Mumbai Marathon( Jan-2011) - Different from rest and an awakening

Now with the turn of the new year , with less of performance commitment on radar and with the weather getting merrier .. the Corporate Marathon fever is back hitting the streets of Mumbai ...The barometer of registration shoots up- some of them infact due to heavy coaxing from Peers. With each closing day, the volumes are turning up, for this star studded event. One thing is for sure at Stan Chart Marathon - there is lot of Glitter in SC marathon .. It in fact has turned into ‘Shadowing Celebrity ‘marathon. Just have a look at the regulars for this marathon from Anil Ambani to sizzling Bipasha Basu to her beau – John Abraham, to 50-50 Dolly, to one match player Atul Wassan,..... it covers all, really covers all shades of Celebrities.

Having participated in the earlier version of this marathon - I recollect the vibes around. The mood of most here is more of brushing shoulders with the CEO and make the most of Elevator ( sorry marathon ) pitch, more to do with reconnecting and linking with the honchos for a Board membership position, more of catching a glimpse , managing a talk while walk with the skimppier struggling stars, carving out an an occasion to get to dine with the Filmstar .. ...

Not that these are ugliest thing in world but these are definitely hollow to your claim to be part of delivering the intended message for the marathon. The voices out of those marathon were – who the f*ck cares about those Kenyans( those kaaliyas are morons and blind to the Camera , very unlikely to be the media magnets, hence no point being in their league.) The crowd has a point. Who remembers the winners of these marathon all that survives in this mayhem is the sweaty T-shirt of the Page3 regular.

But negative attracts the negative and leaders with such corrupted intentions percolate the same downwards. So the ex- CIO lusts to meet the CEO , the VP designs to meet this sick CIO, the GM keeps his balls ( eyes , and rest) fixed to the VP, the Manager hopes to make the most by shadowing the GM.. and so on .. The whole team is running on an intention still riveted to the office and negativity (building and reaping favoritisms, devising politics) .

Examine more and you would find the best place to keep your foot on ground , to retain your sanity and not let you be carried away in this wave of ‘run for office politics’ , is to be part of marathon , to contribute to it , to deliver the message and at same time staying away from these materialistic mongers .. Be the behind the screens person, this marathon and make a difference. Be the Volunteer and wish that Sanity and Chastity ( SC) returns to these kind of events.

The new year eve - budget limited ... Celebration unlimited

Unplanned - Impromptu - new year celebration- "to derive the maximum out of lean budget" - 5 friends- various back ground - one common thread- " outcast" - stuff bags with pair of clothes and random stuff - which included Pain balm ( for no damn reasons) , Listerene but no toothpaste / brushes- hitch hiking - caught in traffic jam - give up hitch hiking mid way - totally unaware on where are we and how to continue - manage to understand the local language - arrange for a cab and pack ourselves in - a driver under the " influence", who would listen to nothing and cant keep his feet off the accelerator, cant stop boasting about girls he laid , cant stop even for a Pee !! , - half of the journey 4 guys in back and one in front are just holding on to their breath and their life , with each SUV roaring from the other side - our driver would make a point to just keep off from kissing that huge beast , from just scraping it, ..... half of the journey gone , roads are less crowded , its all dark , occasionally lit by a village or by a temple, .. the beauty unfolds, roads with coconut trees on either side , with mountain on one and sea on other side ... the road just divides mountain and sea .. best of 2 world at cost of one , the waves are roaring , announcing the tide, the cold wind from the mountains making their presence felt, .. and from the mountain to the sea is a strip of jungle, a thick jungle , the only insignificant thing coul be the Indica cruising in the patchy road of the jungle.... but fear has transformed to admiration , to the awe, to the serenity ... land at Kashid - our place of revellery for the new year eve- No accommodation - as no plans , lucky enough to get a room facing the beach, have homely food, pay a trifle for the feast , the whisky and beers are out ,, move to beach, light a bonfire , sometimes we pour kerosene sometimes whisky ... waves , whisky & wind a deadly combination, we laugh for no reasons , huddle , fight, run, jump, dance, kick, push ...and watch the handshake --- old year giving way to new, we jump merrily .. the old year is gone, who cares about the new year ... all we think about is the moment ... cant let it slip from hands, we keep drinking, jumping, dancing, laughing, ... lie down to see sky lit with stars , very bright stars .. and wind still roaring .. bonfire giving us just the needed warmth to not to freeze... the sand is white , the beach is clean and deserted ... miles of dark sea .. which keeps on growling, we fall asleep to be woken by other ... keep on sipping the whisky ..even the bonfire gets the doses of whisky some times... Its 3 in the night and we retire to room... It has been almost a year since we have been in that beach :)