Satte Pe Satta of a Marathon

This year’s Vadodara International Marathon (VIM 2018) somehow made me recall the great hindi film – Satte Pe Satta. I find a lot of similarities between the two. Here are 7 (to keep up with the theme) of these:

1. This is a fun love story. The love story begins with a slap. But Amitabh Bachchan is besotted & gets into hot pursuit mode. AB (as Ravi) woos the lady with fruits, then flowers, feigning injury next & finally succeeds (in classic Bollywood fashion) over the course of a song. Over the years, VIM has also gone through these stages:

The slap: In 2013, I walked off after the start for two reasons: the start was much delayed (for the aspiring PM-cum-Chief Guest arrived late & gave a long speech), and there was no way of getting out except after being flagged off!! (This blog didn’t exist then, so no account here)

The Fruit & Flowers: The next time, the start was again delayed (for the CM-cum-Chief Guest arrived late but gave a shorter speech this time) but not as much.

The Deception: Last year, they started on time but there still was much scope for improvement.

The Song: VIM 2018, when the organisers decided 7^th Jan 2018 will be that “ek din” when “pyar ho jayega”.

2. While AB is the undisputed lead, the film is about 7 brothers who live a life of their own. On their own terms. Close to, but away from civilization. Coming to Akshar Chowk, it seemed as if there was some Occupy OP Road going on. But realized soon enough these were the 10K runners. They were in groups, chatting & having fun amongst themselves. Just like our 7 brothers in the film, but a few thousands in number. It seemed as if they would break into the song any time: Zindagi bhaag ke bitayenge, Sab ko sath mein bhagayenge, Hum to marathoners hain, Zindagi run-geen banayenge... If you think this is outlandish, imagine a couple of grown-up men going to a bar & asking for milk. This particular scene is more in the line of a Johny Lever, but the brothers make it look very natural.

3. An unconventional Hema Malini is the female lead, though it may appear that she is more of a supporting cast (to the 7 brothers). I particularly admire her role in this film. She takes on the men & emerges victorious each time. She has portrayed a strong, independent woman in other films too, notably Sita aur Gita & Sholay, but here she displays the conventional feminine traits too. Coming back to the film, she would never have believed that a place such as the brothers’ dwelling could ever exist. But she is up to it. Starting at one end, task by task, she totally transforms the disorderly house into a spick & span home. Pulling off an event of magnitude such as VIM requires equally meticulous planning & attention to details. This time they succeeded – from route selection to on route provisions & volunteering. Just like Hema makes her brothers-in-law take a bath (after having washed their clothes)!!

4. If the eldest one gets his lady love, can the rest be denied the same? No way, and they soon bump into a group of lovely ladies who are brought into the house (actually kidnapped). They are 6 in number, one for each of the remaining brothers. VIM 2018 too had something for everyone. Apart from the timed runs (42K, 21K & 10K), they had the mandatory 5K fun run, a costume run, a separate category for NRI’s (who happen to be in town this time of the year) & also one for the physically challenged. I suspect the VIM organisers were also impressed by Satte Pe Satta, where a wheelchair-confined Ranjeeta was the leader of the gang of girls!! Except that it should be called Satte pe Satte pe Satta for having these 7 categories in the 7^th edition held on 7^th January.

5. If you think this movie was all fun & love, you are wrong. It also had a health-related message for the viewers – “daru peene se liver kharaab hota hai”. And this message was reinforced multiple times in a short sequence. VIM too had a social objective – Swachhata (cleanliness). Hope Baroda turns up in the top-3 cleanest cities soon!

6. Bollywood has always believed in the Wodehouse dictum, “unto each life, some rain must fall”. Thus, no bollywood film is complete without the mandatory bad man. Satte pe Sata was no different, but here we got a villain with a heart of gold, aka Babu (AB in a double role). He walks out of jail & is contracted by Amjad Khan for another assignment – to kill his niece, Ranjeeta. A professional to the core, he quickly assumes the hero’s identity to get close to his target. VIM too had its share of mishaps. Like the refusal of the volunteers to provide ORS to the slower HM runners. But to keep it for the FMers come later when the sun is truly up & its warmer. Thus, they had the best interests of the FM runners in mind while doing so & were not really the bad guys. Like Babu, who did not take advantage of the lady, despite being in a position to do so.

7. Essentially, I feel the film was about transformation. An unkempt, ruffianish Ravi into a suave gentleman who can romance a girl. A tyrant eldest brother who begins to admit his mistakes (he appears to be genuinely sorry for having lied to Hema abt his family/household & the girls for having kidnapped them). A no-nonsense, disciplinarian Hema Malini into a caring wife & sister-in-law. The wild brothers into civilized men. So has the VIM improved year by year into what turned out to be a blockbuster event this year. And just like Ravi’s friend in the film, Shekhar, I am sure most regular participants would have wondered at the end of the event, “Ye registan mein phool kaise khil gaya?”.

These similarities apart, do you know what’s my favourite scene in the movie? It is Hema Malini throwing back the fruit gifted by Amitabh Bachchan. It was a water melon (ROFL) & I was afraid it would crash on his head. It was a relief it didn’t & I knew she would soon be his!! The medal too, in honour of AB’s choice, decided to perch on this fruit.

Untold Smog Tales

The smog in Gurgaon is so thick that Robert Vadra grabbed his own land. This message has been doing the rounds in WhatsApp since yesterday. In fact I couldn’t forward this message to any group because it was there in all. Which shows that the problem is as serious as made out by the news channels. But the news channels have been focused on the pollution/visibility data & the actions taken by the government. And speaking to those who have been affected by the government actions. But there have been many other incidents that point to the severity of the situation, though missed out by the mainstream media.

In one smog-related incident two vehicles collided in Gurgaon. As per tradition, the drivers stopped their vehicles & got out. But due to the heavy smog, they beat up a pedestrian crossing the road who happened to be there when these gentle-men had just come out of their vehicles. You may argue that had there been no smog, the pedestrian would have been overrun by a vehicle. But road rage is a serious ailment in Delhi/NCR & we need to take it up seriously.

But it is near impossible to cure those in Delhi/NCR of their undesirable habits. There was this case yesterday (yet to be verified by the news channels) of a lady standing at the bus stop bashing up her own husband, along with a group of women, for doing to her what men in Delhi do to women standing at bus stops. We still do not know what story the man told upon reaching home but the wife was tending to his injuries. As they say, time heals all wounds.

It is no use approaching the Police during this period. Some of them have also become victims of the smog & the famed ingenuity of Delhiites. It is reported that some cops were handed bundles of Rs. 10 notes (which should have been of Rs. 100 denomination) when they went about collecting the hafta. Unfortunately, they are unable to recall the persons responsible for this. Many of these cops have now gone on medical leave. We also heard that their senior officers have now approached the government to introduce Rs. 5000 notes so that such incidents are not reported next winter onwards. As it is, the police is already understaffed for maintaining law & order in a city of this size.

Not that people in Delhi have the habit of approaching the police at the drop of a hat. They are more accustomed to taking the law in their own hands & resolving issues there and then. Like the employees of Indigo Airlines. But due to the heavy smog, the Indigo ground staff beat their own pilot who was boarding the plane. The grapevine has it that the Airlines is thinking of taking strict action against the pilot.

While airline operations have been severely hit due to smog, the humble auto rickshaws have also not been untouched. In fact, they have been twice affected. Firstly, the fall in number of commuters has reduced their income drastically. As if this was not enough, practically all auto drivers are missing turns due to the smog & taking passengers to their destinations by the shortest route. The auto rickshaw drivers’ union is in discussion with the government to increase fares during periods of smog.

Not just the locals, even those visiting Delhi from outside have been affected. Though, most of these suffered from only breathing problem & illness. But there was this group from a large state that gathered at Ramlila Maidan to demand inclusion under reserved category. There was another group from that state, adjacent to this one, who was opposing the demand for reservation by this group. But due to the smog, the leaders (of both groups) found themselves on the wrong stage & their speeches being booed rather than cheered. The minister who had come to meet the groups was so confused that he refused to address either group & hurried back. It appears that he has reported this to his colleagues & the central government is now speaking to the concerned state governments to tackle the smog problem.

But there is a positive story too. The incidents of rape have stopped completely owing to the smog. The potential rapists have stayed indoors for fear of becoming victims themselves while out on the prowl. Safety first is what they believe in. And so should you if you stay in, or are planning to visit, Delhi/NCR. Take care & stay healthy.

When Daman Serves More than Beer...

Long after the British left India, the Portuguese still occupied Goa, Daman & Diu. After liberation from Portuguese rule, they were a common Union Territory till Goa became a separate state. Daman is also the favorite go-to weekend destination for people in South Gujarat as it’s a Union Territory (low taxes) where the dry laws do not apply (freely available liquor). A little over 3 hours from Baroda by road/train makes it convenient even if the weekend is just 1-day long. The tourism department also organizes a Half Marathon (http://damanwindmarathon.org/) around Liberation Day (19^th December), where many runners from Baroda are regulars. 

If you think they participate for the easy availability of liquor, you are mistaken. Many have achieved their PB’s & best performances at the Daman Wind Marathon. This year I was also part of the Baroda contingent at Daman (there were others too, who turned up late). And like the rest, my priority was also clear (though different)!!

They start the run very early at Daman, around 5:30 am. I was staying at my aunt’s place in Vapi which is just across the border in Gujarat. I didn’t wish to disturb my cousin’s sleep early in the morning to drop me off, nor was I adventurous enough to drive back into Gujarat after a trip to Daman. So the previous night had me arranging an auto to pick me up early in the morning. It’s a tough task & my advice for those who may want to go to Daman next year onwards is simple – Daman is the place to stay. If you find Vapi convenient, make sure you have your own conveyance (and a driver, if you enjoy your post-run drink). Of the many who refused, I came across an autowala who informed that he was also participating (along with some 10/12 of his friends) in the marathon. I simply love it when someone is willing to chuck aside productive economic time to indulge in a favorite pastime. Unfortunately, he was running the 5K which started much later & could not take me along on his bike!! But one manages to get an auto at the Railway Station, where those on the night shift are most willing to take you for some Rs. 250/-. Don’t haggle much as one doesn’t have much of a choice. That’s my advice #2 & #3 for those wishing to run in Daman!!

An early morning start is good, as Daman is never really cold even in December. However, one does feel the chill riding an auto at 4:30 in the morning. But alighting at the Daman Football Ground, it feels pleasant, and more so after one does some stretching & warmup. The Daman Fort is still decked up with the lighting put up for Liberation Day, or maybe it is always there (this is my first time here).

On the bridge, I come across Mr. Amarjeet Singh, a 60-year young visually challenged runner from Mumbai. Around 9 years back, he started taking part in distance running events, beginning with the 7K at SCMM. Since then, he has completed 43 distance runs. A week prior to Daman Wind Marathon, he was running the HM at Goa River Marathon & was scheduled to run the HM in Nashik the next week. His spirit is truly commendable! He has to run with an escort who runs with him. At Daman, it was Harshal from Mumbai who ran with him. But this is not the difficult part. Even traveling outside Mumbai is a task. He needs an escort for that too. He defines the spirit of running the marathon, or the half for that matter – overcoming the odds & breaking through the physical & mental barriers.

The bridge on Damanganga river makes a pretty sight too, with all these decorative lights creating a canopy as we moved. The Daman administration has opted for the best day to organize the event when not only the city is decorated but even the weather is helpful. No wonder, outstation participants become a regular at Daman. It was still dark, when the sound of waves crashing on the shore announced we were near the Devka beach. And then we come upon all these resorts & hotels. There is enough hydration available along the route as these hotels put up water stations for the runners. The organisers also don’t need to put up portable toilets as Daman is dotted with hotels who open up their facilities for us. May be this is also a reason why the entry fees here are so low!

This guy is not a Bus. I didn’t see any at Daman. He is promoting the Valsad City Marathon, or shall we say he is its flag bearer? The Valsad Runners had sent a big team here, being in its neighbourhood.

A long stretch of the route is lined with coconut trees along the shore. In their welcome email, the organisers had informed that this piece of land belonged to one Sukur Narayan Bakhia, a smuggler who had, as one of his assistants, a guy called Haji Mastan!! Daman has history at every step, it seems.

We turn around at the gates of Wind World India, the event sponsors. They are doing a good job, putting this small Union Territory on the sporting calendar.

On my return leg, I come across Mr. Premshankar Pandya from Ahmedabad running on the other side of the road. At 75 years, he is 15 years younger than our Mr. Amarjeet Singh. He has been walking & running long distances for many years now. But that’s not what he is known for. He is recognized because he always runs barefoot wearing dhoti-kurta! He even ran the Vadodara Ultra barefoot, running so on the roads would be so much easier.

I always believed that Surtis thronged Daman for the beer & liquor. But coming to this stall, I realized Daman ,makes them feel at home. Of course, this gentleman doesn’t have the entire range of egg dishes that are served at a typical outlet in Surat, but has enough on the menu to get the Surti tourists get up & out for the breakfast.

Back in the city, we take the turn at the Clock Tower, still decorated with yesterday’s flowers & the dolphins at the top. Beware of this one, though. One look at the time & I was mighty pleased with myself. But once I took out my phone to take its pic, I realized it was around 55 minutes behind. I was totally deflated!

Back on the Damanganga bridge & the Daman Fort is still standing strong to welcome us back.

You would be well aware of what happens during that last kilometer. With not much distance left, and far lesser strength in those legs, runners pull up the last of the energy reserves that they can, to cut down the seconds. Now what will you do if you come across this sign at this stage? Would you still get ahead of that slowing runner ahead of you? Or would you just take it easy & wait till the turn ahead to move forward?

We finish where we began, just outside the Daman fort. May be the soldiers of the Maratha Light Infantry, at the end of the siege, felt as tired as we did at the finish line. We have to get into the fort for the medals & post-race breakfast (nothing to speak about). The fort now houses government offices. There’s also the beautiful Liberation day memorial, which made me wonder whether the cannon in the corner fired all these shots!! You can read more about the liberation of Goa, Daman & Diu at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_annexation_of_Portuguese_India.

They serve you the breakfast on the banks of the Damanganga river, where there is also small park. The children had energy enough to play in the park! They were proudly wearing their medals & bibs. The fun doesn’t stop for the kids.

Returning back, I once again met Mr. Amarjeet Singh & Harshal (his escort) & we got chatting. A group of young boys reached & greeted him. They were all praise for him, especially the fact that he finished earlier than they did. It was sincere, truthful praise that they had for Mr. Singh. He inspired more than a few at Daman.

I came out of the fort & after more than half an hour, hunted down a small bar that was open at 9:30 AM. Well, that’s what I was here for. The medal found its perch at Daman too.

Back to the Green Commute (or How to Potentially Save Around $ 200 Million in Import Bill Annually)

Its the time of the year when I help my bicycle work off the rust it has gathered during the summer & monsoon months. I began this exercise last year & have resumed it for this year too.

For most of the rest of the year, the only exercise I claim to do during the day is waking up! But during the months when temperature drops to bearable levels (mid-Oct to mid-Feb), cycling is one physical activity that I can sustain. I have tried the morning/evening walks & jogs, but I am too lazy to carry it beyond a few days. Not cycling, though. It helps that I take it to work (some 12 kms twice a day), so that I am forced to pedal twice a day. And this really works!!

 

Apart from the health benefits (see adjoining figure, also trending on Facebook) associated with cycling, that have been well documented, there are other benefits (tangible & intangible) too that you can consider as the catalysts to take up this clean, green & healthy habit:

• You get a high when you sweat during the coldest Dec/Jan mornings, while all around are you are draped in their woolens.

• Even after putting in full day's worth at the office, you don't feel tired & drained when you get back after the long ride home. You realize this when you not only finish reading the day's newspaper and also get to see some late night television, but are out of bed the next morning feeling totally refreshed!

• When other users do not compete with you to occupy road space & when they (and you too) are not bothered about who gets ahead & stays ahead, it makes the commute very pleasing.

• Bothered by a Traffic Jam? Simply pick up your bike & coolly move ahead leaving behind the envious 2- & 4-wheelers!

• You get enough time to see things around you without worrying about crashing into someone or running over something, thus getting a real-time update about the changes taking place in the cityscape.

• The satisfaction of not increasing the din in the already noisy streets is experienced exclusively by the cyclists.

• You become the role model for your colleagues, friends & neighbours. If this is not exhilarating enough, consider the fact that most of them wish to emulate you but are unable to do so!

• The perverse pleasure you get when you park your vehicle besides a super premium car inside hotel parking. During an offsite programme, I placed my bicycle besides an Audi SUV. End of the day, colleagues from other locations swarmed around my vehicle clearly ignoring the exorbitantly priced, fuel guzzler parked besides it. The owner would have definitely suffered from a severe attack of inferiority complex had he been around to witness it!!

• My daughter picked up this dialogue from Chennai Express - "Don't underestimate the power of the common man". Unlike SRK, I feel this everyday when I am on my bicycle & my fellow occupants of the road give me enough space to move at my pace. Some are even gracious enough to wait for me to overtake a slow rick or a parked vehicle or cross a busy traffic intersection. (Wearing a helmet gives one additional privileges as a cyclist)



Pic: www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-Underestimate-The-Power-Of-A-Common-Man/
 

 As they say, every silver lining has a cloud attached. Here are some of the turn-off's that may prevent you from a healthy act:

• Some portions of the roads are real bad & you have to seek a path through the lanes & by-lanes to have a smooth ride.

• The roads are not cyclist-friendly. There need to be separate bicycle tracks or cyclist only stretches where other vehicles are not allowed. Unfortunately, most of the cyclists on the road do not carry enough political or economic weight for this to happen.

• Some of the drivers are totally lacking in basic traffic courtesy & need to be educated on the do's & don'ts of driving. Perhaps, the RTO may wake up some day & do the needful.

• The noise. Its only when one is out of the closed windows of the car that one realizes the amount sound pollution the vehicles create in addition to the air pollution.

• Its difficult to turn right on a wide road when every driver is trying to reach the max point on his speedometer.

 

Now, if the silver in the lining is sufficiently bright, it will definitely illuminate the cloud so that one is no longer worried about it. So, here are some hard facts to help you take the plunge:

• Save money. GAIL sells us CNG at the lowest price in Gujarat & I shall save at least Rs. 5000 this season. Someone driving a petrol or diesel car would have saved Rs. 9000 or Rs. 5800 respectively. You get back your investment in the bicycle in less than 2-3 months. Isn't this a great deal (especially during a depressed economy)? Mind you, these nos. are based on the current fuel costs, which are rising every fortnight, so the real nos. would be even rosier.

• I would be reducing my carbon footprint & contributing in my own individual, howsoever small, capacity to a cleaner environment. Some back of the envelope calculations show me that I would be reducing around 240 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere this season! For someone driving a petrol or diesel car, this no. would be even higher - 350 tonnes & 300 tonnes.

• Help save foreign exchange requirement of the country. I would be reducing the forex requirement on LNG by USD 70 this season. Corresponding figures for petrol or diesel users are USD 190 & USD 290. The amount looks small, but if multiplied by potential cyclists, Mr. Rajan would be able to sleep a little peacefully.

• This is the clincher - The price we pay for fuels has a huge tax component (both state & central) built in. If we switch to cycling, this would mean reduction in government revenues. This would force them into a real economy drive to balance their budgets. This is our chance to get back at the political class. Why should only you be tight-fisted?

The  nos. above appear small, but when multiplied these can be substantial. Let me illustrate:

Considering that the urban population in India is around 400 million & 5% Indian households own a car, let's assume average urban family size to be 5. This means there are 4 million cars in urban India. Let's assume, these consist of 2.4 million petrol cars, 1.4 million diesel cars & 200,000 CNG cars.

If 20% of these car users (or those below 40 years & driving small cars) switch to cycling for 4 months in a year, we can collectively reduce CO2 emissions by around 260 million tons each year & save forex on crude imports by around 200 million dollars!!
 

Are you game?

 

My Hero No. 1

Note: The benefits quantified above are based on my activity level, i.e. 20 days of cycling in a month.