From Non Runner to Marathoner

It all started with a dream, A dream to run the marathon... A week before the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011, I felt i should register and run the marathon, but then i came to know that the registrations are closed months in advance.. I then decided that I will keep looking for the registration dates for 2012.. In the mean time I had started working out in the gym and early morning running in the park. After running a couple 100 mts, I used to ran out of breath.. Slowly this moved to a few kms and by the end of the year 2011 I could run for 30 mins at a stretch... Believe me not many in the gyms could do that so I was very contended with this effort.

Finally the registrations were opened for Mawana marathon Feb 2012, without a second thought I went ahead and registered for the run...My prep started right from buying new pair of shoes to searching the Internet for the correct form and technique to run a marathon... Within 2 months I had to attempt my first HM and had to graduate from the 30 mins run of 5 kms to 21 kms.

On the day of my first marathon all started well I was running at a good pace and was very comfortable for my first 12 kms.. Post the 12 km I started feeling the cramps and it kept increasing as I ran further.. By the 16 km I was in a very bad state.. I did not know what to do in such situations, I was literally hitting my muscles..I was tired but the desire for my first medal kept me going.. Near the 18 km mark I was all down .. I could not run.. I stop down for few seconds.. My mind was telling me I can't give up.. I don't want to disappoint myself....I don't want to disappoint my friend ( Simranjeet Singh Pnaich ) waiting for me at the finish line...soon to see the 20 km mark, I realised nothing can go wrong now, the running pace increased and YES, I made it to the finish line .. It took me 2 hrs and 23 mins to complete my first half marathon. Though it wasn't easy. Many people say that I'm crazy but i smile and reply them - "Im only half insane, I still have to run the full marathon".

Since Feb 12 , I have done 4 HM.. I have improved my HM timings from 2.23 hrs to 1.57 hrs.. I have lost lot of weight (aprox 20 kgs), I am in a much better shape and I look much younger.. There are many who ask me the magic behind this transition, I guess it is very simple, believe in yourself, each one of us is a runner and every mile takes you closer to your dream of being a marathoner. Keep Running.

Do i look like a guy with a plan?

I was 24 when I set up this blog. It was long back, you know. Times when teenagers did not call me uncle. I was well aware of the fact that the monthly readership of this blog was restricted to me..me...and only me. I also remember, sometimes i even begged few friends to read this. Bottomline you will be more interested in reading the autobiography of “A K Hangal” than this blog.

And now when everybody blogs. Amitabh Bacchan. Aamir Khan. Sunny Leone. ( Kidding about the last one. Don't start googling it), why not me. So here I am. All kicked. And I will be honest. I had forgotten all about it. And it was only when I wanted to do something with my VELA time, i thought of this blog. But once I hit the blog, it all came back. Almost like pather lagne se yadash ka vapas aa jana.

Now im writing all this just bcoz of Insomnia. We all know what goes on in a bedroom…. Don’t get any ideas I am talking about a bachelor guy’s bedroom so there is no action in here. But your bedroom is a place where you are all alone; it’s a place where you can go into introspection, lean back and think about important issues of life. A place where you can dream with your eyes open. But then the best thing can be just to pull up that blanket feel cozy and sleep or MAY BE NOT, coz there is no sleep in your eyes then u wake up sit in front of your computer and start punching arbitrary keys to write some crap. INSOMNIA :(

Anyways lets come to the topic. “Do I look like a guy with a plan?”, Joker of dark knight said it with the confidence. Well if you ask any one who knows me enough or infact has seen me for more than 20 minutes can tell you I fit the same category. I never thought about planning my life and now im paying hard for this. Sometimes some things hit you so hard that you need a moment to just stay back and think where the hell did I screw up. It’s more than losing a competition, it’s more than failing a course, coz it changes you as a person.  

Things have been off the track till now n pretty rough and then u hit a roadblock and the world around us starts to crumble. But with all the roadblocks comes a hope, a small ray of light which keeps the belief alive, which helps u going which gives us the momentum to breathe to whisper and to live. 

Just remembering the college days when sitting with friends for hours used to go by chatting and cracking jokes. But the moment some guy start telling some serious stuff I used to disappear. Life comes full circle after all :)

However, im still fighting and living with many positive beliefs. I am writing this down because 15 years from now if I will read all this I will feel good that I survived these times. I was so weak at some point I was so regretful n disgusted at some point but I had the courage to fight back I had the will to stand up and walk tall again.

Kya main mar k swarg main aa gaya?

Yes this was the first question that arises in my mind when I saw them. Two elderly men dressed decently with a comparatively younger woman and talking in so called a dead language, a language which has bound its limits to manuscripts like Bhagvad Gita and Mahabharata etc. A language that we hear only in temples or in marriages now. Yes they were talking in SANSKRIT!!! “Am I travelling in some time machine or am I dreaming???” But neither was true. I was in Delhi Metro and not dreaming for sure (as the sound of jhig-jhig of passengers over the seats and the melodious voice of the lady - 'Doors will open on the left...pls mind the gap’ kept me awake).

And still if u don’t believe me then YES! They were speaking in SANSKRIT……indeed. My Sanskrit skills can’t betray me at least in recognizing the language (I still remember patha- pathe- pathanti and thi thah anthi etc..etc). I was so amazed that I became numb at least for 5 seconds if not more. Their speaking accent was so natural without any slightest hint of show-off (that we do often when surrounded by people like in train and in public places…its human nature err Indian nature…and we can’t help it out or we don’t want to help it out…..WHATEVER) that I had to put my earplugs without any song (I didn’t want to look at them like a fool for listening to our ancestral language).

I was still wondering from which planets they are from and I decided to approach the Bhagwan for the solution of my confusion and to get enlightened. So as I reached home, i took out my lappy and typed the Bhagwan’s address: www.google.com. And as usual GOOGLE Bhagwan didn’t let me down and within 0.16 seconds he enlightened me with the answers. And I swear at that time I really felt proud to be an Indian and of our past (not the ANGREJI HUKUMAT wala past). According to GOOGLE Bhagwan, they were not aliens and they belong to our country itself. There are three to four villages in Shimoga district in Karnataka where Sanskrit is still used as a daily language…in shops, in banks, in market and at home. Deep down inside a sudden respect overflowed for the people of Shimoga who still are preserving our ancestral language without any demands.

So why don’t we or our government knows about it or why these villages didn’t get any special recognition??? That’s bcoz we Indians are like the parrots, who only knows to make a fuss about our past and its glory. We r experts in doing the mouth job only. We accept and develop only those things which are wrapped in a Western packet. No need to explain these things. A simple and most common example is YOGA. Some years back when it was pure Indian and was called YOGASAN, nobody cares about it. Then it went to the West and returned in Western style without its tail and called as YOGA and now we took it seriously and started to praise its goodness and benefits (Damn us Indians!!!). Now it has become a status symbol. If u have money u should do YOGA and all those kinda stuffs (I have told u before…we r the experts in show-off). Videshis are not like us. They grab and explore and enjoy (definitely they do not copy) other cultures but they keep their culture and language first at the place where it should be.

Once I met a German guy Erich (or Erick or Erique….whatever I don’t know how Germans spell their names…its complicated…the name was pronounced like ERIK) in the train (Pune to Delhi). After introduction and all I was about to ask something; the same regular question: did u like India and all but my mind is full of crap as u know so I changed my question to a really f**king one and that was: what did u not like in India??? He gave me a puzzled look for a moment and then became normal and he told me that he doesn’t like our SHOW-OFF (of course not the same words…but indirectly he meant it… indeed). He asked me why do we talk in a mixed language in cities (he meant Hindi+English, Any other local language+English), and why do we start to sing a song in English when sitting beside a foreigner??? And I had no perfect answer so I gave him some convincible yet inconvincible answers and changed the topic. Later I thought that he was right…damn right. We really start to show-off and end up with looking like fools to them.

They come here to visit India and its culture and they see something else. If everybody in the world starts to speak same language or wear same cloths and eat same food then why the hell one needs to go to some other place for refreshment and enjoyment. The world will be boring and we should understand it. The worst condition is of Indian city girls…they start to chatter in English or more correctly in HINGLISH when they see someone around and believe me they really look like morons to me (and to a lot of guys too). Anyways...at last the two final words for the Trio and the people of the 3 villages of Shimoga district: HATS OFF

Love Yourself !

Life teaches us in every step....

The moment you start trusting someone blindly.....that person breaks you!

When you expect your silence to be understood ......people take your words wrong!

Gestures aren't important even though shown heartily.....but fake words are appreciated!

So dont make anyone your life.....dont think anyone as your friend.....dont get closer to anyone....dont be affected by anyone's presence or absence....because when you face darkness, its you all alone who faces it!

Trust yourself!

Value yourself!

Love yourself!

The side effects of winters

This fucking cold has closed some windows of many houses permanently, where some "chaand ke tukde resides!" The open windows made us feel good, obviously... but, also gave the "chaand ke tukde" chances to show her "chaandni". But, these fucking winters, have let us guys go no where! The rest of the things are accomplished when girls comes out with completely hidden from top to bottom with TOO many clothes to protect themself from winters, which is so irritating. Those "chaand ke tukde" is being more of a brand ambassador of woollen clothes, these days!

The worst effect of this extreme cold can be seen on young and so called "cool" guys like us. Come on, tell me... the hairstyle on which we spend thousands of rupees, and hours of our day; we need to hold it by a  muffler/cap, which seems to me like some powerful snake!? The same bike/car which we never drive below the speed of 80-90, and NEVER thought ourselves less than "John Abraham" of Dhoom, is also compromised, with the maximum speed of 30-40 with a helmet on our head, with too many fucking woollen clothes. Our body, which was made after hours of work outs in a gym is dying to expose ourselves. Fuck it?! And some of you tell me that you guys like winters? Give me a break, instead.

When our hands and legs start shivering like anything 'cause of this excessive cold, it makes me feel as if we've the soul of "Auro from Paa" in our body, now... suffering from progeria. Or, at times... makes us feel as a dyslexic child from "TZP!" This extreme cold has made me an "idiot" of the Bollywood junk, here!

Anyway, there IS nothing special about my winters. actually. Nothing more than being in a quilt, with a blower on... and drinking some EXTRA HOT coffee, or tea!

BUT, when I, see those broken, destroyed huts of the poor ones, I feel hurt! In fields and on footpaths, the poor labourers, those shivering old beggars, those cold yet hardworking rickshaw pullers, I feel overwhelmed! And the only thing which actually my brain has at that moment is that, "Hey God! Either wake up our human spirits so that we can help the needy ones, and make this world a better place to live in... Or, fuck the ones who actually are sleeping peacefully, instead of helping these poor ones, and still are lying peacefully on their cozy bed!" Yes, I'm talking about the so called "Prashasan" of the cities we live in.

I wish, there was an election nearby, so if... any politician, even for his selfishness, could've given these needy ones some "woollen clothes", or some thing to help them!? Maybe. Just maybe!

Beta tu aaj ek saal ka ho gaya

On this day last year I started blogging and entered into the blogging world. I was not quite sure then for how long I would be able to keep up the effort and one year seemed a long time. I write on any topic that interested me rather than try and figure out what would appeal to others. I have stuck to that formula ever since and that has made the task of writing easier.

I still remember the day when someone suggested me to start a blog. I was very diffident about writing something in public, but trust me folks, its just the start what you need. I'll be very frank, I was an introvert before starting this blog, thinking what would be the people's reaction towards my blog. Sometimes I used to think, "My language of presentation isn't that great compared to my angreji bolne vale friends :P", "What shall I write? What topics to choose? What if I start and people don't read it, thinking its not upto their level?" But an year of experience has taught me a lot.

It really feels good when someone comments on my blog but still i have to tell my friends that i have written new post so please read it and thats what i dont like. I want them to give open suggestions, so that I am able to know what people really expect from me. Please post your valuable suggestions, so that I can be a better blogger.

And now let me wish my blog -

Me : abe oo "http://www.idontneedanystinkintitle.blogspot.com" Happy bday
Blog : thanks
Me : ek saal ka ho gaya tu, party kahan hai?
Blog : jahan tu bole bhai
Me : rhene de saale imaginary human being, teri party main paise mere hi lagne hain
Blog : hmmm vo to hai,...can i give a speech?
Me : sure
Blog : First of all, I would like to thank everyone who supported me and commented on me.
Me : WAIT !....abe oo tujhe koi oscar nahi mila ye kya bol rha hai?
Blog : Abe ruk na bolne de
Me : bol le, main to chala bye
Blog : Bye ..... This is just the type of platform anuj needed to express his views. And i think he is been successful in expressing his thoughts through my posts, So guys a great cheers to all those who supported me from the bottom of my heart.
Me : abe oo main gaya nahi...kisko thanks kar rha hai?....koi nahi padta tujhe.
Blog : Tu dekhiyo ek din bache bache k mhu par mera naam hoga.
Me : abe oo hindi movie k hero bahut ho gaya, chal aab nikal yahan se.

Cup of goodness

Bachpan se we have been taught "Achai ka phal humesha acha hota hai" (One good turn begets another) but I am not really sure this saying holds true anymore......

    * A couple of days ago, me and my friend were going somewhere. On the way, i decided to eat sandwich which my mom had packed for me. Spotting an elderly man next to us and staring at us while eating, i asked my friend that we should offer him a sandwich. "Uncle bhuke lag rahe hain" i said. As my friend nodded in approval, i reached out and offered him a sandwich. The guy refused and in his booming voice said "Nahi nahi, agar main yeah sandwich khaunga toh main bhi tumhare tarah mota ho jaaunga...Apna size dekho aur apne friend se kuch seekho..thoda patla hone ki koshish karo" Stunned, i didn't know how to respond. We moved from there, but not before I had given the guy a piece of my mind.

    * Travelling to noida by metro, I was standing for nearly an hour. When I finally got a seat, I gratefully gave my poor tired legs some rest. A couple of minutes later, a lady got in with one child in her arms and another by her side. Trying to balance herself and the child, she tried adjusting her purse. I looked around. There were people who were sitting for the last one hour but not one moved a muscle. No one offered her a seat. My tired legs complained. "You dont need to give up your seat" they told me. Suddenly the metro gave a jerk and the lady lost her balance. She crashed against a rod but managed to save the child from getting hurt. And yet no one moved. Ignoring my feet, I got up and offered her my seat. She sat down gratefully and both her kids found a cozy place to sit. I did not get another seat for the next 30 minutes and I reached noida with painful feet.

    * Once again on a metro ride to noida, I saw a pair of twins barely 3-4 years old, looking for place in the crowded compartment. The babies couldn't stand for a minute without being stamped on by someone. I got up and offered them my seat. Out of nowhere, their mom came hurriedly, asked the kids to get up and sat down. The kids were left looking for space again.

If they say, a good turn begets another.I have yet to see that happen. These 3 incidents in the last one week have left me questioning my beliefs. And this is not just about offering food to strangers or giving up my seat in crowded public transport.

I often wonder if there is any point being nice and kind to anyone especially when you dont seem to get any kindness from anyone around you. If good karma attracts good things into your life, shouldn't bad karma attract bad things? If yes, how come some of the meanest and nastiest people I know, are also the most successful and happy people I have seen? If there are no shortcuts to success, how come there are people who have taken shortcuts and are still successful. Why does life seem so freaking unfair at times that it threatens to destroy the goodness in you? I know everything turns out fine in the end, but what if the end comes too late? What if by the time things turn fine, I no longer care?