Last Man Blogging!

This weekend, I ran the Hyderabad 10K race in about sixty minutes. Not something to crow about, I know. Further, the clock timing could, in actuality, have been either more or less than an hour as I had asked two independent runners for the time before and after the race. Waking up early in the morning, proceeding to the race venue and running amidst a sea of Hyderabadis was truly a fun-filled experience. For a while, it seemed as though all I had to do was to stand still and let the surging wave of runners carry me to the finish line. Alas, life is not so simple. My friend and I ran at a steady pace for the first five kilometres, after which we walked briskly for the next two kilometres before running the final three to finish the race with a flourish.

Some of the runners carried with them flags representing their company logos, whilst other groups chanted the names of their employers in a sound that mirrored some sort of a war cry. It was amusing to see this level of enthusiasm amongst the participants. There were also tiny kids on roller-blades, guys running in a pair of jeans and some others who seemed as though they were dressed for a dance party. The race itself and its aftermath painfully reminded me that I still have miles to go in terms of fitness. Nevertheless, I am extremely satisfied for having raced with so many members of my community and for having successfully completed my first-ever long-distance run. Overall, it was a well organized event and I was left with no doubt that the spirit of Hyderabad was well and truly alive. Hyderabadis! You Simply Rock.

When I started this blog, I intended it to be a serious memoir; one that recorded not just lessons learnt but also some personal epiphanies that really mattered to me. These, I hoped, would serve as a constant reminder of how I ought not to repeat the mistakes of the past but rather reiterate those actions that turned out to be good and fulfilling. I will be the first to admit that my posts thus far have not kept to this ideal. Many of my future posts will also sadly fail this benchmark. Looking back at my rather poor body of work, I see a bunch of silly movie reviews and random musings. As much as I would like to believe this is a reflection of the lack of time I’ve had for a serious meditation, this is more because of a lack of seriously moving experiences.

Thankfully, yesterday was different. I volunteered to help out in an “Ability Fair” organized at Shraddha’s School for Slow Learners in Hyderabad. Perhaps it has been a long time since I found myself in the midst of such innocence or amongst so many people with some degree of disability. But when I witnessed the teachers of this school going to such great lengths to create an environment of learning and happiness for these children, something inside me profoundly changed. Along with the smiling face of each child, I saw so many good people with an attitude of genuine concern and caring for those more disadvantaged than the rest of society. I was humbled to be alongside such great people for it is really they and those of their ilk who make our world a better place.

Shraddha is a special school for special children. The students here do not have grades or cut-throat competition. But yet they discover the joy of learning Physics, Maths or English in an environment remarkably different from traditional schools. Here, they are able to learn sufficient skills that will provide many of them with better prospects for employment. I am not going to forget the names of some of the kids I became acquainted with and look forward to going back and helping this school as best I can. There is a sense of fulfillment and happiness in working for the betterment of a community that I cannot fully express in a few words of prose. Now that I have realized this, I urge you to set forth and discover this feeling yourself. You have my word that it will be a life-altering experience.