Remember the Time

I like to run without music piping into my ears. This frees up some mental capacity to visual the way forward on topics that need my attention. At times, I also afford the luxury of a flashback.

 

Gone to run earlier this week, and hit flashback mode on two unrelated topics, though both in news currently - Krishna Janmashtami  and Indian Badminton Week (IBL).

 

Down south in Bangalore I have not seen Janmashtami celebrated with the same fervor as the North of India. Though admittedly my data point is archaic having been out of north now for 8 years. However, while running last week I came across some school children dressed up in finery as Krishna and Radha. Back in time as well participating in Janmasthami celebrations was a big deal. I wasn’t particularly charged about it but my sister was always up for it. Sounds laughable now but I recall getting into an argument with a neighbor who was positioning her daughter against my sister to play the part of Radha at a local Janmasthami event. I don’t remember though finally where we landed on this issue.

 

IBL has hit my mileage. I did not watch all the matches but whenever I did the day stretched beyond midnight. This meant not been able to start early enough to go 10K and beyond. IBL hangover also spilled into my everyday exercise regime. In order to fit a couple of games of badminton I had to forego a few kilometers of running. Not that I am complaining. It is always good to give some variety to body and mind!

 

IBL did take me back many years in time. Time when summer vacations meant finding a vacant piece of plot in and around our locality. The only requirement being it should be a bit broader than 20 feet by 44 feet to accomodate a full length badminton court, and an option to grab electricity from the closest possible friendly acquaintance.

Though not a long list of requirements but it was not always easy to find such a space. The effort did not stop at that. A vacant plot was not really vacant. It attracted all kinds of unwarranted elements - some by forces of nature and some by mindless acts of humans, and scavengers. It would take a group of us anywhere between 3 to 5 days to plough the plot into a level field before the chalk powder could be used to mark the borders and poles dug up either side to hold the net. Flashlights, to enable play during the cooler night hours during summers, was the last one to come up. I remember having "dirtied my hands" in setting up at least 3 such courts. Once we had to even engage external laborers as the pile-up was beyond our ‘handling capacity'. It took a lot of manual labor before we could start playing, but then we had enough time to spare in a 2-month summer break.

 

Anyone out there with similar memories?