Singularity

The Clock

Autumn

The price

Vardah

Lunch time

Mindfully enjoying the sweat.

The pores in the head opened slowly and micro droplets were squeezed out. They merged to form a thin line of sweat that meandered slowly through the hairs. The many tiny rivulets flowing through the hairs gently massaged the scalp tickling it lightly and merged to form big drop. It poised gingerly on the top of the head, and as I took the next step, it rolled across the forehead rapidly, sliding down the nose then then gently falling into the road, a light moist spray touching the lips. The dry tongue longing for wetness darted from inside the mouth caught the spray spreading the salty taste of pure sweat across.

Like the wildebeests in the Masai river crossing waiting for one them to take the step across so that they can follow mindlessly, the other drops followed this drop, falling off the face from all directions. The tiny balls of sweat gently caressed the face, a blissful feeling that I did not want to wipe away with a handkerchief. It was wonderfully mindful and this continued for quite a few kilometres.

Running is not just about two feet and a Garmin with eyes darting at time and distance, it is about feeling every sensation, dispassionately observing it, becoming lost in time completely immersed with yourself.

The above was my experience on my 10km Thursday run at Tokyo, a warm and humid day, a maiden run in my new shoes. The New Balance Response 2.0 snugly fitted my feet, the soles more flexible and lighter than my Nike Pegasus 2 making the maiden run pleasurable.

Friday run turned out be cooler, in fact there was a mild drizzle, another relaxed 10k run, the last one in this trip before I head back on Sat. Not a bad week, with the mileage counter at 50km despite spending two days of the week in planes. Sayonara Tokyo.


OCT 1, 2016

Ode to the K2K Cyclists

(Kashmir to Kanyakumari) 

Tanned I may be, but toned I have become,
Sunburnt outside, but warmth inside.

Sun all day, does not diminish my fun
Wind not always kind, but I do not mind

Cold it was, Bold I am, certainly will not fold.
Crowds cheer, wish it was with a Beer.

Miles I go with minimal sleep
I shall rest only when I can go no further
Where I meet my Beautiful Maiden (Kanyakumari).

Bliss in 12KM

Morning commute in Bangalore

started a bit late for an early morning meeting
a commute by bike that would prove to be daunting

overnight rain
not a big pain

puddles all over the road
around which I skilfully rode

the unending traffic
always horrific

through the gaps bikes nudge
happy on the cycle, hold no grudge

a lone car parked on the busy main road
unmindful of the way traffic is slowed

on the pavement is a young woman in high heels and mini skirt
negotiating with two wheels does not allow me to flirt

fast music by Honey Singh
make me race like Milka Singh

the jam grinds the traffic to a halt
and I shift to the pavement from asphalt

crap all around, but a lovely commute
wrap yourself in the present, makes you astute

a little girl on pavement watching the traffic with wonder
an old man helped to cross the road a little yonder

traffic is noisy and frustrating
be mindful and it is invigorating.

Be you. Be Mindful.

Seeing the big picture

Let go to soar

Hope

The Wildebeest

Leadership lesson #7 from Masai Mara

Masai Mara is famous for the crossing where over 1.5M wildebeest cross over from Tanzania to Kenya and vice versa. Our trip was close to the end of ‘crossing  season’. Keen to see the action up close, we went to the river Mara where the crossing occurs. And there it was, a group of wildebeests on the other side of river deciding on what to do - ‘cross or not to cross’. Upstream nearly a kilometre ahead, a crocodile was basking on the rock while a couple of them were gently floating on the water, just their tops visible on the surface, the nemesis for these crossing animals.

The wildebeests are still trying to decide, one of them pushes the other into the river and that guy does not go any further, in fact he turns back. Then they stand still for a few minutes and then another one goes further into the water and then turns back. Suddenly they run along the river, some in the water and some on the shore, coming to a dead stop. after some time. They do nothing but stand still possibly for one of them to decide. None of them take the next step. One of them at the end on the land is I guess fed up. He decides that he has had enough of this indecision and decides to go back into the land and not cross the water. He climbs the mud embankment into the high land and as he climbs, a few follow suit. One by one the remaining ones follow. The decision has been made, they are not going to cross. The animals that were standstill a moment ago due to indecision are rapidly moving away following the first one to the high land.

Leadership lesson: We all suffer from indecision and do possess herd mentality. A good leader takes decision and confidently goes ahead and the team follows. Not all decisions may indeed be right, but taking a decision is indeed superior to not doing anything.

The Warthog

Leadership Lesson #6 from Masai Mara

These animals were the most interesting. Belonging to the same family of pigs, these herbivores were constantly running, seemingly for the sheer joy of it. Enjoying themselves just running across the vast expanse. They stop suddenly only to recommence in a short while. It was sheer joy to see these “pigs with tusks” run despite no threats from other animals.

Leadership lesson: Explore. Be curious. Enjoy. To unleash your full potential, you need to be unbounded and enjoy the flow.

The Hippos

Leadership Lesson #5 from Masai Mara

Hippos relaxing in the water seem to be the most lethargic animals. They seem to spend the day seemingly relaxing in the pool when not eating grass. But do you know that Hippos are the second largest killers of humans? They are not carnivores, they attack only to protect. Their strong bite can kill humans. 

Leadership lesson : Each one of us possess enormous power. It is dormant most of the time. The key is unleashing it. 

The Giraffe

Leadership Lesson from Masai Mara #4

A herd of giraffes are moving majestically, elegant in their movements as they peacefully chomp on the leaves off the tree top. Giraffe by virtue of its height and its distinctive coat is indeed a majestic animal . They are not shy at all. One of them walked to our vehicle confidently, stopped, looked at us without any fear and then strutted away. The movements were peaceful and seemingly unhurried. On a different note, it is interesting how a giraffe walks- Both the legs on one side go forward and then the next side go forward, very unlike the other animals where front and rear are in sync.

Leadership lesson: The majestic appearance oozing confidence, fearless attitude, grace and elegance are traits that make a leader successful. And the team will do anything to ensure that the leader stand tall always.

The Leopard

Leadership Lesson #3 from Masai Mara

A Leopard had dragged up a young waterbuck up the tree,suspended it precisely on a branch with the body resting on the branch and legs hanging down. It then went about methodically tearing up the rear with its canines. Though gruesome and sad, it was interesting to see the leopard periodically adjusting the dead animal on the branch as it progressed methodically with its job of eating.

Leadership lesson: The Leopard is a very powerful animal which with its sheer speed and power can snare an animal. To ultimately accomplish its goal of satisfying its hunger, it must secure the dead animal, which it does by dragging the animal up the tree and and then eating it by doing it methodically, tear from the rear. What do we learn this? In addition to having a powerful team, it is necessary to employ powerful techniques and a good process to ensure that the job is well done. Power is best extracted via using good techniques and harnessing the same in a methodical manner.

The Zebras

Leadership Lesson #2 from Masai Mara

The vast African Savannah is filled with Zebras, their skin shiny and beautiful with stripes of black and white. They are an easy prey for the lions. Their excellent sense of sight and hearing coupled with their acute sense of smell enables them to detect danger which they nimbly respond to, by quickly running away. Their legs are so strong that a kick can kill an animal.

Leadership lesson : To survive/course-correct requires one to continuously measure (aka smell/watch) and respond nimbly to steer to a safe place. Not only is sufficient to know the danger, but it is imperative to have enough power to move away quickly.