Thursday, February 26, 2015

Swimathon Goa 2015

Even before we attempted the marathon, about which I posted last week, there was this notice about ‘Swimathon Goa 2015’ on the notice board of the Ponda pool. I had been looking forward to this ‘Swimathon’ for quite sometime. After a lot of ‘should I’ and ‘shouldn’t I’ last year, I had decided not to go for it, repented my decision and had resolved to participate this year. Again, nothing big. Just the 250 meters ‘Dream swim’. I Usually swim about 500-700 mts in the pool everyday and have done 1000mts a few times. But the open sea is a different ball game and I decided to test the waters with 250 mts. I registered for ‘Swimathon Goa 2015’.

When I mentioned about the event to our group, the response was tepid. Most of our members routinely swim about 1 km in the pool. But at the first instance, no one was keen to try the open sea. Then I let it out that I had already registered. I am the oldest and the slowest member of the group and my decision to take part in the event pushed others forward. By the end of the week five more registrations were in. We had three for the 1 km race and three for the 250 mts dream swim.

So, there we were, the six of us at the Colva beach on the morning last Sunday in an attempt to confirm ourselves that we haven't been swimming all these years for nothing. As it turned out it was an enjoyable event except for the wait in the hot sun for our race. Swimming in the sea was certainly lot more difficult even though it was easier to keep ourselves afloat, because of the higher density of water.You do not have the security of the four walls that you are used to in the pool. A wave is always there waiting to hit your face when you lift your head to breathe. And since there are no lane markers in the sea, you need to repeatedly lift your head up to see where you are going. The salt water irritates the eyes, skin, nose and throat - because you invariably swallow some of it, and since the visibility under water is zero you do not know what is around you. Of course there were no sharks or snakes around but there were a number of jelly fish with a sting that could be irritating for hours. But once you got the hang of it, going was easy.

One of our members who went for the 1 km swim was heading for Mumbai and had to be guided back on to his path, but in the end all of them finished the distance in time and were back in one piece.

The rest of us could swim the 250 mts with ease but another of my friends complained that the waves bothered him a lot. In fact they were bent up on bothering him and swelled up to their full potential especially when he lifted his head. 

I think it is enough of the 'Swimathon’ and if it is of any interest, you may please go through the pictures. 

 Colva Beach - the venue of Swimathon 2015

The life guards - on the ready 

The stating pointg

The compulsory but cursory medical check

Parents and relatives trying to spot their wards amongst the orange dots bobbing at a distance

Two girls from our pool who finished the five km swim



A group of under 14 boys wait for the 1km race.


Our friends finish 1km
Another gentleman after the 1 km race. Three cheers to his spirits
We do our bit. After the 250 mts 'Dream swim'.

A scene at the venue

A scene at the venue
Happy that we went there. Ready to get back.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Goa Marathon 2015 - At Ponda

 We thought that all work and no play may make POP a dull group and decided to give up the cleaning drive today and instead, go for the ‘Goa Marathon’ organized by the Dr Ramani Foundation at Ponda. None of us are capable of running 21 kms but we thought we could give a try for the 5km ‘dream run’. I do not know why it is called the dream run. May be because you run five kilometers in the morning and since the aching limbs do not allow you to sleep at night, you just dream. Dream of a life devoid of marathons!  

We assembled at the Ponda sports complex grounds at six in the morning and had a very enthusiastic discussion about running and marathons.  We joined hundreds of other enthusiasts at the starting point and to give credit to the group, all of us did run the FIRST FIFTY meters. Then on we managed run/jog/ walk between 2-5 kms as per individual capabilities but all of us enjoyed the event. There were runners who did 21 kms with ease and some of them barefoot. We watched and applauded them. Some very senior citizens did the 3km stretch. It was inspiring and we have decided to start practicing from now and run three kilometers when we reach that age. We have given ourselves about 15- 25 years to practice and perform. Our president Dr Dev finished the full five kms to save our face. Following are some of the pictures of the marathon. 


Fresh and spirited at 6 in the morning
Joining the group at the starting point. My camera captures the dew better. 

Waiting for the run to begin.
A group of young boys run past the Almeida high school

Some very senior citizens begin the 3 km. run

Dr Dev completes five kilometers and saves our face

Scene at the ground







Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Delhi Results And The PM's Suit.

So, AAP has used its broom very effectively to sweep out BJP (and all others) from the capital. I never thought that AAP had a chance after its leader acted like a joker while he was occupying the Delhi CMs chair.  May be he had his reasons and may be it was part of a bigger plan. I do not know. But that is how it appeared to a distant lay man.

Now the experts will analyse the result and will ‘bah, blah, blah’ on the media for the next day or two. It may be Amit Shah’s over confidence, BJP’s infighting, Kejrival’s  ‘common man’ approach or the 'out sider' Kiran bedi. I do not know. I am not a psephologist or a self proclaimed expert and in any case nobody will care for my view. But I wonder if the PM’s  famous striped suit turned out to be much more costlier than its tag of Rs 10 lakh?


He had his critics and some of them were justified. But I did not feel they mattered much as far as the PM’s image was concerned, till he exhibited his Rs 10 lakh suit. I don’t grudge an Ambani or Adani their arrogance and indulgences. They have their money or their father’s money, well gotten or ill gotten. But I do grudge when our PM expresses arrogance and indulges with my, the taxpayer’s, money. I have no problem with his Bungalows and BMWs.  He is entitled. But a very personal suit with his name written all over, I feel , is different. We expect our PM to appear humble and frugal. If he had worn a 10 lakh suit which had  ‘Swachch Bharat - Sundara Bharat’, ‘Pehle shouchalay - Badme devalay’, ‘ Make In India - Made in India'  or any of his other slogans which fetched him votes before, it would have been acceptable. But he chose ‘Narendra Damodardas Modi’. No. Not done.


May be the voters of Delhi felt the same and they made him pay for it. Much more than the ten lakh it was worth. Are the ‘achchedin’ over?