V’Day & Winter Olympics

Today is Valentines Day 2010. It always surprises me why there is so much brouhaha over it in India—despite a repetition of threats from the asinine Shiv Sena goons, thankfully the day was peaceful there. Abhi & I have decided to spend it at home watching lots of TV and resisting the urge to venture out. Last year we did the same, except that at 7 p.m. we finally gave in, got all dressed up and set out to North End – the artsy Italian hub of Boston with numerous ‘happening’ restaurants. In our excitement though, we forgot to acknowledge that other city couples have more foresight. After spending a half hour trying to find street parking, we were forced to park the car in a lot for 25$!! Then we strolled around the crowded restaurant row, peering inside windows, looking over menus, trying to pick just the right place. Our hearts soon settled on one, we walked in, only to be politely asked if we had made a reservation. ‘No’, we replied. “Okay then, you can wait for 2 hours!”..Hmm.. 6 other restaurants just simply refused to entertain walk-ins..Despondent, and frozen after walking in the cold for 30 minutes, I was ready to call it quits, when on our way back, we walked by this cool & ‘very full’ corner restaurant. And as though it was meant to be, we got a spot, right by the window! after waiting for just 15 mins. So yep, we did manage to eat in the North End that night with live music, candlelight et al. But advice in general, be more planned with your V’day voyages.

On a different note though, just watched the Indian luge contestant Shiv Keshavan on TV take his turn on the track. I didn’t know until the opening ceremony that India was even represented in the Winter Olympics and was very pleasantly surprised to discover otherwise! Keshavan actually did a great job—though I know very little about the sport. In fact, after watching footage of the terrible accident 2 days back, I was very skeptical if such a high-risk sport should even be played. However, as Abhi pointed out, most sports have an inherent risk and while such accidents can point the way to make them more safe, it probably doesn’t imply that they be given up altogether.

Ishqiya & More..

Unplanned outings are usually fun - so when Abhi proposed going out for 'Ishqiya' an hour before the evening show yesterday--I couldn't let it pass. Plus, I really admire Vishal Bhardwaj for the creativity & innovativeness he brings to Indian cinema. The reviews had been lukewarm--yet we were excited to watch it for ourselves. Indian movies play at this shady, worn-out multiplex in Cambridge--its probably a left-over from the 70's, with crappy screens, sound system and VOC-laden furnishings. Yet, when you really don't have a choice, it's easier to make the trip. It seemed like we were going to have the hall all to ourselves when we walked into the deserted theatre, but soon about ten more desis streamed in. The movie started promptly at 7.00. A couple of minutes passed and the glaring ceiling lights didn't dim as expected. A few more minutes went by and we looked around, frantically gesturing to the projection window behind. Ten minutes in, Abhi decided to take a walk to the counter outside. And as expected---they had forgotten that our movie had begun :) So lighting matters sorted, the movie progressed uneventfully till ‘Intermission’. Lights and radio  came on and everything was hunky-dory except that 5 minutes passed, then 10, then 15 and it started to feel like an eternity. Abhi was all set to venture out again when I noticed activity in the projection room upstairs. Movie was soon back on track—at almost 2 hours it was a short B’wood movie and thankfully played without subtitles. Imagine Vishal Bhardwaj dialogues in translation! So, my thoughts about the movie—firstly, it was a very entertaining watch, although not one of his best works. Yet, judged independently, the movie has a unique storyline, great characterization and acting, innovative dialogues, a very keen portrayal of contemporary Indian life and is beautifully situated in its geographic context.

I am getting ready to watch the opening of the Winter Olympics on TV, so this post has to end fast! Before I sign off though, I started a companion blog to Nayi-Taazi yesterday titled Lost & Found—to focus primarily on issues related to architecture & preservation. Hard as it is (at least for me) to find time even for one blog, I hope to keep them both alive and find opportunity and content to share from time to time :)

Snowfall or Snowstorm

For the past two hours, infact for the past two days, all local TV channels have been pounding about the imminent snow-storm in Boston. All schools are closed, state employees have been given a day-off, flights delayed and events cancelled. I’m sure the storm is strong enough to merit all the attention—yet sometimes you just wonder! When we first moved to Boston, we were quite surprised by the how important weather seemed to be in all aspects of life here. Granted that Boston has really cold winters and proximity to the sea leads to more frequent bouts of precipitation. But granting primetime headline status to the weather was not something we were used to. Headline news in India is almost always dominated by politics, scams, violent attacks and the like. Even Arizona seemed like it could care less about the weather (Well it was always just frickin-hot there—probably not much to report, when every day is 100+ F). So when Channel 7 in Boston begins their daily coverage with inches of rainfall and how the daily commute will look on the highway, it still manages to incite small amounts of amazement. Of course most news here is local as opposed to national in India, and maybe talking about the weather is an identifier of a developed country as opposed to a developing one. Nonetheless, the north-east TV journalists do have a tendency to amp up all weather phenomena—what one would call a rainfall in India is always a ‘storm’ here, and a snowfall is more often than not a ‘snowstorm’. More drama—more excitement! I just hope private corporations latched on to it more often—it would have certainly been fun to have the day off from office!

Swimming? Uh..hmm..as long as the pool’s heated!

The weekend was spent trying to decide on a do-able, interesting and inexpensive  spring class at the BU gym. Reason being the fact that membership subsidizes class fees and a pre-determined schedule facilitates more regular attendance at the gym. (Well, the class is merely once every week, but my gym-visit average for the past month has been dismal enough to desire even this level of regularity!). The choice for the longest time was between rock-climbing 101 and swimming 101- latter won one account of being a more essential [potentially life-saving :)] skill in my mind. The fact that the classes are on Sunday & pool waters are maintained at a balmy 86F sealed the deal. The first class yesterday was really good fun! The instructors were very helpful—the kind who have the knack of winning people’s trust, particularly helpful  in situations when they ask you to lie on your back & let go of your head under water. I must say the first time I did that and water invaded my nose and throat, prospects of making much headway started to look dismal. Yet a few helpful tips later, and realizing that everyone in swimming 101 was in the same boat boosted my confidence. And oh la la—45 minutes later I had learnt how to submerge my head under water for a few seconds without getting all choked up, float on my back AND stomach, and most importantly had managed to bypass my shyness in wearing a one-piece swimsuit! :)

2010, Home Alone, Netflix, BPL and my SewMac..

Yep! a decade of the new millennium is already over (where did it go!) Well, come to think of it-- college, more college, Abhi, marriage & work—it was actually quite an eventful decade :)..How on earth did I get so reflective on the whole decade though—as I began the post, I intended to merely acknowledge our foray into 2010. CNN was having an inane poll today btw about whether most people will refer to this year as “twenty-ten” or “two-thousand and ten” and the resounding verdict was in favor of the latter (much to the dismay of the anchors who thought the former was more trendy!). I am always amazed at who comes up with these gazillion polls and who responds to these things. Abhi has actually put me down a guilt trip about this in the past---well no, not TV/internet polls, but my total non-commitment towards writing product reviews on websites, especially cause I base my decision to buy-or-not after reading gazillion reviews myself. He thinks it is absolutely necessary for the sustenance of the system for customers like me to contribute---he’s probably not wrong..I’m just really lazy about the whole thing, besides there seem to a whole lot of other interested folks to pen reviews :)

It is so easy to go off on a tangent with blogging..especially when you write a post (like me) after a break of 3 months..nonetheless, steering back, the past week has been an interesting experience of living alone at home and watching waaaay more TV than I would ever have had the time if Abhi was around. Part of it is that I like to have some noise in the house, although the bigger reason is, my rather late discovery of Netflix Instant Play and the fact that they have a reasonably good collection, including many new/old foreign movies. So, post-discovery I have already watched 8 movies in 3 days…infact my eyes were watery last night at 2 am after all the viewing, yet I gave in to the urge of another one – OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit with the watery part..but aleast they were all droopy :)..So the first movie I watched was the Ken Burns documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright—I had just finished the book ‘Loving Frank’ about FLW’s illicit affair with a married woman Mamah Cheney in the early 1900’s and was aching to piece that part in his larger life story and also ogle at historic photos & footage. The movie did just that. In retrospect though I have had enough of FLW for quite a while. The second was a documentary, Blindsight-about a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas with 6 blind kids from Tibet. The movie was a bit heavy, yet well made and unique. Following that was a forgettable 1996 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston—when you watch so many movies there are bound to be some unfortunate choices! Moving on though, ‘Wake up Sid’ was a delightful Hindi film that I had somehow missed watching when released last year. It’s fresh, contemporary and remains interesting throughout. Next, I watched ‘Outsourced’ – an Indo-Hollywood film in English about an American who is sent to a small Indian town to train call center employees—I was quite sure that I wouldn’t like the movie before I started watching, thinking it would be stereotypical & kitschy. And yes it was all that in parts-yet rather funny and very entertaining! Following that was the 2008 documentary Food Inc. about the corporatization of the whole food industry in the US. The movie was well-made but didn’t exactly hit me as it would have, had I watched the movie a few years earlier-- back in the day when I had never read a label on a food product before, and honestly didn’t even know/care how to interpret that info even if I did. Since coming to the US though, my approach towards food has changed..I no longer just buy stuff I like off the shelf and consume it gluttonously placing my trust in my genetically slender bodyframe (or atleast so I like to believe!) Not that I’m worried about gaining weight now, but am definitely concerned about dumping preservatives in my body just cause that food has to have a certain shelf-life. Make as much food from raw materials as you can, and buy right to make sure the ‘raw’ materials are truly raw, seems like the sensible thing to do—yet is easier said than done especially when you have limited time and budget. Yet, no harm trying! ‘Whats Your Rashee?’ was a painfully long hindi movie, funny in parts but tiresome overall. Next up was ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’ a Shyam Benegal creation that I watched this morning- and what a delightful movie it is! Refreshing and original, with excellent acting, music and dialogues, the movie is satirical yet light – a must-watch! The invention of the HDMI cable and the fact that it allows all these movies to be viewed on my wide-screen TV makes life all the better—bless the people who invent this stuff!

In between the movies though, books from the Boston Public Library have kept me company at bedtime, on the WC and on the T. The Public Library system is one of those things that I absolutely love about US cities..and BPL is supposedly the grand-daddy of them all, being the first public library in the US. It’s central branch is right next to my office and although it is quite difficult to find recent bestsellers, there is still a huge collection of books to choose from. I am also thankful to my SewMac (my 70-stitch ‘computerised’ sewing machine) for being there in times like these. Actually since Abhi doesn’t let me spend too much time on it while he’s around, this is probably the best opportunity to churn out the duvet-set and lunch-bags that I have been meaning to complete in ages!

So much for now..

I salute the light within you..

It is strange that I had never really wondered before what NAMASTE literally meant. I mean I knew it meant something that implied the act of bowing in Sanskrit. But wouldn’t have been able to dissect the word down to its roots and elaborate what its literate meaning was. So today when I heard the rendition in the blog title (in a yoga CD of all places!) it got me thinking.. Its pretty neat isn’t it? ‘I salute the light within you!’ ….Seems like a lot to say in a single, short greeting, yet quite remarkable! Its derived from the Sanskrit namas (bow) and te (to you). More accurately though, the implied meaning of the term is - "I respect that divinity within you that is also within me". Of all the countless times that I have spoken this word and greeted family, friends, acquaintances and strangers, I never appreciated its entire breadth. The act of pressing your palms together and bringing them close to the chest that accompanies the vocal address is a pose called ‘anjali mudra’. The symbolism behind the pose is that one hand represents the divine, spiritual self, while the other represents the worldly self. By combining the two, the person making the gesture is attempting to rise above his differences with others, and connect himself with the person to whom he bows. I am not sure if the meaning of the term will really come to my mind the next time I use the salutation—I will probably parrot it out of habit as I have been doing for so many years..Yet I at least know what it implies now and will hopefully try to make it mean more on some occasions!!

Part III: A sense of calm..

Day 21: It was the longest run of our training yet-- 20 miles! I could still feel pain at the back of my knee while walking, hence running was not an option. It was a big day for Abhi though! So I decided to accompany him and bike my way along on the Minuteman Trail while he completed his 20-mile run. It is interesting that although walking was painful, biking actually felt quite good since it does not involve the same muscles and repetitive impact. It was great to cheer Abhi and the other runners and I was able to get some cardiovascular exercise too in the bargain! Getting out actually felt better than staying home. At the same time it was difficult to sit out yet another run. Typically a few weeks before any marathon, athletes enter what is called a ‘taper period’. That means you do shorter runs at an easy effort with the intent of not over-exerting your body and resting it to be strong for race day.  So in a couple of weeks, our group was about to begin this period—this meant that peak training time was NOW … or never. Everybody in our group was sorry to hear about my injury and hopeful that I recuperate soon.

Meanwhile, as a last ditch effort, our coach recommended another physical therapist. I decided to give it a shot. So on Day 25, I was at his office bright and early at 7 a.m. I was very apprehensive – after having visited a couple of doctors and PT’s in the past few weeks, there was a weird sense of deja vu and a fear of getting lost in circles again. To my pleasant surprise though, things turned out quite differently! After some quick questions and evaluation, the therapist was very confidently able to diagnose that my problem seemed to be ‘popliteus tendonitis’ – an inflammation in the popliteus tendon that runs at the back of the knee. The symptoms he described for the condition fit in quite well with my own and I was relieved that finally there seemed to be a definitive diagnosis. Now, the important question was recovery and time-frame. He said we could be ‘cautiously optimistic’ about running. But first it was important to treat the injury—that meant no running and only simple exercises that he prescribed. To speed up the healing he affixed a patch filled with anti-inflammatory medication that uses a micro electric current to "drive" charged molecules through the skin and into the tissues. As I have now learned the process is better known as ‘iontophoresis’ and is a common therapy tool. I felt really good that day—it was as if the pain had absolutely disappeared!! However, as the effect of the medication wore on, the pain was back by evening – though lesser in intensity! This was a promising sign.

It’s now been 2 days since then. I have to meet the therapist for sessions throughout next week. I am still not sure how my knee will feel once I start running – though I want to be optimistic! These past weeks have been chaotic—I have realized how frustrating it can be to not be able to do something that you thought you almost did. I have also been humbled by the sheer reality of circumstances that present themselves, and the importance of finding a silver lining in bleak times. Through the well-wishes of family and friends I have found the ability to remain positive. I will still try to train for the full marathon (if time allows), will aim for the half-marathon if that doesn’t work out, and will try my best to raise funds for AID and ASHA even if I can’t run. It is because I have realized in this process that it is not simply about running – it is about finishing what I started – about making this journey worthwhile. If by something I can do-- like running or reaching out to my friends and colleagues-- I can help two hard-working organizations find solutions to some of India’s overwhelming problems, it is totally worth the effort. So if you are reading this, please visit my fundraising page for TEAM AID-ASHA at http://2009.teamaidasha.org/Runner.aspx?Num=20088826 and donate any amount that suits you. Your donation will be so important in bringing about grassroots change in India  – and the gesture will raise my spirits to heal fast and run hard!