Lesser mortals and Herculean tasks

I'm back after a very, very long time. Almost as long as a 21.097km long half marathon seemed to me till a few months ago. Why the reference to a half marathon you ask? That's because this blog post is about running. I've had only a handful of life altering experiences so far. While I do have a list of life changing experiences that I'd like to have, drawn up, running was definitely nowhere on the list. Why? Because it seemed like the stuff that only the mythological figures that have amazed me, since I was a child, could do.

I was, what I'd call, a lesser mortal, when it came to anything to do with sport. Not because I didn't have the inclination, but because I always shielded myself from the embarassment I thought I'd be putting myself through. A bunch of you reading this have grown up with me, in school and otherwise. When was I ever close to being a sportsperson? Never, ofcourse. So how could I ever get myself to running (running, mind you, not walking) a half marathon? It was, after all, something only people who'd been into sports since their baby years could do, I thought. My father went to a boarding school in the hills, and needless to say, ran agonizingly long distances, growing up. Over the years, I remember him telling me how running had defined his life, how it changed him. But then, he was also, as I thought, no lesser mortal like me. Then again, my friends in school were no less. A bunch ran a 100 m sprint in a mean 11 odd seconds, while others could run a 1500 meter race in 7 to 8 minutes. I, ofcourse, resigned myself to being a lesser mortal, in that sense. 

But was I wrong! It started with me getting out for a stroll in my neighbourhood at 7 in the evening, on the 9th of September, 2013 (yes, I do tend to remember such things - one of my quirks, perhaps). And I started running. My feet kept moving... 5 minutes down, then 10, the  20 minutes, then 45 minutes, and before I knew it, I'd clocked an hour of running at about 7 minutes a km. I'd done it! I'd stepped out of my comfort zone and challenged myself. I'd undertaken, what to me used to seem, a Herculean quest. In my own eyes, I was a lesser mortal, no more.

                        

In the last 3 months, I've learnt to push myself beyond my preconceived limits. Running has been the most exhilarating and life altering experience I've had in the recent past. Even though I've always believed in challenging the odds, this was a reality that I'd never imagined. Yet, it is. I'm running my first Airtel Delhi Half Marathon next week. It's something I always wanted to do, but I'd never imagined myself being able to do it. I'm thrilled. I'm nervous and fearless at the same time. Fearless because I've already achieved what I never thought I would. Nervous because I know I'm not going to stop at this. The next task is running a 42km marathon. When? I'm not sure. Maybe 3 months, maybe 6 months, maybe a year down the line. But I will. After all, I'm no lesser mortal. No one is. I'll keep going as long as I can. More importantly, I'd urge you to find that urge within you to do what you thought yourself incapable of doing. Our lives are too short to waste time setting limits for ourselves. So get out of that cocoon of excuses. Go ahead and prove to yourself that you're no lesser mortal. I'm doing it. So can you. 

I remember now-wasn't Hercules also mortal born? 

Looking back - Chapter 1 - Freshman Year

I am officially a graduate! Yes, I am finally a Commerce graduate from what is widely regarded as India's best undergraduate college for Commerce. The Shri Ram College of Commerce has given me a lot in the last three years. It doesn't help that the years seem to have gone by in a blur!
I remember, the first day I officially stepped into college for my college orientation on the 15th July, 2008. At the steps to the College auditorium with my father (who, mind you, was returning to his alma mater several years later! Hope it was a proud moment for him!), I happened to meet a rather bushy eyebrowed and extremely helpful senior(who was to become the most important person in college and my mentor and role model in more ways than one!). A boring monologue by our rather sincere prinicipal ( whose office was to become an oft visited spot for me in final year) was followed by a visit to our new classrooms!(they were new by all standards, owing to generous donations by our politically and economically endowed alumnae). I still remember vividly being the rather hyper active, over excited 18 year old, making the much unasked for introductions and trying to strike a rapport with my classmates. Most of the people I met on these first two days of college were to become my closest friends!

Soon after, within a week of joining College came the much awaited orientations for society inductions. Now, I have this rather ridiculous habit, of wanting to do everything I probably can. Obviously, even College was an opportunity not to be lost and I soon found myself auditioning an inducted into the College Dramatics and Debating Societies. At the same time, I also got involved with AIESEC Delhi University. This gave me the most challenging two months of college, trying to juggle my time among all three, especially with the rather strong headed heads of the Big D Societies (Varanjot Kaur and Urvashi Gupta) giving me the most difficult time ever! As if this wasn't enough, I soon found myself starting my own band, Bridge To Elsewhere. [in dphoto below, you see the original lineup of the band, B2E : From L-R - Nikhil Maira, Siddharth Vij, Shrey Gupta, Vibhu Galhotra, Arjun Chaudhury(Upper White) and Arnav Chaudhury (lower White). This photo was taken for a newspaper appearance which coincided with our first ever performance at the Lady Shri Ram College for Women on the 8th November, 2008 ( Shivika's birthday).]

( the legacy of which continues today thanks to the drummer and my very dear friend, Nikhil Maira). You'd think I was pushing myself to the limit already, but wait a minute, did I mention that I was spending three and a half hours commuting between home and college everyday (because I let go of the opportunity to take up the Boys Hostel which my father managed to get me admitted to with some difficulty)?

I soon found myself letting go ( with much persuading by myself), one by one, of the College Debating and Dramatics Societies( given that the 2 Ds were somethings I had done extensively at the School level) and continuing only with my band
& AIESEC Delhi University's Corporate Sector.I have fond memories of my time spent in AIESEC, mainly because it has given me some of my closest friends. The year and a half spent with AIESEC was challenging. I found myself picking up the responsibility of Project Head for the Corporate Sector which meant I had to manage a team of about 6 people and service about 8 clients as a part of this group. I managed to come out just fine at the end of the year long term as Project Head in the Corporate Sector. It was rewarding since I managed to achieve my own personal goals and our team was recognised for being the best functioning and most high performing Corporate Sector in AIESEC India. But then, the Project Head term and more about Second year will come under Chapter 2- Sophomore Year. The picture above shows five people. To the extreme left, is the Silent Bystander(me) with Aditya, Ridhi, Rashi and Prapti from left to right. These are some of my closest friends even though they're all atleast a year older than me. They've mentored me and taught me a lot! The picture below is a mixed bag of some of the members of the Corporate Sector of AIESEC DU in 2009. This picture is taken at the DU November Local Congress. This conference has fond memories for various reasons, one of them being that I was recognised as the Best Delegate at the conference. Read on for more about College life in the 2nd Year!

After the Election!

A thrilling election victory exactly four months ago in SRCC's student union elections was not the last of the thrill.It was an exciting month and a half, which resulted in me making some great friends who were there with me through all of it. More importantly, it meant I could actually work towards doing somethings in College the way I had visualised them.

It doesn't help that my father and maternal uncle are alumni ( and that too hostelers, mind you!) of SRCC as well. Being the first day scholar in nearly eighteen years to have become the President of the Students' Union certainly meant a tought year, full of speculation and being in the public glare was in store! Keep looking out to hear of my observations...

My First Ever

Writing has always had its own private corner on my own personal canvas. Its something I've been fond of and also preferred, to express my point of view, but has remained an unexplored domain on this platform. It is subtle, to say the least, in stark contrast to my habit of speaking excessively and allows me to express as freely as my bid to be un-offensive limits the oral expression of my personal opinions.

For a lot of you who will visit my page off and on, please do take some time out to completely read what I write and more importantly, comment. I can safely say that I will value your inputs and may even take them into consideration in the writings that follow.

I am an amateur blogger, a novice, a toddler compared to the quality of bloggers that we find on our very own widey web. Perhaps, in time to come, this might just lead to bigger things...till then...take note of my innocuous confessions but dont be a silent bystander, for that, is a privilege that I would like to have an exclusive right to!