leave a comment about it here.<br />
<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-53578906557954226202011-10-21T12:54:00.000+05:302011-10-21T13:07:16.574+05:30Running through Mysore CityAs soon as I saw the ad for Half Marathon as part of the Dasara Celebration, I immediately decided to participate. One, running through the city of Mysore was very attractive and two, after having run 10k's for the past few years, I was looking forward to moving up. Since my unfulfilled goal is to run a Full Marathon, this seemed like a good opportunity to test my physical ability.<br />
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I trained for just over a month. Since I was already fit enough to run a 10k under an hour, it was enough time. In my only other previous Half in 2005, I had cramped up badly around 14km while doing the up slope near Windsor Manor in Bangalore and only barely managed to limp to the finish line. I had to make sure that it would not happen again this time which meant better preparation. Towards that I ensured that during my training I ran a couple of ~15km runs and finished feeling good enough to continue for another 5km. Also, planned my food properly in the last week, avoiding fried food while loading up on carbs and water.<br />
My training routine can be viewed <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&key=0Au_0aWniv_92dGxscWdHMUFkU2xnaFhic2MxRnBJTGc&output=html">here</a>.<br />
I key thing I felt after the fact, was a good week 3, where I totaled about 46kms with one run of 16km at just outside my targeted pace.<br />
So, when I boarded the train to Mysore on Oct 1st, I had a good feeling, though still not sure, if I could achieve my goal of finishing under 2hrs. Dinner and stay at my Aunt's place was perfect. Ate 3 roti's with lots of potatoes and kept gobbling Bananas all the time. Drank several bottles of water, so much so, that I had to get up 3 times during the night to take a leak. Maybe I overdid it a tad bit there..but since I did not feel thirsty during the run, it seemed to have helped. In the morning, just a apple and Banana and I got dropped at the Venue by my Uncle and BIL.<br />
A small crowd of 250 runners got behind the tape for the flag-off around 6.45pm. Then came a delay of about 30mins to accommodate the whims of the local official who wanted to give a speech and do a mock run for the TV! Crazy is all I can say.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMNlbxyiRRC3Te7DgV1tpIAOwsz8LUEC486XF2pFkajAgLPy4ZY31RMocSQDaudu9VnzQLq0HRrPRT1FPIkHuj6LfbikTUE0pwYKrMI1SGxcjBiw2XE-BqdlU-VeQ64oLo4e-qA/s1600/IMG_4337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMNlbxyiRRC3Te7DgV1tpIAOwsz8LUEC486XF2pFkajAgLPy4ZY31RMocSQDaudu9VnzQLq0HRrPRT1FPIkHuj6LfbikTUE0pwYKrMI1SGxcjBiw2XE-BqdlU-VeQ64oLo4e-qA/s200/IMG_4337.jpg" width="133" /></a>Finally we were set free around 7.10 or so.. and I got into my rhythm quickly. The runners stringed out shortly and I was soon running by myself. Initial few kms had a significant gradient which took away quite a lot of my energy to keep up the pace of 5m45s/km that I was targeting. About 6kms in the middle was around the Kukkrehalli Kere on the bund which was quite pleasant. Coming out of there, we hit a steep climb where I was forced to slow down..and managed only a 6m15s 14th km. Thankfully, the rest of the route was on a down slope (what goes up has to come down, eh? :) ) and it helped to gain the lost time back. I managed to give a good finish in the end to finish a comfortable 30s under 2hrs. The satisfaction of finishing is of course the primary reward! Next up Full....<br />
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<a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/52926694/">Route map</a> from my GPS tracker<br />
<a href="http://www.timingindia.com/results_page.php?page=2&category=45&search_by=&keyword=">Official timing </a>of my run (Bib # 1079)<br />
A<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/101780640176922333046/CelebrationMysoreHalfMarathonAnd10k#5662588798061040002"> mug shot</a> to show I was indeed there! :)<br />
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Some training tips I gleaned from this experience for other aspirants.<br />
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<ul>
<li>2 months of preparation is good unless you are already a regular runner with about 15km/week, then 1 month should do.</li>
<li>Ensure you do at least a couple of long runs, about 15km, at around your targeted pace.</li>
<li>Don't overdo during other runs and exhaust your body. One or two 7-10km runs along with shorter but faster runs should be enough. I mixed my training with other sports like Badminton and Basketball to keep fit. It helps to break the monotony of training.</li>
<li>You should asses your ability and set your goal quickly, then train towards that. Under estimating will leave you unsatisfied and over estimating...well...can leave you with cramps well short of the finish line! :)</li>
<li>Pace yourself properly in the race, that is, not more than 10% variation from the targeted pace. I never like to stop or walk even at water stops. Don't get excited on a down slope and run too fast. If an up is too strenuous it is fine to slow down a lot. Ensure at all times, that you do not feel the burn in your legs. Increase pace in the last few kms as per how your body feels. Good... go for it and finish strong. Tired... then keep the pace and finish comfortably.</li>
<li>Food is important. No fried or outside stuff for at least a week to keep it safe. Lots of carbs from Potatoes, Bananas, Apple, Rice, Pasta, Bread, etc. Hydrate well the day before. Pee should be clear the previous evening. Plan your water stops during the race to get enough water to avoid getting de-hyrated.</li>
<li>Stretch well after the race else the muscles will stiffen up later on and it will take longer to recover. Walk around for 10 to 20 mins and cool down. </li>
<li>Nipple burn is an issue for this long a race. I used vaseline and it worked. I saw one runner with a large blood patch in his chest! So, beware of this problem.</li>
</ul>
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Good luck and hope my tips help you in your attempt!</div>
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<br />Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2Mysore, Karnataka, India12.303534 76.6461112.241478 76.567146 12.365590000000001 76.725073999999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-53894365802274486562011-08-04T10:23:00.009+05:302011-08-04T13:05:58.322+05:30Political decay in India<div><br /></div><div>Disgusted from watching the worst kind of politics being played at the state (BJP, Yediyurappa, Reddy Brothers, Mining scam, Kumaraswamy, Justice Dinakar, ...) and at the National level (DMP, UPA, 2G scam, Adarsh Scam, Posco and many others), I sent these thoughts to Deccan Herald for their Letters to Editor section.</div><div>----</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><div><span class="yiv1703529106Apple-style-span"><i>As we read the political exposures and the responses from the accused, it appears to me that India has now entered an era of "No Shame". Gone are the days when a person in power took responsibility for his actions and resigned in shame or immediately took remedial actions with due apologies. Now we have people who instead of facing their short comings or blunders prefer to point fingers at others with the same problems. Does this mean it has become all right in our great country to be corrupt, lie or make monumental mistakes as long as there are others who have done the same and gone scot-free? I sincerely hope not else we have entered a deathly spiral which can only end in anarchy.</i></span></div></span>----</div><div>It got published. But what is the use really other than a bit of ego-boost that my name appeared in print. Do those people who are in power read them and change their mind even infinitesimally? I really doubt it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, I wanted to expand a bit on those thoughts for my own gratification here in my private world that is my blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not savvy with the intricacies of the scams or how some fraud gets pulled off. What I am truly concerned as a citizen if India is that the most(50%+?) of the people in power, elected representatives as well as the salaried bureaucracy have become completely bereft of any ethics and morality. Most of them are focused only on making money or consolidating their power. There is no sense of service or working for the greater good of their constituency in particular and humankind in general. Not even the bare minimum required to avoid public ridicule. The pleasure one probably gets when accomplishing something in the public domain which will benefit only the community at large seems to be completely lost on them. The main driving factor has become fully selfish.</div><div><br /></div><div>They do not worry that their actions will cause irreversible damage to a city or state and its future population as long as their own kith and kin get the spoils. When confronted with proof of their selfish law breaking they either lie or point fingers at others who have done the same. How can they be so disgustingly devoid of any moral fiber? It truly boggles my mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>Will Anna Hazare's Lokpal bill bring about some change? Maybe. A little. But unless an under current of cultural change in the ruling class is brought about, it will only mean that once the bill gets passed, the morally corrupt people will think of new ways to pillage and plunder while avoiding Lokpal scrutiny rather than change their ways. I do not believe the fear of prosecution will matter to them. </div><div><br /></div><div>How? The only way I can think of is if a morally and ethically perfect but strong leader and organizer emerges out of the scrap heap that is now the political class. He or she can set the tone that others will eventually follow and it will hopefully become the culture. Anna Hazare for PM anyone? :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Will it happen? One can always hope!</div><div><br /></div>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-70293101539455880592011-07-02T09:37:00.013+05:302011-07-11T14:17:46.161+05:30The urban dilemma: Save trees or build infrastructure<div><br /></div><div>In recent days there has been lot of discussion, rallies, legal action against tree felling as the local administrators move aggressively to improve infrastructure in our <i>garden city of Bangalore</i> or Bengaluru. Which is more important or what does one pick when the twin goals conflict?</div><div><br /></div><div>I confess right at the start that I prefer trees to pretty much anything else. They are the reason Bangalore is what it is today and we should try our utmost to retain that unique city ambiance.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I cannot help asking myself, how much of a hypocrite am I, considering that I too need and enjoy so much of that very same development that I am vehemently against. Take for example, the apartment I am living in. I believe a nice Mangrove was destroyed by the developers in 1999 to build the complex. Every time I go to a new mall or take a drive on the new roads, I feel guilty. Were they worth the trees and open space that was lost?</div><div><br /></div><div>If we look at it in an unbiased way, we can see that both are essential in different ways. Trees to retain the ambiance and provide a healthy atmosphere while a growing city constantly requires infrastructure. </div><div><br /></div><div>What is the right balance between conservation of urban greenery and development then?</div><div><br /></div><div>Lets look at the following statement. True of false?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>We can potentially cut all the trees and widen roads to the max extent along with flyovers and underpasses. Parks can all be made into parking lots or malls or office spaces. City can be with absolutely no greenery anywhere. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Possible? Imagine being able to park easily, drive comfortably on flyovers everywhere with no leaves or falling branches. A lot of down towns in large cities are already like that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tough to counter convincingly, I feel. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is mostly a strong gut instinct for me on why I think the above will be a disaster. Still, some points(facts?) I could come up with to support my position:</div><div><br /></div><div>- No trees! No breeze and it may get too hot even to step outside.</div><div>- Sounds of the city may increase tremendously as trees absorb a lot of it now.</div><div>- Pollution could potentially increase many times without trees to absorb some of the dust particles leading to dangerous health concerns.</div><div>- It could be very bad for our health when we lose *all* the oxygen producing trees/plants while at the same time increasing co2 producing cars.</div><div>- Critical bio-diversity will be lost. Birds which need the trees to survive and also play a part by eating insects and rodents will not be able to survive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Any more?</div><div><br /></div><div>I feel there is a hard balance somewhere which if we cross by reducing greenery below that level we will cause the city to die a slow death. It is imperative that it is known and kept in consideration when the city administrators work on infrastructure projects where greenery needs to be sacrificed. They should always look for solutions which does not lead to reduction in greenery and err on the cautious side which is to sacrifice infrastructure for conservation. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>More greenery or open spaces is never harmful. Less is what we should be worried about as they can never be re-created!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-67902936728367954162010-09-05T13:31:00.002+05:302010-11-09T10:50:41.013+05:30How I reduced my Cholesterol without medication!<div> </div><br /><div>Its been more than 2 months since I created a draft for blogging this and never got around to finishing it. Today just might be that day...</div><div><br /></div><div>It all started when an Insurance application of mine got rejected for medical reasons. I at 43, who can run 10k under 1hr and play basketball with college kids was taken aback. How could this be? With some inquiry, the reason was found that my Cholesterol was high. So high that they rejected insuring me! Did that mean they thought chances of me living beyond 10 yrs was too low and they feared making a payout? geez. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, it set off red flags in our family and I made that long pending appointment with our family doctor to get my blood tested. The results came back..and ya...it was high. Total Cholesterol at 230 (30 over high of normal range) with the bad stuff, LDL at 160 (10pts over max)!</div><div><br /></div><div>The doctor was concerned enough to immediately recommend drugs, which I duly declined and requested her to suggest other methods. She looked dubiously at me, probably wondering if I was capable of following what she was going to suggest. Maybe I looked earnest enough and she suggested the following, giving me 3months to get it back into normal range.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Diet:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>- Morning breakfast: Oatmeal along with black dry grapes, pistachio, almonds, fig, etc. Avoid brown dry grapes(sugar) and Cashews(cholesterol). [<i>I took this for 4 days at least in a week, using Diet Horlicks milk as base to mix Oatmeal and dry fruits in along with a chopped Yellaki (small) banana or apple</i>]</div><div>If there is something nice for breakfast such as Dosas, eat the above stuff and then maybe one dosa so that you don't miss out on it and feel miserable. That is, you don't have to sacrifice the usual stuff to follow the regimen.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Dinner, we usually have Chappathis. I switched to Plulkas which is prepared without oil.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Lunch, I reduced the amount of rice I ate.</div><div><br /></div><div>- I consciously avoided or reduced snacking in-between meals. At buffets or family functions, I ate normally but declined second helping of fried or fatty stuff like sweets.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Avoided yellows of eggs. Reduced or did not use butter, ghee when preparing food.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Exercise:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I was already quite active with running and Basketball. She suggested adding badminton once a week to the routine. Since I had played this game competitively, it was a great workout. I did not over do all this.. just about 1hr a day for 6 days a week.. maybe 30mins more on game playing days.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After about 4 months..(ya, took an extra month just to be on the safe side), did my blood test and waited expectantly for the results.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lo and behold.. I did pass the test as required by the doctor.</div><div>Weight down by 3kgs.</div><div>Total Cholesterol came down to 201. (drop of 29)</div><div>LDL came down to 130. (drop of 30).</div><div><br /></div><div>I took it happily like a student to the teacher and nearly held out my hand for some stars from the doctor which I think I deserved! She did not give that... but...congratulated me and said follow the same routine and I should be fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, hopefully she is right..and for the time being I avoided popping a pill every day.</div><div>In the bargain, I feel better and fitter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sharing all this here, so that someone out there will also be able to use my new found wisdom in Cholesterol control by natural means! :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-56586773503658429702010-07-29T15:06:00.006+05:302010-09-03T12:59:27.363+05:30Simple ways to conserveI have this lingering suspicion that most people equate conservation to just recycling plastic. Few of them expand it to switching off lights, saving water and maybe planting a tree or 2.<br /><br />Surely, we can and should do more than that.<br /><br />So, I write this long pending thoughts on how I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">perceive</span> conservation as.<br /><br />First Reduce, then try to Reuse and after that Recycle whats left.<br /><em>(You can see many more R's at <a href="http://www.saahas.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Saahas</span></a> website (</em><a href="http://www.saahas.org/"><em>http://www.saahas.org/</em></a><em>) where I volunteer whenever I can.)</em><br /><em><p><br /></em>Some ways each and every one of us can conserve and save the precious resources of our planet:</p><p><br />1. Reduce use of plastic covers. Just get into the habit of carrying a coir/plastic bag and let the shop keeper know. Most will oblige as each plastic cover costs anywhere from 40<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ps</span> to 5 Rs. When you buy something like a loaf of bread or packet of chips, decline the use of another plastic cover to put it in! Carry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">tupperware</span> or other utensils for take-outs from local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Darshini's</span>.</p><p><br />2. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Don't</span> waste food, especially at Buffets. Take little of unknown items and get more only if you like it. Instead of piling something that looks nice and then find out you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">don't</span> like it! People argue with me on how that saves food since the hotel/hosts have already cooked it anyway. I feel, once we all eat the right amount of quantity without wasting, they will adjust the estimations accordingly and what they prepare for say 100 people will come down. Also, food left over in many cases is donated.</p><p><br />3. Walk locally. Try and walk to all close locations. Anything <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">up to</span> 1km (15mins) and even 2km (30mins) should be doable. You get a workout, save petrol and reduce traffic congestion! If you have to drive, combine the errands in that direction so that you avoid multiple trips. Check, if a phone call/letter is enough.</p><p><br />4. Use less paper. Print only when required. Be judicious in the use of tissue papers at restaurants. Reuse blank papers. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Don't</span> throw away sheets which have one side blank. Use it for rough work like sketching or tests for kids and then recycle.</p><p><br />5. Reduce your consumption. There is too much <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">stress</span> on convenience. Think many times if youe need that new dress/shoes/gadget/book/pen/car/.... This is a tough choice in our materialistic world. However, if we opt out of even 10% of our purchases, it will make a huge difference overall in resource consumption.</p><p>All these points should be gently passed on to our kids to help them develop good habits early in their life.</p><p><br />If you can think of more, please add in the comments below.</p><p><br />Lets try to be smart and not doom ourselves and the future generations..<br /> </p>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-24984930266494469122010-06-18T12:51:00.002+05:302010-06-18T12:56:02.209+05:30Story on superstitionDeccan Herald published a story I had submitted today. Its on superstition and how kids find it easier to fight the conformance to them than elders who have a whole lot of history behind their convictions. Its up to us parents/adults to not let our own fears and insecurities which have no basis on facts to pass on to the next generation.<br /><br />Check out the story at:<br /><a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/75916/white-socks.html">http://www.deccanherald.com/content/75916/white-socks.html</a>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-28819054965980233712010-03-31T19:02:00.006+05:302010-03-31T21:41:07.850+05:305 Point Idiots!<div><br /></div><div>We saw the movie <b><i>3 idiots </i></b>several months back because of high recommendations from friends. It was entertaining as most hindi movies are with the extra touch that comes with Aamir Khan movies. Then of course, the controversy of "Is the movie same as the book" and "Why was Chetan Bhagat's name not in the initial credits" flared up. So, curious, I finally bought a legal copy of the book <b><i>Five point someone</i></b>. (so that Bhagat also gets his share from me, in the name of fairness).</div><div><br /></div><div>Having experienced both movie and book in my "unbiased" way, here is my take on the controversy. </div><div><br /></div><div>The movie is most certainly based on the characters and plot created in the book. But I dont agree it is an adaptation of the book. The characters and plot have been twisted and molded significantly to suit the audience for a Hindi Movie. Chetan Bhagat in his<a href="http://www.chetanbhagat.com/blog/general/a-book-a-film-and-the-truth"> blog on the controversy</a> states that movie people claimed it was only 3-5% from the book while some movie critics said it was more like 70%. I put it at about 20%.</div><div><br /></div><div>I felt the movie script writers moved away from the plot fairly quickly and even the characters (Ryan => Rancho, Hari => Farhan) are very different while only Alok => Raju was fairly close. Most other characters in the movie were also different and it had new ones like the servant kid, Joy Lobo the brilliant practical student who commits suicide, profs 1st daughter Mona. The book had Prof Veera who was given a miss in the movie. New situations were made up in the movie like the chase to find the disappeared Rancho, Mona's delivery, Joy Lobo and his un-manned helicopter, Rancho becoming a brilliant topper, wedding surprise with Pia, etc. The book had some good spots that were dropped in the movie: the complete canteen/ice-cream parlor college ambience, research project with Prof Veera, C2D Co-operate to Dominate, Hari's slow developing romance with Neha, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book: It is a typical Chetan Bhagat style of writing. Simple, corny in spots yet engaging enough to finish it quickly. I liked several spots where I felt it elevated itself a bit like Hari's dream of Cherians Graduation speech, the situation where Hari gets caught with Cherians shirt. Overall, the book is more down to earth and depicted the college rat race and lifestyle better than the movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Movie: The script writers did what they had to do to make the story sell on the big screen. They mangled it and added more corny (read unrealistic) situations to make it a masala movie. Rancho character is too much to digest but makes a good hero, I suppose. Ending is typical movie style.</div><div><br /></div><div>I feel both movie and book were superficial and were written to attract the average viewer or reader. Sad, because the story had a lot more potential to be a serious work along the lines of Hollywood movies "Dead Poets Society" or "Good will hunting". </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the controversy, Chetan deserved better recognition for the original story and plot on which the movie is based. I think he got it anyway even though it was not in the form of movie credits. However, the movie is not an adaptation of the book by any stretch of the imagination. So, rest easy. You both deserve accolades.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unanswered question: Was the very public spat a shrewd move by both parties to sell their products?</div>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-57193704273195295182010-02-06T06:18:00.005+05:302010-03-22T16:53:57.055+05:30Paradox of religion and GodI have always been fascinated by this paradox about religion and God.<br /><br />If God does not exist, then there is no need for a religion. If God does exist and he is all that any religion (Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, take-your-pick) say he is, then he would have to be a pretty mean person to have such extreme expectations from his devotees or a conceited and self-centered or insecure person to want people to give him money, time and praise in order to grant wishes!<br /><br />I am what you may call a non practising Hindu. The thing that drives me crazy is watching people put lakhs of rupees in a temple hundi such as at Tirupathi to seek His blessings. I can guarantee (of course without proof!) that more than 50% of those donations are ill-gotten wealth. So, basically it all amounts to a bribe to the almighty to avoid being cursed. If they are that afraid then they should stop being greedy and getting wealth by dubious means. If they are not afraid then why bother offering this "bribe"? Another Paradox!<br /><br />Or putting it another way. If they believe God is omnipresent and omniscient then they should be shit scared of cheating people and offering part of the profits to Him and if they didn't, ya, why offer anything?<br /><br />So, I present you with this theory of mine about religion and God. <br /><br />Long long time ago, God was created in the minds of some pretty smart people in power. They probably did it to make the people scared about this powerful person or thing so that they will follow the rules which they felt was good and beneficial for the larger community. The rules of course metamorphosed into respective religions. Initially, God was forces of nature such as Sun, Moon, Stars, Trees, Rain, Mountains, Rivers, Planets, Comets, etc. Later, maybe for easier representation in stories and myths, they became persons. This worked well to keep the community or tribes in harmony and does even today to some extent. <br /><br />But where it has gone wrong is that most have figured out or comforted themselves that as long as they pay the perceived donations or perform rituals to Him, they can get away with anything including murder. <em><strong>This is because there is no real proof that He does exist and will punish!</strong></em> So, the powerful now use Religion and God to pursue their own interests and not for the good of the community. <em><strong>That is they can say anything they wish in His name</strong></em><br /><br />In a way religion has lost the reason it was "invented" for leaving us with the paradoxes that I started with...Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-67182772676833847502009-09-15T18:01:00.005+05:302009-09-16T11:41:00.514+05:30Running along Kaveri water...When I first heard about a run along Kaveri river, I was intrigued. Opportunities like this are limited in Bangalore where I usually end up running in MNK park or Lalbagh. That itself is a privilege since I stay in Basavanagudi. So, even though we had to drive 120 kms to Srirangapatna to take part, me and my friend Bipin went for it opting for the 10k distance.<br /><br />We were up at 5am and made it to the Fort view resort well in time to catch the buses to the starting point of the run. The half and full marathon(42k) runners had started at 7am itself. We were flagged off at 9am from a point some ways further along the road to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. 300 runners made quite a crowd for the 10k. The trail is pretty much a cart track alongside the canal all the way to end. We got to see the actual river only at the starting point. So, my suggestion is to change the name of the event to "Kaveri Canal Run" :). Though a bit gravelly and narrow in parts, it was quite comfortable to run in the muddy ruts. The views were very scenic with paddy fields and hills on one side and the gentle flow of the canal water on the other. Green Bee-eaters, King-Fishers were around as were plenty of Ibises flying overhead, no doubt to or from their home at the Sanctuary. At the end, the organizers had some bananas, biscuits and water to get our energy back. We chose to board the next bus and got back to the resort by 11am. On the bus, got to meet a 21k participant, Surya, who had come all the way from Auroville, Pondicherry to take part! Got few nutrition tips from her, one of which is that a concoction of mashed apricot, jaggery and honey gives nice energy boosts along the way. Hmm....got to remember that if I ever go for half or full marathon!<br /><br />Back at the resort, we got to see a Flameback (black-rumped?), Great tit, Dove and few other birds. Too bad that we didnt have a couple of hours to spare for some bird-watching. It was early lunch and on the road to Bangalore by noon. We reached our homes around 3pm. Overall a nice, fun event and well organized. For more information on the organizers you can go to the <a href="http://runnersforlife.com/" target="_blank">Runners for life website</a>.Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-6141976192643771532009-08-31T05:18:00.012+05:302009-09-21T18:44:09.473+05:30Origins of Indians anti-community behaviourThis is a topic which pops up often for me, either when talking to friends or when I observe some obnoxious behaviour somewhere or when reading an article discussing it. That is, why do a large percentage of Indians, including yours truly, tend to behave in some level of anti-community behaviour. When I mean anti-community behaviour, I am talking about behaviour that are beneficial to self but clearly cause an issue or hindrance to others in the community. A lack of civic sense. Very common examples are: Jumping a line sneakily or clustering around the window trying to be first even though you just came, illegally parking in places you very well know will obstruct others, driving on the wrong side forcing opposite traffic to move over or stop, throwing litter everywhere, honking unnecessarily, speeding past pedestrians including pregnant women, elderly & children even when they are on pedestrian crossings, talking loudly in public and tourist places, etc., and yes, sometime or other I would have been culprit on some of them too, if not directly at least by looking the other way when the group/person you are with behaves poorly. Now, this kind of behaviour is there in *all* countries only in not that high of a percentage and not *all* Indians are like that only they are too few.<br /><br />I am so obsessed with this topic that I immediately purchased the book <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/games-indians-play-raghunathan-way/0143063111-xow3fvsx3b">"Games Indians Play: why we are the way we are" by, V. Raghunathan</a>, academic from IIM as soon as I saw the cover page thinking, wow, now I will know it all. But, the book uses Game theory and concludes that we are like this only because it is beneficial to us! Well, duh. It never answers why in other places people are not like this most of the time, even though it is *clearly* beneficial there also! So, my search continues...<br /><br />I have come across many and varied reasons or should we say excuses for our behaviour. a) Britishers screwed up our brains during their rule b) over population leading to too much competition c) suppressed sexual urges looking for outlets d) it is the only way to get things done e) our religious background with heavy emphasis on fate does not encourage community based thinking or object to the bullying person f) we are ruled by people who themselves lack civic sense and ethics so what do you expect? and so on. Each one of these can be argued for and against with examples. Maybe it is a bit of all these and others I have not listed. Whenever I have the time I like to approach a person misbehaving and question them. A true incident: elderly person was peeing under a cluster of trees inside Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. I asked "Sir, do you not know that children play here?", his response, "Are you perfect? Don't you do anything wrong? Correct yourself and don't question others!". Philosophical! So he accepts he is wrong but does not like others to point it out. Another one: People parking inside a ground obstructing games instead of outside. When asked: "Will you replace it if I park outside and it gets vandalized?". How to respond to this type of argument?<br /><br />My main interest is what are the ways in which we as a community start turning it around. Again many ideas are out there .... a) start teaching early to the kids. But who? Most parents who should set the best example are themselves irretrievably unethical and lack civic sense. Schools? Some try but most schools ignore it. TV? we hardly have a single good Indian children's program which teaches civic sense. Of these I feel TV is the best medium and hopefully somebody will get to it. b) More policemen to punish the offenders. I always felt, we can have at least 200 traffic policemen who can easily get their pay by ticketing all the traffic offenders! c) Lead from the top. Our politicians setting the tone on proper civic sense by not abusing their power and following the laws as ordinary citizens whenever possible. OK. Now I am day-dreaming! :) d) our public figures in films, sports, arts etc showing the way. I know a lot of them already do but how can we impose this among them? Also, a high percentage are themselves very poor role models.<br /><br />I feel that things can get better only when each and every one of us wakes and follows some semblance of civic sense and ethical behaviour and expects others they interact with to do the same. Sometimes you may be at an disadvantage when you do so but you should not let that affect you and fall into the same trap.<br /><br />Please share every suggestion and opinion you may have....Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-37367649053417278472009-04-19T22:12:00.005+05:302009-09-02T13:03:49.816+05:30Story of a Wishful DonkeyI have always wanted to write good children's stories. Posted one on sulekha.com and they found it good enough to make it a featured story which, to me at least, was a great compliment. Somebody read it and thought it good enough to ask others to read? Enough for me! :)<br /><br /><a href="http://nandaramesh.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/04/stripes-story-of-a-wishful-donkey.htm">http://nandaramesh.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/04/stripes-story-of-a-wishful-donkey.htm</a>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-84021997435872865132009-04-02T22:01:00.005+05:302009-09-02T13:07:32.052+05:30Food, taste and hungerA friend forwarded a link to this short film, <a href="http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte">Chicken-a-la-Carte</a> by Ferdinand Dimadura, made for the category, "Food, taste and hunger", at the 56th Berlin International Festival. It won the top prize. The film looks primarily into how we waste food when there are people who desperately are looking for nutrition. This message is delivered using a very simple story with considerable impact.<br /><br />It should be made mandatory viewing here in India as it is quite appalling to watch people waste considerable amounts of food at buffets and marriage halls. In both situations it is not difficult for the person concerned to gauge what they want and how much they can eat and get served accordingly. To me, most of the times the wastage is inexcusable. I wonder if even 50% of this wastage was reduced how much that could make a difference to those in desperate need of food.<br /><br />My theory is that if we reduce waste, the amount of food saved will eventually trickle down to those that require it the most, assuming the food production is kept the same for the basic items such as rice, wheat, vegetables, etc., Something to keep in mind before you pile food on your plate even though you are not that hungry or you dont know if you will like some item or not and then dump 1/2 of it into the garbage pile...<br /><br />The movie link:<br /><a href="http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte">http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte</a>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-29795570726338677022009-03-20T15:50:00.005+05:302009-09-02T13:08:53.391+05:30Greed and Capitalism....A <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031903607.html">Washingtonpost article</a> by Steven Pearlstein (and I am sure many many more) was posted today on the question of additionally taxing bonuses at AIG and other companies which received American Tax payers money. The author argued against it. This prompted me to put down some of my thoughts on this subject which I have been ruminating on for some time. I agree that taxing specific bonuses is not good but not for the reasons which the author mentions.<br /><br />Capitalism is about greed. This has been said many times already. So, it is not a surprise that those in the finance industry go for high paychecks which are compensation based and motivates them to take as much risk as possible. How can the American Government which is the bastion of Capitalism restrict how much money a person can make? The fact that it is tax payers money does not matter because it is being provided to AIG to keep it afloat for very selfish interests (avoiding a collapse) and not to push some kind of a social reform. Therefore the Governments interest should primarily be in ensuring AIG gets back on its feet and not how much pay/bonus it can give. Once America starts setting such terms, they are no different from a communist or a dictator run country. You cant have your cake and eat it too.<br /><br />The problem I feel is not that they are asking for obscene amounts of compensation/bonus for a job badly done, it is that it has become part of the culture now. There is no feeling of guilt when you get that package and you know that you don't deserve it or you try to avoid any kind of accountability or real measurements put in the compensation clauses through legal talk to ensure you get that obscene bonus whatever happens to the company. Does the CEO or other executives really think they are that smart or that hard working compared to any other employee that they deserve 1000 times more salary? I think they do and therein lies the problem.... with American type of Capitalism. It goads all to strive to reach that top where you can demand those obscene salaries and once you get there look down and ignore all others. If you are still down, don't complain, just try to get to the top and you will be fine as then you will be looking down at others.<br /><br />Somewhere along the way, on its momentous journey to the top of the world, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">American Capitalism has lost its soul</span>. I don't think Government legislation or taxes on bonuses is going to help get it back. It might be better to let AIG and other greedy capitalists fail and let the events set the course for some healing.<br /><br />Don't tax their bonuses, just let them all lose their jobs!Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-44157679999913382792008-12-03T05:55:00.006+05:302009-09-02T13:10:39.763+05:30progress or no progress?Sometimes, I wonder if I was transported back 5 to 6 thousands years and with none of the technology we see today, would it have been a happier place? So many of our problems these days like pollution, wars, materialism etc can be argued to be because of the progress humans have made. So, would it have been better if we had remained as a very primitive tribe living off the land? Would you give up what you have now, cars, tv, computer, airplanes for a life in the forest where you will be spared all modern travails?<br /><br />The following video on Chenchus in Andhra pradesh gives us a look into what that could be like in these times in our own country! I am not taking a position either way. Just posting it as food for thought!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6IZzWSMJTU">Children of the forest</a>Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-51232705842300963982008-11-15T11:43:00.003+05:302009-09-02T16:41:06.851+05:30Obama EraElections are over and I can finally stop ranting about Bush, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cheney</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Rumsfeld</span> etc. They are soon out of the door and Obama will take over. Feels good.<br /><br />A US <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">presidential</span> term is a challenge for anybody under normal circumstances and it is doubly so for Obama now. Iraq, Economy, Environment, Health Care, Al-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Queda</span> are few of the many problems he faces following a very inept and ideologically driven administration. Adding to that are the raised expectations from his millions of admirers and the intense scrutiny and criticism he will face from all his detractors not just for being a liberal but also as the first African American president.<br /><br />I just want to wish him good luck and success. Hopefully he will stay true to his ideals and not get side tracked. I truly feel he was the best choice to lead America in these trying times.Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-32986871925306695142008-11-02T05:23:00.010+05:302009-09-02T16:56:40.676+05:30Just 2 more days!I thought I need to put down at least a few words before the much awaited and significant election in the past few decades in America officially draws to a close. Internet gave me a chance to follow it quite closely from India via msnbc, salon, washingtonpost. I could even catch the campaign videos and the funnier bits of SNL and late night comedy. We are indeed a very connected world now.<br /><br />Well, its all pointing to a Obama victory and hopefully there will be no surprises. It would be a catastrophe if indeed that happens. McCain has shown his true colors during the course of this campaign, changing positions, picking a horribly unqualified VP Sarah Palin, parroting the right wing policies against his own long held beliefs to just win votes. He does not look stable enough to be a president, enough said! Barack is showing the potential to be a very special leader indeed and has set the expectations quite high on his goals. If he does even 25% of those it will be great.<br />Lets hold hands, pray and hope the American voters do whats required on election night!<br /><br />Good Luck Obama, Biden!Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30763498.post-24425862201476765962008-10-27T13:50:00.009+05:302009-09-02T16:59:30.251+05:30Praying for?This is a topic I had wished to put down my thoughts on for sometime. Today I witnessed a scene during our Diwali Visit to the famous Ganesha Temple on Bull Temple Road in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Basavanagudi</span></span> that prompted me to finally do it.<br /><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">aarthi</span></span> had taken place and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Poojari</span></span> was going around showing the lamp and giving blessings. One person, called out urgently to his wife who was moving around to come for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">aarthi</span></span> and take the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Poojari's</span></span> blessings. The wife was clearly annoyed at being called but came over anyway. As they were bowing to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Poojari</span></span> to take his blessings the lady's cell phone rang. So there was this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">scene</span> with the lady talking on the phone with her head bent and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">poojari</span></span> giving his blessings by placing his hand on her head while looking elsewhere! I wondered about the point of all this? Did the lady expect to be blessed even while talking on the cell? Was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Poojari</span></span> so detached that he was giving blessings without any awareness of what his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">recipients</span> were doing? or maybe he just did not care. They then continued on with their next task with only me left to scratch my head....<br /><br />Now to my long delayed "think aloud". I have always wondered what is it that we as human beings want when we pray to God? When I was young and being the son of a fairly religious mother, I would do my praying dutifully every day morning and visit temples regularly. At that age our most important prayer was to do well in studies. After further education, marriage, job, children and a lot more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">worldly</span> knowledge, I began to wonder if somebody really heard our prayers and acted on it. All my logical thinking said that it was utterly impossible. So I just stopped other than a reflexive request for the good health of our family and peace to the world whenever I stand in our prayer room or at a temple. T<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">hat's</span> where I am at now. Others? I always wonder about that.<br /><br />It is obvious that those who pray and believe in a higher power do expect deliverance of some kind to their request. Does it happen? I think generally that prayer is for something whose outcome is unknown or not in the persons control for example a job application. If it is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">successful</span>, then credit is promptly given to God. If it fails there are so many ways to rationalize it that we need not question the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">existence</span> of this "higher benefactor". It could be because the prayer was not sincere or God gave the job to somebody who required it more or you did something stupid like post the application during a bad time "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">rahu</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">kalam</span></span>". But such a reasoner will never arrive at the more possible conclusion which might be that he/she did not interview well or was just not suitable for that job. Same reasoning could be applied for other prayers such as for exams, operations, business deals, etc., I think <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">that's</span> why its so comforting to place all pressure onto a "higher power". This keeps the person confident to face the next hurdle and not getting depressed. For this to work, you have to truly believe in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">existence</span> of a higher power. Else it wont work!<br /><br />So, I always feel, that for those who truly believe, prayer is a good way to relieve tension and pressure in all challenges we face in our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">lives</span>. For others like me who find it difficult to believe we are on our own to succeed or fail and face the consequences. Is either one the correct way or wrong? I think both are fine as long we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">don't</span> try to force one to think like the other!<br /><br />Now where does that leave the lady who takes blessings from an uninterested <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Poojari</span> while talking on the cell phone? Maybe she does not believe in a God so just did not care or she feels that the call is important enough that "God" will understand and not punish her? Something to chew on... I wish I could have asked her!Nandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12834117943572633726noreply@blogger.com0