Game of Life

The sport which comes to mind when we think of Africa is running.

Africans, though by nature not rich in wealth are wealthy in mind and body!

They have the endurance to run long distances, fast!

And that is their fame to glory! They run, for survival.

Many a researcher has tried to understand the science behind their endurance. Many books have been written glorifying the lean powerhouses!

How easy we are to compartmentalise and stereotype!

This movie destroys this notion.

The continent has gone through drought, vast empty lands and poverty and death.

“You can ask yourself, ‘Why would so many people experience this kind of miserable place and not vacate?’ Because it is a place full of people with nowhere else to go.”

The movie I watched was about stark reality. Very similar to the slums in India, the absence of basic education, the unhygienic living conditions, the race for survival.

Into this is introduced a character so out of place and different.  A man on a mission- a missionary with a new born baby and a wife who teaches at the local school.

Chess- a game of skill, a thinkers game, strategy, planning, intelligence and wit.

The young children are quickly drawn into the game by the missionary. He coaches them, teaching them life's survival through each move.

The Queen is a 14 year old, unassuming girl, she does not read, write or go to school.  

Wise beyond her years,  seen so much losses already in life, she picks up the game and applies her survival instinct to it.

“Losing teaches me to play better.”- Phiona

“Phiona Mutesi is the ultimate underdog. To be African is to be an underdog in the world. To be Ugandan is to be an underdog in Africa. To be from Katwe is to be an underdog in Uganda. To be a girl is to be an underdog in Katwe"

Tim Crothers, The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster

And this Ugandan girl from the slum slays her opponents, one by one, from every nation, with her calm demeanour, a controlled mind and a delightful smile!

We see her breaking down at times, when she  sees failure, lost opportunities, ambitions being trampled upon, but the strong will of someone who has lost forces her to win!

Her coach believes in her, fights for her and the selflessness of the missionary man helps her succeed. That was all she needed, the belief and the support.

An inspiring story made into an intelligent movie, directed by Mira Nair, this movie has a star cast who represent the living characters so well.

Goes to say the poverty chain can be broken if we would all step in and do our bit to help those who are in need and need it most!

"What matters is when you reset the pieces and play a game.”

 Phiona asked Kaitende, "Coach, you told us to make a plan but I fear things will never change.” and the above quote was his reply.

This is not just about Chess, but about Life!

Queen of Katwe

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4341582/

There Will Be Blood

Continuing with the Christmas mood, I picked up a book to read this month

A gift for my daughter from a  friend, one of my favourite authors.

When I read her books as a Young  Adult, I thought  of them as mysteries to crack. 

Now when I read, I understand how well she portrays the British elitists, the craving for a life above ordinary.

The psychology of a killer and the victim too! 

And some truisms! 

“I believe the present matters --- not the past! The past muust go. If we seek to keep the past alive, we end, I think, by distorting it. We see it in exaggerated terms --- a false perspective. - Hilda Lee” 

She makes me finish a book in one siting and that is what I did with this one!!

Known for techniques, intriguing plots, planning, the set up and finally quiet murders, this one is a shocker! 

There was blood!  Lot of it! and it was not without its underlying connection to the whole murder. 

“I know enough of life to know that you can never judge any case on its outside merits.” 

This one line describes this mystery!

A prodigal son, a dysfunctional family, brought together during Christmas by the old doyen of the Lee family who thinks he can have some fun at their expense.

But the tables get turned(literally) and a murder is staged! 

Hercule Poirot has an arrogant way of solving mysteries which puts off his Scotland Yard friends, but here the police seem eager to get his help to solve this mystery. 

And therein lies the mystery.

A wonderfully woven story, love her flow of writing, clean vocabulary so uncommon in today's novels and the ways of the devious minds!

Nothing Christmassy about this one for sure!!

A satisfying read, 3 hours well spent! 
Her novels remind me of a patchwork quilt. Individuality woven together to create a masterpiece! 

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie 

Love Actually

The nip in the air, the warmth of the blanket, the comforting afternoon sun, colourful cardigans, steaming hot coffee, huggable nights and baking.

Winter feels warm when the oven is on. For Baking is Loving. 

The knowledge that Christmas is around the corner perks us all up.

I love Christmas. 

It's a birthday, celebrations and loving and giving.

Growing up it was about baking, the house looked and smelt like a bakery! 

The chopping of nuts and dry fruits, weeks ahead of  D-Day, heady essence of cut fruits mixed in potent brandy, the high we got when we inhaled the aroma wafting through the house on baking day!

Rich cake, fruit cake, date cake. Christmas cake.

Several variations, all drunk.

Once I left my parental home and set up my own and started my own baking rituals, in the land of plenty baking a Christmas cake was a pleasure!

The ingredients we had to painstakingly search for to buy and clean in a small town in TamilNadu, now were so easily accessible. 

I stuck to the traditional SriLankan Christmas Cake.

Customised it to suit my taste, chopping and mixing with a dose of love. 

It is indeed a labour of love.

and Cost!

But that seems insignificant when you know this cake is going to be causing so much joy and giggles among friends and relatives.

Its November, my fruits have been chopped, the spices have been ground and mixed. I have been generous with my brandy and love the weekly overdose! The reds, yellows, gold, green, black and whites all comfortable in each others company.

Osmosis in your kitchen! 

Another month of soaking and mixing and the nuts will be plumped up ready for the cake! 

Dense, yet moist, rich flavours, a touch of spice and soft and crunch balanced well! 

The preparation is hard work, it's a good workout for the arm and the long vigil on baking night requires proper planning and ample snacking and TV time. 

And then 10 days of basting the cake readying for Christmas night! 

This birthday boy gets the best cake for sure!

Fire up the Oven! 

Christmas comes but once a year and it's truly the season of loving!  

Winter Sun

The winter sun. 

It warms you like the smile of an old friend.

So do the characters in this book.

It's like coming home! a feeling of comfort. 

It again talks of human nature and the acceptance of people and their roles in our life.

No man is bad, there is goodness in everyone.

The Botswanian's see hardship in their lives because of poverty, extreme weather conditions and lack of opportunities.

A country of empty spaces and echoing skies.

Yet they are a content soul, taking pleasure in everything nature has to offer them.

Not so much about the cases she takes on, but more about her humane approach to the people involved. 

What's not to love about the writing, the life they live and the simple approach to life!!

“Everybody in a village had a role to play in bringing up a child—and cherishing it—and in return that child would in due course feel responsible for everybody in that village. That is what makes life in society possible. We must love one another and help one another in our daily lives. That was the traditional African way and there was no substitute for it. None.” 

“It was always disconcerting to meet those who had become so obsessed with a single topic that they could not see their concerns in context.” 

“Why, she asked herself, why keep a wound open when forgiveness can close it?” 

“She had never been able to tolerate dishonesty, which she thought threatened the very heart of relationships between people. If you could not count on other people to mean what they said, or to do what they said they would do, then life could become utterly unpredictable. The fact that we could trust one another made it possible to undertake the simple tasks of life.” 

Alexander McCall Smith, The Full Cupboard of Life

Hope And Faith

9 months of injuries and illness. 
Stress fracture, injured hamstring muscles, a long drawn asthma attack

And a constant feeling of being tired. 

Skipping gym work-outs wondering if that is the cause. 

I wonder what is wrong with me.

Spend on consultations and medical tests.
Leading to even more worrisome follow ups. 

Invest in physiotherapy.

And then race day is upon me.

Am I ready?

Should I do it?

Self doubts always prevail, confidence always lacks.

Meeting the pacer, gives a little boost to the confidence.

Knowing I have friends and family who are right behind me, cheering for me, supporting me and who promise to be there for me, is all that I need to get to the starting point on race day.

The rains are not being kind, they lash the city at night, leaving me wondering if the early morning run will be washed out due to flooding. 

I spend a sleepless night, checking on the weather regularly. 

With hope and faith and a little headlamp I decide to run through the slight drizzle at 4:15 AM

Keeping pace with the pacing group was easy in the beginning.

We ran avoiding puddles, stones and slippery roads.

The pace was steady, the group was small.

Soon, the half mark and the real race begins.

With that the Half marathon runners join the crowds. And it is a crowd. 

They take over the roads with their energy and enthusiasm.

We are left behind.

The 30th mark and the struggle begins.

Still comfortable, I chug along at a steady pace.

Before I realise, its the 34th Km and I feel the pain. It comes sudden, the twitch.

At the 35th km, fatigue pulls me down. I want to stop. 

A friend whom I did not want to trouble again this year, comes by with much needed encouragement. 

Having come so far, it did not make sense to give up.
"Always concentrate on how far you've come, rather than how far you have left to go."

Help comes in the form of runners, offering gels, salt pills, plenty of which I had. 

I just needed to get to the finish line.

I lose the pacer and continue at my own pace. 

I plead for some pain relief spray, but all aid stations are out of it. 

At 37kms, I give in to the pain, the cramps building up and scream to even take a step.

Good samaritans, runners themselves struggling, come help me lift a leg and stretch the stressed out hamstrings.

Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ:

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."

Determined to continue, whispering a prayer, I carry on, with new found energy.

I manage to maintain the earlier pace till the 40th mark, stopping to refill my bottle.

At 41 I see a familiar face, my pacer, 

He has broken the golden rule of pacing, he has taken the bus 5 minutes ahead of time.

No one was complaining,

He came back for me to make sure I did it.

I was thrilled to see him, He took my bottle from my hand, which was such a relief.

Even a half empty bottle with hands clamped around it, was painful. 

He then started pushing me, I tried running ahead of him, to gain some advantage and walk a few seconds till he caught up.

The final 200 m was a rush into the stadium, hitting the timing mat and meeting the rest of the pacing bus and a hug from my pacer!~!

Gratitude for all those who stood by and cheered me on.

For those who had faith that I could run, even when I was not sure. 

After 2 years, I am humbled yet again.

The route this year was 2 half loops which did make the 2nd stretch a little easy, knowing what to expect. 

But water stations and first aid stands ran out of electral, sprays and biscuits and oranges.

The roads were packed because of all Full marathon, Half marathon and soon 5kms runners being out together at the same time. 

It helped volunteers since they were now concentrated in the same area and not spread across 42 kms. 

No elevations, no flyovers. 

John Hanc, running writer

"I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible."

SPBM 2017

The French Connection

The long weekend saw me making travel plans with the kids.

The thought that this may be the last vacation we take before the exam madness and special classes takes over our lives, I decided to do something different.

A short trip, beach and culture and most importantly good food!

Booked a hotel through a friend. Got cab finalised and ready to go.

As usual last minute changes are inevitable, A school program made us change the schedule a bit and plan our return a day early. 

Some decisions we make in life we regret, very early on.This was one of those.

The city normally clean and pristine and quiet, now reminded me of the city I left behind.

Filthy, noisy, yelling kids, angry drivers and of course familiar number plates.

We checked into our hotel and let the days travel fade away.

Unfamiliar with the heat and humidity we were slowly wilting.

Once the sun set, we set out to explore the French town.

We rushed towards Aurobindo Ashram just before closing time.

We walked through a maze of French sounding streets, keeping an eye out for restaurants for the night.

Being a Hindu festival weekend, the temples were abuzz with noise and colour, amidst all this resides the ashram in silence. 

The clanging and trumpeting all seem to be in another world, when you enter the silent abode.

Once out, we walk towards the Promenade, the heart of the city. 

Walking along the cool rocky beach, the tide crashing against the rocks, cool inspite of the humidity.

Bumping into old friends, coffee on the beach, slow walk back towards the hotel, tired, sleepy for dinner.

The wait for dinner and the lack of most of the items on the menu, was disappointing. 

Yet, we sat through the long wait and returned for another day.

The next day, we drove down to Auroville to experience the community that has been set up,

Again the traffic jams and the long queues to get a parking spot was not something we wanted to experience so far away on a vacation.

We spent a couple of hours walking around, stopped at the famed Auroville Bakery for a crazed shopping spree and was glad to return to the coolness of the hotel in the afternoon.

Evening took us back to the Promenade for a leisurely walk and some popcorn and ice creams on the beach.

Dinner was at a French restaurant we rushed to early in the evening, before the crowds decided to make their move.

A wise decision, we got the best tables, the finest live music and the best service.

We enjoyed the dinner and made our escape before the mad rush began and the waiting crowds spilled onto the streets.

We made our way back to the Promenade for a walk under the moonless skies. This time of the night was not as crowded, but yet noisy,

Morning saw me at church, the famed Notre Dame church, and the Promenade for a view of the beach and crowds who could not get a room for the night sleeping on the beach front! Dirty, garbage, bottles from the night before! 

Not a week to be out in this city.

We left soon after a lovely breakfast ( again getting there early was the key) and were glad to be heading home towards peace and quiet!!

The Year That Was

Watergate scandal rocked the world,

Talks were on to end the Vietnam war,

Sears tower became the tallest building,

Abortion was legalised,

Oil crisis made a dent on the economies of the developed world,

Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' was released.

Neil Patrick Harris - loved now as Barney Stinson was born, 

Bruce Lee lost his last fight- so early in life. 

The Bosphorus bridge was declared open.

Closer home

There were born two babies who would become legends-

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, 

A tennis player was born whose dad once played hockey with my dad- Leander Paes,

Who knew Sakshi Tanwar would become a star of the soap opera,

John Abraham and Aishwarya Rai were biding their time and they were not far behind!

Bobby, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Anamika were creating waves in the movies and music industry!

Marvin Gaye was romancing the world with 'Let's Get It On' 

Let's Get it on

leading to Charlie Puth crooning 'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on' much later on.

Let's Marvin Gaye

And amidst all the chaos and loving, 
in a small town in Tamil Nadu, 
where everyone knew everyone else, 
aptly called the 'Pearl City',  
the world being her oyster,
a new pearl is introduced...