Monsoon


Today it poured so heavily
That it gave a safe hideout,
For tears to flow un-noticed,
And it gave a chance to the
safety valve of my heart
to ease some pressure.

The rain is very rare these days
So my clots are very thick inside,
Infact it's clotting since that rainy day
when you left me  inundated.

Hope this Monsoon will again Submerge me deep in it's depth
So that I can wash the fading you And clean my slate to draw again.

Infosys Toastmaster 571th Meeting, theme:Down the memory lane

Some choose to be the part of it, some let it go and some treasure it for forever. The 571st meeting of Infosys Toastmasters Bangalore, gave it all to the participants, parting office bearers and in-process becoming one of us- the lovely guests.



The meeting started on nostalgic note by SAA TM Gurmeen and moved on and on by our rock star, VP Ed, MOC, TM Arijit who traversed back in memory lane and acknowledged all the fellow leaders.

The nostalgic baton passed to our Mother India, VP TM Yeshwanthi who left all of us numb and gloomy.

The TAG Team- Timer, Vikram touched the upcoming Infy watch in Mysore campus glory in his moment-in-transit, Ah-Counter, parting AVP Ed TM Utthara, was momentous and Timer, the newbie, TM Vivek touched the new height in assessing the tough moments.

Today's prepared speeches touched new peak on nostalgic graphs. TM Sunder attempted his CC1 whose silver smith's journey less traveled was nostalgically put, extra ordinary life. While, TM Mithilesh in his CC2, tried to connect the audience with Indian 5000 years old illustrious past and its message for current generation with funny visual inclusion of outgoing office bearers' historical incarnation. TM Rituporna attempted his CC2 and took all of us in his devil's dorm, his mom's kitchen. His beautifully crafted script featured insignificant utensils in most significant ways of expressing emotions.

Today's table topic session was at its new level, taken by the master, Indiana Jones of the day, TM Raghvendra which saw maximum guest participation with one guest participant going overboard in advocating for Toastmasters.

The evaluation session was flawless, led by GE and new AVP TM Ruhi who was assisted by evaluators TM Priya, TM Santosh and TM Vignesh who were at their evaluating best.

The event witnessed a jaw dropping, emotional parting speech by our area director TM Divya.

The meeting also handed over their respective.

TM Sundar, TM Tapas and TM Vivek were awarded best prepared speaker, best table topic speaker and best role taker respectively.

Triple Crown awards to TM Karan, TM Rohit and TM Anikesh for completing their CC, ACB and CL journey.

The outgoing VP PR, TM Shiva came up with peculiar way to say thanks to his camaraderie during breaks with out of the box, custom made crowns that garnered nonstop clapping.

Some may say the story book is ending, some may say its new beginning but we toastmasters say it's ever-ever after.

Don't vent off your emotions, channelise it and pass it on to your new official team, the Infy Ignitors.

Knowledge Transfer, Process Definition


I was in Gurgaon this month from 6-17th June for my company's(Infosys) new process transition work.  The official trip turned very unusual by sudden change in climate and working hours. When you know that you have to sync with your KT, the complete transition process transit to burden from responsibility. I wanted to know many things but you have very little to share. I have long curated template to fill and you have just started working off-late. Only thing to treasure is their smile filled nice professional attitudes. The other party must have acquired the similar notion about me in due process. In the end, it was job well done as per my team's expectations. However, my KT were nice human beings. I liked their company. :)

Apart from work, this trip was filled with four get together and two family unions. The learning is that if you want to meet somebody and you are in their town then the better strategy is go to their home, you will double your enjoyment.

Apart from sharing exciting updates, this time I had a runners delights to share. I found an upper hand in KTing :)

I got new motivation to learn Jazz from one my best pals who is achieving new accolades in his part time dancing career.
Very soon you can see my new jazz avatar. :)

See you on the dance floor,
Bending Mithilesh.

The plight of Indian Hockey Team


On my to Delhi in Air India Flight- AI 87 5th Jun'16, a poor looking boy was seating next to me in Indian Hockey team jersy.
I asked," Do you play hockey?"
He replied, "I play for India and we are going London to play in Champions Trophy".
I couldn't believe him as all the team members were traveling in economy and no other passengers were showing any intrests in them. They were having same Air India pathetic complimentary meal. While deboarding I asked his name and he said, "My name is Raghunath".
Today, I suddenly caught the same name in the paper. Now I am regretting that I could have a selfie with entire team India.
Even a sports enthu like me ignored the great team, what about cricket-addicted entire India!
No body cares.
What about other games?

Infosys Toastmasters Bangalore Election (Jun'16) Testimony- My Campaign


Today, Infosys Toastmaster Bangalore conducted election to elect its office bearers. I contested and got elected for Associate Vice President Membership role, with overwhelming majority of 33-7.
Like every little success, here too involve big efforts.

My Testimony

Thank you all.
I heard, I did well in my remote presence. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

This campaigning could not have been possible without the seeding of Yesh and constant encouragement of my respected mentor Rohit. 

I know, I have issues with my basics, so I did a little extra. It was the 22nd recording that I sent and similarly I worked on ppt. I Whatsapp-ed everyone whom I know to vote for me. I reactivated my facebook after 7 months so that I can reach out to fellow Toastmaters.

I could have done little less but this is nothing what I have set for myself and my Toastmaters.

Miles to go before we really start.
Thank you guys for your faith in me.
Altius, Citius, Fortius!๐Ÿ‘✌✊

My Recorded Pitch

My Power Point Slide


Orlando shootings - A tribute in Harvey Milk Voice




"Orlando shootings" reminds me Harvey Milk of Milk(2008) portrayed by Sean Penn.

A Tribute 

Harvey Milk: [Voice Over, Last lines] I ask this... If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out - - If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door... And that's all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power... it's about the "us's" out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's. Without hope, the us's give up - I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. So you, and you, and you... You gotta give em' hope... you gotta give em' hope.๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’




Toastmasters Lesson from Modi's US Congress Address (8th June, 2016)



Today's Modi's US Congress address was one of the best in recent times. Here, are the lessons a toastmaster can take from his today's speech:
  1. During speech if there is an applause, take a pause look into audience's eyes with same tempo and start again after the applause
  2. Say it with conviction
  3. Know your audience, script should relate to the audience
  4. Edify yourself along with audience
  5. End with humor that relates with audience and you
  6. Doesn't matter one bit if English isn't your first language, you can still ace it (TM Suhash)
  7. Crack a joke or two... even US Congress men like humor (TM Amogh)
  8. If your audience appears tired, say Thank You and sit down. The audience will remember you throughout their lives (TM Ashutosh)


Best of Speech
With all the Modi's Speech Evaluators 
Toastmaster Mithilesh Kumar

My top 10 Songs- Hollywood & Bollywood

Hollywood

My top 10 favorite songs of all time goes like:


10) Sing for the moment- Eminem/ Aerosmith
9) Loose yourself- Eminem
8) A day in the life- Beatels
7) High way to hell- AC/DC
6) I have a dream - ABBA
5) Let it go- Frozen
4) Hotel California- Eagles
3) Whole Lotta love- Led Zeppelin
2) Dream On - Aerosmith
1) Stairway to heaven- Led Zeppelin

Bollywood

10) Sapno se bhare Naina - Luck by chance
9) Behti hawa sa tha wo - 3 Idiots
8) Agar tum sath ho - Tamasha
7) Sanso ki mala - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
6) Khawaza mere Khawaza/ Maula mere maula - Jodha Akbar/Delhi 6
5) Tu kisi rail si gujarti hai - Masaan
4) Bawara man dekhne chala ek sapna - Hazaar Khawahishe aisi
3) Humari Gali - Raincoat
2) Sochta hu ki wo kitni masum hai- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1) Mast nazro se allah bachaye- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

(Compiled for the theme promotion of  Toastmasters, theme- Music Mania, Infy Toastmasters)

My Toastmasters role script: Table Topics Master

567th meeting 

[Go to the lectern; shake hands with the Toastmaster]
[Start with a Sanskrit Shloka about Rashi]
....... เฅ .......
เคจ เค•เคถ्เคšिเคฆเคชि เคœाเคจाเคคि 
เค•िं เค•เคธ्เคฏ เคถ्เคตो เคญเคตिเคท्เคฏเคคि
เค…เคคः เคถ्เคตः เค•เคฐเคฃीเคฏाเคจि 
เค•ुเคฐ्เคฏाเคฆเคฆ्เคงैเคต เคตुเคฆ्เคงिเคฎाเคจ्
No one knows what will happen tomorrow. So, wise people do today what should be done tomorrow.

Thank you, Mister/Madam Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters, and welcome Guests! 
Today, I will be your master Astrologer aka Pt. Omkar Nath Shastri!

Unlike horoscope, the topics in this session are impromptu. The table topic round will help you go beyond your stars and shine as a lucid orator. You have 1 to 2 minutes to prove your destiny as a natural speaker. Toastmasters and guests – all are invited. If nobody comes, you will called on the astrologer’s wish
I request all the TT participants to use the word of the day.
I will invite speakers based on the horoscopes.

12 signs, 12 topics.

Mister/Madam Timer, did all of our participants qualify?
Mister/Madam Grammarian, did all of our speakers use the Word of the Day?
Now, take this time to vote for your favorite Table Topics Speaker using the ballots on the tables. (Give a recap of all those who qualified and what they spoke about)
I now return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster.
Mister/Madam Toastmaster


Topics

1.       Mesha (A, L, E, I, O)
Aries (Mar 20 – Apr 18)
^
I was non-believer in Astrology until I met a girl/ boy of my life.
2.       Vrishabha (B, V, U, W)
Taurus (Apr 19 – May 19)
_
You can’t change what is written already on your forehead/ palms.
3.       Mithuna (K, CHH, GH, Q, C)
Gemini (May 20 – Jun 20)
`
Suppose, you are a Mangalik (a Vedic Zodiac sign defect). In order to save the life of your future spouse you have to marry a dog. How will you propose a dog for this cause to marry with you?
4.       Karka (DD, H)
Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 21)
a
What is the likelihood that 1/12th of the world’s population is having the same kind of the day?
5.       Simha (M, TT)
Leo (Jul 22 – Aug 21)
b
Practicing Astrology in this digital age is a ‘giant leap backward’.
6.       Kanya (P, TTHH)
Virgo (Aug 22 – Sep 20)
c
Should we not condemn astrology as a form of bigotry(bias)? (Isn’t it discrimination by birth date?)
7.       Tula (R, T)
Libra (Sep 21 – Oct 22)
d
If astrologers are so good, why aren’t they rich?
8.       Vrscika (N, Y)
Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21)
e
Convince your parents to allow you to marry a girl/ boy you love with whom your Kundli(a zodiac chart) says otherwise.
9.       Dhanusha (BH, F, DH)
Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 22)
f
Will you wear your zodiac color(Red/Black/Green) on your first blind date for assured success?
10.   Makara (KH, J)
Capricorn (Dec 23 – Jan 19)
g
Suppose, your Astrologer says that you have life threats from ‘fire’, ‘water’ and ‘height’? Is he true? If yes, how to handle these threats?
11.   Kumbha (G, S, Sh)
Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
h
In your childhood your Astrologer said that you would get a beautiful/ handsome spouse. So, should you stop trying?
12.   Mina (D, CH, Z, TH)
             Pisces (Feb 19 -  Mar 19)
                    i
How will you handle your manager and subordinates by taking cues from your zodiac sign?
||เค‡เคคि เค—ोเคฒเคฎेเคœเคฎ เคตाเคฐ्เคคाเคฒाเคชเคธเคฎ्เคชूเคฐ्เคฃเคฎ ||

Yours Sincerely,
Signing off
TM ShastriJi :)

Thank you!

Prediction

You all have an adventures life ahead!

My Toastmasters role script: Sergeant At Arms

SAA Role: Ghost protocol

#DeadSergeant

Good evening insidious Toastmasters and dreadful guests. Welcome to the 566th hell meeting of Infosys Toastmasters club Bangalore.

I am your dead Sargent Otto Skorzeny at arms, came directly from the dead world of 2nd world war, after a special exorcism performed by SAA team to make sure you all pass the ghost protocol today.

Ghost protocol is a Toastmasters attempt to touch our inhibitions towards darkness. It also signifies the brute force we often apply to defy the law of nature. It’s an allusion for the activities, methods and events that largely remain un-detected.

Even if you are dead, you have to follow the rules of the hell. Similarly, at Toastmasters we request you to follow certain rules....

Live walk in and dead walk out only when there is shivering applause. Please refrain from doing any activity while the ghost speaker is on the podium, or you may lose some limbs.

There is a dreadful device like this in your pocket? Take its life out or you will get a ghost ping in your device.

Please refrain from talking about the things that we ghost hate the most- Sex, Politics and Religion.

Lastly for the guests not the ghosts who are interested in joining the club or getting mail about club activities. We have a sheet placed on the first desk. Drop your mark there, the ghost members can use their right toe to do the same.

With that I'll like to call on stage the presiding officer, the first lady ghost for Today’s meeting, toastmaster Yeshwanthi.

My Toastmasters role script - MOC (theme, Casino)

MOC Script Toastmasters meeting #564
Theme: Casino, MOC: Toastmaster Mithilesh Kumar


Introduction

How many of you have heard about the word Monte Carlo?
Casino has touched human imaginations multi ways. There is a world famous casino in Monaco, named Monte Carlo. It was part of the plot in a few James Bond novels and films. It has been depicted in many books like Busting Vegas.
The casino has made Monte Carlo so well known for games of chance that mathematical methods for solving various problems using many quasi-random numbers—numbers with the statistical distribution of numbers generated by chance—are formally known as Monte Carlo methods.

About Toastmasters

Another question, how many of you have heard about the great gambler Ralph C. Smedley?
While Casino industry was maturing in Europe and America, a guy named Ralph C. Smedley took a chance at public speaking and founded a not-for-profit organization, Toastmasters, on October 22, 1924, at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, United States. Throughout its history, Toastmasters has served over four million people, and today the organization serves over 332,000 members in 135 countries, through its over 15,400 member clubs.
Today’s meeting has three sections – 1) Prepared Speech sections in which only members are allowed to participate, 2) Table Topic section in which anyone can participate including guests,  and the 3) section is  Evaluation session where all the speech evaluators will submit their reports to general evaluator.
Today’s theme ‘Casino’ could be metaphoric for taking chance/risk in life. I request all the speakers to go full Monty at your chance of gambling with your voice and become a master speech gambler at the
end of the day.

Role takers for 564th Meeting

GE: TM Gurmeen Singh
“He believes, complete life is a game of chance and opportunities. Only thing a mortal, like us can do is to exploit it at the right moment.”
 Timer: TM Parimal
“He believes that everyday of his life is gamble with a hope for better tomorrow.”
Ah-Counter: TM Sundar Shankar
Grammarian: TM Priya
“Toastmaster Priya believes that if gamble revolves around luck then she definitely believe in game of chance, she often experiences that”

 Section 1

When your life depends on losing... the last thing you need is…???  Lady luck. J J J
Let me take you all to the Los Vegas of our casino club toastmasters, i.e., prepared speech round.

Speaker1: Toasmaster Ramakoti
The first speaker of the day is Toastmaster Ramakoti who is attempting his competent communicator manual’s project 6. Toastmaster Ramakoti believes that life is full of choices, today is result of yesterday’s choice and tomorrow would be today’s actions, so choose carefully. His Speech is, “Mentors make difference”. I request the speech evaluator, Toastmaster Anushree to read out the manual for him.
Let's rotate our hands’ slot machine and welcome our first prepared gambler of the day, Toastmaster Ramakoti.
Inspiring speech!
When good luck is a long shot, you have to hedge your bets.

Speaker 2: Toastmaster Karan
The next ticket-in for today's Toastmaster's slot machine is Toastmaster Karan who is attempting his competent communicator manual’s project 8. Toastmaster Karan strongly believe in the game of instincts and always follows his instincts and gambles in life. His Speech title is- “Robotics”
I request the speech evaluator, Toastmaster Krishna to read out the speech manual for him.
So, ladies and gentlemen let’s rotate your hands and welcome Toastmaster Karan!
Wow mechanically perfect speech!
Well, technically Karan was a Robot todayJ !

Speaker 3:  Toastmaster Rohit Sharma
The third speaker of the day is toastmaster Rohit Sharma who is attempting his Advanced Communication Bronze manuals’ project 8. Even though he is not a great believer in chance, he believes that what we call chance is only the manifestation of our hard work and Karma. Today he will take chance at roasting willful roasts. I request the speech evaluator DTM Raj Kumar Bansal to read out the manual for him.
So guys! Let’s pinch your salt with rotating hands and welcome Toastmaster Rohit Sharma.
Wow! This is called, “How to Steal Half a Billion Dollars, In 3.5 Minutes by a toast?”

Speaker 4: Toastmaster Rohit Sharma
I guess Toastmaster Rohit sharma is still left with some written bucks in his pockets and wants to roast more. He is now taking chance at his ACB project 9. I request the speech evaluator DTM Raj Kumar Bansal to read out the speech manual for him.
Ladies and gentlemen put your hands together for the Pawn, the Con, The Bond, Toastmaster Rohit Sharma.
Wow, what a roast!
Rohit Sharma has turned into “Bet-on-anything guy who happily discovered something called a "winning streak." “

Section 2: Table Topic Round

Don't Push Your Luck. Winner loses all.
Let me take you all to the Macau of the casino club Toastmasters, i.e. Table Topic Rounds. To get the ticket and take the ride, let me introduce you Toastmaster Rakhee Sihna. She is a calculated risk taker, she has taken risks where she knew that she would win or learn the winning Matras. Please welcome table topic master Toastmaster Rakhee Sinha to take the center stage.

Ask for vote: Pick a card, any card

Section 3: Evaluation session

One announcement, ”Those who stay till end will get sweets from me  J
If you stay in the game long enough, you'll see everything, win everything, and lose everything.
Today's winner gambler of Los Vegas round i.e., prepared speech round is --- of Casino Toastmasters
Today's winner gambler of Macau round i.e., Table Topic round is --- of casino Toastmasters

Today's best role player of the day is --- of casino Toastmasters 



Footnote: I was awarded best role-taker for this J

My Toastmasters role script Grammarian

Theme - Foodilicious 


Date- 22/05/2016
Mr. Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters and dear guests good evening,
They say, "There is no secret ingredient."
"To make something special you just have to believe it's special."
Like here in Toastmaster, to make a great speech you have to use your instincts and follow the basics of Grammar.
To make sure, that you must follow the basics of Grammar Today, I will be your master chef Grammarian.
As the grammarian of the day my job it is to keep track of the incorrect as well as interesting usages of the English language.

To connect with the theme of the meeting we have a word of the day.
The Word of the day is
Ambrosia
1. The food of the gods
2. Something very pleasing to taste or smell

Usage: The tea was ambrosia after the slop I’d been suffering
Like a delicious dessert as an orator you might ask,” what is the appropriate uses of a word?”
I would say, "Surprise me!"
I encourage all of you to use it as much as possible and surprise me.
I will present my report to the General Evaluator during the evaluation session.
Wishing all the speakers the very best.

Over to you Mr. Toastmaster.

Fear in Stephen King's eyes


 Let's talk, you and I. Let's talk about fear.


The house is empty as I write this; a cold February rain is falling outside. It's night. Sometimes when the wind blows the way it's blowing now, we lose the power. But for now it's on, and so let's talk very honestly about fear. Let's talk very rationally about moving to the rim of madness. . . and perhaps over the edge.

Still. . . let's talk about fear. We won't raise our voices and we won't scream; we'll talk rationally, you and I. We'll talk about the way the good fabric of things sometimes has a way of unravelling with shocking suddenness.

At night, when I go to bed, I still am at pains to be sure that my legs are under the blanket after the lights go out.

Fear makes us blind, and we touch each fear with all the avid curiosity of self-interest, trying to make a whole out of a hudred parts, like the blind men with their elephant.

We sense the shape. Children grasp it easily, forget it, and relearn as adults. The shape is there, and most of us come to realise what it is sooner or later: it is the shape of a body under a sheet. All our fears add up to one great fear, all our fears are part of that great fear - an arm, a leg, a finger, an ear. We're afraid of the body under the sheet. It's our body. And the great appeal of horror fiction through the ages is that it serves as a rehearsal for our own deaths.

(Taken from Author's one of the classic's preface, compiled for the theme promotion of theme- Ghost Protocol, Infy Toastmasters)

Darkness: Short poem


A sort poem by me on Darkness:

It's vast, it's Immeasurable, 
It's endless, It's darkness.

It's unlit, it's unfit,
It's bottomless, it's darkness.

Life's boat sways in it
It's life-some, it's darkness.

(Written for promotion of Infy Toastmasters' theme "Ghost Protocol")

Tolkien's ghost protocol

Before the new dawn lit the unlit, let's shiver together one more time under 'Ghost Protocol'...

The real depiction of barren world and it's 'Ghost Protocol' won't be complete without a special mention of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and his legendarium.



Morgoth, The 13 rings,  Mordor, Sauran, Saruman, Gandalf, Gholam, Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and the eyes of Sauran-  each character shivers our inner self to its core. How can one forget the dreadful Orcs, goblins and dwarves.

Tomorrow, we will see the Arda(the flat earth) and it's two lamps on two towers, the period of darkness, misty mountains, Gondor, Blue Mountains, Grey Heavens, Isengard, mount of moria, the shire, Rivendell, great forest of Merkwood, Erebor, Rohan and Minas Tirith -everything will come alive.

(Written  for the theme promotion of theme- Ghost Protocol, Infy Toastmasters)

Anandyana 10k run, a gospels for runners

With great Bobby and Santhosh

Another Sunday, another run and I had a healing fun. This was special run as it was best organized, with toughest terrain, happened under clowdy, chilling, heavenly weather. And I flew with my fever.๐Ÿ‘ฃ๐Ÿƒ

Run started at 6:26 pm on jammed packed track, had runners of all age groups, came from all the corners of Bangalore. The volunteers were competing with runners while cheering. At every station, I saw volunteers on their toes with water and bannana in their hands, clapping and shouting, " Bravo! Just few stations more." Literally they were transfering their energy to us. ๐Ÿ‘✊๐Ÿƒ



I paced beautifully amongst colourful crowd. Initial 2k, took my 9 minutes,
5k 27min. After 5k, I started shivering and first time I realized that I was ill. I brought my pace down, walked for few meters. While in pain, I saw many kids, ladies pacing me behind whom I left kilometers behind minutes back.  After 6k, I recollected my energy and started accelerating. In my last 2k lap, I was on the top of my pain and I was flying.✌๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿš€

My final reading on runkeeper is as under:


The more I say, would be less for the host place Sneha Care home, a Jesus orchid, Lord's gospels in Sarjapur Bangalore. The place lies in the country side of Bangalore which still proudly owns it's mystic jungles.

The roller coster run ended with healthy and delicious breakfast followed by participatory dance session under the spell of local band of runners. Yo man our hips were lieing on the tunes of 'Hotel California'. How can I forget the closing Kanada song 'Santosh Anna' that moved us in respect for the great Santhosh

The musical cool down was miles soothening than Sampath's plank position and Aakriti's commondo crawl. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‡๐Ÿ˜€

We all settled down by the cooling of dance and soothing of music. And I carried home some lessons:

1) Get enough sleep before run
2) Get medication days before run, don't worry antibiotics will not eat up your stamina
3) Bring along your buddies, great company will reduce the distance by miles

How can I gorget the great Santosh who today completed his maiden 10k sub 55.๐Ÿ‘

Adios till my next flight on the road,
Ascending Mithilesh.

(Written in the cozy ambience of Kempegoda International Airport on my way to Delhi)


My first quarter as runner


It all started when it was discovered that my life was imbalanced on certain metabolic quotients. To fight with the new disproportion, I had to change my lifestyle by infusing physical activity in it. I started with jogging, brisk walking, Yoga and ended with running.

Running is outshining the real fighter in me. So far my score on runkeeper app for this quarter (Feb 2016 -May 2016) is about 400 km.

In my first three months as runner, I have completed more than twenty 10k runs, including 2 official 10k events. My personal best is 10k in 54.5 minutes. I try to run a 10k on each alternate day and nimbly participate in any running event happening in the city on weekends.

Earlier in 2014, I felt the same zeal and fire within me, when I started rigorous gym and swimming that continued for 10 months and discontinued due to the role and location change. This time, it's different. It is in the open and on the ground. Last time, I was gaining muscles and abs and this time, I am containing my muscles and fats.

Last week, one of my office colleague while staring at my ID card, asked, "When did you get this photograph clicked?" I replied, "this is one year younger me". He smiled, "It looks like 5 years older you. :) "

My meteoric rise as runner would not have been possible without unflinching support that I get in Infy Running club, HappyFeet. Specially my mentor Sampath and co-runners Aakriti, Hari, Santhosh etc. Every day when I walk in the ground, I meet my 15 years of me, Argo and Industrious.

Most of my new buddies at Infosys often ask, "How do you manage time to do so many things, so efficiently?" Most people, don't know that this is my second life, I am doing everything again in my life. And that too starting over from a startup bed. So, I know what not to do better than most of the people I am seeing these days.



On the same lines, my emotional connections with my past setbacks helps me conquer physical pain on the tracks.

The rediscovery and conquering have just started in my late 30s and that shall continue till the day I play with my grandchildren.

Adios
Flying Mithilesh.