Exploring new boundaries at 38…

 

Not sure if I should say I burst into excitement or broke down in excitement, but for sure I was numb and didn’t know how to react and whom to share with when I touched 20mins on August 9. It may sound simple, ridiculous and even frivolous to many, but to me, who’ve not been able to run for more than 10mins in the past 36 years, this milestone a month before my 38th birthday is an icing on the cake.

Two years ago, same time, I was struggling with palpitations and my entire family was helplessly watching my every move. And now with no one around to watch or/and cheer, I felt like a glutton feeding on my own success and celebrating it. Three months after the surgery, I was back at the gym and 7mins on the elliptical was a challenge and I had to constantly watch my heart beat and not take it beyond the permissible limit. Last August, I cycled some difficult terrains at Maine and there were moments I had to get off the cycle to catch a breath, but I successfully managed to complete the entire cycling expedition despite rain and cold breeze on the last day. And when I took the fitness challenge test upon to return to India, I passed it by covering a mile in 10 mins but at the end of the test I was tired to even brag about it.

When I moved to Paris, I was determined not to skip gym, something that I have committed to for over 13 years. To be honest, I spent more time looking for a gym than for a home. I looked at the equipments, the distance from home and work, evaluated the crowd to draw my inspiration to perspire. I know you will smirk at me for all this due diligence, given that I was hardly achieved the one mile challenge in 10 mins a year ago.

How did I come around to achieve 20mins at a constant speed of 12.5kmp on the treadmill without panting and puffing? What happened in the last 12 months? Did I use any performance enhancing drugs? Did I train specially to improve my lung capacity? Infact, I had taken a 45 days break from the gym before I achieved this milestone. 

Before I shared the news with my close friends, I ensured this was not fluke and I repeated the experiment multiple times on multiple machines. I even repeated this on the elliptical for 20 mins and held my heart beat at 170 beats per minute for over 15 minutes and achieved more than what I did on the treadmill from calorie, distance and heart beat perspective. I tried out Elliptical and treadmill combo for 30 mins. 

At 6 am on August 9, I felt like a blind man who got his eyesight, a deaf who got back his hearing, and the dashboard in front of me immediately sent serotonin levels to my Sahasrara chakra and dumped endorphins into my blood stream leaving me in a state of shock and excitement. And since then I have been at the gym everyday repeating this feat and ensuring this is not a stroke of luck.

And when I finally shared it with a few close friends, they were really supportive, but all of them sounded cautiously optimistic given my heart condition. A doctor friend of mine and a marathoner and living in the UK, suggested that I get off the treadmill and start running outdoors. Another marathoner from Chennai suggested the same and advised that I reduce my speed and sustain myself for longer. He even spoke about a few heart patients running marathons and guided me to go on a few websites from where I can learn beginner tips for marathons. They know and I know I have no Ethiopian gene running in my family to think or attempt a marathon, but their words came as a big motivation.

While resting at the locker room, I recalled the scene from the day after my heart surgery, my lungs were struggling to expand, while the woman next to me, twice my age practiced lung exercise on the hour with dedication and discipline. My age helped me to walk out of the ICU ahead of her, but I made it a point to stop by her bedside and let her know that she had silently taught me a lesson for life. And two years later I read about the achievement of another septuagenarian who earned her PhD researching on the musical aspects in Thirumangai Azhwar compositions. I realised that moment that life doesn’t begin at 38…it begins at any age as long as you have a sense of yearning, direction and discipline.

There is still one variable that I am yet to test i.e. external factors: change of place/equipments, high levels of motivation/inspiration from fellow buddies, and cooler temperatures. While most of us all claim fatherhood to all our achievements and gobble up all the credits, but I will only take credits for my commitment to continue gym and yoga post surgery. I never imagined or even set out to achieve 600 calories 30 mins or achieve 2.5 miles in 20 mins.

In the journey of life we will all cross such milestones (this is insignificant to many) that expand our boundaries, break our mental barriers, physical challenges and leave us with a momentary  high but and confidence to go beyond. And with these thoughts, I get ready to celebrate my 38th birthday with another challenge....a hiking trip in the Austrian side of Alps (Salzkammergut) for 5 days covering 70 kms. So wish me well on the next challenge and come back soon for more pictures and stories.

Movie review: Elysium

 

I watched Elysium today at UGC Montparnasse. Unlike India, mobiles don't ring, people observe silence and there is no intermission that kills the pace of the movie. Btw, there is an option at UGC cinemas to get a 1-year membership for unlimited movie watching and I did. 

Elysium: The storyline seemed like a mishmash of the story of Dhruva who wished to have a place in the sky, Parikshit who was cursed to lived for just 7 days and did all the good he can, and Nachiketas who tricked the god of death and lived forever. 

From another angle, the movie resembled the struggle between the capitalist who want only heaven for the rich and give no damn about the poor and live off their blood like parasites, While the socialist want heaven and equality for everyone. 

Nevertheless, Matt Damon holds the story together again! Btw, Hollywood must avoid cliches: Patel the president of Elysium and Koreans the data/semiconductor specialist on Elysium. On a serious note, when will Hollywood stop thinking beyond paranormal, alien invasion and apocalyptic plots?

In India the movie opens on Aug 23.

Language: A Reason, season or treason?

Language is like friction, a necessary evil. It can bring out important dimensions of a culture that may be otherwise hidden and it can also take humans to the flash point quickly. Here are my two experiences with French language…diametrically opposite in the same week.

So, what did the English do to French and what did French do to the English? Or should I be asking what did the English and French do to the hot and sweaty Indian? That night under the cool breeze of the English fan, I asked myself : are they languages born out of reason, season or treason?

 

The language of reason: I am not French literate, and I have no idea about the language, usage and how words moved into English or was adapted (may be stolen, hijacked or even pawned by the French?) by English Language. Btw, statistics says 28% of English words are from French, but nobody will give you the percentage of words whose English adaption is very appalling, discriminatory and not inclusive. A week after I arrived, I sat down to fill the necessary paperwork to get my resident card and when I had to choose my status, which made me ask  what did the English do to French?

 

Celibataire – in French simply refers to a single and doesn’t say anything about vow or abstinence

Celebate – in English refers to an individual who has taken a vow (often religious) to practice abstinence and stay single

Concubinage – simply refers to co-habitation without legally married in French and is a legally accepted status in a French Government application

Concubine – refers to an illegal wife or mistress in English – puts women in dark light or treats her like a social outcast and an object or toy of pleasure and ridicule

But, why do adaption of French words into English language target status, physically intimacy and portray them in a bad light? Is English language really judgmental, narrow-minded and less tolerant to various engagements an individual prefers to hold? Aren’t simple words given complex societal interpretation across the English Channel? Is this the sea of change between French and English? To me, the French language seemed more accommodative and inclusive, less discriminative, and socially more liberal and accepting.

The language of season: Fans are a standard fitting in our homes in India now rapidly replaced with

air-conditioners and when I found neither of them in Paris, I was pleasantly (not really) surprised. May be the architects, residents and even the weathermen swear that the city never gets that hot and hence finds no place in a house? And my arrival was just in time to test the Parisian weather and reality of no fans and air-conditioners. After experiencing a long, humid and harrowing summer in India, I arrived in Paris just in time for the summer. Call it a double whammy or an extra dose of Vitamin D, I don’t care.

 

Especially this year, people have been complaining about long winters and a direct jump into summer with no spring. And when it hit 35 deg C yesterday, the locals started to complain and went one step ahead to create a supply demand situation at the home stores.

And I made a trip to the store and asked the salesman for a fan and received no response from him.  I felt it was my strong accent and gave it another try, and this time I was slow and gentle. He still had a puzzled look on his face. I didn’t know what to understand from his silence and I decided to help myself. Unable to find one, I exited the store and proceeded to another one. I was met with similar silence and a cold response when I asked for a fan. 

Even a small child will know what a fan is, but Parisians had no clue. What would be a breeze in any English literate nation, really turned out to be Greek in France. More than the heat, the inability to explain frustrated me more.

And this time I was persistent to get an answer. I made gestures with my hand, I showed him the ceiling, and finally asked the sales guy for piece of paper. And when I drew a picture of a fan, he yelled “ventilateur ”. But I was looking for a fan not a ventilateur, a breathing device used in hospitals. And I felt like I was on a ventilateur trying to describe the simplest flywheel that uses electricity to make breeze. But then I had no clue if he was referring to a fan or a de-humidifier or an air-conditioner. With more confusion swirling my hot temper, I left the store.

To add to my frustration, that store was also out of it. Now that I knew the terminology “ventilateur” I hunted the neighborhood stores for one. To add to the heat of weather and complex words in French, most stores had an announcement at the entrance publicizing the non-availability of ventilatuers and asking customers to check back in a few days.

 

That evening after my grueling experience with a French word, I found an "English Fan" in the store below my flat. I rejoiced! And what rejoicing that was when I found the manual of instructions in English and, I mean, in English only!

 

Rue de Paris or Rude Paris!

This is my 12th move in 15 years and that averages a move every 18 months. And my kith & kin, near & dear must be tired of updating their phone books with my new number and keeping track of my moves, I don’t blame them. But I have always had interesting stories for them. It has been 5 days since I landed and I am already finding my roots here. Here are some interesting experiences.

 

Rue de Paris or Rude Paris?

Paris can be tough if you don’t speak French and I felt the pain many North Indians experience when they land in Chennai. Houria, my dear colleague was around to help me get over the language barrier. She helped me get a mobile connection, cable and internet at home, ofcourse the most important a bank account! God bless Houria!

Before I moved into the house, a surveyor (a Public servant) inventoried the contents and condition with a dictaphone and camera. He even examined the condition of the mattress, counted the number of spoons, knives, glasses and plates. To me this looked like an Income tax raid back home. And the real estate agent, like many others, was greedy and was asking me to recommend him to others at my work place. You need to look at the picture album below to find out what I inherited from the earlier tenant.

Rue de convenience
I am going to recommend to the Municipality of Paris to rename the street where I stay to “rue de convenience”. Below my apartment is a supermarket, a laundromat, a grocery store, a pharmacy. 500m from home is Oberkampf metro station, and LCL bank. Across from my home is a bakery, and Pierre Sang’s restaurant (a Korean a master chef who serves a 6 course French meal with Korean touch and people queue up from 6 pm for dinner that opens at 7pm).

 

Making a boiling start
A Tamil proverb goes “Amma katti kodutha sorum and solli kodutha varathaiyum yetthanai nalaikku?” which means how long will mother’s words of wisdom and food from her kitchen last? I remembered this proverb when I started to set up the new kitchen. Don’t we all need to cook our own food and develop our own wisdom to lead our life?

Keeping up with the South Indian tradition, I boiled milk. Since it was late in the evening, I couldn’t invite anyone for a little get together and serve milk and fruits. But still gave a traditional start to my life in Paris. And this news would make my grandmother feel proud and happy. I imagined grandmother next me as I boiled the milk for the 12th time in 15 years.

 

Finding roots and making it home

Like animals humans are also territorial and we find our space by leaving our pug marks and scent. And when I finally unpacked the 4 boxes not only did I find a home for my belonging, but also created my own space that I can come back to at the end of every day. Another way of feeling at home is to discover a portion of your country in the new place. It could be a small temple, music from back home, or a store that sells our spices. A trip to La Chapelle makes you happy, nostalgic and takes your back to your root. Apart from Saravana Bhavan and Sangeetha, I found drumstick (Bhagyaraj remedy or comedy or malady?), jasmine flowers, bitter gourd, dosa & idli batter and mangoes from Pakistan that rarely comes to India. At the Cash & Carry store, I picked up Toor dal for Sambar, Rice, broken wheat for upma, chilli powder, some raisins and cashews to make payasam. I am yet to make a trip to the Ganesha temple at rue de Pajol, but I saw a poster at the grocery story about the car festival for Ganesha on September 1.

My maternal grandmother takes so much comfort in cooking and feeding, visiting temples and when I call her this week I will I will have stories to make her feel elated. She may even want to visit me in Paris, who knows?

Fear of the unknown
The first night at the apartment, I was a little scared and felt unsettled (like many girls and boys). Yes, it was the fear of the unknown! I didn’t know who lived there and if the vibes of the place was good. If I consumed alcohol, then a few shots would have calmed me down. But instead I tired myself throughout the day from unpacking, shopping, and doing other chores and soothing music from back home helped me land instantly in slumberland. And next morning when I woke up I felt rested and rejuvenated and it was beginning to feel like home. 

Every day begins with filter coffee
For a South Indian, that too a Tamil Brahmin (Tam Brahm) a day doesn’t begin without piping hot South Indian Filter coffee. Paris may be famous for expresso, but can it match up to our filter coffee? I played old Tamil film songs from 60s, 70s, 80s (mostly MSV, Illayaraja) and started to cook. And I kept the French windows open to let the waft of our spices and music invigorate Rue Oberkampf in Paris (arrond. 11). Want to know what I cooked on day 1? Aha!

A story is born from our interpretation of a place and life, so flip through the album for a short glimpse of my Paris - https://picasaweb.google.com/108289564546757100555/ParisParis#

 

Don’t be scared to visit me in Paris and be rest assured that I will make you feel at home. Merci Beacoup!

A 11 hour movie marathon

How does one self-entertain when you are immobilized and restricted to a chair, your mobile phone forced to be in a vegetative state and you are fed at frequent intervals at 40,000 feet?

 

One could kill time by Reading, sleeping, listening to music, watching movies, and working on your laptop. The choices may be limited and may contain you in your seat, but still it can be introspective, enriching, funny, thoughtful and restful. I have done other things too...but that is not for a public consumption.

 

I was in an electric chair, sorry, I meant to say an entertainment chair during the 11 hour journey from Paris to Chennai. Here is a list of movies that I managed to watch.

 

1. Side effects - It is a movie about a psychiatrist (Jude Law), his patient and the drug he prescribes. The linear story telling gets interesting when the psychiatrist discovers other stories his patient concocts. As the movie progresses, a cocktail of twists and emotions leaves you and the psychiatrist bewildered like the psychiatric medication. Catherine Zeta Jones, a (bi)polar patient in real life, plays the role of a psychiatrist in the movie. Click here to watch the preview.

 

2. The Darjeeling Limited - Every life is a journey, some seek happiness, some seek relationship, some seek solace, bonding and closure. The movie is about a family traveling to India with a hope of getting their relationships back on rails (literally and figuratively) The movie at times employs cliches about India, namely, snakes and gurus (sadhus) but still the struggle to connect, heal and move on makes it a delightful watch. Click here to watch the trailer.

 

3. Nina- An Italian movie (not about violence, corruption, or pizza glistening with olive oil) that shares a short time period in the life of an artist, Nina. Stunning camera angles, soul stirring music, simple story line and elegant cast and costumes leaves with a lasting impression of Italy. It is a must watch for all art, music and photography enthusiasts. Click here to watch the trailer.

 

4. Quartet - Is there an escape from old age and our baggage from the past? Can love and life happen in a retirement home? The movie plot is around a retirement community of musicians and connoisseurs and their life and love. A new entrant, Maggie Smith, on the wait-list for a hip replacement, arrives just before a big performance at the retirement community. Did her arrival turn the performance into a symphony or a cacophony? Did it alter the mood in the Beecham house? Click here to watch the trailer.

 

5. Office Space: It is a movie about personal and professional unhappiness, boredom, insecurity, and our reaction to management decisions at work place. Majority of us will relate to this movie. Click here to watch the trailer.  

Jannal - redraws the new boundaries of the next society!

 

K Balachander is a master story teller and he needs no introduction and hasn’t stopped surprising us with his themes, stories and characters on the big and small screens. I have watched his productions Kai Alavu Manasu, Rayil Sneham, Premi, Kadhal Pagadai, but missed out on his tele-serials Chitthi, Anni, and Jannal. A friend of mine suggested that I watch the Jannal serial.

 

Jannal is a family story where the director shines light on the greed, money, love, and insecurity and highlights patience and family values. The characters come with hoard of expectations from each other. When they see each other’s real sidethey lose their patience, often reach their flash point, and vigorously defend their decisions driven by their ego, desire and love.

As a result of their decisions, they go through experiences, while some learn their lessons and mend their ways, but often use society as a reason to purport their decisions. It is a drama of youth vs. old; love vs.greed; tradition vs. modernity, and my way vs. highway.

Be it in his movies or serials, KB definitely gives a message to the society and his unexpected climaxes expand your horizon of thinking, understanding and acceptance. It is not an over statement to say he often redraws the boundaries of the next society.

A peek into the main characters:

Kalyani amma - very kind and giving, extrovert, wants to earn her meal, and takes the moral high ground. She is often disappointed by how society and people looks at her relationship with GK. She weaves the social fabric, but is often disappointed when the fabric catches fire because of her widowhood.

GK - child like, lively, funny, patience, doesn't seem to bother much about society or his health!

Mahesh - leaves his parents to keep his wife happy, but is disappointed when she doesn't measure up to his expectations.

Priya - expects Mahesh to be his friend and a photo copy of her father. When he doesn't let her have her way it sets the relationship on fire.

Ramya - selfish, individualistic, and is very money minded even when it comes to her father.

Balu - is away making money and is absent for most episodes, but finally delivers the punch that pushes his mother out of his house.

The youth have their definition of life, and the elderly have their definition. And conflicts arise when the try and define how each other should live their lives.

Aptly titled, Jannal provides your view of the world, but it is often a small pixel of life. Jannal is a show window. It shows how the youth are driven by money and how success and money defines their relationships. The older ones seem to over ambitious parents, who worry too much about success, future and comfort of their children and ensure that they measure up to their expectations and expectations of the society. In reality, we often we use Jannal to make ourselves look picture perfect to society watching us from the outside.

The First 15 episodes can wear your patience with clichés, and the title song, but nevertheless it lends you a leaf or more to learn. Last 15 episodes brings people together, resolves issues and redraws the new boundaries of the next society. The You Tube has all 39 Episodes and I have posted the first episode on top for reference.

The Youth of India are watching

There was time when I used to come back from school and share all the highlights and happenings with mom and she would patiently listen and respond as I finish up my late afternoon snack. 35 years later, the setting is the same, we sit across from each other, but our roles have reversed. I come back from work and mom hands over the evening snack and she shares her highlights and happenings from her day.

With my nephew arriving from Delhi for his summer vacation, I get a lot less updates from mom. She is busy feeding, engaging him and growing the special bond with her grandson. I watch their interaction from a distance, and it is a big entertainment when I get back home.

Earlier this week when I got back from work and I looked around for my nephew. The swing was filled with his story books and toys, but he was missing. When I followed the waft emanating from the kitchen, I saw him seated on the kitchen counter, and mom was making fresh dosas and he was intently listening to mom and getting his dose moral education through stories.

And yesterday when I stepped into the house, my nephew was not at home. He had gone to play with kids in our apartment. When I called for my nephew my mother walked towards me carrying pride in her chest. I immediately understood that she had something good and interesting to share. Before I let her share, I asked her for a cup of coffee and went to clean my hands and feet. And as I entered the kitchen to pick up the hot cup of filter coffee, I found mom gloating in pride and words queuing behind her lips.

Come on let’s hear her.

So now what?

Earlier in the day, an elderly resident in our apartment got stuck in the elevator. The alarm in the elevator had failed and she had to use her vocal cord to get attention. Since it was early noon, people had retired for a short snooze in the swooning heat and none other than my nephew heard her call.  He rushed towards the main door in the house, unlatched it and tried to find the source of the SOS call. And when he identified where it came from, he quickly went back into the house and got my mother.

My mother immediately established verbal contact with the resident trapped in the elevator and asked her try out a few things to get the elevator to the nearest floor. None of the tricks worked and manual intervention was the only way out. It would take a minimum of five minutes to get the key and move it to the nearest floor. While my mother went downstairs to fetch the key and carry out the next set of procedures, my nephew stayed in contact with the woman in the elevator.

During the next 10 minutes, my nephew tried to console and assured her of immediate help and diverted her attention by narrating the Cinderella story. Very soon mom got the elevator moving to the floor above and the woman was set free.

A hero by the afternoon

Drenched in sweat, the woman stepped out of the elevator. She was moved when she saw the 6 year old kid who kept her fear and anxiety at bay by giving her periodic assurances and diverting her attention by narrating the Cinderella story.  She took him up in her arms, showered him with a volley of kisses, and blessed him for his presence of mind and assuaging words. Very soon the tale spread across the apartment like a wild fire and that afternoon all the other womenfolk came over to our house to see and bless my nephew.

At the age of 6, my nephew was already swarmed by women and was showered with their appreciation, admiration and kisses (something we all need to be afraid of). He had no idea what he had done, but enjoyed till it all lasted and soon disappeared into his world of cars, cartoons and bi-cycle.

And that night, I interviewed my nephew like a journalist. I wanted to know who had asked him to keep speaking to the woman in the elevator and how did he get the idea of engaging her by narrating a story. He said, “Grandma always shares a story when I am sad or upset and so I decided to do the same to this woman who was sad and upset.” And then I went on to ask why he chose the Cinderella story. He said Cinderella is a girl and thought the woman would enjoy girly stories. His answers to my two questions were simple, plain, honest, instantaneous and unpretentious.

Every time he comes over for a vacation, my nephew doesn’t fail to amazes us with a new trick or talent. Two years ago, one evening, he effortlessly rendered a few krithis of Muthuswami Dikshithar and Shyama Sastri krithis in difficult ragas and made our heads turn and jaws drop. He was not formally taught those songs, but picked it up while he accompanied my sister to her music class.

While genetic science traces back a lot of qualities we exhibit to genetic material, psychological science attributes a lot of our qualities to the ambience we live and grow-up in. “Avar nallavar aavathum, theeyavar aavathum annai valarpiniley…” goes an old Tamil film song.

Kids are like sponge, they may not have the capacity to distinguish what is right and wrong and they tend absorb all that is around them. So, beware how you behave in front of your children and what you teach, share and show them. If you haven’t watched Behave yourself India, The youth of India are watching campaign by The Hindu Newspaper, watch it now and remember the future of this nation are growing up watching you.