| "Don't run because you want to be on camera — run because you care!" — the hoarding on Marine Drive screamed. And this time, Mumbai listened. On the cool morning of January the 15th, thousands of us showed we cared enough to sweat it out regardless of age, ability, or lack thereof. Bees Saal Baad
When I first wheeled my spastic friend, Malini Chib, up the stairs of St Xavier's College way back in 1985, little did I know that I would be running, pushing her wheelchair at full speed, 20 years later, in the Mumbai Marathon! Three kms in 15 minutes flat!
Someone said we had come first — but then my friend Nagesh (Iqbal) Kukunoor said he did — but neither of us really cared. We were too busy running, so we didn't get any press interviews or pictures — and we didn't care about that either! Sheer determination
Still recovering from a muscle injury due to a wrong Salsa dance move, I had not been training for four months. But the sheer determination that came from watching Malini squeal with delight — and from listening to the crowds cheering in the beautiful morning sun, gleaming through the trees over the magnificent heritage buildings, made me forge ahead with glee, to make it to the finish — exhausted, yet exhilarated. Celebrating life
We finished off with a hearty brunch at Basilico — gorging guiltlessly on waffles with maple syrup and cream, and downing three cups of coffee. Charged with the sudden sugar and caffeine fix — and the obvious adrenaline — I hugged my old friend Malini tight. We were both grateful to destiny and the Mumbai Marathon for bringing us back together — to join in the celebration of what Malini, my so called "disabled" friend, has more than made the most of — LIFE! |
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