Much
water has flown down Cooum since I last wrote my Run-ki-Baat. Weather has
finally taken a turn for the better with the Sun’s power-play (Kathriveyyil in
the local lingo) coming to an end officially on the 29th. While the
Environment minister and the Health minister of the country may be at variance
on the effects of global warming on the weather, Chennai played true with heat
coming down a notch promptly on the completion of the promised torture-period.
While I cheated a bit on my policy of no fans/AC’s at home in deference to
Biscuit’s insistence, the success at office was near complete.
Amma’s
re-incarnation
The
Hubli passenger was regular in the intervening two weeks since the last
dispatch except for a two day trip to the God’s own country on official
business. The first major event was Amma’s re-coronation on the 23rd.
The water stations have been in place with Amma’s smiling face since the power
play started. It was an experience to run through the Cathedral road in the
days leading up to the big day and on the day itself. Only, the run on the
D-day was curtailed and I had to take an alternative route to get back home to
beat the 7 AM curfew. It was a surreal experience to run on well lit road with
larger than life smiling visages of Amma smiling down at me from every lamp
post on the divider. The ones where she is clapping made me feel like I was
running to the beats of a one woman cheering squad.
Puppy’s
day out
On the
Cathedral road before my water stop, a black puppy came on to the middle of the
road and started playing with me. After sometime when I tried to guide it back
to the edge of the road, traffic started. My heart came to my mouth when I saw
it running to cross the road. One taxi hit it slightly and it fell down squealing
piteously. I was frozen with fear and helplessness, thankfully the vehicles
went around it carefully. Just as I was standing praying for it to get better,
it got up and in the gap in traffic made it to the edge of the road. I have not
seen it after that day, hope it survived and all is well.
Jo Bibi
se kare hain pyaar who prestige se kaise karein inkaar
This
advertisement jingle keeps coming to me when I negotiate the ttk flyover. I got
the connection recently, ttk is the company manufacturing Prestige brand of cookers
and the place is very stuffy (high rise buildings on either side with not much
of breeze!), much like being inside a cooker. The moment this struck me, it was
a Eureka moment for me!
Swami
Sivananda Salai’s sole change
Usually
road tops get re-laid in a flurry around the last few weeks of the end of the
financial year to utilize the allotments, but, Corporation of Chennai have been
on an overdrive in the past few weeks. It has been torture time for my poor
soles. I hate changing routes and to do so to leave out the best part the
Sivananda Salai was painful. I substituted the missed stretch by running to RBI
and back. As it is the distances reported by me are approximate, now more so (a
pinch of salt recommended!). I keep checking up with the cyclists and other
shod runners if the road was open something to the tone of ‘Ache Din Aa Gaye
Kya?’ Today my soles got redeemed.
Meet
Jhansi(Jr.)
Readers
would remember the episode of the Jhansi (Sr.) who is engaged in the battle of
the bulge. There is this young girl, my well wisher on the Quaid-e-Milleth
bridge, whose introductory line each day has been ‘Be careful of the vehicles
grandpa’. I crossed after a greeting to her, but, something which has been
nagging me surfaced today. I have been noticing that both her feet are always
heavily bandaged ankle downward. Today in my reverse loop, I spoke to her and
her mother, it turns out that she had some infection and some part of her heels
have been excised. She would be able to walk with special shoes. Interestingly, her name also is Jhansi. May
she get well soon!
Pet’s
best friend
I don’t
know her name, but, I saw her the first time with her husband and a nattily
dressed Golden retriever (he is 10 years old). Initial introduction was when
the dog tried to get friendly with me. In the last few weeks I have been seeing
her walking alone. She told me that her pet has a bad arthritic condition and
cannot walk. What she explained later truly left me in tears. The couple, not
wanting to leave him behind (the dog seems to have been coming to the beach
with them since it’s initial days) bring him in a vehicle and the couple take a
walk one by one with the other keeping company of the dog. Today I got the
medicines it has been prescribed hoping to start Biscuit on them right away
(the Doctor seems to have told them that the condition is quiet common in Labs
and retrievers and it helps to start them on these early). The natural remedy I
am told is boiled Lady’s finger. The result, Biscuit has been getting his share
of the gooey stuff and he is adoring it! While on Biscuit’s diet, he has
slipped from his Vegan diet and has started on curds and buttermilk, but, in
moderation. My wife’s team is exulting at the Vegan camp being cut to half! I
can only say, if you are right, even ‘one’ is a majority!
Hygiene
Chennai style
I used
to wash the tumbler at the AVM water point and drink water by sipping (in my
usual irreverent way!), I was chastised by a middle aged lady a few days back
to drink Chennai style, which involves gulping it down without putting the
glass to the lips. It’s quite a complicated maneouvre for the uninitiated, but,
having learnt once in childhood, it comes back naturally to one. I don’t have
to wash the glass after having had my drink!
Are you
chewing Pan-Masala Mr Gandhi?
Seeing
my cheeks puffed with a wad on both sides, the constable guarding the Police
Commissioner’s office asked me if I was chewing tobacco? I took affront and
clarified it was green tea leaves, left after a few rounds tea have been
extracted from them. This helps me in keeping my mouth from getting wet and
gives it some work chewing the wad bit by bit. I have started adding grated and
dried Amla (not to be confused with the animal lover heroine of yesteryear,
Nellikai in Tamil and Indian gooseberry in English) and a Date (guess to get
some Iron with Vitamin ‘C’!) in my chew-treat! While the green tea leaves is
the main ingredient for a long time, there have been a litany of additives in
my running career, walnut, Basil leaves, fenugreek seeds etc. to name a few!
To Alm
or Not to Alm is the question
In my
initial years I used to liberally give out alms whenever I saw a beggar, but,
now that I meet so many of them on a regular basis daily on my run, added to
the fact that I don’t carry money when I run, I try to engage with them as
friends without bringing the commercial angle between friendship. I do hope
that they would have the courage to confide in me if their condition becomes
precarious (like mobile battery indicator on one bar!). I have not come across
any reference in literature to indicate what Mr. Gandhi’s views were on Alms
giving?
Niggle
worries
Last
three days, my left hamstring has been showing up just within a few hundred
meters into the run. I have been able to quell it with persistence and it goes
away after some time. Longer stride and cruising down the flyover has been
painful sometimes. Fear with running with a niggle, particularly in the out and
back route, is that the longer you postpone the quitting, longer is the painful
walk back home. I think spirit would be able to conquer the flesh in time.
Looking
forward to the weekend runs!
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