Garud Puran punishments and a Software Engineer

Inspired by the movie Anniyan(Aparichit in Hindi) I searched google and found out a list of punishments from the Garud Puran given to sinners. I had a weird idea of linking all these punishments to the wrong things we do in our lives. To my surprise, lot of punishments are applicable even to a common man. Some of the punishments are harsh and very sick to read. I have taken some of the punishments very seriously and some of them very lightly. Its upto you how you handle it.

Anthakuubam :

Those who murder pious people and those who cheat divine ones will be sent here. This place is a well filled with dangerous animals, insects, birds & snakes. These creatures will endlessly torture the sinners till their sentence is over.

For Software Engineer : Software Engineers who produce fake permanent address proof in order to get a driving licence, open a DMAT account. will have to face Anthakuubam. 

Kirumibohjanam 

Those who eat food without offering to God will take the form of worms and other worms at this place will bite them. 

For Software Engineer : Software Engineers take food from the cafeteria. If you don't finish whatever is in your plate, You will have to suffer. I don't offer food to God, But I don't waste food either. So I think, I am spared :-) Remember, Never ever waste food. Its YOU who took take the food by your hand, and its YOU who is throwing the same food in the dustbin. 

Pandri Mugam

Those rulers/kings who sentence others unjustly and those who torture the weak old people will be sent here. This place looks like a pig's face. Here the keepers of hell will break the sinners' arms and legs. Their bodies will be squeezed in between rollers like sugar cane. At such moment, the sinners will faint without realizing it.

For Software Engineer : You are not a king. But being rude to the security man if he insists you to display your badge, blaming the bus driver for traffic jams, paying no respect to the cleaning staff.......welcome to the place that looks like a pig's face.

Thaamisrum

Those who steal others' wife, property or children will be terribly beaten up by the keepers of hell. The continuous torture will make them semi-conscious, overcome by greater fear and tremendous pain.

For Software Engineer :  At least I am not eligible. Married techies, think yourselves.

Annatha Thamisrum

Those who deceive their life partners by not offering them food, will be tortured here till they look like a lifeless tree. They are made blind for their sins.

For Software Engineer : Again, I am spared. 

Rauravam 

Those who take away others' property by their cunning speech and those who destroy other families for their own happiness will die as pauper. In hell, those affected by him will take a cruel form then a poisonous snake to punish him. Such sinners will be held in Maha Rauravam till their sentence ends.

For Software Engineer : Troubling the landlord, Not paying the rent on time. Preparing fake rental agreements, duplicating the landlord's signature. You can suffer !

Kumbibaagam 

Those who do cruelty to birds and animals and those who eat their meat will be pushed into a pot of boiling oil. They will be in it for countless years.

For Software Engineer : Most of us will suffer this punishment. Eating Chicken, Mutton, Fish everything is counted ! 

Kalasuthiram 

Those who chase their parents away will be brought here. This is a place of fire and tremendous heat. Sinners will suffer internally and externally. They will not be given food or water. At such stage, they will be walking, standing and rolling on the floor with great pain.

For Software Engineer : Software Engineers who don't know the value of money they earn. Instead of sending sufficient money to their parents, spend it on drinks and cigarette, movies, hotels, and other unnecessary stuffs. Not obeying what their parents say, Fall in love with a colleague, and marry her without their parents permission, This punishment is for you.

Asibathiram

Those who convert to other religions without a good reason will be brought into this forest with sharp knife like leaves. They will be beaten with sharp edge belts. Those running away from them will suffer more cuts from such leaves and stones. Moreover, they will be cut into pieces continuously till their sentence ends.

For Software Engineer:  The words are clear enough to be applicable to all software engineers. 

Saaramehyaathanam 

Those who burned down houses or poison others, those who do mass murders and politicians who destroy countries will be held here. They will be fed on dog meat and in return more than 700 dogs will bite them before they are freed.

For Software Engineer :  More than Software engineers, Politicians need to worry.

Ahvisi 

Those who do good services for mere publicity will be brought to the top of high place or hill to be pushed down. The hard surface/ground will shatter their bodies into pieces. The hell keepers will gather the bodies together to repeat such punishment again.

For Software Engineer : Those who study for CAT in the office, use office material for personal use. Come to office on weekends just to create a monster.com / naukri.com account and claim overtime and eat pizza. Beware.

Paribaathanam 

The drunkards will be sent here. They will be given boiling iron liquid to drink.

For Software Engineer :  I am spared here too ! Most of the software engineers will face this. 

Shaarargartham

Those who disregard other qualified ones or holy ones and those who boasts about themselves while insulting other capable people will brought here. They will be hanged up side down, beaten and tortured by the keepers. 

For Software Engineer :  Every word is applicable for every software engineer.

Rashohganam 

Those who do human or animal sacrifices in Yagna and those who eat their meat will be brought here. Those killers will be turned to animals and those animals or others killed by them will take human forms. They will tear them apart and eat up their flesh and drink their blood.

For Software Engineers : You will be rewarded with either Kumbibaagam or Rashohganam. Anyways you have to suffer. I am sure I will get Kumbibaagam.

Suulapurohtham 

Those who cheat the innocents who trusted them and those who commit suicide by hanging or piercing the trident into their body will be brought here. Tridents and birds with sharp beaks, will pierce them as punishment.

For Software Engineers : Switching jobs just for a higher pay, Applying for jobs in other companies using fake experience, Producing fake medical bills, showing fake bank balance in order to approve a loan. Suulapurotham is waiting for you !

Vadaarohtham

Those who torture animals or other creatures staying in caves, valleys and webs will be sent here. They will be placed in smoky pits, fire pits and punished by poison.

For Software Engineers : Dont know whether this punishment is valid for torturing cocroaches, mice, lizards etc. If yes, I am afraid, no one is spared.

Paryaavaathanagam 

Those who murmur to themselves by cursing their superiors while having their meals will be sent here. Crows and eagles will poke such sinner's eyes till their eyeball drop off.

For Software Engineers : The description is clear enough. cursing your managers, piers during your meals. Discussing how you can take revenge, teach him a lesson, how you can shock them by your resignation. Every small detail is counted.

Susimugam 

Those who become arrogant about their wealth, those who show hatred to the poor, those who bury or protect their wealth with 'genies' guarding it and those who refuse to return the money borrowed from others will be brought here. Such sinners will be tied with ropes and their bodies will be cut into pieces.

For Software Engineers : This a similar punishment is already given by banks if the loan is not repaid in time :-) Software Engineers who borrow money from their colleagues in order to buy a bike, laptop, land, flat etc. and not return it in time, Producing fake documents in order to save tax, all such deeds are counted for Susimugam. 

Agni goodam 

Those who take away others' things by force will be sent to this chimney like place to be barbecued continuously.

For Software Engineers : Those who download songs, movies, and other high volume stuff, watching youtube videos during office hours, you are not aware, you are stealing others bandwidth by force. 

Vajra goondam 

Those who have illegal affairs will be forced to hug burning rods while been whipped.

For Software Engineers : Beware. Thats all I can say :-)

Sunmaali 

Those who flirt will be poked with spiked weapons.

For Software Engineers : All weekend lovers. Visiting malls, parks, gardens just for the sake of "bird watching". Very common !

Vaitharani 

Those who offend the 'shastraas' will be pushed into the river filled with blood, pus, flesh, fats, hairs, bones, urine and bowels. They will be bitten till they bleed by the creatures dwelling in it. The sinners will struggle helplessly unable to reach the shore. 

For Software Engineers : In order to offend the shastraas, first of all you need to know them. Anyways, you will be pushed.

Pooyohtham 

Those who neglect their culture, those who have illicit affairs with low status women, those who misbehave without self-discipline and those who neglect the right way of living so as to live like free birds or animals will be brought here to eat bowels and to drink blood, urine and pus. 

For Software Engineers : These sins are mostly committed when in college. Doesn't matter, if you've done it, you will be punished.

Prinarohgam 

Those Brahmans who rear dogs and donkeys and use them for hunting will become targets for arrows shot by the keepers. 

For Software Engineers : Those techies who used ready made code copied from the Internet and use it in your programs claiming it as yours, get ready for some target practice.

Visasnum

The keepers will whip those who sacrifice cows for the sake of pride.

For Software Engineers : ???

Laalaapasham

Those who force their wives into unhealthy sex performance will be drowned into a pot of sperm forcing them to drink it.

For Software Engineers : No Comments.

These are just few of the punishments from the Garud Purana. I am not 100% sure of the genuinity of the punishments. I have copied the punishments from here. Even if you have committed some (or rather most) of the sins, there is always time to remorse. Be good to yourself. Be good to others. Or else Mr. Aparichit will give you one of the punishments for sure !

Half Marathon !

Today, I did something what seemed impossible to me 1 year ago. I finished a Half Marathon. The timing is not very impressive, but trust me, for a newbie, this one is a huge achievement. Now there is no stopping. A Full Marathon is not far, and training for it has already started.

Ironically, when I returned home, and read the newspaper, tomorrow is "World Heart Day" So should I say "Thank you" to my heart ? or say "Sorry" for making it struggle on just before his day ?

Aduei #883

* I've been working on this since a year now. But finally, my room mate came up with the write up. I added some snaps, and modified the content to make the blog more memorable.  This blog is written by a guest writer Rohan (Bunnu) who was also a resident of #883 and is written with Rohan as the 1st person. This blog is dedicated to all the lucky guys (and few gals) who were the "victim of fun" in #883. A special thanks to our land lord Diwakar a.k.a 'D' for his kindness and patience to tolerate us in his house. Here is the story.... 

For those who know "Good bye 695" it can be a sequel...

Our contract for 695 was getting over by August 06 month end. We could have extended  it by paying revised rate of 10K. We opted for the other option and quest for new home was began.There were 3 of us, Me(Rohan), Dahsin(Nishad) and Sappya(Swapneel).

Our main condition was house should be near to the office.After searching in ad magazines and papers we came to know about House no.883,near East end.

              When we saw it we found it bit small area wise.Though area in which it was built was  convenient one. After discussing for a short while we decided to take that house on rent. And a new era of my stay in Bangalore was began. I would have been more than surprised if somebody had told me  this will be one of your finest stay. I must admit that for first few days I found it bit small.Very soon I realised it was big enough to give us a memorable stay. In the meantime our friends Jakya, Busaan and Vinya also found a house nearby.That triggered amazing memories spent together.

For the first 3 months Sappya used to stay with us.He used to study all the day:-)

The house saw the Birth of Magician 21!dahsiN.He used to learn new magic tricks of his own and then we were victims of his experiments:-) He has mastered the this art by now.So many videos are  evident for it:-) Again most of them are taken in 883. After Sappya left the house, one of my friend Barvya arrived. The house saw so many events like late night bakar,patte sessions, bday bash of different kind, world cup hawaa. I remember most of the  bdays were celebrated in different fashions.I loved the way Dahsin brought triangular caps having cartoons

over it  for all of us. It was amazing feeling to celebrate bday of a 24 year KID:-)Another memorable bday was of Chaaandya's, to whom minimum 10 empty boxes were presented as gift.

So many of our friends had the Privilege of staying in the house.Sunnya,chandya and Chaaandya will top the list.

Once, there was a naming ceremony done for each one of us, based on what we did, 

1. Swapneel : Gurappan Palya (due to his Guruji abilities)

2. Rohan : Dhery Circle (In Marathi, Dhery = Belly)

3. Omkar : Crazy Frog, Dungya (Crazy frog for his body language, and Dungya in memory Mr. Raj Singh Dungarpur for changing his statements every other day)

4. Amar (Jackie) : Jakkasandra (Just because his pet name matches with an area in Bangalore)

5. Chandya : Kuchka Futana (For his cunning and witty humour)

6. Diwakar (Landlord) : D (Based on RGV's Movie "D") 

The house witnessed so many things related to 'Food for thought'.Correct, all the things related to food, whether we brought N no of Idlis or planning to go to our favourite hotels, finding reasons to treat a Mosumbi juice @ Cool Corner, or an even better reason to enjoy ice-cream @ Pick 'n' Move.

I remember one evening when dahsiN managed to throw out a mouse.Mouse tried his best to survive from dahsiN only to be swept away by dahsiN in one shot.Needless to say, he never came back. At the time of World cup our house was full of friends and wafers,chips,cold drinks, never to forget the famous "Vicks World Cup" and unlimited fun.All these things were enough to convince our landlord that the no of people staying in the house was more than 8.:-).We tried to convince the landlord that it is impossible to fit 8 people in a 550 sq feet 1BHK without anyone noticing ! But instead of warning us about the 8 people conundrum, D calmly said," You want to stay 8 people, stay. But you will have to pay extra for water bill !!!" After cherishing every moment over here finally time came to say Good bye.I had to shift from Bangalore to Mumbai. 

        I left the house with heavy heart on 29th of sept. I decided to visit the house sooner.Hardly a week passed and I came to know about Barvya's transfer to Pune.Suddenly Dahsin had to bid adieu to 883 in very short time.Finally he packed his bags and shifted to his friend's house.

10 months are over by now still we find it hard to have a conversation in which 883 is not mentioned.

For those who have never visited the 883, this can be just a story; but for those who have stayed there it is far more than just a blog.

The last footage and some small memories from the house. (I had tears while making the video)

Rubik is back !

After I mastered the Rubik's cube algorithm, Rubik is back in news ! 

Rubik's cube is voted as the greatest toy ever !!

http://in.news.yahoo.com/ani/20080412/r_t_ani_tc/ttc-rubik-s-cube-voted-greatest-toy-craz-a34fb50_1.html

Ganesha Symbolism

I never knew there was so much of details hidden in the statue of Lord Ganesha. Thanks Swaroop for educating me !

Spot 10 differences

Its more than 24 years now, So many things have changed, I wish these moments never change.

So close to a Half Marathon !

Getting closer to my goal. Half marathon is just 5 Kms away. And a full marathon is 27 Kms away. When will I reach 42Kms mark ?!

dahsiN's top 10

A lot of people, friends, relatives, park joggers keep asking me, How can you run so much ? How can you pedal for so long ? Why do you have to get up so early ? Why are you doing all this to yourself ? What do you get after doing all this ?
In order to answer all the above questions, I have created my Top 10 reasons, Why I am doing all this. I will start in the reverse order,

10. When I was 20 years old weighing 73 kg, I wasted (or rather enjoyed) my time playing Quake 3. College days, played quake 3 all day and night. Food I ate was all junk, Chicken, eggs, fried rice, Noodles, and what not. At the age of 24, I was 82 and I realised where I was heading. That's when I decided to lose weight.

9. Joining a Gym, a diet program was all tried and tested, nothing worked.

8. Running at first thought, was not for me. Like others, I used to bonk in just 1 or two rounds. Others of my age, completed 5-6 rounds in ease. That made me feel ashamed of myself. One day, I don't know, what happened, This running and cycling got into me. (In Marathi, we call it "zapatne") It became my habit, that every morning, I go to the park, run at least 3 rounds and come back. I took the harder way of losing weight, Run run and run. Cycling helps build your stamina, so cycling came along.

6. Of all the people I see around, I notice, 60% are overweight, if not overweight, they have a bouncing tummy. A survey has predicted that by 2040, all the people in US will be overweight. I have made up my mind, Never in my whole life, I will become overweight again, have a tummy like that. Today, I have a massive intake of food. In order to maintain, I have to go through all this running and cycling.

5. Nobody is born strong, You have to make yourself strong. People drop their jaws when they hear about my stamina, how much I can run or pedal. (I drop my jaw when I hear about real athletes, and their stamina) You need not be this strong, but at least you should have the stamina to walk the stairs 6 floors without running out of breath. Trust me, I was one of those who would come last in a 200 mts race. Afraid of the traffic on the road. Ate chicken as if it was the last chicken left on the earth. Waited for lifts to take me to the 2nd floor. Now, I don't care if the lift works or not. going up to the 10th floor is never a problem.
Check these 3 things in life, and you will live healthy :
a. Always use the stairs. Never take the support of the handles along the stairs.
b. Sit on the floor with your legs folded. When you get up, never take help of your hands. If you already have problems getting up, I doubt, you need exercise.
c. Everybody uses shoes. Majority of them tie their shoe laces while sitting on the chair. I say DON'T DO THAT. Make it a habit to pull your socks, tie the shoe laces while you are standing.

If you follow these 3 habits, you will never have a health issue. You might also not have to read all of my dahsiN's top 10 !!!

4. These habits help me save money ! Don't believe me ? I have saved a lot ! A descent bicycle cost me 4000 rs. I have done at least 10,000 kms on it. Imagine me buying a motorcycle and riding it for, lets say 10000 Kms. I might have consumed petrol worth 12000 rs + the actual cost of the motorcycle. I can travel to any part of Bangalore on my bicycle without second thoughts. I don't keep any shame in my mind about being such a grown up, and still riding a bicycle.

3. This habit has changed my lifestyle. Earlier, I used to sleep late, get up late. With this running in my mind, I have to go to sleep early, and wake up early. And you all know the benefits of a early morning walk. These habits make me stand out in a crowd. Instead of a me being recognized as on of the millions and millions of software engineers, I am better known to people as a guy who rides a cycle to his office and does a 10K run in his free time.

2. We have a company bus to our office, One of my team mate asked me, why don't you join the bus ? You can come to office, and go back sitting peacefully. I replied, " That is what I don't want" People find it easy to board an auto, bus or accelerating a bike. Instead of the easier way, I would rather choose the harder way. Accelerating a bike is easier than pedaling a bicycle. Even for the weight loss, joining a fitness centre, paying thousands and thousands of rupees to lose weight was much easier than running. I chose the hard way to lose weight, so, weight gain for me will be harder :-)

1. People say, riding a bicycle for such a long distance is crazy stuff. Yes it is !! but only in India. In many European countries, people respect cyclists. For them, no distance is too far on their bicycles. People ask, "What pleasure do you get by doing all this to you ? " I said, "Pleasure ? I do it for the pain" Yes, its as as crazy as riding a bicycle. Like most of us, my parents have brought me up in a very simple way. No costly gifts, no un-necessary spending, no fancy clothes. When I started earning, I was living a luxurious life. A salary which my parents would not have thought of when they were of my age. A few month's salary is enough for you to forget the pains your parents had to suffer, just to give you good food, good education, and a good life. Riding a bicycle or running long distances, hurts a lot. My legs pain, my stomach pains, my back aches. Every time they hurt, it reminds me about my parents, my relatives and all the good people who came in my life. There was pain when your mom's hands burnt when she prepared food for you. There was pain when your mom was worried about your illness. There was pain when your dad had to pay donations for your admissions. There was pain when you grew up and stopped listening to what your parents said. I feel good when my runs make me hurt. Maybe this is my way of thanking my parents for all the things they did for me! This pain will not go unnoticed. In a couple of years from now, my mom will see me as a healthy, fit, and a very active son.

Dosaaa Anyone ?

Run maadi run

Finally, It was race day. I was all set. I knew I was not here to win.(At least in this race) but to finish in the top 200. A total of 20,000 runners had participated, and around 5000 had opted for the 10K run. I saw people warming up. getting their shoe laces tightened, Clipping the bib numbers to their T-shirts, visiting the rest rooms just before the run. I was cool. No worries. I was pretty confident of finishing the run with a good timing. During my practice runs, I could finish 10K with ease, Thanks to my Nike+ipod. I had prepared a "Run Special" playlist which will make me run faster. I saw a couple of guys who used to practice at the same park as i did. All of them were very serious about the run. It seemed, that I was the only one who was taking the run lightly.


It was 8:55 am, and we all gathered near the starting line. At sharp 9.00, the run started. I started with a steady pace. I knew I had taken a lot of efforts for this race, and I will not quit in the middle. 1 Km milestone passed. I saw Kingfisher females giving away water bottles to the runners. Cheer leaders (Yes, like the ones you saw in IPL) cheering you, residents near the road coming out in their balcony, entrance gates and cheering us ! The media van taking live footage of the run, A helicopter taking rounds over your head, An Ambulance, just in case, and above that, 5000 determined runners along with you. It feels great when you are a part of such an event. 2 Kms passed, but my Nike+ipod showed that I had covered 2.5 Kms. I knew, there was something wrong. Till yesterday, I was thinking that the 10Kms counted by the device was exact 10Kms, and based on this, I had done all my calculations. But now, I knew 10 Kms was longer than what I expected. I trusted the milestones on the roads, as this was an international event, the distance ought to be accurate.
At 3 Kms, I saw people slowing down, falling behind, stopping for water. I was not yet tired, I continued. An old man, in his 60s just crossed me and went ahead. he was all sweating, but I couldnt see fatigue on his face. Withing a minute, he was far ahead of me. This incident made me feel ashamed of myself. A 60 year old has the guts and the power to continue, and a 25 year old young blood is slowing down ! In spite of so much of practice, so much of efforts, I was felt that I was not at all worth of doing this run. If I am like this today, at the age of 60, I will not be able to get off a simple chair !! Maybe I might not survive to celebrate my 60th birthday !
Even today, as I write this blog, this incident always makes me bow down in shame. Now I knew, why others were so serious, and I was so cool. At 8 Kms milestone, My nike+ congratulated me for completing 10 Kms. Actually, there were 2 more Kms to go. My device was very badly calibrated. By now, the sun was sucking all the energy of me. I started having stomach pains. I had to slow down. I collected a bottle of water, and started walking on the road. people started overtaking me. A female, about my age crossed me and zoomed. This was another em brassing incident for me. After about 500 mts of walk, i again started running. The stomach pain had reduced. I focused my sight at the finishing line, which still seemed to be very far.
I slowly gained some more speed. I saw cheerleaders again boosting my confidence. Photographers started clicking photos, I saw the timer, as i crossed the finishing line. I took 56 mins to complete the race. My nike+ read that I completed 12.5 kms. My friends were waiting for me just next to the finishing line. They were glad that I completed, they congratulated me. I collected the refreshment kit and went straight towards a bench. My legs didnt seems to get hurt, but I was mentally stressed out. I had expected to finish the run in 45 mins, and i took 11 mins more. The friends said, your position was not bad. the winner had taken around 40 mins. and I was still better than the rest. We went home, had nice lunch and a good nap.

A few days later, I got a courier of my run timings certificate, and a link to the photos which the officials had clicked. I opened the envelope, found out that I took 56:18 to complete.
And my overall rank was 211 !
I didnt expect me to be in the first 200, especially when I had slowed down at the 8 kms mark. But still 211 was not bad at all ! I have not lost hopes. I've done the 10K, now its time for half marathon. People think its crazy, but I think, it is required if I want to live to 60 without any disease or medication. Trust me, events like this can change your life. They will make you stand out in the crowd. At my age, people lose their health to earn money. And at the age of 40+, they lose their money and (try to) earn health. Everybody earns money. Very few earn good health.

Be the change you want to see

This is a real life incident which happened in my life. Instead of me writing the whole incident, My friend Manjunath has made my job easier.
Here is the complete writeup.

Moments of Joy

People have different reasons to celebrate. Buying a high end Mobile or a Bike or a laptop. It can be your birthday, promotion, festival. So many things to celebrate.
I found joy in the smallest things in life. Recently I took running and cycling to a bit extreme limit. And within few months the result we astonishing. Here are some of my moments of joy captured in my camera.

Watching the weighing machine dip from 77 to 72 was fun. Here, Biggest loser wins !

The trip to the road side belt seller was another moment of joy. watching him drill 2 extra holes on the tighter side of my belt.






Buying new 32" trousers was fun. Comparing them with my 34" ones was even more fun. I was so confident that I bought 4 new trousers and discarded all the 34" trousers.

The time has come, you dont quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

The spirit of Marathon

The Banyan Experience

I was waiting for a long time for this one. Finally last sunday, we did it. I always wanted to go on a long bicycle ride. This one was perfect. A 30+ kms ride on the Bangalore Mysore Highway. Our Destination was The Big Banyan Tree.
Here is the route which we followed :


I was accompanied by my friend Paresh. We both started off at 5:15 am. It was all dark outside. We felt very nice riding our bikes on the empty roads of Bangalore. Somehow we had to reach Mysore road, we asked directions and finally hit the highway. From here it was a straight road. I have a cycle computer fitted on my cycle. It give accurate readings of my current speed, average speed, total distance etc. We recorded a top speed of 41 Kms/Hr on the highway. Everything was going as expected. Before leaving, we had decided to reach the Banyan tree in less than 3 hours. Within a hour, we had already covered more than half the distance.
Finally we saw a diversion board : "Way to Big Banyan Tree ----> " From here, it was 8 kms more. We happily pedaled our way towards the tree.

We passed through a small village. There were funny stares from the people there. Imagine 2 stupid guys wearing a helmet, T-shirt, shorts, shoes and riding bicycles in a remote village. We continued the journey and followed the only road ahead. We saw a couple of BMTC buses # 227 overtake us. I thought, If anything goes wrong, we always have a return ticket :-)



Finally, we reached. We saw a huge jungle, and we were sure, this was it. From the outside, it looks as if it is a dense forest, but actually its just one Banyan tree, with its roots spread all across. It was 7:30 am and we knew we were too early. The Banyan tree is surrounded by a compound, and has an entrance gate. We asked one guy, when will the gate open, and he said, "Welcome, the gate is open for you !"

We had brought our own breakfast. we sat under the tree, and had it. After that we roamed around, and decided to head back. The place was excellent, but you can spend a maximum of 1 hour over there. Also, If we decide to leave late, we would have to pedal our way in the afternoon sun.
So at around 9 am we started back. The sun was up, and we had started sweating. The return trip was all uphill. The highway was full of vehicles. and we two innocent riders were always riding on the edge of the highway. Our speed had dropped, we were all exhausted. We took a halt at Kengeri town. gulped a lot of water, and continued. As we proceeded, the conditions worsened, My t-shirt was all wet with sweat. Bangalore was still 18 Kms away. I was confident of making the distance, but Paresh was falling behind. This one was the first long distance ride for both of us ( Me and my bicycle :-) and of course Paresh) . After a 30 mins ride, we had another halt. gulped more water. We were near Majestic. Actually, we missed the Banashankari bypass, so had to travel till Majestic and back. Third halt was at Majestic. We had finished our water supply, so bought some more water, and finished it there itself. This journey lasted for more than 2 hours. Next stop : Jayanagar 4th Block. again thirsty. had sugarcane juice. Finally, the last stage of the journey, and within 20 mins we were home. We parked the bikes in the garage, looked at each other and smiled. My hands were all Sun tanned, Face, which is already dark, had become darker. That was a wonderful ride. I called up my friends and told them about the trip. They were amazed. Actually, The trip distance was not that much to get amazed. I could have done another 70 Kms on the same day, but my ass was not ready to bear the cycle seat.

Onwards Journey :
Trip Distance : 30.15 Kms
Trip Time : 01:48:22
Avg Speed : 16.4 Kmph
Max Speed : 41 Kmph

Return Journey :
Trip Distance : 39.44 Kms
Trip Time : 03:14:54
Avg Speed : 12.3 Kmph
Max Speed : 33 Kmph

Total trip Distance : 69.59 Kms
Total Trip Time : 05:03:16
Avg Speed : 14.3 Kmph

I am always ready for another ride. The next destination will be Nandi Hills.

Yes, Running can give you a high !

*Article from TOI Bangalore dated 28-03-2008
The reason I decided to copy paste this article was, Sometimes when I am having my 10K run, After 5-6 Kms, I start feeling lighter, and it seems I have no control on myself. My hands and legs continue their motion and I just helplessly witness the "Flight".
Maybe this is what happens to me sometimes :

The runner’s high: Every athlete has heard of it, most seem to believe in it and many say they have experienced it. But for years scientists have reserved judgment because no rigorous test confirmed its existence.
Yes, some people reported that they felt so good when they exercised that it was as if they had taken mood-altering drugs. But was that feeling real or just a delusion? And even if it was real, what was the feeling supposed to be, and what caused it? Some who said they had experienced a runner’s high said it was uncommon. They might feel relaxed or at peace after exercising, but only occasionally did they feel euphoric. Was the calmness itself a runner’s high?
The runner’s-high hypothesis proposed that there were real biochemical effects of exercise on the brain. Chemicals were released that could change an athlete’s mood, and those chemicals were endorphins, the brain’s naturally occurring opiates. Running was not the only way to get the feeling; it could also occur with most intense or endurance exercise.
The problem with the hypothesis was that it was not feasible to do a spinal tap before and after someone exercised to look for a flood of endorphins in the brain. Researchers could detect endorphins in people’s blood after a run, but those endorphins were part of the body’s stress response and could not travel from the blood to the brain. They were not responsible for elevating one’s mood. So for more than 30 years, the runner’s high remained an unproved hypothesis.
But now medical technology has caught up with exercise lore. Researchers from University of Bonn in Germany, using advances in neuroscience, say that the folk belief is true: Running does elicit a flood of endorphins in the brain. The endorphins are associated with mood changes, and the more endorphins a runner’s body pumps out, the greater the effect. Leading endorphin researchers not associated with the study said they accepted its findings. NYT NEWS SERVICE

CHASING EUPHORIA: It has finally been proven that endorphins exist! Getting a high during running or other intense, sustained efforts isn’t a myth anymore

I am Special !

After watching "Taare Zameen Par", I was wondering, these people claim, every child is special.
If everyone is special, there must be something special about me too ! I thought of some points which can make me special.
1. I don't smoke / Drink ?
There are many who don't smoke or drink.
2. I don't have a girlfriend ?
Many people don't have a girlfriend.
3. I spend money wisely.
Actually I don't. So I cannot be special.
4. Can I paint like Eshan Avasthi ?
here is the proof
5. I love my Mom.
Everybody loves their parents.
6. I like cartoons.
Not a valid point to qualify as special.
7. I am very emotional.
Again not valid.

Actually, I found 100 reasons, why I cannot be special. But there are a few good reasons which make me special.
I have never been to a Gym, but still people ask me, Whether I used to do wrestling (In Marathi we call it Kusti. This game is famous at my hometown Kolhapur.)
Nature has given me such a good built. Strong arms, strong legs. Good height. All the basic senses intact.
Now I am 25 years old. I looked back till the point I remembered, and asked myself,
When was the last time I was admitted to a hospital ?
Never.

When was the last time I took a Sick leave from Office ?
Not a single.

Did I ever break any of my bone ? Any Fracture ?
Nope.

Did I ever vomit ?
The last time I remember was when I was 17 years old, and I ate a lot of Mutton.

Did I ever suffer from any disease ? jaundice, TB, Typhoid, Cholera, Chicken Pox ?
I asked my mom. She said Never.

To be special, What more can you ask for from nature. (For me, Nature is God)

Recently, I figured out another special thing within me.
Its been 6 months, I have been going out for Jogging everyday.
I admit, I am at least 4 Kgs overweight, have an extra 2 Inches of tummy, and still I could run better than people who appear to be fit.
Recently, On nikeurunning.com, I found a VO2 Index Runners chart. according to that, My running pace is rated as "Excellent". When I tell people, I can run 10 Kms non stop. Their jaws drop.
I wondered, How can I run so much without getting tired ? I feel the pain, but that is at the toes. My Thighs never hurt, I never run out of breath (when running at a pace of 5 Kms / min)
If allowed, I can continue to run a marathon of 42 Kms at that pace non stop.
I think, I have the answer. Its my nose.
Lance Armstrong has slightly bigger lungs, which allow help him gather more stamina. Similarly, I have a bigger nose, from which, I can have a large intake of air in one breath. This fact is not proven by doctors. But I think I am right. Till yesterday, I kept cursing my nose. Half of the day, I keep scratching my itchy nose. Whenever I catch cold, I suffer wholesale !. (Imagine a Giraffe catching cough) But Now, I will use the same itchy nose for some good reason. That is what will make me special.
Because of my nose, I can run a long distance. Normal 'Fit' people get tired within just 1 km of run. I can run 10 Kms and dont get tired. After the run, I travel 3 Kms on my bicycle. Go home, I never feel tired. Of course, I get a snory sleep. But I dont collapse after reaching home.

Now, I will continue my runs. Improve my stamina. And one day, I will run a Full Marathon.
When I do it, I will consider myself, "Special"

Save your Heart

Save your Heart
Time is less
14 Feb is approaching

MILLONEION

Long time ago, in May 2007, I was given an article from Times of India Editorial page to read by my room mate. He said, its a must read for you. I said OK, and started reading it. It was a very small article but was written beautifully. The article touched me, and even I decided to write a blog based on it. The Times of India Article might be a fiction, but my story and characters were real. The very next day I wrote the blog. The blog came out nicely, and even I was happy.
7 months have passed since I wrote the blog. I was checking my orkut scrapbook, and I came across this scrap :
Hi Nishad. Wish you and your family a very happy new year!
You don't know me as such. At least not directly. But it so happened that I chanced across your blog and read your piece about a gift to your mother which, as you wrote, was inspired from "My Girl" in Times of India.

Well, I wrote it :-)

Glad that you liked it and thank you for gracefully acknowledging it as an inspiration!

Aditya
P.S. Did you read any of my other pieces?

This guy Aditya had written the Article in Times of India reading which I had written my blog. Somehow he landed up reading my blog and he scrapped me with his findings. After reading his scrap, I Immediately opened my blog and searched for the blog which I had written in May. I was surprised after looking at the footnote of my blog. "*Based on a true story. Inspired by an article "My Girl" by Aditya Gupta in TOI dated 11th May, Editorial page. "
Man ! I was so sincere to give credit to the real author, and after 7 months, the same author somehow reads my blog, finds me on Orkut and scraps me a "Thank you" note for it.
That small foot note in my blog brought back my memories of that incident, and also gave a feeling of satisfaction to the real author.
This incident was really something I would call "One in a Million".
In case you were wondering what's the Blog title gotta do with the content ?

"MILL ONE ION"
One in a million

Re: Hi Barvya..Rohan Here..

This blog is a chain mail of we three old room mates - Rohan(Bunnu), Omkar (Barvya) and Nishad (dahsin). Most of the content is in Marathi and the sentences / meanings will seem relevent only to some people. Some of the confidential information has been removed from the mails.
Here is how it started :

Nishad N Bhatawadekar <
01/02/2008 12:08 PM

To
rohan@abc.com
cc
Omkar V Barve <
Subject
Re: Hi Barvya..Rohan Here..

|| Shree Gajanan Maharaj ||
Namaskara,
New year special : Mi 1 tarkhela company cha badge wisrun office la gelo hoto. Kaal Bhagwan chya ghari jaun Pav Bhaji banavli. Urlele pav mazhya ghari anun aaj sakali bread chi phodni takun bhaji keli :-)
Bhagwan 25th Jan la long term onsite janar ahet, Tikde ek underwear 15-20$ milte asa aaikla mhanun to mala chaddi shopping la gheun gela. tyane ani mi milun 1000+ rs chya chaddya-baniyan wikat ghetle :-) mi Hanes chya chaddya ghetlya trial mhanun. (Bunnu, tu sangitlelya chromosome walya milalya nahit.)
Aaj mala swapnat Infy ne office madhe yaychya aadhi exercise compulsory kela ahe asa swapna padla hota.
Nike + ipod ne navin haawa suru keli ahe. New year resolution chi. tyatla Mazha new year resolution aaika : "If I wont reduce my waise from 34" to 32" in 1 year, I will not buy any new trousers. To achieve this, My Janauary's target is 150 Kms in 30 days. atta kutha 5 kms zhale :-) Aaj singapore wale gogulwar pan nike+ipod wikat ghenar ahet.
parwa tax proof submit maadi kela. purna 1 Lacs chi investment zhali. Ata next investment will be in Pure Gold (Tumchya vahini sathi) . opening a ICICI recurring deposit and depositing 2500 rs per month there. (mazha VPF udvun taknar) so that by next year, I have around 30,000 In cash to purchase my objects of desire :-)
If I shift to Pune by March, I am planning to buy another cycle :-)
Hopefully getting a laptop from BUSAN when he returns. Mazhya sathi chi ek good news : Quake 3 is back in Electronic Sports world cup 08. I want to practise.
Paise kharcha karaychya laai gappa zhalya. jara paise wachvaychya goshti karto. December chi salary mazhya Band change walya hike sakat ali. the figures are not very impressive, but that is the maximum i can squeeze from here. ikdun tikdun udhaari wali paise pan miltil this month. Aamche mutual funds ekdum mast profit madhe ahet. Cycle ajun puncture nahi zhali.
Laai motha zhala patra. jaga sampli tar ajun ek inland letter wikat ghyava lagel mhanunpatra thambavto. kalave valave ani lobh asawa.

P.S. Mi mazhi hello tune change keli. Barvya will like it very much.


Thanks and Regards,

Nishad N Bhatawadekar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
rohan@abc.com
02-01-08 12:26 PM
To
Nishad N Bhatawadekar/
cc
Omkar V Barve/India/
Subject
Re: Hi Barvya..Rohan Here..

|| SHREE||

Priy Mitravary Dahsin,

Tuzya Patrala deto mi daaaad...
Patr hota ekadam Naad Baaad...

Bangalore cha sagala Vrutt kalala..
Man aapoaap ch tikada Valala...

Parat office la jatana Badge visaru nakos..
Ghari kapde astavyast pasaru nakos..

Tuzya Mutual fund profit ne vatali khushi..
Sonyat hi gunatavtoys, zalays tu Houshi...

Nike ani ipod chi chalu thev hava...
Ashich gadget ghe, jeek tu bhava..

Busaan ne laptop anala tar bara hoel..
Tuza ek swapn lavkar khara hoel...

Atta Hanes try kar, theek ahe...
Pan lakshat thev chromosome Jeek ahe..

Asach Vyayam karun vadhav bal..
Roj 5 kilometer nakki pal...

Asa ch mottha patr lihi, Kalji jagechi nako karu...
Shaky ahe titki jaga premachya shabdane bharu...

Chala ata karto mi patr Band...
Tumhi hi lihit ja ase, jopasu ha chand...


Thanks and regards,
Rohan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nishad N Bhatawadekar <
01/02/2008 05:08 PM

To
rohan@abc.com
cc
Omkar V Barve <
Subject
Re: Hi Barvya..Rohan Here..


|| Shree Bunnu Prasanna ||

Tumchyach style cha patra lihaycha mazhya manat ala
Mhanun patrala reply karayla thoda ushir zhala.

Tumhi aamcha exercise cha inspiration,
tumchya wajanavar aamcha calculation.

tumche dinner Mumbai la hote,
dhekar matra ikde Bangalore la yete.

Karala wikat ghetana tuzha chehera disto,
karala fry sathi mi barik chaktya kisto.

Tuzhi orange chaddi ikdech wisarli,
Ani, Aaj tak chi haawa aamchya ghari pasarli.

Haawrata sarkha khanyachi mazhi nahi geli khaaj,
5-6 polya ani wati bhar bhaat ghetana ajun nahi watat laaj.

Etka khaun suddha Jar mala asli bhuk thodi,
Pongal la ektach jaun khato mi ghee podi

Khaun ratri zhoptana mhanto, "Poat kami kela pahije"
sakali uthlyavar tuzha dialogue marto, "Mazha poat sutlach nahi ahe"

Hindi picture chi sagli details tula astat ekdum basic
Tumhala competition dyayla mi baghto Zee Classic,

Tumhi gelyapasun mazhya Camera chi screen ahe shut.
Kharab photo alyavar koni nahi mhanayla "Aai chi kat-kat"

Tumche pratyek mail che reply astat tirke,
Tari pan mi mhanto, Roomba nalla irke.

Tumcha reply aamhala itka aawadla,
aplya ya mail-mail cha mi blog lihaycha tharavla.

Tula mazha patra aawdel ki nahi mala ahe doubt,
Ghari jaychi vel zhali, Patra thambavto OVER AND OUT.

Thanks and Regards,
Nishad N Bhatawadekar

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: rohan@abc.com
To: Nishad N Bhatawadekar/
Cc: Omkar V Barve/
Date: 02-01-08 05:27 PM
Subject: Re: Hi Barvya..Rohan Here..



Tuza kavita lihinyacha prayatn chaan ahe...
Maitrichya kavitetala ek soneri paan ahe...

Thoda ajun Yamak Jamavnyavar de bhar..
Mag tuzech naav asel Kavinmadhe saglyat var..

Tuzi Vyayamachi avad nishchit ch Stuty ahe...
Mhanun khup Palne tula Nity ahe..

Aaj apan sagla Padyatach bolaycha ahe... (padya=kavita)
Athavanincha album basun kholayacha ahe...

Tu nighalas tari,Barvya officat thambala asel..
Apale ase mail pahun Nakki ch Aambla asel...

Tuzya cameryacha amhala nahi padla Visar..
Bhetlyavar lai photo kadhun bharun taku kasar..

Navin ghari jaun tu Banalays bhari Coook..
Vyayamane alay, tula handsome loook...

Zee classic banghun tu Nusta Todalyas..
English pictures cha ratsa madhun ch sodlays..

Aajchya mail-mail var blog lihi nakki..
To HIT honar, mala aasha ahe pakki..

Amhi ata tharavalay kami karaychay Sapadaa...
Basat nahi amhala amachach juna Kapadaa...

Chal ata aaj che patr thamabavto...
Ajun chan goshti udyavar lambavato...

Tumha doghana karto, C U, Tata ani Byee...
Lakshat theva sagle "Apan Apan Haay"...!!!!!!

Rohan

My new year resolution :-)

Nike and Apple are helping me with my new year resolution. Here's the proof !

Nike+ipod

I recently purchased one of the most awaited gadget for ipod nano- The Nike+ipod. Actually, it was launched long ago in 2006, but was made available in India recently. It costs Rs 2000 in India and is available in Nike showrooms, Thought of buying it, but finally ordered it from US thru a friend. It costs 30$ in the US. The product is quite a hifi gadget for ipod users, but the catch is, it works only with Ipod Nano. And, There's a catch from Nike too ! it fits in selected Nike Shoes. The gadget consists of a small sensor and a receiver. The sensor goes inside the shoe's sole and the receiver fits to the ipod. Thats it ! you are ready to run and track your workouts.

I had recently purchased new Reebok shoes worth 3500 rs, and I was not ready to pay more to buy those Nike+ compatible shoes. So after a little research, I found a wokaround. Instead of the sensor fitting inside the shoe's sole, It works quite accurately if it is slipped between the shoe and the shoe lace. So, along with the sensor, I order for a shoe pouch too ! It cost me 8$ and I cursed myself why did I spend 300 rs on this stupid pouch ? anyways, it is quite reliable and once you fit your sensor, you can forget about it.

So, finally i attached the shoe pouch to my reebok shoe, inserted the sensor, plugged the receiver to my ipod and I was ready. My ipod automatically detected the sensor. I got audio feedback in a female voice. This was the best part. It seems as if you are in some outer space and you are guided by someone. In addition to the audio feedback provided by a generic male or female voice (user's choice), there are pre-recorded congratulations provided by Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe whenever a user achieves a personal best (such as fastest mile, fastest 5K fastest 10K, longest run yet) or reaches certain long-term milestones (such as 250 miles, 500 kilometers). This "celebrity feedback" is heard after the usual end-of-run statistics.

After I finished my run, I connected my ipod to my computer. Itunes automatically detected my run and sent the data directly to Nikeplus website. Here I got my statistics of the run, graphs, comparisons with previous runs, my position among other fellow Nikeplus runners around the world, in india, in Bangalore. Also, I downloaded a smal widget which will let you know how much I have run. It is placed in this very blog in the left hand side. There are a very few users of Nike+ipod in India, but I am sure, people who are fond of jogging/running, this one is a must have. existing ipod nano users, you have just another reason to do a workout.

I have already surrendered before this gadget.

OShO

This is a review of the movie 'Om Shanti Om' and all the views expressed are my own and are not copied from any other reviews. The review might reveal some twists/key points of the movie.

Funny title for my blog :-)

As expected, the movie is full of comedy, drama, songs, climax and happy ending. Shah Rukh as usual, is the centre of attraction and with his powers, he keeps the story moving. Deepika Padukone was simply superb. Her smile is too cute. I am already a fan of her. She has the talent, looks, shape and whatever it takes to be a successful actress in Bollywood. At any point of time I never felt that this is her debut movie of Bollywood. She has acted in a kannada Movie 'Aishwarya' which i will soon watch :-) Arjun Rampal actually did some acting. and his role was quite good. Shreyas Talpade is no doubt a good actor, and he too has kept his levels high. Kiron Kher is the mom of Shahrukh Khan and has purposefully done over acting.

Now lets go into the movie. Like everybody knows, Deepika (Shantipriya) is a well known actress in Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan (Om Prakash) is a junior artist who does small roles of Dakus, back ground dancers, etc etc. Om Prakash falls in love with Shanti, She too is impressed with Om's approach. But due to ill fate, and Villan Arjun Rampal (Mukesh Mishra) both die only to be reincarnated. This time Shah Rukh (again Om Prakash) is a super star and Deepika (Sandy) is a debutant. Om Prakash remembers every thing that happened in the past but Sandy remembers nothing. When Om Prakash is sure, he is re born, he decides to take revenge and like always, kills the villan Mukesh Mishra. There are some twists in the tale which i wont reveal.

People who have watched Karz, this movie goes on the same lines. And the ending is exactly like a old movie featuring Rishi Kapoor. My friends say, the movie is not worth getting a rating of 3.5. But I feel, the movie has everything that a common man expects in a movie. People laugh at funny dialogues, people scream at the entry of the stars, people applaude at the song which featured 31 actors. What else do you want to make a movie a hit ? At least I enjoyed the film. (I enjoy every film :-) Read my reviews of a tamil film Veerasami)

Run dahsiN Run !

In order to reduce my weight and also to keep myself fit, I go for jogging every day. I run around 3-4 kms daily. One day, one of my friend called me up and told that his company is organising a marathon this Saturday. The run was for 4 Kms and 10 Kms. I said, "Lets go for 10 Kms". Even he agreed.

Me at the Registration queue (blue shirt)

Before I start with the actual run, here is something which I request you all to read. These paragraphs are more important than the story of my 10 Km run.

If you are a software engineer, I recommend you to try and run continuously for at least 10 minutes. I've seen my friends saying its easy. And when they hit the road, they are flat in 5-6 minutes. I've also heard stories from friends saying, "I was the top football player of my school" or "I used to run 5 kms daily when in college" or "I cycled 10 Kms to the college and back every day". If you too think you have done all of this when in school, college, Think again. Try doing this today.
Getting up @ 7am, boarding a company bus at 8am coming back home at 6pm watching TV serials,movies having dinner and sleeping at 10 pm. If this is your daily routine, do you think you can still be the top football player of you company ? Do you think you can still cycle 20 kms daily ? do you think you can run 5 kms at a stretch ? You decide whether to say yes or no.
When I asked this question to myself, I got an answer -NO. I used to get tired in just 4 minutes of brisk jogging. My feet would start swelling and start giving pains. I could feel my tummy bounce when I started jogging. That's when I decided, something is not going right for my health. And this was my health condition even though I don't smoke or drink. So I decided to go out for jogging every day. This was decided in April 2007.
Today, its October 2007. 6 months have passed. As promised, I still go out for jogging everyday. Now I have the capacity of running for 10 kms without any break.
Quite a great achievement for me !
If you think 10 Kms is too less, Try this :
on an average, you can cover 1 Km in 5 minutes with a descent running speed. that makes 10 kms= 50 mins of non stop running. Go out on the road and start running. Don't stop till you get tired. when you are done, check for how many minutes you ran ? When I tried this on myself, I had run 4 mins. thats less than 1 Km !!! When you try this out for yourself, you will come to know how fit you are and 10 kms is a lot of distance. My friends and family members often called me fat, overweight, and a lot of things ! , My waist is 34, I weigh 78 Kgs, and I am 5-6 Kgs overweight than an average person with height 5-10. Now when they see me, they dont say I am fat. They say, I have become strong !

Thanks for reading that stuff. If you think the blog is too lengthy, you can skip the rest of the blog, because what's written next is all fun and I am a victim of it !

On 5th October, my friend Pritesh called me and said, the marathon run starts tomorrow at 7 am from his office gates. and his company has arranged for bus transport early in the morning to get to the office. the bus leaves at 5:30 in the morning. I said to myself, is it necessary to get up so early and go for the stupid run ? catching the bus at 5:30 meant, I had to get up at 4:30. Till 5th october night 11 pm, I was thinking whether to go for the event or not. Anyway, I set the alarm and went to sleep. I woke up before the alarm and was ready to run at 5 am. I went to the friend's house. He too was ready. (Just by looking at the enthusiasm in my friend for the marathon run, poured a lot of confidence in me.) He too was excited and we went to the bus stop.
We reached the office by 6 am. I collected my T-shirt and the registration number(which is supposed to be clipped to the T-shirt), plugged in my ipod and was ready to run. I was the 19th Registration for the 10 Km run. Pritesh was still confused whether to go for the 4 km run or the 10 Km. I met some of Pritesh's friends, some of my college friends who had turned up for the event. They were confident of running the 10 km race. So was I. I had attempted this 10 km run 1 month ago. During India-Pakistan 20-20 finals, I had a bet with my room mates, If India wins this match, I will run 10 kms the next day. And as decided, I ran the distance in 45 mins. Before the race, Pritesh was still thinking, running 10 kms is not a very good idea. he kept saying, stay with me till the end. If I fall down, there must be someone to pick me up :-)
The race was to run 5 km on the highway, take a U-turn and run 5 Kms again and finish the race inside the campus.

Me just before the start of the 10 km race. Right side corner.

The race started exactly at 7 am inside the campus. I started my stopwatch in my "Timex-Iron man" and began the run. By the time the mob exited the campus and hit the highway, I was all lost. I couldn't see Pritesh, his friends, no one ! All were dressed in the white shirts provided. There was a media van with cameramen sitting on the roof, there were photographers following us on their bikes - sitting backwards and taking snaps. people from the nearby houses had gathered in their compound/balcony to watch what's going on. There were people at regular intervals to supply water bottles. At first, I saw many people overtaking me. but withing 5 minutes, I noticed people slowing down, and puffing. I kept a constant pace. when i crossed the 1 km mark, I saw Pritesh running. Even he was slowing down. I overtook him and kept running with my pace. when I reached the 2 km mark, I saw at least 50 people ahead of me. and the current leader was at least 500 mts away from me. My aim was to complete the race without stopping. 3 kms done, I looked at my watch, i had run for 17 mins. still 7 to go. I thought this is impossible. I was tired already. But i knew, I could do it, and I had done it before. So I continued.
When I crossed the 4 Km mark, I could see the leader running back towards the office. This means, He had crossed the 5km mark and has already covered 1 km extra. which made him 2 Kms ahead of me. Man, he was an athlete. I saw many people following him. I thought, when will i get here ! I had not even completed 5 Kms. The road was made of tar and was full of ups and downs which made running even more difficult. By now some people had given up. Some people were walking on the track, and some were determined to finish the race.
I saw a group of people standing on the road. I knew this was the 5 Km mark. I hurried myself to there. One guy sprayed some liquid on me. I thought it was water, but later I noticed, My T-shirt had become Blue at he spray applied area. It was an indication that, I had completed half of the race. I was full exhausted, and as decided, I was not to drink a drop of water in the course of the run.
With my body sweating all over, I continued my drag towards the last 4 kms of the race. These 4 kms were the longest (wrt time as well as distance). By now the people ahead of me were not in a mood of quitting, and people behind me were all set to overtake me. Also the sun had started bombarding its morning sun light on my head. Now it was 3 Kms to finish, and people had started overtaking me. A female also overtook me. I was shocked ! She was determined, and was already speeding ahead. That brought some JOSH in me, and I too started running to keep pace with her. My hands were all numb, and I was unable to control my run. I could now see the company Main gate. That's where the race ends. I hurried towards the gate. During the course, I overtook the female. (And I was happy ). When I entered the gate, there was around 200 mts. of ground yet to cover. I could see the crowd cheering, the Media Van in front of me, and a few guys running along with me. I could hear the roar of people even with my ipod on. I thought I was far away from the winner, but in fact, I was one of the early finishers of the race. I just started looking at the chequered flag. even the 200 mts run was like another 10 km run.
After a long and hard time, I crossed the line, and stopped by Timex-Ironman stopwatch. It read 00:50:21. I completed the race in 50 Mins. I turned my head around, and people were clapping. It was for me ! (and others who made it till the end along with me) When I stopped, I started sweating more than when I was running. I grabbed a bottle of Pepsi-Aquafina, and went to the assembly area. People who had opted for the 4Kms race had already completed it and were down on the lawn like wounded soldiers. Even I felt like crashing down. Before that, I went to the rest room to pee. While washing my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror, and what I saw was horrible ! My face was all Black and blue ! First of all I am dark, but still i could see a blue shade on my face. I knew i had lost a lot of water from my body, and had to recover it as soon as possible. I gulped the whole aquafina bottle and joined the other wounded soldiers. By now even Pritesh had finished the race. We then did some warm up, and waited for the prize distribution ceremony.
The winner had clocked a time of 42 mins. and the next 10 to follow were in a gap of 4 mins. So for a time of 50 mins, I predicted, I was among the top 30 runners, and that's why there was all that cheering and clapping ! After all the practice for 6 months had paid off !
3700 rs Reebok shoes, 500 rs Reebok Track pant, 7000 rs ipod, 2000 rs Timex Iron man, so much money spent, all of it put for good use.