Terry Fox Chennai Run 2011: 6000m - 60min

Today was my first public run in India. Terry Fox Chennai 2011 was
held today morning(0800-1100hrs) at IIT Madras Campus.It was meant to
be a run of 6km and I sure was glad to see about 6000 people turn up
for the event- men,women and children. I guess the magnitude and reach
of this run has been increasing since its inception in 2008, only due
to support of Chennai Rotary Club. If it was any other event within
IIT Premises, I would most likely expect only the denizens of the
campus to turn up. But today, well it was different. People from all
academia, the corporate and the general public were mobilized for the
cause. The sheer delight was however the chance to see boys and girls
come over for the run, and instead of standing aside for the adults,
they joined in on their roller blades, skates, skating boards and
cycles. Pure genius:)

I am sure something has really changed for the better for Chennai; the
weather has changed and we're observing the Monsoons here just like in
Kerala and Roorkee. I've seen Chennai at its worst summer, but to
realize that I'm not living in the Chennai that my fathers knew, a
Chennai that's got the weather of Kerala does make me a lot happier.We
had inclement weather yesterday night, but fortunately we didn't have
any showers during the day. The skies were cloudy and on the verge of
bursting out, but a clement Will held back all that fury. However, I
do believe in what the organizers said, given an unusual monsoon in
Chennai, no Chennaite would seek cover from the rains, its a blessing
that they'd love to run into.

Since it was my first run, I believe I can take the liberty to be a
little critical about the way the run was organized. The point of
Start and Return was the OAT Theatre which was apt given the scale of
the event. What was annoying was the choice of the start gate, which
was a pretty narrow FAMILY GATE at the Nort-west side of the Theatre.
The run was scheduled to start at 0800hrs, but the fact that for a
Corporate sponsored event, you needed the men at the top to show their
swagger, talk a few trivial words, suggest the backing their
organization gives to a cause without well true emotion/commitment
does put one off. Somehow, I really do wish I lived to see Terry Fox
Run his own Marathon, to speak his own mind, to let his deep emotion
and faith give him the strength to light all the hearts around him for
the cause of Cancer. Its inspiring to run, but to run with an Inspired
One, that's the greatest privilege of all.

The Terry Fox Chennai Run was ideated by this boy of 15yrs from Dubai,
Akash Dubey. He was diagonized with cancer at age 15( 5yrs back or so)
and its when he began undergoing treatment for cancer, that he sought
out guidance and company from many others who have walked that lonely
path. He came across Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope, and with the
guidance of his parents he braved up to organize a run in Chennai. I
guess it helped that his mom was an IIT Madras alumnus, who then
turned back to IITM to help her out with this challenge. And I guess
the rest is history.

What's inspiring is that as kids in the Middle East you grow up in a
different culture, a culture of limited interaction. There's little
that happens there which can inspire you. You'd rather seek out
guidance rather than watch someone do something that challenges your
belief of what it means to be a part of the world.I guess on the same
thread, there's little that can totally challenge you to question a
lot of your own beliefs and indoctrinations. And now, after all these
years, the youth in Dubai and I'm sure the other Gulf countries will
soon take the courage, to climb higher by challenging the stage upon
which they were born. I do believe the life and culture of the
expatriate community in the Middle East is going to change, especially
since the spread of Internet and Communication shall bring greater
access to information about the world to them. I personally feel the
middle east is a good place to grow up, unlike India, it provides an
artificial coccoon within which you can have the comforts of a good
lifestyle, and now information, but suffer from the less diversity of
profession/career choices. You tend to experience a world of
engineers,medical practicioners and accountants, and miss out on the
world of arts, sciences and law. Looking back, I guess that's what
India gives us - it helps you to know that there's diversity in
everything. We just need to make a choice and run. Anywyas, I only
hope this realization sets in among the youth and the parents there..
of what's in stake and what's in store.

Well after that strange digression, I'd say that I had an oppurtunity
to talk with Akash Dubey. He looked lean but confident and seriously,
I loved his swagger. He spoke in a controlled low voice, but spoke
with conviction and certainty. It touched me a lot, to see kids from
the MiddleEast exude this confidence when they have move down into the
challenge that India is to them.Its proof of how things are changing
for the better.There's another chap called Nikhil who was diagnosed
with Sarcoma, who's under treatment now, but also hopes to start off
the Bangalore Run for Cancer, to raise funds for research. Its a run
for hope for those afflicted.

The question does arise, if we are the blessed few with no disease, no
affliction, no handicap of the sort we look as challenges that life
throws on individuals - for what shall we run? For what personal
agenda can we run and inspire many others to join? Is there something
that links us all? Well there might be, but I fear there's going to be
little Institutional support for what that value will be. I do hope I
get the answer to that question someday, but for now, I am happy to
just be a Runner. I would encourage you all to take to this as a way
of life - a daily meditation while on the run. I've seen both sides of
the river - a passive life and a vibrant one, and I assure you the
vibe of running is worth living for.