My Morning Walk !!

“Surya Bhagawan, please make this day a wonderful day for all of us @ Palladian”

 Invoking the Lord’s blessings before I start this piece.

I have resumed my early morning walks.  

I start anytime between 6.15AM and 6.35AM depending on who wakes up earlier.

If my wife gets up before me, then I get a head start.

Means she is up before my 5.30AM alarm. Means she is already brewing our tea. Means I can parallelly brush my teeth, wash my face, fluff the pillows and make up the bed, switch on the twin lamps in our Gallery of Gods, mutter a quick shloka, all before the tea gets ready & kept warm in the microwave oven!

Today I got an early start. And I am out of Block 2 with my earphones well positioned and my iPod tuned to playlist #6.

I sometimes wonder what music people hear during their morning walks – Shlokas or holy chants or classical or light music or religious discourses??.  Is there a norm or any best practice that people follow?  - When walking, or jogging, travelling in a car to work and from work, waiting in Qs, waiting for the Volvo, while taking the doggie out, inside ATMs, while browsing in Malls or pub hopping or when they are out just to buy bananas and beans??

I have no such rules.

My Ipod is filled with all types of music. 

From Semmangudi to Shakira and BSJ, I have no great preferences. (BSJ = BhimSen Joshi)

So, there is a medley of Elton John, Talat Mehmood, Suraiyya, Rabbi Shergill, Adnan Sami, Begees, some Arabic, some Cuban and a few Pakistani ghazals. There is also a fair collection of Quavallis, Bhajans, Bombay disco, Punjabi rap, Celion Dion, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel. With age I am leaning towards Classical music, Veena and Hari Prasad Chaurasia to find that inner peace (still groping). Of course, a few Ramakrishna Mission albums, Rabindra Sangeet, Guru Bani and Anup Jalota’s devotional  T Series collection also occupy a couple of  GBs.

 However, I do have a sequence.

Start the playlist with some sober soothing music like Guru Bani, Bansuri / Veena, move to something pleasant – Carpenters & Abba, a few Elton Johns or Anup Jalotas, and quickly build up pace & tempo as I finish my second lap. And then some racy Panduranga  Vithala and Sherawali bhajans before moving to some rap and finally to full throated Punjabi/heavy metal. The signature Punjabi ektara and heavy dhols sets my mood for the last two laps!

By the way I heard and even saw some ladies dancing to Punjabi bhangra beats in our clubhouse hall sometime back!  Is that a new form of Bollywood style Bikram power yoga??

On my first lap I pass by the tennis court. The two early birds have already warmed up and wave a Hi to me. Then the taller one tosses the ball and serves. The ball veers wide and a loud curse follows the ball.

I shake my head – not a great way to start a beautiful morning.

I pass by the swimming pool and the guard comes out of his hideout and mutters a greeting. And then two quick corners later there is a second guard near the gensets. He is more alert, and I can hear him repeat my good morning. 

I notice the genset is silent.

Wow, another day of saving diesel expense. Thank You BESCOM !!

The uncle with thinning hair and long paced fast stride zips past me. Next, I pass the old uncle in monkey cap and a walking stick taking short steps. He has bright eyes and a wonderful smile! Then the young doctor jogs past me waving a Hi!  And later, the Colomel with his golden retriever and the young gent with his Alsatian ( looks more like a small Husky)

A few minutes later the brisk couple appears around the corner near the club house.  

They have already traced several ‘Os’ and ‘’8s’ in perfect unison and are now on their back-stroke walk. With absolute coordination I have seen the two walk, negotiate curves with the precision of a differential gear.

Folks, are there any synchronised walking competition – like synchronised swimming / ice-skating championships?? This pair would win the gold hands down!

I look up and see many bathroom lights switched on.

The kids are up, and the moms are busy in the kitchen, you bet!

What about the dads?? 

Are they are still sleeping?

Today is midweek. – so, no late-night booze party hangover as an excuse

OK.  I know why. There can be 2 reasons.

If Dad is sleeping peacefully with a soft snore, then he has had 2 or 3  late night conceals all back to back. Poor guy – the price you pay for heading global and multicounty responsibilities.

If Dad is breathing hard, mouth open and half dazed eyes then he was preparing for his quarterly review video-call scheduled for today evening. It’s the second week after quarter end - third quarter of calender year and first half of the Indian fiscal year.

Business reviews have started. Dad was struggling with his PPT till early morning to get his ‘Story’ right.

Story? What Story?? 

Last Qtr was sad. Floods washed away the business and consumer sentiments were low. No positives and flat growth. Whichever way you looked at the exel sheet, no luck – you see figures do not lie.

The only way his ppt graph can look good is if he rotated it 180 degrees and repositioned the axis.

Mom quickly diagnoses these quarterly relapses.

High blood pressure, loss of appetite, irritability, and no usual smile & no goodbye kiss when leaving for work over the past few days.

I know it all. I can fully empathise with these gents.

No amount of Yoga and/or AOL breathings  will help him. He needs to go thru a course on CCBS, and the quicker the better. (CCBS= Confidence in Corporate Bull-Shitting).

 30+ years of handling Country and Regional roles and I have been thru it all and seen it all.

I have seen rock solid performances being butchered and mediocre ones lauded enthusiastically.

CCBS teaches you how to make each and every review a sterling performance.  I would also recommend every VP, Country and Global heads living here in SP to watch and learn from our PM’s speeches. You can never get a better idol/mentor than him!

Watch him articulate the bountiful benefits of demonetisation with such practiced aplomb, confidence and style and that too without PPTs or props!

Best you take a crash course at the PMO, I say!!

Its past seven and the school going bustle has started. 

School kids in smart uniforms have started coming out accompanied their moms and dads (only those in the non-IT and non-BFSI sector).

I respond to a bright good morning call from the tall graceful School Vice Principal as she rushes to catch her bus. Today must be a special day at her school I guess, because she is wearing a gorgeous dark tropical green Kancheepuram!

And as I walk around, I cross a bright silver patch of morning sunlight.

Stepping back, I squint up at the shining sun, utter a surya namaskar shloka and pray – Surya Bhagawan, please make this day a wonderful day for all of us at Palladian- and especially for those heavy breathing Dads still snoring in their sleep.

Wish you all a wonderful day !!

Krish..