You can love Lalu, you can hate him - but you cannot ignore him.
For those who don't or cant delve deep into the murky world of Bihar politics, Lalu was a fascinating figure. The ultimate kingmaker.
Many in the nation held an aversion to Lalu during the scam days, his belligerent ways, his "I am above all laws in Bihar" attitude - and similarly many more had more or less replaced those images of him with those of a "successful minister", a kindly outspoken avuncular person, someone who understood the grassroots, family values. Especially when it became known he was not becoming the PM in the near future.
Lalu playing holi in dhoti, Lalu cooking for his family, Lalu in HBR and Lalu spouting truly secular values somehow managed to outweigh in the public's mind the very audacity and volume of the fodder scam. Of course in recent times the audacity of the multi thousand crore mining and 2G scams have somehow dwarfed the few crores Lalu apparently pocketed. But Lalu can be said to be the original Godfather who didnt care about how far and how deep he looted the nation without remorse or shame. A fact which he tried to mute later with a change of image and an able bureaucratic backup.
As the shutters come down on the fifteen year old fodder scam - we the hoi polloi wonder - will we see more justice and get better deliverence from the rabid politicians who rule us? It took a revengeful Deve Gowda who wanted to squash his king maker to ensure CBI registered the scam. So will this very system of unholy democracy ensure the politicians biting each other and giving each other up - to ensure deliverance for the common people? Maybe this venal politics will serve a better purpose than a squib of a jan lokpal bill! Again that means - a different party has to come to power every few years to trip up the corrupt in the previous regime.
Anything...to help us poor countrymen.
Even though Lalu is still the most fascinating and loved of all.
A Healthy Run - That Was Not Healthy!
A 5 km run is just going to be a stroll in the park, right?
Wrong. If it has been organised by Apollo Hospital, if the runners are made to wait for an hour after the schedule of the run for the numerous guests, chief guests to stroll in, if there is no line marking the starting area - that the DJ co-ordinating the run has to shout herself hoarse, threaten, cajole, plead to get the runners into a supposed starting line which had already been changed twice, if there is absolutely no water along the way, if... the list goes on.
I am talking about the Run for a Healthy heart Run organised by Apollo Hospital Bhubaneswar on 29th September to mark a Healthy Heart day. If "organised" is a word that can be used for the event.
The saddest part was there were many young children and older people who had come with such enthusiasm. It was touted as an everyman run. But apparently they forgot to provide water. I completed the near 5 km distance in 35 minutes, my son in 30 minutes - and if as claimed by the organisers the water was finished on the way - was it only provided for the professional athletes? For God's sake - we are not talking about fancy stuff that runners need - just water.
It was okay for me - but what about the 1000 odd casual people who had strolled in for such a run seeing the delightful ads? How can dehydration help a heart? Or did Apollo spend all the money for the event on the ads?
I guess it is a mistake being lured into such events by the general noise.
The only heartening thing about the run was the participation and general discipline and enthusiasm of the runners - despite everything.
And of course it didnt rain!
Wrong. If it has been organised by Apollo Hospital, if the runners are made to wait for an hour after the schedule of the run for the numerous guests, chief guests to stroll in, if there is no line marking the starting area - that the DJ co-ordinating the run has to shout herself hoarse, threaten, cajole, plead to get the runners into a supposed starting line which had already been changed twice, if there is absolutely no water along the way, if... the list goes on.
I am talking about the Run for a Healthy heart Run organised by Apollo Hospital Bhubaneswar on 29th September to mark a Healthy Heart day. If "organised" is a word that can be used for the event.
The saddest part was there were many young children and older people who had come with such enthusiasm. It was touted as an everyman run. But apparently they forgot to provide water. I completed the near 5 km distance in 35 minutes, my son in 30 minutes - and if as claimed by the organisers the water was finished on the way - was it only provided for the professional athletes? For God's sake - we are not talking about fancy stuff that runners need - just water.
It was okay for me - but what about the 1000 odd casual people who had strolled in for such a run seeing the delightful ads? How can dehydration help a heart? Or did Apollo spend all the money for the event on the ads?
I guess it is a mistake being lured into such events by the general noise.
The only heartening thing about the run was the participation and general discipline and enthusiasm of the runners - despite everything.
And of course it didnt rain!
Weight Loss - Working Tricks and Tips - FREE
Let me be clear. Running one marathon doesnt ensure weight loss (other than temporarily). Weight Loss is a function of just one thing...well two actually.
Proper diet could be a 1600 cal diet per day. If one is above 70 kgs and leads a moderately active life, the body expends near about 1800 - 2000 calories. So following a 1600 calories diet per day regularly should ensure that one loses weight.
Another factor that I have discovered that ensures weight loss is consistent exercise. I have discovered (yes it is a discovery because otherwise there wont be so many health fads) that people who regularly walk in the park while chatting are healthy and lose weight eventually. I include chatting because that gives the right impetus to walk. And consistent walking for one hour daily ensures weight loss.
The above is versus people who go on sporadic diets, take on gym membership and go may once a week for some hardcore training and change and follow various fitness fads. Result - for every kg of weight loss they put on weight.
Another thing going for the walk in the park is that it is an activity that can be done daily right onto old age or the eighties. It will be very difficult to walk on the incline or run backwards on a treadmill during the sixties unless one is abysmally fit.
A Simple Diet Plan
WHAT is a proper diet? A proper diet means eating a good breakfast, a regular everyday lunch with colours, less oil with loads of vegetable and a gluten free dinner before 8 in the evening. Simple, right?
A 1600 calorie diet could be divided up into four 400 cals diets in a day. Or it could be measured (1600 * 7) in a week. If you decide to fast on a single day or just take maybe 400-500 one day of the week - you can have a bit of fun other days!
So if you have like me tried all weight loss tricks and your weight goes up and down like a yoyo, you are well into your forties - STOP EXPERIMENTING and just take a stroll in the park.
- Proper diet
- Consistent exercise
Proper diet could be a 1600 cal diet per day. If one is above 70 kgs and leads a moderately active life, the body expends near about 1800 - 2000 calories. So following a 1600 calories diet per day regularly should ensure that one loses weight.
Another factor that I have discovered that ensures weight loss is consistent exercise. I have discovered (yes it is a discovery because otherwise there wont be so many health fads) that people who regularly walk in the park while chatting are healthy and lose weight eventually. I include chatting because that gives the right impetus to walk. And consistent walking for one hour daily ensures weight loss.
The above is versus people who go on sporadic diets, take on gym membership and go may once a week for some hardcore training and change and follow various fitness fads. Result - for every kg of weight loss they put on weight.
Another thing going for the walk in the park is that it is an activity that can be done daily right onto old age or the eighties. It will be very difficult to walk on the incline or run backwards on a treadmill during the sixties unless one is abysmally fit.
A Simple Diet Plan
WHAT is a proper diet? A proper diet means eating a good breakfast, a regular everyday lunch with colours, less oil with loads of vegetable and a gluten free dinner before 8 in the evening. Simple, right?
A 1600 calorie diet could be divided up into four 400 cals diets in a day. Or it could be measured (1600 * 7) in a week. If you decide to fast on a single day or just take maybe 400-500 one day of the week - you can have a bit of fun other days!
So if you have like me tried all weight loss tricks and your weight goes up and down like a yoyo, you are well into your forties - STOP EXPERIMENTING and just take a stroll in the park.
Does Dhoni's Stake in Rhiti Means Anything?
Mahi owns 15% stake in a Sports Management Firm. So what? The stake at first glance seems to be just a business investment (which unfortunately has the potential to be a business misadventure.)
Let me get this right.
The sequence seems thus. Rhiti takes on Dhoni's management for a considerable sum. Meaning it manages Dhoni's career, endorsements, public appearances, off cricket activities, etc. As any successful sports management firm will do - it has also signed on a few other promising cricketers like Suresh Raina, Ojha, R.P. Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, etc. Fine so far.
Dhoni - with money to invest - buys a stake in Rhiti. Its a minority stake. Just 15%. It means Dhoni doesnt take decisions. He just shares in the firm's bottomline. The only thing I can see here is Dhoni is backing himself. Make no mistake, any firm which has Dhoni's portfolio is going to be a huge success. So Dhoni backs himself to make the firm successful and buys a stake (I am sure as per the advise of his business advisers).
Now we come to the issue (non -issue) that the media is making out. Dhoni sits on the selection committee. So does that mean Mahendra Singh Dhoni will jeopardise the performance of the team by approving the selection of players that Rhiti has on board because Rhiti manages them? How will it help Dhoni? Will the 15% stake in Rhiti's profit be more than the endorsements that he will lose if the team loses? At last count Dhoni endorsed 22 firms. He is apparently more popular than Shahrukh Khan. Why? Because he is a winner. He gives his all for the team. He is dedicated, still simple and honest as per popular opinion. Will he risk all that to make Jadeja's or Raina's career. And Raina is not even in the test team. Suresh Raina despite his obvious talent has not recently been a part of the Indian team. The likes of Rahane, Murli Vijay, Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan got their chances - Raina didnt in the just concluded Test series against Australia. Apparently Raina has a shortcoming against the rising ball. That's funny - since most Indian players have that shortcoming. Remember Virender Sehwag?
Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev have all had majority stakes in Sports Management outfits. Has it never been in conflict with their other duties as selectors, mentors, coach, etc. So why Dhoni now? Dhoni being a VP at India Cements is being touted as a crime now. But isnt that Srinivasan's conflict? Dhoni is his Company's VP. He is the BCCI President. Does follow logically he will make Dhoni the Captain of India, right?
It seems its just the way of the media (and former cricketers) and people to bring down celebrities after hoisting them high on a pedestal. And Dhoni after being thrown really really high on to the ether world is finding the fall all the more harder. For nothing. Not on current evidence. But these stories will not go away unless Dhoni just decides to let his considerable income sit in a bank!
Let me get this right.
The sequence seems thus. Rhiti takes on Dhoni's management for a considerable sum. Meaning it manages Dhoni's career, endorsements, public appearances, off cricket activities, etc. As any successful sports management firm will do - it has also signed on a few other promising cricketers like Suresh Raina, Ojha, R.P. Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, etc. Fine so far.
Dhoni - with money to invest - buys a stake in Rhiti. Its a minority stake. Just 15%. It means Dhoni doesnt take decisions. He just shares in the firm's bottomline. The only thing I can see here is Dhoni is backing himself. Make no mistake, any firm which has Dhoni's portfolio is going to be a huge success. So Dhoni backs himself to make the firm successful and buys a stake (I am sure as per the advise of his business advisers).
Now we come to the issue (non -issue) that the media is making out. Dhoni sits on the selection committee. So does that mean Mahendra Singh Dhoni will jeopardise the performance of the team by approving the selection of players that Rhiti has on board because Rhiti manages them? How will it help Dhoni? Will the 15% stake in Rhiti's profit be more than the endorsements that he will lose if the team loses? At last count Dhoni endorsed 22 firms. He is apparently more popular than Shahrukh Khan. Why? Because he is a winner. He gives his all for the team. He is dedicated, still simple and honest as per popular opinion. Will he risk all that to make Jadeja's or Raina's career. And Raina is not even in the test team. Suresh Raina despite his obvious talent has not recently been a part of the Indian team. The likes of Rahane, Murli Vijay, Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan got their chances - Raina didnt in the just concluded Test series against Australia. Apparently Raina has a shortcoming against the rising ball. That's funny - since most Indian players have that shortcoming. Remember Virender Sehwag?
Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev have all had majority stakes in Sports Management outfits. Has it never been in conflict with their other duties as selectors, mentors, coach, etc. So why Dhoni now? Dhoni being a VP at India Cements is being touted as a crime now. But isnt that Srinivasan's conflict? Dhoni is his Company's VP. He is the BCCI President. Does follow logically he will make Dhoni the Captain of India, right?
It seems its just the way of the media (and former cricketers) and people to bring down celebrities after hoisting them high on a pedestal. And Dhoni after being thrown really really high on to the ether world is finding the fall all the more harder. For nothing. Not on current evidence. But these stories will not go away unless Dhoni just decides to let his considerable income sit in a bank!
5 Reasons Why Chelo Kebab is Not Nasi lemak
A few days back I had an amazing dinner of Chello Kebab at perhaps the World's most famous restaurant serving Chelo Kebab - Peter Cat in Park Street at Kolkata. During the course of my post prandial musings, my thoughts flew to another favorite meal with amazingly similar "apparent" ingredients but an entirely different result - the Nasi Lemak from Malaysia.
Both are complete meals with chicken, vegetable, egg on the side with rice at the centre. And thats where the similarities end between the two meals!
Nasi Lemak has flavoured rice as in Chelo Kebab. In Nasi Lemak, the flavour comes from lime leaves and lemon grass - while in Chello Kebab the flavouring is from butter and the smell of basmati rice.
Chicken is the main ingredient of Chello Kebab as the name suggests. It comes in the form of awesomely rich, grilled, minced chicken kebabs - whose ingredients and secrets go back perhaps 300 years or so. You also get barbecued chicken on skewers. The chicken in Nasi Lemak is a side dish, normally chicken rendang (a red red chicken in gravy - cooked with coconut) or simple fried chicken.
Chello Kebab may have a piece or two of cucumber on the side - but it is not accompanied by anchovies and peanuts as in Nasi Lemak. The other vegetable in chello comes barbecued with the chicken.
Eggs too come differently. While Nasi Lemak has a boiled egg served on the side, Chello Kebab has a poached egg placed delicately at the centre of the rice - with a dollop of butter near it.
And perhaps the most critical non-similarity! Chello Kebab is a princely meal, however meaningless the royal terminology may be in today's egalitarian world, loved and revered by people who have partaken of it at Peter Cat. Nasi Lemak is street food at its best, served in wrapped pandan leaves at street corners, for breakfast, lunch and dinner at most local restaurants and everywhere else in Malaysia - similarly loved and revered!
So enjoy both!!!
Both are complete meals with chicken, vegetable, egg on the side with rice at the centre. And thats where the similarities end between the two meals!
Nasi Lemak has flavoured rice as in Chelo Kebab. In Nasi Lemak, the flavour comes from lime leaves and lemon grass - while in Chello Kebab the flavouring is from butter and the smell of basmati rice.
Chicken is the main ingredient of Chello Kebab as the name suggests. It comes in the form of awesomely rich, grilled, minced chicken kebabs - whose ingredients and secrets go back perhaps 300 years or so. You also get barbecued chicken on skewers. The chicken in Nasi Lemak is a side dish, normally chicken rendang (a red red chicken in gravy - cooked with coconut) or simple fried chicken.
Chello Kebab may have a piece or two of cucumber on the side - but it is not accompanied by anchovies and peanuts as in Nasi Lemak. The other vegetable in chello comes barbecued with the chicken.
Eggs too come differently. While Nasi Lemak has a boiled egg served on the side, Chello Kebab has a poached egg placed delicately at the centre of the rice - with a dollop of butter near it.
And perhaps the most critical non-similarity! Chello Kebab is a princely meal, however meaningless the royal terminology may be in today's egalitarian world, loved and revered by people who have partaken of it at Peter Cat. Nasi Lemak is street food at its best, served in wrapped pandan leaves at street corners, for breakfast, lunch and dinner at most local restaurants and everywhere else in Malaysia - similarly loved and revered!
So enjoy both!!!
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2013 - I Completed the Full Marathon!
Mumbai Marathon - Date 20.1.2013
Status - Completed
Distance - 42.2 Kms
Time - 7 hrs approx
The goal at the top of this blog says - I need to complete a marathon. Happily thats done. My revised goal is to do a marathon in under 5 hrs 30 mins nw! Unfortunately due to an extremely busy home life I wasnt able to document much my marathon preparation in this so called "fitness blog" of mine. Thats mostly because my fitness efforts have been sporadic rather than systematic! But I still ran the marathon. And finished it. And am still in one piece. Here is an article detailing my marathon story.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Going to Mumbai for a marathon??? Why??? This was the standard enquiry of incredulity from friends and family alike. I really wanted to go for the half marathon. I shifted to India end of June 2012 from Malaysia. By the time I found out about the marathons in India and discovered the SCMM website, the registration for the half marathon was over. So I enrolled for the Full Marathon instead. Dont ask me why, I was not remotely prepared for it. Enquiring with the organisers made me realise that the confirmation for the run would only come mid Dec.
I go to the gym fairly regularly. I run a couple or more miles and do some weights for my leg muscles. My entire long distance running amounted to one formal 10 km run and a couple of informal group runs of the same distance. By the time I registered it was the second week of November (I think a couple of days before registration closed) and I meant to start training in earnest. Really. It never happened. With two school going kids and almost no domestic help, shifting woes, training never took off. All I could manage was going to the gym 3-4 tmes a week max. 7 kms was the longest I could cover in training. There was never time for more. Finally in desperation I started walking stairs in January to build endurance. I built it up to 60 floors of climbing and descending at a stretch before stopping the week before the run. So on the day of the run, I had no idea how much I could cover. 42 kms seemed an impossibility. I was confident of doing the half marathon distance at least. I decided to enjoy the experience to the fullest, however.
And enjoy, I did.
It was exhilarating just to be at Azad Maidan early in the morning. I couldnt believe I was finally at the starting point about to run a full marathon, with my kids and husband in Bhubaneswar 1500 kms away!
I started the run a bit behind the 5.30 Bus (the pacers that took you to the finish in 5 hr 30 mins) but realized I couldn’t afford to follow their pace if I meant to complete. So I deliberately fell behind and soaked in the atmosphere while clipping along. The noise, music at Marine Drive, the sea at Chowpatti with the fishing boats, the early half marathoners crossing me, Haji Ali, very filimisque in the distance, the suburbs skyline…ahhh. I am not a Mumbaiite and these typical Mumbai sights seen early in the cold morning while actually running – let me tell you nothing can beat the experience. I am sorry to say, doesn’t sound professional, I even stopped and took pics. I am so glad I did. Because I plan to compete against time the next time round and there might be no time for pics!
Then came the most tedious stretch of my journey – the Worli Sealink. The sealink looks a dream from the distance and I had been really keen to run on it. Just imagine – running on the Worli Sealink before getting to drive on it – when the road has been cleared for you! But the stretch did get monotonous. The only relief was the lead pack of Kenyans crossing between 15-16. They came after a pilot vehicle and helicopter and ran by at a flash generally leaving me agape. I was so stunned at their speed and grace I couldn’t even get the mobile up for the pic. Kipketer crossed by me and I got to read her nameJ Savoring hose moments of wonder got me across the sealink – but not before a cramp happened at 18. Never having run a really long distance – I was not familiar with the crippling feeling of a runner’s cramp. I settled down at the side of a hoarding and did a few stretches, applied the small tube of Volini so fortuitously provided in the running kit and felt good enough to continue.
At 22 I messaged my hubby that I was half way through. I realise the message has been sent at 9.10. I was not really keeping track of the time during the run. 3hrs 20 min for 22 kms while taking pics, cramping, seems pretty fine to me! At home I don’t even start a run without the ipod – here I had covered 22 kms without using it! I plugged it on to my ears and continued still feeling okay. By 29 I was feeling bad – real bad. My legs were totally cramped by then. That got relieved only after the 30 k mark when I got some Religare sprayed on the muscles. It worked like a miracle and I made it till 35 walking, jogging alternately. 30 k was done at 10.40 when I again messaged hubby informing him of the status.
35 km till the end was a nightmare – relieved only because I was running with a co-runner. After 38 we realized BMC had taken down the markers, even though the markers at the other side were still there! It seemed a long long distance before finally the turning to Churchgate came our way. Kingfisher water stalls were still on the road – but not much else. Churchgate to Flora Fountain was a bad – especially when one had to ask directions. But the longest stretch was from the Fountain to the Azad Maidan gates. A paltry distance of hardly 1 km seemed to go on and on. We had to ask the way all along in our dazed state, the roads were really crowded, the sun was blazing down and I was dragging and limping along alternately. The last 7 kms took more than 2 hours and I could only cover it with the thought that stopping was not a choice after coming so far.
After reaching the Maidan I realized that Finishers medals were still to be had. I was really thinking all would be shut down and the organizers would have packed up! But the finishers just ahead of me egged me and said “go and get the medals”. That literally infused new life into my oh so tired limbs! I ran to the stalls, picked up the medal and for some moments I was feeling as fresh as a 1 year old – as if I could go for miles and miles more.
Sitting in the car for the trip to my brother’s house brought a reality check. I hadn’t done the post run stretches while I was still standing, so couldn’t move, I had huge blisters on 8 toes and well I just wanted to go to sleep for ages.
But what the heck – I had completed a marathon and plan to do it all over again! For someone who was obese and a couch potato till 1.5 years back, a Mom of 2 starting to run after 40 years, I have come a long way…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
A few days back we had a most defining and immersive experience on a cruise on the Brahmaputra. This was my third cruise across the mighty... -
The morning of my third day at Fort William, I started for Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest peak in the British Isles and a favourite wi... -
Come March, the people of Odisha have to start battling the high and dry heat of an early summer that kind of side steps over what is suppos... -
I have just received a job offer? Should I take it up? This question has been giving me sleepless nights the past week. What better forum to...
-
There are actually two popular versions of the Mom's Song, one is by comedienne Anita Renfroe set to William Tell's Overture and ano...
-
There was a time when I got the Best Valentine cards, Guys wanted to be close to me like mad. I got the best of best friends too Who vied to...