HE IS A LONE WOLF

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He knew it from the beginning; his destiny was elsewhere. He was not to be confined to the ties of being a family man – call it Buddhaesque. He left his family searching for enlightenment and enrolled himself among his habitat’s most recognised ‘Band of brothers’ unit.

With time he marched on from one assignment to the other, and the clarity he wished to seek was far-fetched. He met many people at various engagements, rubbed shoulders with senior members, and steadily progressed through the ranks to become the recognisable, hardworking persona brimmed with confidence with a leader’s attitude.

Nevertheless, a mortal still needed timely guidance, especially when he ventured into a new breed of responsibility.

A crisis erupted, and he was out of his comfort zone – he wanted to do good, act reasonably, and in desperation, reached out to his seniors and other colleagues working with him. To his surprise, they suggested the ‘wait and watch’ approach before taking any actions.

Hindsight would teach him what not to do rather than what to do.

Both factions involved in the crisis suffered. It wasn’t the time to the slogan “We didn’t start the fire” – yet the affected parties continued blaming one another. It was always burning.

He knew what was happening, however being the lead for a group meant he lost the freedom to exercise his thoughts, articulate his personal views and debating was an option turned down. He was new to the job, and he didn’t explore what he didn’t know.

The silence was not the best policy – but it gave him time to introspect, live with his thoughts when opinion makers, opponents, and the affected group(s) questioned him, ridiculed him, and branded him as the sole responsible person for the crisis.

They would have been better off adopting his method of introspection. Alas, they didn’t.

Seconds ticked, hours clocked by, days went by, months passed by, and still, he was pounded for answers. He was still in introspection slumber on the crisis, and all he did was take his colleagues’ advice not to air his views.

In a couple of years, he had found peace with himself on the crisis and wanted to share his views – but people had moved on. Sooner if he didn’t, he would lose the plot again. He started to run faster, work harder than anyone else he knew. He dedicated himself to have answers when questions were asked. In other words, he came out stronger from the crisis.

However, deep down, he was affected. At the remotest part of his soul, he knew he still had to vent out his views.

His inner voice often reminded him about his younger days, his decision to move out of the family, events that led him to his present. Those memories fueled him to make a difference, etch a name for himself, and bring in progress for the greater good.

Success followed, and there was a limit to what he had achieved in the area he was initially assigned to. It was natural to move on to the next level. He set his eyes on more significant leadership roles. At the same time, his group saw the potential he had, and sailed along with him, pushed him, projected him to be the panacea of all sins that existed.

And they began building a new foundation unknown to him.

He came through convincingly purely on merit and not relying on recommendations or any prejudice. He had reached the top, and now he had a clear view around him. Did the clarity he was seeking many years ago come out of the blurry state?

Being ‘the’ leader was a new experience, and the only way he could move forward was to learn on the job. It happens to everyone, but few admit it. Being perfect is a limitation and an illusion – he discovered this soon and hinted to his followers many times that they repeatedly missed the point.

The path ahead was not easy, and it forced him to think whether he should change his set of beliefs?

This dilemma played as he encountered acts of discord regularly. This was certainly not what he expected after getting to the top. He thought he could deliver solutions at ease. Problems piled on endlessly.

That’s what responsibilities can do; they allow you to re-think endlessly to come up with better solutions each day and never will enable you to settle.

He often recollects the chain of events from history, his forefathers, and personalities from his contemporaries. This serves his introspection appetite to analyse whether he is taking a step forward or going backwards? And how many from his group genuinely believe in his cause?

He is now the senior leader, those days of consulting with the hierarchy was over. He finds his comrades are at a different level and, to an extent, oblivious to his beliefs and the direction he wishes to take. Slowly, many of them are branching away with their own set of plans.

He wishes to address this; however, he is quickly reminded about the more significant issues at hand. They don’t realise he knows his comrades have become those issues.

Many of his comrades and supporters believe they are fighting for him, but do they know it is not the fight he wants them to focus?

When will they listen to him? Will it be late and at what cost?

He is surrounded by many moments of uncertainties, and he is stuck on whether to embrace them or ignore them. Those feelings of hope and disgust mix dis-proportionally to his deep thoughts and cloud his decisions.

And one day, he woke up to see he is trapped. What was unknown became obvious. He allowed his comrades to build a fortress of solitude around him.

Was this the reason he left his family at a young age? Is this how he envisions his future life?

There is no right or wrong time in making decisions. Similarly, no right or wrong moves as no matter what he does, he will remain popular among those who worship him and unpopular for those who cannot stand the group he represents. He has reached that stage. But, mortal he is, he fears his inaction might haunt him even more, this time around.

Should he keep quiet again and remain in that fortress and trust his comrades?

Far from the fortress, each day, there is a clash of ideas even if the resultant goal is the same. Some play the moles, leaving them aside, shouldn’t thoughts leaning towards the same purpose be one and function like a Justice League?

The events that shaped our present cannot be altered – why are we trying so hard to change it?

In the meantime, in his fortress, he is assured everything is under control. Mortal, that he is, he thinks about his legacy.

He introspects, how I would like to be remembered by future generations?

That’s the question he needs to answer, and sooner it is, the better. He needs to re-visit those moments when he took some of the boldest decisions that shaped him.

And in some scenarios, he needs to remain faithful to what he believes instead of moving with the wind.

No matter how hard he tries to create a big pack, he will be deserted. He is a lone wolf, and that’s his destiny.

If he manages to inspire the pack to follow his lead and live out his vision – it will be his legacy.

He knew it from the beginning; his destiny was elsewhere. He was not to be confined to the ties of being a family man – call it Buddhaesque. He left his family searching for enlightenment and enrolled himself among his habitat’s most recognised ‘Band of brothers’ unit.

With time he marched on from one assignment to the other, and the clarity he wished to seek was far-fetched. He met many people at various engagements, rubbed shoulders with senior members, and steadily progressed through the ranks to become the recognisable, hardworking persona brimmed with confidence with a leader’s attitude.

Nevertheless, a mortal still needed timely guidance, especially when he ventured into a new breed of responsibility.

A crisis erupted, and he was out of his comfort zone – he wanted to do good, act reasonably, and in desperation, reached out to his seniors and other colleagues working with him. To his surprise, they suggested the ‘wait and watch’ approach before taking any actions.

Hindsight would teach him what not to do rather than what to do.

Both factions involved in the crisis suffered. It wasn’t the time to the slogan “We didn’t start the fire” – yet the affected parties continued blaming one another. It was always burning.

He knew what was happening, however being the lead for a group meant he lost the freedom to exercise his thoughts, articulate his personal views and debating was an option turned down. He was new to the job, and he didn’t explore what he didn’t know.

The silence was not the best policy – but it gave him time to introspect, live with his thoughts when opinion makers, opponents, and the affected group(s) questioned him, ridiculed him, and branded him as the sole responsible person for the crisis.

They would have been better off adopting his method of introspection. Alas, they didn’t.

Seconds ticked, hours clocked by, days went by, months passed by, and still, he was pounded for answers. He was still in introspection slumber on the crisis, and all he did was take his colleagues’ advice not to air his views.

In a couple of years, he had found peace with himself on the crisis and wanted to share his views – but people had moved on. Sooner if he didn’t, he would lose the plot again. He started to run faster, work harder than anyone else he knew. He dedicated himself to have answers when questions were asked. In other words, he came out stronger from the crisis.

However, deep down, he was affected. At the remotest part of his soul, he knew he still had to vent out his views.

His inner voice often reminded him about his younger days, his decision to move out of the family, events that led him to his present. Those memories fueled him to make a difference, etch a name for himself, and bring in progress for the greater good.

Success followed, and there was a limit to what he had achieved in the area he was initially assigned to. It was natural to move on to the next level. He set his eyes on more significant leadership roles. At the same time, his group saw the potential he had, and sailed along with him, pushed him, projected him to be the panacea of all sins that existed.

And they began building a new foundation unknown to him.

He came through convincingly purely on merit and not relying on recommendations or any prejudice. He had reached the top, and now he had a clear view around him. Did the clarity he was seeking many years ago come out of the blurry state?

Being ‘the’ leader was a new experience, and the only way he could move forward was to learn on the job. It happens to everyone, but few admit it. Being perfect is a limitation and an illusion – he discovered this soon and hinted to his followers many times that they repeatedly missed the point.

The path ahead was not easy, and it forced him to think whether he should change his set of beliefs?

This dilemma played as he encountered acts of discord regularly. This was certainly not what he expected after getting to the top. He thought he could deliver solutions at ease. Problems piled on endlessly.

That’s what responsibilities can do; they allow you to re-think endlessly to come up with better solutions each day and never will enable you to settle.

He often recollects the chain of events from history, his forefathers, and personalities from his contemporaries. This serves his introspection appetite to analyse whether he is taking a step forward or going backwards? And how many from his group genuinely believe in his cause?

He is now the senior leader, those days of consulting with the hierarchy was over. He finds his comrades are at a different level and, to an extent, oblivious to his beliefs and the direction he wishes to take. Slowly, many of them are branching away with their own set of plans.

He wishes to address this; however, he is quickly reminded about the more significant issues at hand. They don’t realise he knows his comrades have become those issues.

Many of his comrades and supporters believe they are fighting for him, but do they know it is not the fight he wants them to focus?

When will they listen to him? Will it be late and at what cost?

He is surrounded by many moments of uncertainties, and he is stuck on whether to embrace them or ignore them. Those feelings of hope and disgust mix dis-proportionally to his deep thoughts and cloud his decisions.

And one day, he woke up to see he is trapped. What was unknown became obvious. He allowed his comrades to build a fortress of solitude around him.

Was this the reason he left his family at a young age? Is this how he envisions his future life?

There is no right or wrong time in making decisions. Similarly, no right or wrong moves as no matter what he does, he will remain popular among those who worship him and unpopular for those who cannot stand the group he represents. He has reached that stage. But, mortal he is, he fears his inaction might haunt him even more, this time around.

Should he keep quiet again and remain in that fortress and trust his comrades?

Far from the fortress, each day, there is a clash of ideas even if the resultant goal is the same. Some play the moles, leaving them aside, shouldn’t thoughts leaning towards the same purpose be one and function like a Justice League?

The events that shaped our present cannot be altered – why are we trying so hard to change it?

In the meantime, in his fortress, he is assured everything is under control. Mortal, that he is, he thinks about his legacy.

He introspects, how I would like to be remembered by future generations?

That’s the question he needs to answer, and sooner it is, the better. He needs to re-visit those moments when he took some of the boldest decisions that shaped him.

And in some scenarios, he needs to remain faithful to what he believes instead of moving with the wind.

No matter how hard he tries to create a big pack, he will be deserted. He is a lone wolf, and that’s his destiny.

If he manages to inspire the pack to follow his lead and live out his vision – it will be his legacy.

GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THINGS

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There is something about face value that attracts human responses when encountered. A sense of energy flows that resists patience and is agitated to react, respond with what we feel is the right thing. Some can put it aside at the last minute. In contrast, others succumb to the seductive power of ‘Hungama.’ This happened in Delhi recently, and it was sensationalised as though it was a national issue – when in reality, it was meant to be dealt with in a small way.

Why do we allow such incidents to become headlines? How does this issue matter to India’s rest, apart from providing fodder to unnecessary errands on social media and among friends and family.

Headlines, half-baked news, prejudices, and one’s set of beliefs all play their part in that moment of expressing one’s opinion. And these days, social media offers a camouflage that gives a false sense of power.

Many students decided to protest in a very immature fashion, which provoked some of the fellow students who didn’t like the proceedings. The student leader steps in to diffuse the situation. He was made the prime target and even accused of not stopping the protests, which didn’t have permission in the first place. At least he tried instead of keeping silent.

With regards to the protest. What has expressing opinions come down to? Aren’t there debates or forums to express views and other disagreements instead of plain sloganeering and attracting attention? How do you define anti-nationalism, and in this regard – a minority group of students displayed and chanted anti-India slogans. Would you isolate this group alone or take everyone present?

And for many, it is still not clear why one would start such protests in the first place? Because the majority of the Indians don’t care or are too busy caught up in daily chores. And you cannot blame them for that.

Equally puzzling and unsurprising was the reaction. First, the Delhi police, the central Government, the media, the politicians from the ruling party, and to make things worse, the opposition is jumping in to make this a political, privilege, and religious issue. Later, the journalists were roughed up along with other JNU students at the Patiala Court House.

Was this an excellent advert for the ongoing Make in India?

Humans are more prone to negativity. Try this self-exercise; you will be amazed at how we are drawn towards the dark side views over the lighter side of things.

You know it, but wait, you do not want to admit it? I get it!

How do you solve this kind of issue? At the moment, any argument against the Government or the Prime Minister is a direct way to label yourself as an anti-national? In such an environment, one loses the sense of logic or even clarity as you are dragged into the mud wrestling full of verbal duels, which can get physical at times.

Violence is met with violence, especially when it involves youth, students – you never win!

The question that I ask myself – why are these protests in the first place? Should we ignore them as a ruling party? Or should it be tackled at the foundation level?

Who would like to get to the root of things? However, I have a candidate going by the previous incidents. It would be a welcome change to let go of his past silence and address students, the nation, and so-called anti-nationals present in our country.

There are more positives to our Prime Minister than many of our predecessors – however, he is a human, and this element is not acceptable to many. His silence over these matters is puzzling as I believe he is one person who can influence the much-needed change this country needs – the ability to analyse, study both views before jumping to conclusions—the audacity to crisis communications. Even though the rest of India is adequate, the people of Delhi need to hear those words. The students, should they continue studying?

This is an opportunity for our Prime Minister to initiate a change which many of our top leaders fail to recognise – the ability to connect with the youth. No, it is not just on social media. It is face-to-face or even through online live chats. He is an influencer, and who knows, he might provide an insight that’s much needed from the top.

Our Government is taking many steps to convince countries to invest in India. One of the many things that often do not get highlighted is that India is still a wonderful country despite such protests. The tussle with the Government always existed, but it is more multi-folded due to social media outreach.

We need our Prime Minister to lead the nation by educating the youth consistently, as it is the people that would determine the course India takes. A majority might get the votes, but they need not always be right.

In India, even exceptions run into millions, so there is an option to ignore these protests. But, at what cost?  

Why not we initiate a ‘getting to the roots’ programme spearheaded by our Prime Minister? Indeed, arrangements can be made to reach out to people who require clarity even though they do not know it. Start with the capital.

One isn’t sure about the results. Can we not try?

On a different note!

How must a parent react if their son/daughter accuses them of being anti-family, make statements like ‘I prefer you weren’t alive,’ talk and argue immaturely, doesn’t have a clue to articulate and put things in perspective, protests your decisions, so on and so forth?

How should a parent react? Will, they let them rot? Will they make it worse by force and threat? Is beating them up an option? Or will they try to put sense in the whole issue and inspire a change in the child?

RANGITARANGA: AN INCOMPLETE ENDING

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It’s been more than five days since I watched the movie ‘Rangitaranga’ – a Kannada movie that has been the town’s talk among Indian cinema lovers.

I was one among the 80 adults who watched the screening in a small Kino in Zürich. True to its hype, I loved the movie as it had a link to my childhood – a distinct theme that forms the basis for the film, which is recurring (on my mind) from the 90’s teleserial in Kannada, Gudada Bhootha. The movie was refreshing in many ways, and my thoughts on the same.

SPOILER ALERT: I DISCUSS THE PLOT AND THE MOTIVES OF CERTAIN CHARACTERS…

‘Rangitaranga’ (Colourful wave) – a word that will soon find its way in the Kannada dictionary is a well-thought-out movie, and the title justifies in no small extent how different moods of a human being is identified with a specific set of colours.

Songs with matching music and lyrics penned entirely in Kannada/Tulu remain the movie’s best side-kick. The background music mixes well with the visuals, and we are in a maze right from the moment the film begins.

To get a psychological-mystery (thriller) right requires a master screenplay and attention to details as various thought processes connect the characters with the story to take it forward.

If ‘why’ isn’t part of your thought process while watching the movie, then you have missed something!

When taken in isolation, every character has an element of ‘mystery’ barring the antagonist until the movie’s dying minutes.

The movie’s ending was abrupt, and it left me with more questions than answers to those mystic puzzles found in the film. The antagonist’s revealing came in as a surprise element (kudos to that!), and credit to the writers to have treaded a unique path leading up to the climax!

Unlike most movies, I rate movies positively if it can make me think and have some vigorous discussions. One such unsettling feeling I have from the film is how they revealed the antagonist and his role in the movie. Despite very well-penned sequences –  the shades and the background for the antagonist’s antics lacked sophistication.

Instead, I believe it was hurried upon to close the gaps the story had created thus far.

Was it a case of wearing a ‘mask’ all along or a medical case of ‘bipolarity’?

I am partial to this school of thought influenced by Jim Morrison’s quote – “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.”

In the director’s defense – a movie isn’t a great platform to explain things, unlike a ‘book’ or a mini-series.

In a gripping movie, the ‘climax’ must never be overlooked. Instead of two back-to-back songs that come after intermission, there could have been elements added in the film that provided depth to the antagonist’s negative tendencies.

In hindsight, a great opportunity would have been when the Yakshagana scene was shot, which the hero Gautam attended. The antagonist could have been shown with traits that point subtly to his dark side – a slight hint to his characteristics of being the ‘Uttama Villain.’

Instead, it can be seen; many deliberate attempts were made to conceal the ‘truth’ and plot frequently misguided our thoughts. While Gautam was engrossed in the show, our mask man was busy plotting something else.

Whether it was a ‘mask’ or ‘bipolarity’ – the antagonist’s antics are pleasing during the daytime as he comes across as poetic, cheerful, and even supportive on various issues.

Was he wearing a mask to go by the day until the dusk beckons to unleash his ‘dark side’? This is despite not recollecting ‘the hero’ whom he knew pretty well.

Or did he give in to his dark side and let his mind loose on hunting down pregnant women – and re-live his first killing each year? As stated, there is a pattern in the movie, July 7th each year, and the eleventh day after that, when he unleashes his darkest weapon – his anger and satiates himself by killing the kidnapped pregnant woman. That’s all for the year!

What happens to this dark side of his for the rest of the year? Does he wander (as shown in the movie, he does) when he has a bout of depression, and the maniac in him takes over? or is it a case of hunting down his prey days leading up to July 7th? The more I think about it, I am convinced it was a ‘mask’ all along, and the antagonist knew very well what ticked him towards his beastly side!

There are many questions about the antagonist, which made the movie incomplete and made me believe, there is a scope for a documentary revealing the quirks of this accused ‘Gudada Bhootha’! Would the movie makers be interested in showing the actual character?

COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE

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At thirty-six, Tsukuru Tazaki recollects his life he had led up until that point in time. He ponders his time with four of his best friends over his childhood, the most testing time of his life at twenty when the prospect of dying had such a hold on him.

Tsukuru, Japanese for ‘the one who make things’ – and true to his name, he had a fascination to build rail stations, and that took him away from his closely-knit group of five friends and his family. From Nagoya, his home town to Tokyo, where he was to study engineering.

Tsukuru thought himself to be ‘colorless’ and an empty vessel and unknowingly was first to blame himself when things didn’t go as expected. Was he justified in thinking about himself in this light? Did he ever seriously consider how others felt about him? Should he be writing scripts for others on his mind? or maybe this is how Tsukuru was wired.

Some people write string quartets; some grow lettuce and tomatoes. There have to be a few who build railroad stations, too. And I wouldn’t say I have a passion for it, exactly. I have an interest in one specific thing.

He had a chance encounter with Haida, a junior while in college who had a philosophy besides music. “This might sound rude, Tsukuru, but I think it’s an amazing achievement to find even one specific thing in life that you’re interested in.”

And then one fine day…without any goodbye, Haida went away – just like a fellow passenger in a long train journey with whom you become friends.

You discover the next day they are gone while you were sleeping, without bidding goodbye or a promise to stay in touch. Tsukuru comforted himself by asking questions like – “Why would they stay friends with a guy like me?”

After failing to commit to any of the girlfriends he previously had, it bothered him why he wasn’t taking that final giant stride.

Was he clueless about the immense emotional baggage he was carrying all those years?

Why was (and is) he not curious to know why his four friends banished him one fine day, no reason given whatsoever, and no intent from Tsukuru to know ‘why’?.

And since that incident, sixteen years went by where he led a life which had no meaning whatsoever – but he carried on, walking those steps necessary to survive life. Probably, that is what he is, a survivor and a plain one at it.

And he meets Sara, and she, at 38, two years older than Tsukuru, fuels a spark which he badly needs.

Human traits do not change unless one is willing to change. That way, the human mind is a great player. It can play any game it wishes to, and all we do is react and act upon it. Within such dexterity, there too lies a rigidity of not letting go of how you view life, being relentless in believing certain things and how it would fail, each time and how you would ensure it would fail because….. it happened in the past, and it so must happen. Any room for a change?

All his life and especially those sixteen years, Tsukuru tried to hide those unpleasant memories – but deep down, it was there, in a dark corner and unknown to Tsukuru playing tricks on how he viewed life and its situations.

You can hide memories, but you can’t erase the history that produced them.

Sara convinces him why he must revisit his past, meet his four friends and how he must pursue to know ‘why’ he was treated the way he was a long time ago. Tsukuru knew he could hide memories for a lifetime, but what about the history that bogged him down, that made him a prisoner locked in a cell.

Doesn’t he feel like breaking out?

Tsukuru takes a blind leap and decides to revisit his past. Along this path, he meets his friends and realizes that others’ lives differed from how he had pictured in his mind.

While he was unearthing the past, he finds Sara on a summer evening, walking with an older man, holding hands, laughing, which gave an impression that she was delighted.

He knew he finally found a girl in Sara with whom he can spend the rest of his life, and yet those images of her holding hands with another man bothered him, every minute, every second. He had made up his mind that he cannot give her that happiness; he was colorless, empty, and probably that’s the reason people leave him, just like that… abruptly and all of a sudden.

And then…. a trip to Finland to meet his childhood friend with a hope that she would fill the void to that ‘history.’

Sixteen years later, those feelings of dying came back to him when he returned to Tokyo, and he was sure if Sara chose the other man over him. There was nothing left for him to live for.

His mind was on the brink of a collapse, took him to the darkest of the forest a man could imagine, and threatened to unleash deadly elves that would finish him.

If he had to lose it, he would rather lose himself.

….. and yet….. he manages to survive!

Another battle with his mind. And he realised one thing about himself – despite those colorless sixteen years he led.

Not everything was lost in the flow of time. We truly believed in something back then, and we knew we were the kind of people capable of believing in something – with all our hearts. And that kind of hope will never vanish.

As the title suggests, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage – the Tsukuru can be anyone we know and how each one has a story, a unique one.

Because of our thoughts, how our mind processes the same fact differently and makes us react in a way that makes us who we are.

The key to survival is not a set of formulas – but a constant game played on our minds, and that game knows no rules!

CYCLE FOR A RUN – ZÜRICH RUN 2015

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Another year, another run, and this time at Zürich marathon, I was part of a team relay, and my role was running a stretch of 11.4 km. Together with three other team members, we completed the marathon. This is the first of its kind for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this after running single runs to date. This run, the first of this year (and many more in the pipeline for this year), is also unique in many ways – firstly, I ran more than 11 km at an event after nine years, and to prepare for this event, I experimented with a different training regime. I opted to cycle instead of running leading up to the event.

TRAINING LESS WINTER

Since I completed the Winter Run in Zürich last December, my training leading up to March’s second week was negligible. Winter, being a touch harsh and no indoor gyming (I didn’t renew my membership), I went through a period of three months with little running. However, I did walk, and those were quite a few miles along with my wife leading up to her delivery. I had few issues with my throat during January, and I chose to go easy on my body until our baby was born. Easy, in my definition was – no outdoor training while the temperature touched below zero, during snowfall, and when it was windy. Walking was the best option!

ZÜRICH RUN 2015

I signed up for the run with Asha Foundation, Zürich, and I was grouped in a team where I would have to run 11.4 km at the Zürich marathon. This was a challenge as I usually prefer shorter distances over more than 10 km. On the other hand, the whole run was for a cause – a fundraiser for THE betterment of education in India for underprivileged children.

With less than a month to go, and by this time, our 5-day infant was back home and my wife recovering, I was slightly worried about my lack of preparation. I wouldn’t say I like running more than 5 km at a time – but I know on a given day, I can finish long distances. That’s not the point; to me, after any run (be it any distance), I must be able to continue with my life without any difficulties. And preparation helps you immensely in going about your life, usually post-race. I had to be prepared! And I was not sure if I wanted ‘running’ to be an integral part of my training.

BUILDING UP THE MOMENTUM

It was in that indecisive moment of choosing how to train; I stumbled upon an idea. It was just a fortnight ago; while I randomly picked up the cycle and went for a ride, I came with the plan. The spring weather, with the cool breeze, light for most hours during the day, and the temptation to cycle more led to an experiment that I wanted to explore personally—cycling as a training method for running.

I have previously completed a half-marathon with fundamental preparation – but those times were different. I somehow cannot imagine me doing such distances as I have grown out of it. This 11.4 km was not my personal choice; however, wanting to run-ruled over the distance factor. Yes, let’s face it – I do not want to run 10 km every second day or more than 5 km each day, but I wanted to complete this 11.4 km, and at the end of it, the need to feel normal (as I had a four-hour meeting on a hill after the event) was paramount. The goal of preparation was not to feel exhausted and spent at the end of 11.4 km. And more importantly, at times during the race, an unprepared body gives up.

I decided to cycle hard and cycle alone as a part of the training. I started with 14.3 km and then 22.6 km the next day. Subsequently, 18.2 km, 21.3 km, 24.2 km, and 26.6 km. I concluded – if I were to cycle close to 90 mins and cover more than 20 km (keeping in mind the Swiss altitude), I feel I would have trained enough for the race.

THE RACE DAY

I felt good after a good night’s rest (which was a premium considering one has to be alert to baby’s call, anytime). The first runner completed 9.1 km, and then it was my turn to run a further 11.4 km. I ran, picked up my pace slowly with each kilometre. It took about 75 minutes to complete this distance. This was not lightning quick. However, the goal was to meet the distance and at a decent time. I felt good throughout the run and never once felt the need to give up. I came back home, freshened up, ate four parathas, and off I went to Felsenegg for a meeting.

Since the beginning of 2014, I had decided not to run more than 5 km (ok, 6 km at times), and this one came as a mini-challenge. With each challenge comes an opportunity to do things differently, and that’s precisely what I did when I chose not to include running in my training regime.

Next up is the Bern run (in three weeks), and I am taking it easy with a 5 km run.

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO SOMEONE’S LIFE

Asha for Education, Zürich has raised close to 23,000 CHF through the Zürich marathon 2015. We have two weeks for the final fundraising, and we are short by 2000 CHF of our target. Request you to contribute any amount of your comfort by clicking here in my profile – http://www.asha-zurich.ch/marathon/p_runner.php?id=RAT

WHAT DO I LOOK FOR WHEN I WANT TO GET INSPIRED

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There are plenty of websites, books, audio recordings, and seminars available to get inspired. There is no single formula for getting inspired. To get inspired is a personal choice and depends on the individual taste. Like anybody else, I too need constant inspiration(s) to do things.

Some aspects are situational, bounded by the life we lead and the way it is presented at any given point. Rest, I go looking for something to do! However, without any bias, each person needs inspiration at some point in time, and here again, we interpret this word in different ways.

Are we running short of ideas? Do we lack the spark which we previously possessed? Are we on the look out for a change? How can we tackle the same problem with a different approach? How do we seek clarity from a clouded problem? How do we face our fears? How do we accept and manage our responsibilities? How to do just about anything for the first time and carry on doing it?

One can ask many more questions, and one of the critical solutions is to get ‘inspired.’ The best part of getting inspired is that it has no set patterns. The same story narrated by an adventurer to a large audience can be interpreted in many different ways and, in turn, get inspired or discouraged, entirely based upon an individual’s interpretation and application skills. This is the beauty of creativity – the same idea, when executed by different people, results in different scenarios, products…

“Inspiration to me is… anything that ticks me to take a particular decision, perform a set of actions or even think about getting to a destination – it is a journey of thoughts mixed with choices and actions”.

WHAT DO I LOOK FOR

First and foremost, I look for a situation that needs intervention, a sort of inspiration that would help me resolve. Parallely ask, why do I need to fix it? I need not sit in one place and keep pondering. Just wanting to improve will present ways.

Why do I need to get inspired? I peg myself constantly with this question until I am satisfied with the explanation. Often, this answer sets the foundation for future elements. This exercise itself has inspired me many times just to take that hesitant first step. One can call it ‘introspection’ or ‘mindful thinking’ instead of just clocking in hours and then feel.. ‘what am I doing’? This helps me to be more aware of myself and have an opinion on my choices.

Being open-minded while absorbing the inspiration. I believe this is one of the tough things to endure. It is natural to relate any external talks immediately, solutions to our problems. Though it is difficult, I try to be as open-minded as possible! But again, I try!

Feel the situation from my point of view. It gets to me to a zone where there is this large pool of untapped thoughts that serve as inspiration within me. That is how I get inspired impromptu, i.e.; a simple act was done at a random hour. A regular task performed differently, or even an unrelated business or a task can act as a source of inspiration.

And lastly, the process of inspiration has two points. The start and the end (or in some cases, the end is never unless we deliberately put an end to it). I look for the journey from start to finish. This journey gives me a perspective and, therefore, some inspiration to keep it going, which I may not apply directly – but it all goes into my conscious bank. However, the lesson learned is that I undertook many tasks, and most of it I went on to fulfill them while a few I gave up at different stages of the pursuit. All these serve as sources of inspiration: How to do and how not to do.

To sum it up, getting inspired is a beautiful process. At this moment, unconsciously, subconsciously, our body, mind, and soul are getting inspired. Take a time out occasionally and live this chain of events that unfold in you – and you will be surprised to witness, inspiration is nothing but an exchange of experiences of any kind.

MEET THE GREYS – FIFTY SHADES OF GREY & SECRETARY

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On Valentine’s day eve, Tripti and I decided to watch ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ – the movie release was hyped leading up to the release day. Tripti had read the three books, not once but twice, and she was looking forward to seeing the ‘adaptation’ of this E.L James book.

I have had discussions with Tripti on these books, the character, and how the story progresses at specific points in time. I have never managed to read the books (never bothered about it), and instead, as a passive audience of this trilogy, I was looking forward to seeing how the story from the first book would unfold on the big screen.

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Let’s go back in time – Tripti and I had seen another movie called ‘Secretary.’ Released in 2002, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the Secretary to an individual lawyer named ‘Edward Grey.’

(Spoiler Alert) It is a love story, unconventional with comic elements. In essence, it is a romantic-comedy, but not your usual type (you know what I mean). James Spader plays the role of Mr. Grey (well, well, well, is that a coincidence), who appears demanding, intimidating at times and instantly made us wonder if he indeed was an inspiration for ‘Christian Grey’? However, he is more open, subtle, and less severe than Christian. And with Fifty Shades of Grey, there are traces of Edward now and then.

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Coming back to yesterday’s movie – we felt it could have been better. As a stand-alone movie, I would prefer ‘Secretary’ any day over this one. The title role lacked the ‘masculine’ touch, and as Tripti pointed it out, Jamie Dornan didn’t look convincing, be it the looks or the acting prowess. The reality hit her as the ‘Christian Grey’ of the book appeared nowhere close to the one on screen.

I am not sure if this was a book with all the ingredients to make a movie out of it. The way film panned out – it fizzed away and never had us hooked for a lengthy period. As a title character, the lack of emotional expressions became the weak point. On the other hand, Secretary evoked curiosity, which was not because of its lack of literary baggage. The characters played out their parts convincingly and showed why movie making is all about acting and convincing the part actors’ audience.

How will the sequels turn out in the case of Christian Grey?

A SWISS GIRL WITH A HINDI TATTOO

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Ronja Furrer, a Swiss model based out of NY posed with three other models for a special edition of Schweizer Illustrierte in December 2014. The ad was well publicised campaign and even today one can easily find it on many of the ad-boards in Zürich and other parts of Switzerland. The unique aspect being, the Hindi words appearing on Ronja Furrer’s skin.

The words appear as a verse. Any idea about the origins of these words? and is it from a famous saying?

12 ANGRY MEN AND THE THEORY OF CONSENSUS BUILDING

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I believe 12 Angry Men to be one of the best-scripted movies of all time. Looking at it deeply, it has a lot more to offer than just being a top ten IMDB movie.

Henry Fonda’s perspective and words and words alone turn the tide in his favour or remove prejudice from a non-personal assessment. This has no drama, mystery, theatrics, or special effects – a simple story that can be easily absorbed by any living soul on earth.

I have watched it in Hindi as well, and the content serves justice to its Hollywood original and the screenplay justifiably written for Indian audiences.

WATCH – 12 Angry Men in English; 12 Angry Men in German;  Ek Ruka Hua Faisla in Hindi

THE PREMISE OF THE MOVIE

Twelve men from different backgrounds, cultural upbringing, personalities, and of varying temper levels are part of the jury – and they are in a room to come to a reasonable conclusion. The jury must be unanimous in its decision, and until then, it is all a consensus-building exercise. The case in hand is to decide the fate of a teenager who is guilty of murder his father – and after having heard the testimonies and other ‘supposed evidence,’ it is now in the hands of the jury to give the final verdict.

In the enclosed room are these twelve men seated, and eleven of them are convinced the boy is guilty – and are surprised to see Henry Fonda’s lone hand going in favour of not-guilty. It isn’t a case of James Dean’s ‘To Rebel With a Cause’; here, the standpoint of Henry Fonda has a lot of sense.

After all, it is a matter of life and death, and these 12 men cannot be haste in making such a decision. Henry Fonda has a ‘doubt,’ unless he is convinced otherwise he would present his arguments. There emerges a change in thinking of his fellow jurors – one by one convinced otherwise.

It is interesting to note how time and discussions change opinions even among many learned ones. And one by one, the jurors are convinced it isn’t a straight forward case. In the middle of intense heat, there were heated discussions with egos coming in the way of clear thinking, and side arguments come in the form of the main panel. And by the end of it all – these 12 men have a considerable amount of doubt to deliver a unanimous ‘not guilty’ verdict.

HOW I SEE THE RELEVANCE IN TODAY’S WORLD

One of the patterns that emerged from 12 Angry Men is – that one is never far away from expressing his standpoint, be it on any matter. This is what I call ‘the interpretation syndrome’ – where two different people or a group of people look at the same thing differently.

Our world is no different – each one can express their opinions, and plenty of them are available on the internet, newsroom, and print media – and more so with the people I converse with.

Is it a life’s mystery that we eternally fight for the ultimate truth? Or is there no such thing as one truth? Or is life or society all about a series of consensus-building exercises that gave rise to systems, rules, practices, religions, and their million interpretations?

The world we live in is so huge – that there were means to run away from one group only to settle in another place and form another group. What if we bring in all the newsmakers (not just the leaders of the state) under a single roof and discuss till there is consensus building – to reach a common ground from where people from all the beliefs can move on with renewed perspectives and lead a life which humans deep down strive for.

I just laughed reading at the last sentence about the level of optimism I am expecting! What I am asking is too far away from the banal lives we lead, or am I?

However, this was a recurring thought that comes to my mind whenever I hear and watch disturbing stories each day. Are we just plain reporting or doing something to end it?  What is the end that justifies everybody? Or have we already concluded – that this is the way… this is how it should end…

The more I think positively, there is a hint of cynicism that creeps into that thought.

So I am stuck… can we have some consensus-building thoughts, please!!!!

FIRST INDIAN MOVIE IN SWITZERLAND – SANGAM (1964)

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The above scene is from the 1964 movie ‘Sangam’ – produced and directed by the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Sangam, the first-ever color film of the late Indian filmmaker Raj Kapoor, was a magnum opus in many ways. This movie had a screen time close to 200 minutes, filled with an emotional storyline and songs starring Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, and Rajendra Kumar.

Fifty years later, this movie is just one of the many hundreds of Indian movies shot in Switzerland. Here’s a 50 years tribute marking the association between the Indian movie industry and Switzerland.

More on this article on Newly Swissed – http://bit.ly/1DL3hJP