There is no better way to get to know the city than by running with the locals there. I left for Chennai on a nippy Monday morning from Mumbai and i reached a city, hot and in a state of political fervor. Amma, the local high priestess of politics, was still in custody and the city was in anticipation of an imminent bail.
I went to my new office, met my office colleagues and the day passed away in a breeze. It was only when i reached my guest house that i realized that i had left my past life behind and embarking upon a new one.
I slept fitfully. Trying to adjust to the new smells and sounds and not wanting to see the break of dawn in a new city.
However i had made plans to run with a local chapter of runners and here i was at 4.45 am outside my guesthouse much to the bemusement of the watchman and walking a few blocks to the assigned place where the runners were supposed to meet.
I was thinking about how people can get up at 5am in the morning on a weekday as usually people wake up at 6ish for a run in Mumbai. Anyway i reached the place and found to my surprise a sprightly bunch of people numbering almost ten chattering away at such a early godforsaken time.
Someone clearly identified that i was a new comer, came up to me and introduced himself. Soon i was chatting with the others. All typical white collar professionals working in software, education, banks etc. Typical middle class Indians united with the common theme of running.
And so i set off for a 10km run traversing various city points and touching the beach at the halfway mark. On the way i saw several hundred runners of various groups practicing flyovers and hill raises. All in cheerful spirits and shouting their hi/hellos.
I finished my run and all of us took the mandatory picture and i was soon added to the whatsapp group and all kinds of jokes and random forwards were soon embellishing my phone.
Wait a minute, this is exactly the way it happens in Mumbai.
I just changed my pincode. But its all the same everywhere. And somehow i am mighty glad about it..
I went to my new office, met my office colleagues and the day passed away in a breeze. It was only when i reached my guest house that i realized that i had left my past life behind and embarking upon a new one.
I slept fitfully. Trying to adjust to the new smells and sounds and not wanting to see the break of dawn in a new city.
However i had made plans to run with a local chapter of runners and here i was at 4.45 am outside my guesthouse much to the bemusement of the watchman and walking a few blocks to the assigned place where the runners were supposed to meet.
I was thinking about how people can get up at 5am in the morning on a weekday as usually people wake up at 6ish for a run in Mumbai. Anyway i reached the place and found to my surprise a sprightly bunch of people numbering almost ten chattering away at such a early godforsaken time.
Someone clearly identified that i was a new comer, came up to me and introduced himself. Soon i was chatting with the others. All typical white collar professionals working in software, education, banks etc. Typical middle class Indians united with the common theme of running.
And so i set off for a 10km run traversing various city points and touching the beach at the halfway mark. On the way i saw several hundred runners of various groups practicing flyovers and hill raises. All in cheerful spirits and shouting their hi/hellos.
I finished my run and all of us took the mandatory picture and i was soon added to the whatsapp group and all kinds of jokes and random forwards were soon embellishing my phone.
Wait a minute, this is exactly the way it happens in Mumbai.
I just changed my pincode. But its all the same everywhere. And somehow i am mighty glad about it..
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