Never take things for granted - my father would often say with a smiling face.
Yesterday after finishing 15KM I looked at my watch and I was happy with my timing. I was consistent and the weather was supporting my run.
I was enjoying the runner’s delight. For me, it is a process that starts from the night before your run - early light dinner so that the tummy is happy and light. A good sleep so that you wake up before your alarm kicks off. Also, practice gives confidence to your mind that you can do it.
But there is no guarantee with running. Anything can happen at any moment. Isn’t that true with life?
After finishing 16KM I stopped abruptly. A sudden sprain in my right thy muscle starts protesting and my runner’s delight has vanished. The pain was acute and my body was ready to give up. After taking a quick break I decided to complete 20KM and then do a check with my body. I did 20KM, the pain was there but it was manageable and my body was okay. I decided to keep running till the time my body and mind decides that it is enough. I kept asking my body after every 2KM are you okay. The pain was there but it was okay.
I completed 30KM at my regular pace. All that protest by my body didn’t impact my timing. It is a big deal for me that I kept pushing and at the same time kept listening to my body. After almost quitting at 16KM I finished at my goal of 30KM. The joy of accomplishing my goal had suppressed the pain.
At the same time, people often say giving up is easy but at times you have to quit so that you practise hard and come back to give your best.
Running also teaches not to take life for granted. Be it a novice or a pro runner every one starts from zero. Doesn’t matter what you did yesterday, the only thing matters what you do today - the present matters, the NOW matters.
Because you don’t know what will happen next moment. You can twist your ankle, have a sudden sprain or you can have cramps. For Annica Lin, the barbeque dinner and lack of sleep made sure that she ran her worst marathon. This was her seventh marathon and she was still trying to qualify for Boston Marathon. It wasn’t her best marathon but she didn’t quit she kept on going one mile at a time and all the training helped. Much later she qualified for Boston Marathon.
“If you have a goal you have to keep going no matter how much doubt enters your mind. You may not be a runner but to truly accomplish anything in life you need to complete your personal marathon.”
Long-distance running is a lonely sport and it is also a non-judgemental sport. Once I tried joining a running group but it wasn’t my cup of coffee. From running for social media and marathons now I run for myself. I am only concerned about how many km I ran in the week. I don’t compare with anyone and I can’t. Some weeks I am disciplined and some weeks I am really bad. I am just trying to bring discipline to life. In this process, there is no pressure. I set my own goals and I listen to my body.
But I must say that I am privileged as a guy to run freely in the open. I can very well understand why a girl or woman wants to run in her compound or vicinity.
2021 taught me how grief is the most beautiful emotion and the grief that breaks will give you strength. Last year during this time I was trying to understand what just happened after my ‘nana’ passed away. It’s been more than a year without him and at times I look forward to his smile. I am pretty aware that it won’t happen but I relive the smile remembering old memories. Now he stays with me and will always.
Recently a friend of his shared how he was as a human being. I really feel proud when people recognise me as the elder son of N.K.Naidu. It is a priceless feeling. While all this is great, I also need to accept the beautiful things in my present life and live with them.
The year also made me realise that I have beautiful things in my life that I need to appreciate. Thanks to the virus we have started appreciating life. But what if your existence is questioned. When you are not considered a human being by the same society that you serve. What happens then?
Irula is one such tribe that inhabits the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irulas has been snake, rat-catching and honey collection. Rats destroy a quarter of the grain grown on Tamil Nadu-area farms annually. To combat this pest, Irula men use a traditional earthen pot fumigation method.
The other truth is that for decades the Irula’s have been never accepted by society and the atrocities on them are endless. The Tamil drama film Jai Bhim tells a true story of the Irula community which involves a case fought by Justice K. Chandru. It revolves around the lives of Sengeni and Rajakannu, a couple from the Irular tribe. Rajakannu was arrested by the police and was later missing from the police station. Sengeni seeks the help of an advocate Chandru to seek justice for her husband. The rest of the film is about finding the difficult truth.
It is a powerful movie and one needs to see such films to acknowledge the atrocities on minorities. The movie is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Sardar Udham and Jai Bhim are my top favourites of 2021.
This is my last newsletter for 2021. Thank you for reading and subscribing to my newsletters. Writing gives me peace and knowledge. I will be back in the new year with more focus on media and advertising. Furthermore trying to find what are the things that the Nonprofits can adapt. Will be more regular :)
Enjoy the remaining days of 2021, relish the opportunities life has provided, love your loved ones and stay safe.
I will see you soon.
PN.
