Waking Up in A New Country

I definitely did not go to sleep last night in this country.

The country I went to sleep in had the Rajabai clock tower chiming merrily every 15 minutes. Over there, the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel near the Gateway of India shone brightly in the evening sky, people enjoyed their drinks and music at Cafe Leopold and Colaba Causeway was a great place to hang out.

Today though, Taj Mahal dome did shine, but not because of the bulbs that usually lit it up, Rajabai clock tower's chime had lost its cheer, the only music playing at Leo's was a death knoll and Colaba Causeway became a place to hang out, not for common citizens, but for the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos who have flown in from across the country to fight these mother-fucking terrorists.

In this country, they've even imposed curfew so we can't get out of our homes and endanger ourselves and others.

I pray for those who lost their lives and for their families fighting for their old country.

I, no, We, want our country back, the country we went to sleep in.

Life In Longitudinal Waves

So much has happened in the past two years of my life and it has led me to the conclusions that life unravels itself in irregular longitudinal waves. (See image below.)


While image above is of a more regular pattern, with compressions and rarefactions interspersed at regular intervals, life's rarefactions and compressions are quite irregular.

If I were to describe the last two years of my life, it would definitely be a compression. Papa's passing, a broken engagement, meeting my to be life partner, starting up my own business, getting married (in less than a month)... it's overwhelming when I think about it.

Before that, college life and a few years after college felt like a rarefaction. Yes, there were changes and important events, but none that affected me as much as those in the past couple of years. Life seemed to be dawdling along.

I guess that's how life is. I know I'm not making any earth-shattering revelation. Just a mundane observation.

It can be one long rarefaction until you hit a tumultuous series of compressions with tiny rarefactions scattered in-between. Or sometimes it feels like this never-ending compression until you discover you're suddenly in this little rarefaction.

I don't think one is better than the other i.e. a compression is better than a rarefaction or vice-versa, but they're undoubtedly different.

Together I think they make life a wonderful journey. One long longitudinal wave. Or short. But longitudinal and interesting nonetheless.

Running #36

Today's Run
Distance: 8 km
Time: 47 min 32 sec

A faster pace than the last 8 km I did so I'm satisfied. The rhythm is definitely back, so is the pleasant weather in Mumbai. I think that is definitely helping.

Glad

In these times when so many people are losing jobs or sitting in office idle, I'm really grateful for having a job I enjoy. I guess that's the advantage of being in a services industry to an extent.

That's besides the point. I think you're extremely fortunate if you wake up to a job that you enjoy and challenges you almost everyday. I happen to be one of those and I'm really deeply grateful to whatever it is out there that led me to where I am now.

Every now and then, I guess we make decisions in life which, at the time of making them, we're unsure of and come good. Glad to have made one of them.

Running #35

Today's Run
Distance: 15 km
Time: 1 hour 27 min 58 sec

I was really happy with the run this morning. I woke up by 5, got enough time to stretch, cycled to NCPA for the start of the run and was warmed up enough by the time I got there.

The most satisfying thing about the run was getting the rhythm back. I started slowly and picked up the pace gradually. On the Peddar Road downhill to Haji Ali, I was wondering if I'd struggle on the way back up, but the body responded beautifully. Everything was in synch. The breathing, the legs, the arms... I ran on auto-pilot.

I picked up even more pace on the way back and I was surprised. At some point in your running, you become almost a witness to your body. It seems to function effortlessly. Meditative at some level.

Looks like the recovery from the injury is more or less complete. :)

Kabir's Dohas

I've always loved hearing Kabir's dohas. Especially Shekhar Sen's rendition of them. The problem though was that I could never fully understand the dohas because of my limited knowledge of the dialect in which they are spoken. I'd get an idea of what they were saying, but never the exact meaning.

I found a site this morning that explains these dohas. They're just wonderful to read. Simply constructed, yet with such deep messages. A soothing balm for our often troubled souls.

Click here to read them along with their explanantions.

Running #34

Today's Run
Distance: 8 km
Time: 48 min 14 sec

Running #33

Today's Run
Distance: 12 km
Time: 1 hour 15 min 16 sec

Wanted to test the hamstring over a longer distance and it went off pretty smoothly. Despite the time being relatively slower than before, I can feel the rhythm slowly coming back. It will be a week or two before I can run like I was before the injury. But a satisfying effort nonetheless.

Save the Environment. Go Locasexual.

I love Slate! :)

http://www.slate.com/id/2202431/pagenum/all/#p2

Current Reading

The book I've been reading for the past couple of weeks is called 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' by Haruki Murakami. I'm enjoying it. If anything, it has stoked my desire to get back to full fitness soon and train hard.

As a fellow runner, I identify a lot with Murakami's experiences while running. In case I left you guessing, that's what the book is about. I love the little bits when he throws in some of his philosophy. Here's an excerpt I loved:

"Usually when I approach the end of a marathon, all I want to do is get it over with, and finish the race as soon as possible. That's all I can think of. But as I drew near the end of this ultramarathon, I wasn't really thinking about this. The end of the race is just a temporary marker without much significance. It's the same with our lives. Just because there's an end doesn't mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker, or perhaps an indirect metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence."

Running #32

I ran after a break of exactly 2 weeks and I'm rusty. I ran well within myself and put in a poor time. More important now is the recovery. Will see how the hamstring holds up this week. I have my last ultrasound physiotherapy session at Breach Candy Hospital on Friday. It's the only time I've enjoyed going to a hospital. Their physio department is pretty good. I didn't like the not running restriction though, but I know the injury was bad. It felt like something had snapped.

It's fabulous to be out on Marine Drive in the early morning running again. The cool morning breeze, those familiar faces, watching the concrete go by below my feet... back to where I should be.

Today's Run:
Distance: 8 km
Time: 48 min 23 sec