Team Asha in Bangalore

Visit to Timbaktu - 26-27 Nov 2011

2012-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

Ajay, his family (sis and dad) and myself visited Timbaktu this weekend. It was the first visit for each of us and a very good experience.

Ajay and I needed to plan for the Team Asha visit on Dec 10-11 and all of us wanted to soak in Timbaktu as much as we could.

We were hosted by Vaneeta who's recently moved in to Timbaktu to take classes and train the teachers amongst other things. She put us up in very nicely designed, simple and comfortable guest rooms. The rooms can accommodate a larger team and there are other such rooms too. Acco is not a concern. Likewise, food is also very tasty and simple and can easily scale to higher demand.

One update is that if we're not able to make the visit on Dec 10-11, then next available dates are only towards Jan end.

Sunday morning Vaneeta joined Ajay and me to show us possible routes. Ajay was happy with an out and back option (5k one way). Ajay can better explain more on that. We drove further and visited Timbaktu CRC as well. We saw the calendars. They have come out very well. We also saw some bags that the girls had made. I for one was very impressed with the aesthetic quality and the finish. After the drive, we discussed with Vaneeta, how we could utilize the time before/after the run. She suggested that if we can reach Timbaktu by late afternoon atleast on Saturday instead of by night, everyone can visit the Timbaktu organic products marketing office and adjoining factory and look at the fields and the products. This might be of interest to the vistors. On sunday the factory and office are closed. People can then spend the rest of the evening interacting with the staff and kids and choose to leave earlier on sunday, maybe soon after the run. We'll need to see if there will be takers for that.

We met Babloo and Mary, the couple who started Timbaktu and spent some time with them at their house and over lunch. Ajay discussed with Babloo the possibility of Timbaktu benefiting from corporate programmes that fund social entrepreneurship ventures (eg. Mahindra). Please share your thoughts on this. We can accordingly discuss this in our next meeting and look at helping them in this, if its something we want to do.

We met Dinesh who's been with Timbaktu for long and has nurtured Timbaktu's organic farming initiative from the start. The major products are groundnuts and different types of millets. Currently, the demand is more than Timbaktu's capacity to produce and so there's potential to scale it up. Dinesh has now set up his own venture in organic farming. He will continue to be associated with Timbaktu organic.

We also met Mani who's employed at Timbaktu and takes care of finances amongst many other things.

We also visited the marketing office and factory. We saw the processing and packaging of different products and bought some samples too.

Good trip overall and certainly one that anyone would enjoy.

Team Asha 8K @ Ananya - Oct 30th, 2010.

2010-11-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Team Asha 8K is fast becoming a popular community owned event in Bangalore. It is a unique event where children from various backgrounds - class, caste, religion etc. participate together with adults from again various backgrounds - teachers, professionals, students etc. Children from Asha supported efforts or other efforts catering to the underprivileged participate in the event for free of cost. The event always focuses on environmental sensitivity. We reduce the use of plastic/paper to a bare minimum and use environmentally sustainable practices to the fullest extent possible. This helps create awareness for such a need for environnmental sensitivity amongst children as well.

From Team Asha 8K - Ananya

The entry fee this year came down further to Rs. 100, making it accessible and worthwhile for everyone to participate. The fee also got the runner a delicious breakfast and a sporty Team Asha cap. More than 150 children from various schools/efforts and a total of 300+ runners participated in the run on Saturday, October 30th, 2010. The Ananya children planned, organized and executed the entire race. There were teams to take care of each aspect of the logistics - Race course directions/marking, Parking, Timing, Water stop, Registration, Drop bags, Catering, Touring Ananya - All of these tasks were led and coordinated by the children.

From asha_ananya_prep

There were two options - 4km and 8km. Many children did the 8km run. The run was on a scenic route with a lot of trees in sections and in some sections running along fields. The 2K out and back route had a turn around on a large clearing next to the road. The village folks also cheered and supported us. All the water stops and cheering stations were managed and organized by the children of Ananya school. It was an electric atmosphere with the children cheering every runner who came along the route! It was heart warming to see the children cheer each other forgetting all the differences between them once outside of this setting.

Children from the following efforts participated:
Ananya
Sita School
Thulir
Kaigal Sanctuary Schools
Spastics Society
Thai Mane

The children were very thrilled with the experience and it was an important exposure for them. It was heartwarming to see Ananya children and Spastics society kids trying to plan a cricket match. Kaigal children and Thai Mane kids also invited everyone to their schools. This has given an opportunity for the various efforts to interact and further their learning. Most importantly, as organizers of this event we believe in this event providing an opportunity of learning through experience. It was indeed a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved!

This academic year Ananya, is trying to help the children become independent and also learn some entrepreneurial skills. The idea is to create projects over a few months which will involve the children in designing and rolling out products - for e.g. puppets, organic produce etc. Through the projects we tie in concepts related to business studies, maths, science, social science etc. The kids put up their own stalls and displayed a stunning array of products! There was a very successful sale and all the kids could recover more than their loan amounts! 4 groups were given Rs. 3K each and together they raised a revenue of Rs. 21K!!

From Team Asha 8K - Ananya

Here are the words of Sriranjani, a facilitator/coordinator for the Kaigal Sanctuary Schools:

"It was a great event yesterday. Our children and teachers were all happy and proud to have participated in the run. They were so excited and thrilled that not a single one of them took off their bib or cap till they reached The Valley School.

The event was very well organized and it went off so smoothly. Like you had mentioned earlier, we are looking for the day when other schools will participate in events like ours which are there just for the joy of doing and participating.

It has been a wonderful experience for all of us going through the training and the discipline. Many of our kids want to run more and Jayaram (name changed) is keen on running the half marathon next. It was indeed a special moment for us to watch Kanthamma (teacher, name changed) run in her saree, overcoming any resistance her community may have posed for her running. Many of our teachers feel willing and able to run to raise funds for their schools."

We would like to convey our sincere thanks for the support and services rendered by the following partners -
Printo - for all the water proof Bibs, beautiful caps and stickers.
Greenpath & Era Organic - for a splendid organic breakfast and organic bananas for the run.
Ponnusamy - Neighborhood milkman for providing fresh cow's milk and space for parking!
Rajashekar Hospitals - for their reliable and consistent medical/emergency support as always.
Volunteers - Manjula, Kavitha, Siva (Cyclists), Decathlon reps (Sijo, Sachin), Mathew, Anuj, Sourabh, Hyma and other Citrix volunteers, Sriram (Asha volunteer), Kids and staff of Ananya!!

Results: http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/teamasha8k/results.html

Video(Courtesy: Tom Cole, a team asha runner):

Photos:
Team Asha 8K run prep
Team Asha 8K Run - Start/Finish area
Photos from Prem's camera
Manjula's Facebook Album (has photos taken on the run route)

Strides of Hope - Update Feb 20

2010-02-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

I was there at Cubbon park at around 12.30PM to catch up to say "Hi".

Our Ananya kids were also there all tired in the blazing sun.

Then came Santhosh with Chandra. Going strong as of 1PM. Then Balaji delegated some certificate writing to Anisha for Ananya kids.

It was balzing hot already and Santhosh was due to hit the 24 hr mark in 3 hours. Way to go man.

Great going volunteers.

Go Team Asha Go !

Here are some pics:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/StridesOfHope

Ananya Puppet Show

2010-02-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

After a long long time !
Team Asha is also a partner in this event.

Last Friday we where at St.John's Auditorium to watch our Ananya kids perform puppet show.

Unlike previous performances this one was amazingly different. Rohit, the chief composer did a marvelous job and many of us were just stunned to see this amazing show.

Great Job Kids. Truly Amazing. Don't miss out and this Friday, 12th Feb, 2010 at JSS Auditorium, Jayanagar 8th block as they have the last show at 12, 3 and 7PM respectively. MUST SEE !

More Pics in here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/AnanyaPuppetShow

Good Luck to all for the Auroville Run, 2010 as the running season draws to a close.

Kumite Sessions - Ananya

2009-11-01T00:08:00.001-07:00

Team Asha is back full strength at Ananya after almost a months lull. Long weekends and midterm breaks robbed all of us of our great times at Ananya but you can't keep us waiting for long.

This Saturday we had a full throttle Karate sessions, with Sensei Manjula sparing none. All sets were repeated 100 times ! Before the Karate session we started off with for 3K tempo running.

Kumite
We then had "Kumite" sessions where we learned the aspect of sports Karate where one showcases the ability to sneak through the opponent's defenses rather than actually hurting/hitting him. This was an important aspect that needed to be conveyed to the kids as they can get carried away easily.

Then we had one of our kids, Priya sharing us her experiences in watching "kalaripayattu" show and what it demanded as a form of martial art. Then our Sensei emphasized on how much dexterity one required in performing "kalari".

Some pics in here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/AnanyaKarate_Kumite

So we are back and updates will follow as usual !
Aregato !

Team Asha 4k/8k @ Prakriya

2009-10-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Wow ! What a run !

It was a unique event where children from various backgrounds - class, caste, religion etc. participated together with adults from again various backgrounds - teachers, professionals, students etc. Children from Asha supported efforts also participated in the event for free of cost. The event also focused on environmental sensitivity as we reduced the use of plastic/paper to a bare minimum and used environmentally sustainable practices to the fullest extent possible. This helped create awareness for such a need for environnmental sensitivity amongst children as well.

The race begins

100+ children and 100+ adults - in all about 220 runners where participated at the run on Saturday, October 24th. Lots of children and staff from Prakriya lined the the entire race route cheering vociferously for all the runners!

Go Team Asha, Go !

There were two options - 4km and 8km. Many children did the 8km run. The run was on a scenic route with a lot of trees in sections and in some sections running along paddy fields. The 2K out and back route had a turn around in a small village called Gattahalli. The village folks also cheered and supported us. All the water stops and cheering stations were managed and organized by the children of Prakriya school. It was an electric atmosphere with the children cheering all their teachers, parents and every runner who came along the route! We saw them every 500m in the course. It was heart warming to see the children cheer each other forgetting all the differences between them once outside of this setting.

Bravo !

We would like to thank for all the magnanimous support from the community for this event. We got nice high quality T-shirts at a very nominal price, thanks to Satya Dyeings. Printo supported us with Bibs, Flyers etc. Thanks to Children and Staff of Prakriya for hosting a wonderful event and providing tasty breakfast for everyone!

There are still lots of T-shirts left from the event. You could buy it for your friends and family at just Rs. 150 per shirt and support the event.

Team Asha, Bangalore

Results from the event are available now available : Download/View results!

Here are some pics from one of the cameras:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/Asha8KPrakriya#

Here are more pictures from another camera: Team Asha run photos

Team Asha Vs Ananya - Cricket match.

2009-10-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

(Contributed by Balaji, Asha volunteer, Team Asha runner)

A fully fired Team Ananya was ready and roaring to go. Team Asha - Well had a team but only 5 people - too small to make it up a cricket team. Santhosh went out to scout a team like Aamir Khan in the Lagaan. He invited George, a teacher at Ananya and Valentina, a volunteer with Ananya to be part of the team Asha. Valentina exclaimed 'I don't know how to play'. Santhosh replied that it serves well to be part of Asha Cricket team! Such was our composition that included the likes of Vinod, Sriram, Balaji, Srinivas and Santhosh! Eventually, we were granted permission by Shashi to sign a few players from Ananya. We got George, Asha (thanks to her name!), Aruna, ........ . The team was ready and all set to battle out with Ananya. As we assembled the team, a bloodless coup saw Vinod self-anointing himself as captain as he walked out with Suresh for the toss. Nevertheless, Team Asha saw their first success of the day by winning the toss and the victory was celebrated with glee. Opting to bat first, the primary target was to see through 15 overs of the game. Balaji and Sunder were sent out to open the innings amidst the fanfare and cheering. Balaji was set to face the fiery bowling of Suresh. After facing the first ball, he looked at the Pavilion and complained for bowling fast only to be reminded that it is a match and he has to face it!

More photos here- Ananya_cricket_game

The first two overs saw some sluggish batting from Balaji and quick loss of the first wicket. Vinod joined Balaji at the crease and both stayed till the end of the fifth over surviving on a ball to ball to basis. At the end of fifth over, Balaji announced his retirement from the innings, much to the delight of batting team and even the bowling team, who by now had almost gone to sleep, watching one of the most boring batting performance since Navjot Singh Sidhu's 201 against West Indies in 1997! The scoreboard was 30 for the loss of 1 wicket with Balaji contributing just 5 runs after staying for 5 overs. He was replaced by Srinivas at the crease who decided to add some sparkle to the game. He started his innings with a six followed by two fours and game was back in action. Team Asha, who until then was seen praying to Rain Gods to save them, started seeing some hope in the game. Shashi was getting furious seeing their team let so many runs. Instead of being calm and composed cricket team manager, she now resembled a football team manager with her instructions from the pavilion. Vinod retired after the 7th over making way for George. He took to the field amidst intense pressure with Shashi asking him to come back to the pavilion at the earliest. There seems to be no dearth of healthy sledging before and during the game. One of the kids asked Santhosh if he had a proper sleep the previous night! George and Srinivas played a brilliant innings together and the score crossed the three digit mark. The ASHA team finished, what looked impressive then, at a total of 107 in 15 overs.

More photos here- Ananya_cricket_game

Ananya team came out to bat with Suresh and ....... opening the innings. The bowling attack of Santhosh and Srinivas was soon found to be posing no challenge to the Ananya team. With the crowd cheering loudly 'Ya Ya Ananya,' the batsmen lashed out the poor bowling attack into pieces. The fielders at the boundary line had a tough time going out and collecting the balls and getting it back to bowler. Their fifty appeared too soon after just 3 overs! Vinod suddenly remembered that he is the captain and decided to get into action. He rolled up his sleeves, (even though he wore only a half-sleeve shirt)!, picked up the ball and decided to bowl. That over did not do much to change the course of the game. However, the next over by George was more fruitful. He bowled an economical spell and picked up a wicket in the last ball of the over. This was followed by another wicket in the first ball of the next over. The batsmen was caught behind by George off the first ball by Balaji. A strange sense of optimism was found in the Team Asha's camp only to be dampened by the announcement '20 runs more'. Yeah, too little too late! The over proved to be productive with Balaji taking another wicket - another caught behind by George. Suresh stood firm on the other end taking his team past the target with 7 overs to spare! Sriram did not take the field as he stayed back to do the scoring. Encouraged by the success, the boys challenged the team for another encounter - this time, it was for 10 overs.

More photos here- Ananya_cricket_game

Team Asha again took to bat with Sriram and George opening the innings. Sriram, who got out in the previous match without even touching the ball, decide to show his mettle. They put up an impressive total in the first few overs. George got out to make way for Srinivas who could not produce the fireworks that he produced in the first match. Vinod joined Sriram and they put on an impressive 55 runs in 4 overs. Some tight bowling by Suresh refrained them from soaring high. Sriram made way for Santhosh who carried on the good work on the field. The batting by Team Asha vastly improved and they piled up runs. The boys from Ananya were getting tired and they could not keep up the same standards of performance they demonstrated in the first match. Team ASHA finished the 10 overs with an impressive 122 runs.

More photos here- Ananya_cricket_game

Team Asha opened their bowling with Sriram. Sriram started with a bang picking up couple of wickets in the first over. Joining him was George who bowled impressively conceding few runs. Sharad held the fort on one end for Ananya and he was soon joined by Suresh. Both added significant amount of runs and the target looked achievable. Team ASHA tactically decided to bowl slower deliveries . The bowling was getting slower and slower testing the patience of the Ananya batsmen. Balaji’s bowling was more sedate than his batting though it only conceded a few runs. After a few economical overs by George and Balaji, the target was now getting difficult. Ananya’s fans were seen leaving the venue and this acted as an additional pressure on the boys. Suresh was run out and this turned the game towards Team Asha. The target was now 42 runs from 18 balls. The next over from Balaji costed ASHA few more runs and the target got reduced to 26 runs from 12 balls. Few more run outs in the next over and target for the last over was 16 runs. Team Ananya eventually lost to Team Asha by 8 runs.

Team ASHA finally made some ground for their humiliating defeat in the first match with a consolation win in the second.

Team Asha rocks Kaveri Trails!!

2009-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Though this mail comes in a bit late, it does not diminish the celebration and enthusiasm that was evident at the Kaveri trail races!! On Sep 13th, Sunday many folks from Team Asha participated in the Kaveri trail races! More than 20 runners were at Srirangapattinam fighting out the hot and humid conditions. This surely was not an ideal day for running. But, our team did great even against such odds! I have had the privilege of observing most of our runners train and reach many of their goals. So, I guess its my responsibility to give a brief account, which in my language is a long email :) - So, here goes!

More photos here -Kaveri marathon

We all set out in the Team Asha bus on Saturday, 12th afternoon. Manjula, Balaji and Vinodh ensured that we had a great time with a lot of laughs all along! We reached Mysore for dinner and after a run through about the plan, we went to sleep. The next day we all set out in two trips - Half marathoners and 10K runners! All our runners put on an inspirational performance and here is a personal account for each of them!

Photos from the trip are here.

Firstly, the thulir kids - Vinoo, Ezhumalai and Sakthivel put on a stupendous performance. Even with the minimal training this season, all three of them did a great job at the run! Vinoo did a super fast half at 1hr 54 mins and Ezhumalai followed at 2hr 2mins. I tried hard to hold them back on the run and in the end they just bolted out :) Sakthivel, coming to Bangalore for the very first time in his life did his first 10.5K in about an hour! Congrats to the thulir kids and for being an inspiration for all of us.

Ajay Gupta is a Team Asha veteran and has just moved to India from Chicago. He has done many long races and this 10K was part of his training for the Bangalore Ultra 25K. He had a smiling face in all the heat and humidity and that itself tells a lot about how he enjoyed the run :) - Welcome to Team asha Ajay!

Anjana Deepak leads many lives - managed at yahoo, super mom to avani, coach with Runner's High and Team Asha runner! She was her usual strong self in completeing a well run 21km at Kaveri. She prepares for her first Ultra marathon (50K) at Bangalore Ultra on Nov 15th!

Anita Bora is well known in the running circles of Bangalore though not many of the Team Asha folks know her. She is also an avid cyclist and I am sure she is going to go for the record of most funds raised by a Team Asha runner - just a hunch from her popularity levels :) - She had a strong half marathon at Kaveri Trails as well!

Dhanesh Padmanabhan joined us for the Sita School trip and is already very much into Team Asha! He did a half marathon at Kaveri and plans to run the Bangalore Ultra for Team Asha as well!!

Gautham Sadashiva is one of the Runner's High coaches with a lot of races on his colorful running resume! Like with his running, he has been organized in his fundraising as well and has already reached more than halfway in fund raising target! He will be targeting a really long run at the Bangalore Ultra as well!

Kanishka is a Team Asha veteran and long time long distance runner! He had a tough race at Kaveri due to the extreme heat. The training didn't go as well as he wanted as he was busy with many efforts he was involved with in the weekends. Nevertheless, he successfully finished his half marathon and he has already gone way past his fundraising target!!

Kavitha Kanaparthi did her first 10K only a few months back and now she is already done quite a few half marathons, super long treks and really long cycling trips! She is the new endurance athlete in town! Though she took a fall, she successfully completed the Kaveri half marathon and looks forward for the 25K at Bangalore Ultra.

Mathew is an avid runner with bubbling enthusiasm and amazing photography skills! This was his fourth race in just a few months and he has become an expert 10K distance runner already! He did amazingly well in the fundraising front as well and has already reached his target!

Pramod is a long time asha volunteer and veteran team asha runner. Last year, a half marathon went out of reach due to work. But, this time he did it in style! Pramod runs with the Ananaya kids regularly and also volunteers his time teaching there.

Preeti Ashok is the world famous physio in Bangalore :) - Everyone knows who is the physio who understands runners well! In addition to her sterling contribution as an educational resource person at various asha supported efforts, being an asha volunteer, heading the injury prevention and strengthening aspects of Runner's High - she has now finished her first 10K and is going for a 25K!!

Rajeev Muralidhar is another Team Asha veteran and long time long distance runner! He carried on training even through his trips to the US and had a strong finish at the Kaveri Trails! He has already surpassed his fundraising target and is not stopping anytime soon!

Ranjita Bhagwan was introduced to running recently and did her first 10K run only a few months back. She successfully finished her first half marathon at Kaveri Trails! It was an amazing effort and she has already started her fundraising as well!

Rohit Chaudhri is another Team Asha veteran who has returned from Seattle and joined Team Asha in Bangalore recently. He is targetting the Bangalore Ultra and did about 15km at Kaveri as part of his training. Welcome to Team Asha Rohit!

S Balaji is avid long distance runner, long distance cyclist (really long distance - like a tour of south india :) ), super coach, football coach, mentor and the list goes on! Balaji spent considerable amount of Thulir and has been instrumental in the training of the Thulir kids. He came along to Kaveri to support the team and ran with many of us to the finish! Thanks for being there for all of us Balaji!

Santosh M Hulkund is a Team Asha regular and he started running along with us last year. He is now doing comfortable long distances and did a strong half marathon at the Kaveri trails. He was bogged down by many aspects that stopped him from training well. Nevertheless, he put on a great show!

Savitha Muralidhar is a true inspiration to many of the beginners! Only a few months back she was worried if she will be able to complete a 10K, leave alone run all of it! But, on Sunday, 13th she did her first half marathon and is looking forwards to her first 25K at the Bangalore Ultra. She has already crossed her fundraising target by leaps and bounds!

Sindhu Srinivas is the super athlete of Team Asha :) - She came 12th in the women's category - this was a result of an organized effort and consistent training. She has been a super athlete with her fundraising as well! She has already crossed her fundraising target as well!

Srinivas Vooruvakili was quite an inspiration with his training. He followed what the coaches said to the word and put in a very disciplined and organized effort! The results are there to show! He did a time of 2hrs 3mins and was equally organized with his fundraising as well! He has already more than doubled his fundraising target. Great job and go for the 25K Srini!

Vikram Srinivasan missed a good part of training due to injuries and family commitments. But, that did not stop him from completing the half marathon at Kaveri in a strong way. He is continuing training for the Bangalore 25K and has already started his fundraising efforts as well! Great going Vikram!

Vinodh Kumar is a regular Team Asha runner and volunteer at Ananaya. He is also the web master for Asha and Team Asha. Amidst all the work tension he responds in lightning speed to set up all our runner pages and urges them to start! This time he missed a lot of training due to work and other reasons. But, this did not stop him from gritting out the half marathon successfully! He continues to train for the Bangalore Ultra 25K!

Last but not the least, the super lady - Entreprenuer, Endurance cyclist, Runner, Poor jokes coordinator, Karate Black belt, Volunteer at Ananya...Manjula did a marathon at Kaveri trails with an inpiring effort and staying out there for 7+ hours! It was an awesome display of determination and focus!

Thanks to Anu and Krishna of Thulir for supporting the kids on their endeavors and making this possible for all of us!

Thanks to Ananya and Sita School for hosting us for a couple of training runs!

Thanks to Runner's High and everyone who were part of the training and coaching efforts to help our runners cross the finish line at Kaveri trails.

Thanks to all Asha volunteers, friends and family for giving the support and encouragement that we all badly needed! This has been a wonderful experience!

While many of us crossed the finish line in terms of some of our running goals, there still is one more finish line to cross. All this effort, running and crossing the finish line would be worth a lot only when we achieve the goals we all set out for! Asha Bangalore relies heavily on the marathon program for supporting all the wonderful grass roots efforts. Lets gear ourselves up and make sure that this running makes a difference in many other lives as well!!

Go Team Asha!!

Thanks,
Santhosh.
(For Team Asha.)

P.S: If I missed mentioning anyone's contribution, I surely didn't intend to and would want to blame it on permanent mental fatigue from running and typing long emails :)

Team Asha and Thulir

2009-09-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

Thulir is an Education Resource Center for children and young adults at Sittilingi which is a tribal village in Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu. It's a Tamil word that means, "tender shoot", also "to sprout". The goal of Thulir is to provide a place where children are in the presence of adults who can motivate them and provide support for learning, and can access basic learning resources that are not available to them in their homes or schools. It is also a place where children can attend supplementary classes or prepare for exams away from crammed and noisy homes, and interact with visiting professionals from various walks of life to get exposure. Young adults are trained to create similar spaces for children in their own villages. As children grow into young adults, they can have access to vocational training courses and network with other such centers. Learn more about their efforts at: http://www.thulir.org

Team Asha and Runner's High have been coaching the children over the last year for various events. They were monitored on a weekly basis from Bangalore. Detailed training schedules, guidance, injury prevention tips etc. were provided on a regular basis. There was a lot of support from the co-ordinators at Thulir - Anu and Krishna as well. Many children have completed marathons, half marathons and 10k runs in various events in Bangalore, Pondichery and Mysore.

This season three children trained for the Kaveri Trail Races. Balaji, an Asha volunteer spent considerable amount of time with the children to guide them through the training. Vinoo and Ezhumalai successfully completed their first half marathon in a good time of 1hr 54mins and 2hrs 02mins respectively! Sakthivel successfully completed his 10K in 1hr 02mins.

Here is a detailed account of Balaji's stay at Thulir with photos.

Here is Balaji's experience coaching the children:

August 3-9
Balaji reached Thulir on August 4th to help the Thulir Kids with their training plan for the KTM '09. After consulting with Anu and Krishna, we decided that Vinoo and Ezhumalai will run the half-marathon. Perumal could not participate because of his commitments in the newly started Basic Technology Course and Senthil was busy preparing for his final year of formal schooling. They warmed for the weekend long runs by doing a easy 5K run on Friday. On Saturday, they started their first long run of 10K. The boys were naturally fit to run the distance and did very well to finish the 10K in about one hour. On Sunday, they went for an easy run of 5K. Shakthivel, one of the students of the BT Course expressed interest in running with us. On Sunday, he appeared to run with us in an unusual attire - A lungi and a pair of ordinary slippers. Balaji was so impressed by his interest and enthusiasm that he allowed him to run about 3K with the group despite his unorthodox appearance.

August 10-16
Balaji had to leave Thulir in the second week to work on the Team Asha 8K run. He went for a trek with them on Monday and was given the glimpse of the boys' endurance and fitness! The students trained themselves for the rest of the week and Shakthivel also joined them.

August 17-23
Balaji joined them again later that week in time for their weekend long runs. They were scheduled to run 18K on Saturday and 8K on Sunday. Balaji, Vinoo and Senthil set out for the run on Saturday. Shakthivel joined them to run for 3K. They ran for 2 hours through the beautiful Bamboo forests. It was one of the longest runs for Vinoo and he enjoyed it thoroughly. On Sunday, it was a larger crowd for the run. Balaji, Senthil, Vinoo, Ezhumalai and Shakthivel started out to run. They were accompanied by two other students - Parameshwaran and Jayabal on bicycle. They did an easy run for about 4K and turned back. In the return run, they improvised by using the 'chain-running' technique. Runners run in a single file with the runner in the start being replaced by the runner in the last at regular intervals. The time interval was a little longer at the early stage and it was later reduced to zero in the last 1K encouraging runners to go faster. It was enjoyed by the boys and the cyclists assisted in co-ordinating the whole effort.

August 24-30
On Tuesday, Vinoo ran 200m splits for 8 laps. He looked strong after the 8 speed laps. Balaji felt that he could run the half-marathon in about 1 hour 45 minutes. Asked if he would be interested in training harder for a half-marathon at Auroville in Feb. 2010 and winning it, Vinoo humbly replied that he is happy just to run and enjoy the feeling without being bothered about the prizes. They went for another easy run that Thursday. The weekend running plan was 14K on Saturday and 7K on Sunday. On Saturday, Balaji, Vinoo and Ezhumalai set out to run the 14K. Shakthivel joined them for about 3K and returned back. By now, we decided to have Shakhivel on board for the KTM and he was to run a 10.5K, which will be his first taste of a running event. Shakthivel was comfortable with the shoes that we could arrange for him. On Sunday, Balaji, Vinoo, Ezhumalai and Shakthivel set out to run the 7K. As usual, they attracted plenty of on-lookers and funny comments. After sometime, a cycle carrying two persons went besides them. The person sitting behind enquired about them and their purpose for running. Balaji replied them in his sarcastic manner and offered invitation for him to run with them. The person commented that Vinoo does not look like a runner. Vinoo and Ezhumalai asked Balaji if he would allow them to go faster and overtake the cyclist. Well aware of their abilities, he agreed for it and asked the boys to embarrass the cyclists! The boys took off and sprinted past the cyclists making them feel ashamed for their comments. As Balaji neared them, he further commented to them that they are better off running with them than cycling. However, on the return when the boys wanted to try a similar stunt, Balaji refused to allow them to do the same as he felt that they would be stretching their muscles too far.

August 31-September 6
Early this week, Balaji left for Chennai and hence could participate in the training with the students. They trained on their own for the week. Balaji returned to Thulir later that week and because of some health complications could not run with them for their Sunday run. They did not run on Satuurday and hence ran a 10K that Sunday. Shakthivel was asked to take it easy and run less. Senthil, Ezhumalai and Vinoo and ran for over one hour. They were paced and guided by Senthil. All the three students looked fit to run the KTM the next week.

September 7 - 13
On Tuesday, Vinoo and Shakthivel went for an easy run of 5K and wound up their training for KTM. They left Thulir on Saturday morning and reached Bangalore in the afternoon. It was the first long distance trip for Shakthivel and was quite excited on reaching Bangalore. He found the bad odour a bit strange and also the huge drainage canal! They left for Mysore in the team ASHA bus from Bangalore and were all set for the KTM the next day.

Team Asha: Tryst with Science at Ananya

2009-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vinod is among the most active volunteers from Team Asha at Ananya. After having a great stint at the AMD sponsored science workshop with a Govt. School he is now going to share some important concepts at Ananya.

Density
Understanding the concept of density and how it is different from weight?

This is what Vinodh broached to the kids and that kept the minds tickling. Slowly he moved on to the concept of what makes things float in water and what makes it sink. I guess next he will introduce Archimedes principle and the Newton's laws of motion.

Lactometer

So what is a lactometer and how does it work. Can we make a simple lactometer without any special gadgets. This concept was linked with density of water and milk and the methods and means by which one can test if the milk supplied to you is adulterated with water or not.

In the coming weeks Vinodh will be introducing to kids such simple science fundas and will show them things practically.

Until then, keep running !

Team Asha at Sita School

2009-09-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sita School has been supported by Asha Bangalore for more than a year now. We support the entire running expenses of the school. The school was started in 1975 to try to address the problem of many local children not going to school and the fact that many children dropped out of school. The reasons were varied and included economic factors and lack of flexibility in mainstream schools to accommodate children with special needs. The schools also were not attractive to children and if parents were not motivated to send their children to school the children rapidly left.

The school is structured in a way that children can enter at any level and are encouraged to learn at their own pace without pressure of exams or fear of failure and disapproval. Literacy is only one aspect of education. Learning that fosters solely the growth of the intellect is often fundamentally disconnected with life and therefore, oppressive to children. Sita School tries to create an environment which stimulates the child not just intellectually, but also emotionally, creatively and socially.

From Sita_school_overview_health

About 20 of us - many from Team Asha and other interested volunteers did a car pool at Cubbon park on August 29th, Saturday for a trip to Sita School. Even as we reached, the kids were assembling and getting ready for the run with the team! We spent some time introducing ourselves to the kids and even got on the trees :)

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

We then started on a run/walk for about 3.5kms/7kms. The kids had a lot of fun and it was a very scenic location with beautiful green trees, grasslands, eucalyptus forests, mango groves and so on!

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

After the run, we all had a wonderful breakfast of Uppitu, Bananas and Tea. It was under a big tree with all the children as well. Even as all of us gathered for breakfast, Jane interacted with the runners to give them a background of Sita School.

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

After breakfast, Jane gave us a tour of the school and we discussed the philosophy of the school, the teaching methodologies, integrated learning and goals of the school. We met with a few teachers who showed us a few activities for teaching various concepts related to science and language. We also had a discussion on integrating children with disabilities in the school.

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

Last year, Sita School children designed and printed a lot of calendars for Asha. Asha volunteers sold the calendars to fund raise for Sita School. The funds support vocational training and continued education of children graduating from Sita School. Here is more on it by one of our Asha volunteers, Sanjeev Ranganathan

This year too, children are doing the design and hand printing of Asha calendars. After the run we got a glimpse of the work involved. Its quite rigorous and time consuming with all the elder kids involved. The kids who had passed out and are currently supported by the funds also contributed time and efforts for the calendar.

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

The pictures were all painted by the kids themselves. The kids were involved a lot in the printing process as well.

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

After the runners left in the morning, many of the Asha volunteers helped in the calendar making process along with the kids.

From Sita_school_calendars_teamasha_trip

Overall it was a wonderful day at Sita School and a unique opportunity to learn more about diverse efforts supported by Asha Bangalore.

More Photos are here

Teachers Day at Ananya

2009-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Teachers day at Ananya on September 5th. Luckily as it was a weekend most of us were able to make it.

For Team Asha folks the day started as usual with a quick 3KM run with the kids and we soon started to interact with the kids during the cool down session on who the first prime minister of India was, then who was the first president, the second president and at the same time getting to know why Teachers day and Childcare's day are celebrated, the essence behind them. Then we slowly moved into Sensei Manjula's karate session. This time it was much vigorous and kids were really glued to it. We then had a break for breakfast before the day's event started to unfold.

When he became the President of India in 1962, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, September 5. He replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teacher's Day." Since then, Teacher's Day has been celebrated in India.

-- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (September 5, 1888 – April 17, 1975)

Report card to parents

As Parents kept arriving they all were handed over their child's report card. This was to keep them abreast of how they were performing and doing in general at Ananya.

Graduation

So all the senior kids who passed out their 10th class exams had their graduation ceremony in our own Ananya style. All of them were handed over those graduation hats.

We also have a big list of kids who are going to appear for their Xth exam next summer and some who are going to take exams this October.

Ananya Alumni

There was a huge presence of former who kids who climbed through the education and life ladder through Ananya. It was wonderful to note how each one of them were settled and making waves in their careers.

Also some of them have partnered together to form their own entrepreneurial ventures.

Everyone attributed to the cordial and friendly teacher-student interaction at Ananya. As each one of the students spoke the teacher and volunteers at Ananya couldn't have been more happy. All the efforts that the team put behind for over decade has clearly borne fruits.

The Unsung Heroes: Teachers

The day was apt to honor all the teachers who were (and are) the core force behind the success of Ananya. All the teachers received huge ovation as they were all presented some nice handmade cards and flower pots as bouquets.

They have been an unflinching force that has stood by Ananya and in making what Ananya is today.

Team Asha Volunteers honored

Apart from other volunteers Team Asha volunteers were also honored. The running and Karate team has been interacting with the kids on a regular basis and we hope to continue this further.

Good job, Team Asha !

Karate Demo
Soon the kids showcased their Karate training to parents and teachers, headed by Sensei Manjula.

Presentations

Then some of the kids showcased their experience at Ananya and abroad as an ambassador of Ananya through multimedia presentations. The elan and panache they displayed during these presentation sessions were of very high quality and well narrated with all the confidence.

These kids have so much in their kitty and I'm sure we will have a lot to see.

Puppet Show

We then had a puppet show which these kids add innovation and variety every time they do it. They play looks different every time I see it.

Lunch

Lunch was served to all of us and most of us caught up with each other and had some lengthy chats. The kids also got a well deserved break after a hectic pre-noon.

We could see so many happy faces, from teachers, parents, their kids, volunteers and visitors. You all made this success of Ananya happen and just keep that going.

More pics at:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/TeachersDayAnanya#

(More pics are awaited, shall update once we get all of them)

All the best to all of you and good luck. We as Team Asha shall always be there with your endeavors.

We also thank Printo for the certificates.

-- Team Asha

Independence Day Run @ Ananya

2009-08-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

15 August, 2009 was a jam packed day as Team Asha and Runner's High descended at Ananya defying weather and havoc-wrecked roads. Owing to the current A(H1N1) scare (aka Swine Flu) the second edition of the Team Asha 8k Run had to be indefinitely postponed. Though many of us were disappointed but the decision was taken after carefully analyzing medical advise and not to add to the current panic and the fact that kids were the most susceptible of the lot.

Nevertheless, keeping the spirit of Independence day we decided to have a small run at the Ananya campus were runners from Team Asha and Runner's High came together to jam-in a run alongside the Ananya kids.

Bunny, Bunny- Bunny (Come, please come)

We all had an unusual meetup near the Karamelaram railway station road. It was by chance as the 7AM train stood right across the railway crossing and Shashi Rao (Ananya Founder) was also right there. Santhosh decided to get all the runners a quick intro from Shashi (as you can see above).

The Run

Quickly we all began and started by 7.30AM. All the kids and runner's went out in full swing and went to finish their target distances according to their training plan.

People had to do distances of 4K/8K. To add a little adventure we also had to cross railway tracks (manned crossing). As we were running some of us had to head back for other events.

The Karate Demo

Under the aegis of Sensei Manjula the Ananya kids and some Team Asha runners have been training for karate. Our Sensei had put together some moves and techniques to showcase our training in form of a demo.

This was a short 15 minute demo as the runners were introduced to various aspects of Karate and the its true essence.

Chai Pani

We all had some Tea before went in for our next activities. All runners had some time to interact with each other. We were around 20-30 runners in all and it was a very good gathering as well.

Puppetry

Soon after the Karate demo we all headed for a wonderful little English play shown as puppets.

This was about Ananya, the learning center and how it is different from other traditional schools.

Here is the Ananya team behind this play and couple of our Italian volunteers. As the play progressed Sashi introduced to runners about Ananya and how they can help and be part of Ananya.

Dance, Dance , Dance

No that's not the Mithun da's movie but our very own Ananya kids dancing to beats of "Pappu Can't Dance", "Beat it" and "Jai Ho".

MJ would have been proud to see the kids when they jammed for "Beat It".

Our DJ for the day was Shashi and her car was used to play the music.

Volleyball, and Team Asha Wins

And we had a volleyball match with the kids and finally Team Asha won over the kids for the first time in six months (of course our team also had big players from Ananya) but we lost the next match.

But we had a great match and we had Deepak, our guest runner from Runner's high who played with us apart from the regular Team Asha gang.

Treasure Hunt

It was already 11AM and kids were getting ready for their next event. Treasure hunt organized by the Italian Volunteers. Guess only Santhosh was left to hunt for the treasure.

All in all a very nice day and event-filled day. Thanks to all runners from Team Asha and Runner's High.

Come Run with us.

Team Asha !

More Pics in here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/balsubu/IndependenceDayRunAnanya#

Season Runs: Start At Ananya

2009-07-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

So the running season for the year 2009-10 started off last month and as part of the training program, Team Asha Bangalore will conduct runs at each of its supported programs so that the volunteers, trainers, runners and the kids can all interact with each other.

Kick start At Ananya

So the first run-at-the-site took off at Ananya today. Other than the regular Asha Runners none turned up for the run (Rains? Where?). But it was business as usual for all of us.

Weather Dither
What a lovely weather and we were in no mood to run or practice Karate. After quite a few dilly dallying we all took off for the run at around 7.20AM. Most of the kids did a neat 3KM and others went on to do a 5KM.

As the drizzle was bearable we all went in for our stretching session and then started our Karate session.

Beat the Weather

As we started our training for Karate session Vinodh, Narmada and I donned the "sesnsei" role as Manjula was away.

As the drizzle started to gather momentum we wound up one batch. But Vinodh stood between the weather and the class. After a quick vote with kids he decided to go on and surprisingly he already got them on even heels over the first Kata (Fukyugata Ichi). Good job pal !

The Breakfast

Lets give you a small tour inside Shivamma's kitchen from where those Idlies come flying to our plates melange'd over chutney and sambhar.

Soon our trainers from "Runner's High" joined us with couple of guests over breakfast. Post breakfast some of us played volleyball and football(soccer).

Volunteering

From this Saturday most of us would be staying back further till noon and introduce things like computers and mathematics to kids in an interesting way so that its not a burden on them and they would rather relish it.

Today we started our effort by first cleaning up all the viruses that have infected the computers at Ananya. But as we were running on UPS because of power outage we could restrict ourselves only to a couple of computers. One of the senior students was taught on how to do it on couple of machines so that he can finish the basic tasks by next Saturday.

Then we slowly started the kids to involve in a discussion on what are computers, what they can do, why does a keyboard look different, the shift key in the keyboard and many others.

We wanted to show the kids their pics for a long time and finally we managed to show them their pics today.

Taking granted on Basic assumptions

Santhosh had asked kids some basic questions like why does a mathematics compass can measure only 360 degrees (why not 400?). Also things like why the clock has just 12 hours (why not 20?) and things such as these as a kids (and even as an adult) we have never questioned the basic premise. This is what most of us would want to defy and really get into the root of things.

The whole idea to "question" is what we are looking at. Getting this inquisitiveness will be one of our top priorities. Vinodh has more interesting ideas on science and maths and he would start sharing as we move ahead.

Finally I took all the time on earth, had my lunch at Ananya and then left !

Some pictures in here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/AshaRunAnanya#

Go Team Asha and Ananya, Go !

White to Yellow with empty hands: Team Asha and Ananya

2009-07-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

So what else Team Asha in Bangalore does other running and volunteering. This may sound trivial and off running topic for some but then this was more than a saga for all of us. Read on below !

"The ultimate aim of the art of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the characters of its participants."
- Gichin Funakoshi

Two months ago when we met our master at Ananya, we had no idea that she would be our bellwether guiding us using her "empty hands". Karate as a form of personal strength and to gain extra control over oneself was one of the sole motivation.

It all began at our "Dojo" (school) at Ananya this summer when we were training with kids for the Sunfeast 10K and during one of our breakfast discussions the idea of "Karate" cropped in as a cross training from a photographer who was capturing us at the volleyball matches with the kids. Who knew that she would become our Sensei who would lead all of us into this odyssey which seems like a journey in progress now.

We asked her, "onegaishimasu Sensei", Please teach me/us and that is how it all began. Tuesdays and Saturdays after the run we all diligently went through classes and practiced extensively during the last two weeks.

Today as America celebrated its independence we headed towards the first step, the Yellow Belt and all of us came out in flying colors.

What are you waiting for? You're faster than this. Don't think you are, know you are. Come on. Stop trying to hit me and hit me.
--Morpheus, The Matrix

This is what was that was going through during the endurance tests in all our minds. Our Morpheous was Sensei Manjula under whom we've trained for the last two months. We could hear her chip in when we were about to give up during the endurance training and it was then that she occurred to us like Morpheous.

Learn the principle, abide by the principle, and dissolve the principle. In short, enter a mold without being caged in it. Obey the principle without being bound by it. LEARN, MASTER AND ACHIEVE!!!

-- Bruce Lee

This just a baby step that we all have taken and I'm sure there is a long way to go as Team Asha and Team Ananya. We have more kids taking active part with Karate and Tuesday from now on we will be doing Karate exclusively. Of course Saturdays after the run we will continue with it as well.

Aregato to Sensei Manjula, Sensei Rani and my training mates Vinodh, Narmada and Banna !
Thanks to George, Suman and Shivamma for a wonderful breakfast and lunch. Ananya is more than a home to all of us.

I'll finally end it with an anonymous quote below:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”

(Pic Courtesy: Sensei Manjula)

Team Asha 8k Run, 2009 - Train, Run and Educate

2009-06-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

One Team, One Dream

(Just at the start of the run)

All the runners came under one umbrella, Team Asha, for one dream, "Bringing Hope Through Education". A sea of runners vroomed passed the trails across Valley School campus as they gave those calm resting legs a rhythm.

We had kids from Valley school, Ananya, Thulir and Parikriya apart from the regular runners who took part with immense zeal and ardour.

Why Run with us ?

(Come, run with us)

If you are not running with us, you are missing something. No, we are not going to sound cliched but you should run with us as a Team or individual to know what it is to be like Team Asha.

Team Asha has grown in number and participation in the last couple of years in Bangalore and we have been thriving our best to support projects at Asha to the best of our abilities, both by running and through volunteering. You must attend our info sessions to know more about our training program and Asha's intiatives here in Bangalore and around.

The Trail

(Asha Running couple on their way)

The trail was a mixture of pebble strewn tar road and muddy trail.

Valley school is located at a very scenic location just 20 odd KMs from Bangalore and spread across a sprawling serene campus. What makes this trail tough and terrific is its hilly nature. There were enough uphills and downhills to keep all the runners busy panting and relaxing at the same time. We call it Pleasured Pain !

The entire distance was 8K split into two loops of 4K each. We marked all the trails by early in the morning with interesting comments and color codes. Most part of the trail was well shaded.

The Run

(Sea of runners above)

After trying to squeeze in every runner we began the run at quarter past nine (9:15AM) and the kids took the center stage and were all set.

The Race ?

(Enjoying the Run)

Though the whole idea behind the run was an implicit race. But as we pondered upon it we realized that it is the team spirit that needs to be promoted and race was just another dimension to it.

The whole idea of running together as a relay is to get your running partner feel good and the idea here was not your speed but the camaraderie you show to your running mate thereby completing the distance. Completion being the key, constrained with your limitations and that extra push you get from your partner and other running folks promoting a mutual goodwill among the runners.

During the Run

(Scenic trail and a wonderful couple)

We had many non-runners, who graduated today as runners. We don't distinguish much between a runner or a jogger or a walker. Simply put, you are a runner !

The best part is that almost everyone enjoyed being a part of this whole festival, a running festival working towards a common goal for Asha.

(The Father and daughter running pair)

We had people from the very the young to the old, the birders, the barefoot runners, the jolly-jolly runners and many more.

(Hip Hip Hooray ! Go runner Keep going !)

We also had great cheering support, thanks to the Valley school and its Fraternity. Some Team Asha veterans mingled in the group cheering and encouraging runners.

Eco Effect
We had steel tumblers in the water stops with bananas and glucose biscuits. We wanted to create as little impact to the environment and I guess we did that successfully.

Keeping in view of the surroundings and step towards environmental friendly runs. One of the Team Asha member's verbatim:

The water stalls were really refreshing to see. In any other event there would be so much wastage but here with the tin cups there was none. A model for other races to follow

Post Run

(The Registration and Goodie desk)

As the runners finished their respective distances they moved towards the Registration desk to collect their Tees. All the runners who participated got a Tee shirt and Tsunamikas as goodies.

That was their certificate ! You all deserved it.

We had herbal tea, black and and normal Tea also arranged for all of us and it was very refreshing.

Vote of Thanks

Thanks to Valley School for encouraging and letting us use their wonderful serene campus for all of us to be part of.

Thanks to Rajashekar group of hospitals for their medical help and ambulance facility with their doctors and paramedics.

Thanks to Sathya Dyeing for the Tee shirts from Thirpur (Tamil Nadu).

Thanks to Printo for the Tee shirt and bib number printing.

Thanks to Runner's High for their logistics and coordination for this event.

Last but not the least, to all the runners who took part with all enthusiasm and gusto.

(Team Asha folks during the run !)

Also, thanks to all the volunteers from Valley school and Asha:

Running with Team Asha is contagious, you catch a running flu

So if you want to train, run and educate, then come join us. Just drop us a comment here or mail us anytime, we will make sure you catch the Running Flu !

More about Asha Training Marathon program here:
http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/marathon/

Contact Team Asha for training, mentors or webmaster:
anita [DOT] komanduri [AT] gmail [DOT] com

('End' refers to 'End of Illiteracy')

Go Team Asha, Go !

More pics in here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/teamasha8k/TeamAsha8k2009BaluCam#

Media Bytes:

Citizen Matters, from Manjula Sridhar.
http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/1169-asha-8k-run-kanakapura-road-valley-school

Train, Run and Educate !

Joy of Success at Ananya

2009-06-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Back to business as Team Asha resumed its post Sunfeast runs and Karate at Ananya. We will invariably be present on all Saturdays (of course Tuesdays) at Ananya. But the cynosure of all our eyes were our beloved kids at Ananya who cleared their Xth exams. All of them cleared it.

As Team Asha, we haven't really contributed as much as other volunteers, teachers and support staff who have been with Ananya all this while and before. But thanks to Vinodh who headed the Team Asha volunteers in teaching kids Word Processing and I'm sure we would contribute more in the coming weeks. Running and Karate has been our mainstay activities at Ananya and it will mature into lifestyle activity for most of the kids.

During the Karate session our Sensei made all the kids and Team Asha folks take an oath which emphasized that we would not misuse Karate for selfish and ignoble purposes. As the kids are turning in big numbers, it also gives as a great high and commitment to this program.

Our Sensei then surprised all the kids by ordering a cake so that we all could share the joy of the senior kids who cleared their Xth class. Only Banna and Kavya were present amongst us and it also happened to be Suresh's birthday. So we decided to get them all to cut the cake together and gathered all the kids after the breakfast. Sivamma's unflinching support to our idlies made the day again for all of us as we leisurely sat at the corner and discussed all possible topics that we could talk about.

After the cake cutting ritual we asked the senior kids to share their experiences, hard work and success with other kids for inspiration. It was nice to listen to their views and the maturity with which they spoke was a pleasure listening to. We wish them all a very good luck and success in their endeavors.

Finally before we wrapped up we had a small surprise for our beloved George, Suman, Sivamma and Agnus. Until then, Keep reading this Wall !

Go Team Asha and Ananya. Keep Running !

Train, Run and Educate !

Find More Pics in here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/balsubu/AnanyaBday10Pass#
(Some of the Pics in the Picasa, Courtesy: Rampee)

Ananya, Thulir and Team Asha @ Sunfeast 10k 2009

2009-06-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

The 12 week long journey

This year's Sunfeast 10k generated enough excitement and believe me it looked like the entire Bengalooru (aka Bangalore) was there to run. Team Asha Runner, Santosh, now involved with Runner's High chalked out training schedule for Ananya and Thulir kids. Some Asha Runners whom you must have been following up in this blog got involved with Ananya. We added variety by adding Karate, some Frisbee, some volley ball, some cycling and of course lots running and strides to make this entire exercise all the more enjoyable.

This small team from Team Asha has bonded so well with Ananya that Tuesdays and Saturdays we are invariably present at Ananya. The entire place has so much energy and we fell all the more part of Ananya.

Art Work in Progress

Our last Saturday run which also happened to be the last saturday as part of the training schedule ironically did not feature a run (as it was rest according to the training plan). So we all sat down to prepare some posters to cheer Ananya, Asha and Runner's high. Thanks to Narmada and Vinbot for all the charts and colors.

Thanks to Agnus, a volunteer at Ananya who spearheaded this session.

More pics in here (Pic Courtesy: Vinbot's mobile camera):
http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/AnanyaDrawing#

We were served Tea three times and it also included a special Tea from Assam which one of our volunteer brought it all the way from Assam during her backpacking trips. As usual we had Idlies first soaked in Sambar and accompanied by chutney. We set forth some logistics and transportation plans for the race day.

Thanks to Pramodh, another Team Asha runner for the conveyance to make sure the kids reached the venue in time. Pramodh also ran his longest at the Sunfeast 10K. I'm sure half marathon is just the next target for him this year.

The Race

We all met at the Cubbon gate and Mallaya road junction. Luckily we had a pre-paid parking at UB city. Kids from Ananya got this cool drum and we all had fun and frolic. I was on (runner's) high and was up to this famous Hyderabadi dance step "Teen Maar" (Three times) which turned out to be a total (dis)graceful dance steps from my side, but nevertheless I had fun !

All the kids were up for Majja run and the Thulir kids and Team Asha runners were up for the open 10K without chip category. All of us finished our runs to our utmost satisfaction and I'm sure we will improve as we progress. Met so many Asha runners and thousands running for their good cause. Good to see you all folks.

Post Run

Some Kids Cheering for us

Post run we all met again at the same spot. Our Sensei looked like had cracked this run and her cycling stint seemed to have worked wonders for her. She was also in trance and no stopping her now. We had more fun discussing about the event and stuff and the Thulir kids and some Team Asha runners headed back to Ananya to spend the night there (envy you guys). More report on that awaited(I understand they had a ball).

A Big Thank you

This could not have been possible but for your support folks !

Thanks to fellow Ananya-Asha runners who helped us in raising funds.

Thanks to Bata for giving us shoes and socks at very low discounted rates.
Thanks to Runner's High and Printo for Tee Shirts and other Ananya related paraphernalia.

Thanks to Sensei Manjula for giving Karate a humble beginning at Ananya and I'm sure things would get in proper fold when kids are back full strength.
Thanks to Shashi for persevering with us and making us feel very much part of Ananya.
Thanks to Sivamma's Kitchen (I mean Sivamma herself), George and his wife (We owe you three a surprise) and of course all the wonderful kids and voulnteers at Ananya with whom we had gala time through running.

Also, thanks to Thulir kids who prepared on their own accord (with inputs from Santhosh).

This is just the beginning of our interactions with Ananya and we will keep you posted through mail and blog about our activities. We personally thank all the Asha runners who have helped us in this sojourn at Ananya.

If I've missed anyone then it must be my unwitting brain that must have overlooked you :-(

Looking Ahead
We are going to continue this Asha-Ananya initiative and will get in full swing from this month onwards. We will be there from this Saturday onwards. Want to join us ?

Until then, Keep miling and Stay Fit !

Go Team Asha, Ananya and Thulir.

More Pics Awaited. Keep watching this wall for update ! Other Pics, Courtesy: Santhosh. All rights reserved !

Ananya Run: Farming

2009-05-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

To describe what Vinodh, a Team Asha Runner, says about Ananya

Ananya is a Magical place, and has so much to offer.. Today, It taught us farming. George was so enthusiastic to share with us the process/techniques. [Start->Programs->MicroSoft Farming??? - No] We ploughed the field, planted the Ginger/Bean sprouts, manured and watered them. This is the closest, I'll ever get to real-working for a while. Totally fulfilling experience.

Team Asha Rythu (Farming) Sangha: Sriram (Senior scientist), Vinodh, (The real farmer), Narmada (Officer on Spl.duty), Manjula (~~Female~~ Senior Vice President), Banna (Apprentice), Sucksman Balu(PR)

Indeed it is. Some of Asha runners who have been running with the Ananya kids for over two month now have just been takne over by its sheer beauty and setting. Our beloved George is back and this Saturday we learned how to plant ginger and beans. How to make the ginger sprout a priori, how to plough the area, how to locate a shaded area and then how to place the ginger (spruoted region facing upside-down), and then how and where to place the manure (the manure is actually collected from the organic waste within Ananya) and the how to shade the enitre plouged region with dry leaves which by itself would become a manure in the coming weeks. Then we moved towards beans and our dear George explained on how to use the axe effectively and then how to place the bean seeds.

As Vinodh explains again:

It was only 9 am, and I was already having so much fun..

Shivamma's kitchen beckoned us. Idlies floating in Sambhar and hot masala tea.. Wow.. We discussed various things over breakfast. The group is getting crazier by the day. We'll take over Bangalore one day.

Read more on what Vinodh has to share here:
http://vinning.blogspot.com/2009/05/awesome-saturday.html

We are just waiting for all the kids come on 30th May and all set for the 31st Sunfeast run. Make no mistake, this doesn't stop here as this Asha-Ananya initiative is just the beginning and miles to go before we.....

Until then, Keep Miling ! Go Team Asha and Ananya ! All the very best for Sunfeast run on May 31st 2009 !

Canvas Shoe Update:
Some of the Asha runners who have been running with Ananya kids have also manged to raise enough funds to give all the kids at Ananya canvas running shoes. I've been talking to the higher-ups at "Bata" and they have agreed to give us canvas shoes at a discounted price. Once a very good discounted price is obtained I'll feature them for their gesture. Keep reading this space to know more !

Pic Courtesy: Vinodh's mobile camera phone.

Ananya Run: Running, Maths, Geography and Clay Puppets !

2009-05-05T01:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a special karate session from Sensei Rani, many thanks to her, who came all the way from Mysore to teach us all the moves specifically required for the yellow belt. It was around 10AM and the sun was shining bright but the kids had braved it all to learn and imbibe this wonderful opportunity. Sensei Manjula also started recording these moves so that it can be viewed by all the children and volunteers for clarifications. It was a houseful day at Ananya and choc-a-bloc with activities.

Meanwhile today's Ananya run was a tad different as we made it little learning-centric. We told the kids what a Marathon is and what it stood for. Then we slowly started to add some math during our stretching sessions. Like, we told them at one mile is 1.609 KM. And then asked them things like if 1 mile is 1.609 KM then how how much is 10 miles.

Then we slowly added complexity by asking how much is 26.2 miles (~42.19 KM) and that is how we linked that marathon entails a distance of 26.2 miles and half marathon is half of that = 21KM. We slowly added some geography to it by letting them know about where Greece is what was its capital. Consequently told them that the distance from Athens to town Marathon was 42KM and thus its name.

The kids have been really enjoying the puppetry workshop they have been having here at Ananya. They have been taught how to make clay faces, paper meshes from coconut scraps and some carpentry to mount these clay faces.

According to all the kids, "The clay can be found under natural water habitats, lake lakes or ponds and must be sifted for stones and other impurities". Kids call and share with us what all they have learned. One such initiative was their plate-painting that they've made to gift their teacher as a marriage gift.

I'm sure we have a lot to learn from the kids and I hope this running initiative gives us all enough fillip.

Go Team Asha and Ananya, Go !

Keep running !

Some pictures in here: http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/AnanyaClayPuppets#

The Karate Kids at Ananya

2009-04-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

Now since the Karate classes have gone serious, its time to share some of our efforts.

Thanks to Sensei Manjula (Sensei Ni Rei: bow to the Sensei)for her time with Team Asha volunteers and Ananya kids, this thing has now become a regular affair. Once the kids are back in full strength this will become all the more meaningful.

We all are now going to increase the intensity and train for our yellow belt exam some time by end of next month. We are going to increase endurance activity as well.

Karate is being used to convey to the kids that it is essentially a form of defense and some of the moves (especially in kata) requires one to remember/memorize and concentrate hard to understand and follow a regimen. This will also help the kids in improving their concentration and and help them stay focused. The focus of Sensei is to teach us all a mix of Sports karate and Street karate.

This has been a truly great start and we wish to continue this further and expect more kids at Ananya will benefit from it.

All our Saturday runs end with a feast from Shivamma's kitchen. The breakfast there in that setting is just perfect. Thanks to Shivamma for all her effort and perseverance to feed us all!

Thanks to Vinodh, our bard, who is helping out kids with Word Processing for their exams.

Go Team Asha Go !
Aregato ! Keep running !

More Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/AnanyaKarate#

Ananya Training Update

2009-04-18T01:35:00.000-07:00

So we are going right on track with the training for the Sunfeast 10K even though most of the kids have gone home for vacation. We have given them schedules and have asked them to follow the training program to their best of abilities.

Karate Update:

Sensei Ni Rei (bow to the Sensei)
Dojo Ni Rei (Bow to the class/training hall)

We also learned lot of new moves in Karate over the last few weeks, thanks to Sensei Manjula. We've imbibed the first "Kata", the simulated fight.

We have learned the three punches (Tsuki) (Gedan, chudan and nidan), three front kicks (Ma Giri), one side kick (Yoko Giri) and one back fist punch(Uraken)

Couple of blocking techniques as well.
As it goes we will now be ready in couple of weeks for the first belt, the "yellow" belt !

Volunteer Activity Update:
After the training Vinod helped the kids in preparing for their "Word Processing" exam due this April 29, 2009.

Santosh and I had a talk with Sashi on future activity for Ananya kids and Sashi taught us something wonderful about "Möbius strip". Interesting, do read about it in the Wiki below and also about its unique properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip

Watch out this space for more information. Until then keep running !

Karate - Empty Hands

2009-04-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

As part of our runs with kids at Ananya we have started to train for Karate as a cross training activity. Karate means - Empty Hands.

Sensei Manjula, who is also a Team Asha runner will be guiding us through some important basic sessions in karate. In this first session last Saturday we got to know about the true essence for what Karate stands for. The idea is to use it as a tool of self-defence and having to attain greater control over oneself.

Some basic forms of karate like kata (simulated fight) and kumite (the actual fight) were described and then some basic punches.

# Jodan - Upper
# Chudan - Middle
# Gedan - Lower

By the way punch is called Tsuki. Gedan, chudan and nidan become the adjectives (Upper, middle, lower).

A blocking technique and finally mixed all of them with a three step forward punch and block routine. They all may sound simple but it ain't that way !

More to come ! So do join our Ananya runs !
Go Team Asha Go !

Team Asha Runs at Ananya

2009-03-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

As part of Team Asha initiatives in Bangalore, we are training kids at Ananya for the upcoming Sunfeast 10K run this May 2009. We have little more than a dozen kids who will be training with us for the Sunfeast 10K run.

The kids are going through a proper training schedule and are already in their 2nd week now. We will be there at Ananya every Tuesday and Saturday for the next two months. So if anyone of you are planning to join Team Asha Bangalore and want to train with us, then do join us or drop in a mail/comment in here.

As a ritual we also play a volleyball match with the kids post run on Saturdays and get to eat some yummy breakfast at Ananya. Even we have improved by leaps and bounds and Vinodh is a great example. Aside: We haven't won a single match as yet over the kids.

This week had Manjula getting her cycle and kids really enjoyed riding it and some of them also learned on how to ride it with inputs from Narmada as well.

Come, be part of Team Asha, Train and Run with us.

Some Pic indulgence in here: http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/Ananya_March2009#

Asha's project page - http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=14
Ananya's Blog - http://www.ananyatrust.blogspot.com/

Great Running Season with Team Asha

2009-02-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

Finally the 2008-09 Running Season came to end at Auroville last Sunday and this also completes my one full year of running. It started with my first half-marathon exactly a year ago at Auroville and yesterday I did another one.

This also has been a great running year and my association with Asha has added that extra bit of a meaning to my running !

(With Asha folks at Auroville, Pondicherry)

It has been a truly great year and I'll be still running with Team Asha on and off. With this I'll now get back into cross-training to strengthen my knees and improve speed. The next running season will officially start off in August with the Hyderabad marathon.

There still a month left before I wrap all my donations for Asha. Thanks to one and all who supported my runs. I'll be back again next year !

Thanks to Anita and Sanjeev for the orientation on Asha (I'll again comeback for those Sandwiches), Santosh for all the run management, Siva Athreya for handling the cheques and everyone in Team Asha with whom I was directly or indirectly involved !

You can find the pics from my cam in here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/Auroville2009

Looking forward to run next year again with Team Asha. Till then keep running and be healthy ! God Bless !

Team Asha rocks Auroville!!

2009-02-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the email summarizing the efforts put in by the team at Auroville! Photos will follow soon!

----------------------------------------------------

Hi Folks,

Hope everyone has recovered from the run this weekend :) It was an amazing weekend and a fitting gala finale of Team Asha's training programs for 2008-09!!

I. Congrats Runners
II. Thanks to Auroville race organizers, New creation School
III. Thanks to RFL, B2F, Chennai Runners
IV. Thanks to Volunteers, Runners and Everyone else
V. Race reports
VI. What Next ?
VII. What Matters ?

I. Congrats Runners

Firstly, Congratulations to all runners for embarking on this wonderful journey and thanks for making the rest of us a part of it!

The marathon program has been Asha Bangalore's major fundraiser and has been instrumental in helping the chapter reach out to more grassroots efforts in India. The runners' efforts and contribution to fund raising really has shaped Asha Bangalore's ability to fund projects.

Here is the list of runners who were at Auroville and a very brief info on each of their efforts. You can read more about them on their runner pages (of course, if they don't have one, they will be setting it up soon :) ) -
http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/marathon/team.htm

Ananya team - Uddhav and the nine kids (Aruna, Basavaraju, Dinesh, Jayanth, Pramila, Priya, Selvi, Shashikala and Sowmya) had a great run! The kids made the entire trip lively and unforgettable for us. It is also inspiring to see the children train over many weeks for a 10K run and finish it strongly. We learnt a lot from the committed effort put by the Ananya team.
More about Ananya here - http://teamashablr.blogspot.com/2009/02/trip-to-ananya.html

Thulir team - Senthil did an amazing time of 4:10 for the marathon, shaving of more than 1 hour from his previous time at Kaveri. This in just a period of 3-4 months!! Rajammal, Devaki, Govindamma, Perumal, Vinoo and Ezhumalai performed very well and had a lot of fun too! A special thanks to the thulir team for the nice bamboo key chains they made for each one of us as souvenirs for the race.
More about Thulir here - http://teamashablr.blogspot.com/2008/09/trip-to-thulir-sep-2021.html
Anita Komanduri - She had a good run, though she missed a good part of the training. She helped our team a lot with the logistics!

Balasubramanian - Ever ready to help out in any demanding situation, Balu was at his awesome best again :) - He finished his 1/2 strongly and was around to help us all out.

I2 runners - Ravishankar Balasubramanya, Deepak Sanghi, Alok Ashtikar, Heera Ganjikota and Nitin Gupta have trained hard to run the Auroville marathon. They have already done great with the fundraisin and we are really hoping that they will hit their target soon! Alok had a tough race, but we are sure he will bounce back soon! Deepak did his best in a marathon!

Kanishka - Kanishka put in a consistent and committed effort through the training! He had a strong run and the 2nd loop like for everyone else was a tough one, that he strived through like always. It was an inspiring effort! BTW, he has gone way past his fundraising target already!!

Malini - Malini is a friend of my mom and a teacher herself. She came to know about Asha's efforts recently and just wanted to join the team immediately! She did a great 5K and would be helping us out as well. Malini's son Vikram was there cheering us as well and is inspired to help us out in different ways now!

Maneesha - Maneesha balanced work, family and running deftly to complete her training and the Auroville run strongly! It was really nice to have her as part of the team!

Manjula - With all the travelling on the job and a hectic work schedule, she still came out to run with us all and made the trip an enjoyable expreience! It was always fun with her around!

Melvin - Melvin did a good marathon on Sunday and though not based in Bangalore, has been training on his own to contribute to the team!

Nagendra - Nagendra did his first 10K run on Sunday and we are sure there is a lot in store from him! The kids and the team enjoyed his company at the games and anthakshari sessions :)

Narmada - With an ankle injury and a lot of missed workouts, Narmada was not sure about the start line. But, she took on the 10K bravely and finished strongly! It was an inspiring effort!

Noel and Reva - Noel and Reva are one of the best dad-daughter running teams we have seen :) Reva helped out at the race and also ran her 5K! Noel fought through all the injuries for a nice finish at the half marathon distance.

Prabhu - Prabhu also did his first 10K on Sunday. His work demanded that he leave for Pondichery on Saturday night. So, he turned up by a bus at 4 AM on Sunday at Auroville - amazing commitement!

Pramod - Though pramod was there through the entire training season, unfortunately work demanded that he miss the Aurioville marathon for the trip to US. But, we are sure he will do great in the 1/2 marathon he plans to do next.

Pratibha - Not sure whats happening to her! She is getting better and faster, even with an injury. Look out for Pratibha in the amateur running circles of India!! She has become a lot more stronger with her running now and has helped the team's cause by fundraising a lot!

Priya, Shanavas, Ishaan and Sahana - Priya did her first 1/2 marathon at Auroville. I ran for a brief stretch with her and she really got me going when I was down in energy at that point! She did amazing well and its an awesome debut effort! Shanavas was plagued by injuries this time around. But, he was full of spirit for the team! The kids Ishaan and Sahana are adorable and did an amazing 5K themselves! It was quite a family outing!

Salil - Not a lot of us have met Salil. He is the silent crusader who has been running and fundraising strongly! We are sure he had a wonderful run!

Sanjeev - Sanjeev has improved a lot with his running! He has been biking 10-12kms every day to and back from work. All the effort showed on the run on Sunday! We are sure he will only get better!

Santosh - Besides having a really cool name :) - Santosh did really great at the half marathon. This was his first and he looked like a veteran runner doing it!

SarojaNTeam - My Mom, Dad and Bro were there again! Except for a late start they did great at the runs! They were very helpful and it was a lot of fun having them around! Personally, their support, interest and participation inspires me to keep going!

Satnam singh - One more of the silent crusaders, Satnam did great at his half marathon and has already fundraised quite a bit for the team!

Siva Athreya - We probably have to compensate this Professor of Statistics and mathematics, who is just free entertainment and fun - 24x7! Siva while keeping us all in high spirits, also does some back breaking work with treasury and accouts. The one thing he needs to figure out is - spoken kannada :)

Sridhar Srinivasan - Sridhar did great with his half marathon and has been involved with Asha projects (the government schools near banshankari) through his company's community affairs. Its really inspiring to see his efforts! Thanks for the late night car ride to Mithra!

Sriram - Sriram and Arthi are die hard asha volunteers and runners. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it to this trip. But, We are sure they will be back again soon!

Thushar - Thushar is only getting stronger with his running! He did a wonderful half and also helped the team with all the logistics and coordination!

Vibha - Vibha has been the most consistent runner in the training season for Auroville! We don't remember her missing even a single workout! The consistency and dedication showed in her strong showing at the half marathon on Sunday! Inspiring effort!

Vinodh - Talented in many aspects, Vinodh really showed his singing skills at the anthakshari rounds in the bus :) He is becoming a really good runner and brings a lot of energy to the team! We are fortunate to have him as part of the team!

II. Thanks to Auroville race organizers, New creation School

Thanks to the Auroville race organizers (Chandresh, Balaji, Sourya, et. all) for their really heart warming support and organization. You folks are unlike any race organizers we have seen in India! Thanks for accommodating all our requests patiently and for going out of the way many times. We understand that its a thankless job and takes quite a lot to organize an event of this big a magnitude. Kudos to you all for doing this with the runners in mind and doing it at such a low cost! We could go on and on about the sensitivity to the environment, runners, families etc. etc. But, it would be preaching to the choir - you folks meant a lot for us at the races!

Thanks to Shankar and the staff of New creation community and school. It was really very nice of them to host us and provide us food on Saturday and Sunday. We can't imagine how bad it would have been with logistics without their help! We are fortunate to have made some wondeful friends :)

III. Thanks to RFL(Arvind Bharathi), B2F, Chennai Runners

Thanks to Arvind Bharathi for providing us space in the RFL community and giving us the online registration support.

Thanks to B2F and Dr. Rajat for everything - providing our runners with training tips, gait analysis, treating and fixing their injuries, providing massages at the end of the runs, working with kids from Ananya on a long term ..and a lot more!

Thanks to Chennai runners(Karthik, Balaji, Ram et. all) for all the encouragement, medals and the wonderful networking! We have a lot that we can do together. Looking forward for more runs together!

III. Thanks to Volunteers, Runners and Everyone else

It really was humbling to see so many people put in so much of their time expecting nothing in return for themselves. None of the efforts would have borne fruits if not for the countless hours so many people put in behind the scenes.

I can go on and on..but, being the lazy person I am, I will state it as bullet points (In no intended priorities)

* Sanjeev's mom volunteering at the races and cheering for the team
* Ranjitha and Kanishka's mom cheering us and helping the team!
* Vandana's cheering support, professional photography and nice songs at the anthakshari rounds!
* Pratibha's husband's timely car rides for us
* Anu and Krishna's support for coordinating the running efforts for thulir
* Shashi, Uddhav and Ananya's support for coordinating the running efforts of Ananya
* Sujatha's photography and cheering support for the team.
* Sudarshan and Meghana's cheering support for the team.
* Guruprasad's volunteering, running and cheering support for the entire team!
* Asha SV runner Venkat's support and running for the team!
* Abhishek, Rahul, KP, Sachin and Mohan Babu for putting up with such a noisy bunch in the bus and for the support towards the team's efforts
* Asha Austin volunteers/runners for the T-shirts, resources and support for the team
* Asha Bangalore volunteers for spreading the word, logistics, treasury and all the 'behind-the-scenes' work!
* Families and friends of Asha volunteers and runners who contributed their time

Everyone's efforts formed the impeccable support structure for the entire team. Thanks!!

IV. Race reports

Runners,

Before you start thinking that this was not a big deal, please do type up your race report! It was a big deal for the rest of us!

A race report could just be a simple account of events during your race or a complete video coverage! Do what you feel like , but think of it as your 'thank you' to all the support you got! So, please do thank all those who supported you ;) - you could email your race report to me or the group. We would compile all reports and send it out to the team and post it in the blog.

V. What Next ?

1. Team Asha runs - lets try and keep the team runs going. Until the next season starts, we will meet informally for an easy run in the weekend. The plan is to tie it up with volunteering/visiting some asha supported efforts in and around Bangalore as well.

2. Dr. Rajat, B2F and Santhosh are starting a new initiative. This is not yet associated with Team Asha. You can know more about it here - http://www.tinyurl.com/RunnersHighBlore
We will be starting a training program for the Sunfeast 10K (May, 2009, Bangalore).

VI. What Matters ?

Does the PR on Sunday matter ? Does the drop out of the race on Sunday matter ? Does just the race on Sunday matter ? Some of us were there physically and some were not. Some of us ran the race and some didn't.

But, what matters is we did it as a team all the way through. What matters is that none of us will quit running whatever the result. Ironically, what matters most is not "us" - Its not about you, Its not about me - We all signed up to be a part of this team. We all fundraised for the same cause we believed in. Crossing the finish line on Sunday wouldn't mean a lot if we don't cross the fundraising targets.

Thanks,
Santhosh.
(For Team Asha)

P.S: Please forward the mail to anyone I might have missed out. If I missed out on anyone, it really isn't intentional and definitely not to belittle the efforts - just an oversight on my part!

Trip to Ananya.

2009-02-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 31, folks from Team Asha in Bangalore had a run with the Ananya kids. Here are the folks from Team Asha who were there: Noel, Kanishka, Pramod, Sriram, Vibha, Alok, Vinodh, Thushar, Balu, Manjula and Santhosh.

Ananya is a learning center in Bellandur that works with children who have dropped out of mainstream schooling (primarily due to learning disabilities or behavioral disabilities). It was started in March 1998, by a group of individuals concerned about the dearth of schools that provide relevant and meaningful education for the underprivileged children in and around Bangalore city. Even though the Indian constitution guarantees free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14, there are no schools that the poor can choose from. Either the schools are very good, but expensive and therefore beyond the reach of the underprivileged, or they are free but have poor physical facilities and offer a standard curriculum which is dull and boring. Most children, who drop out of school, do so because the schools do not cater to their special needs. Education in such critical context has no meaning or relevance to these children. It does not provide them with the required skills to overcome the social traumas or the emotional and physical hardships they face everyday. Asha had supported the initiative in it's early stages till 2003. Though Asha Bangalore has not supported the school financially, we are still in touch with the co-ordinators. You can learn more here -

Asha's project page - http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=14
Ananya's Blog - http://www.ananyatrust.blogspot.com/

About 10-12 kids from Ananya will also be running the 10K distance at Auroville this year. They have been following a schedule and training for the run over the last few weeks.

You can read more about our earlier trip and the story of the play ('Hope for the flowers') here: http://teamashablr.blogspot.com/2008/10/ananya-hope-for-flowers.html

After some initial confusion about the directions, we made it to the school and started a little bit late. All of us got out on the run which was in a loop of 6kms. The kids were full of energy! They distributed amongst us to make sure none of us got lost :) - Some of the kids were blazing fast and had a lot of fun. 8 year old rajesh was the youngest in the group and kept us entertained! Shashikala was quite good and natural at her running as well. Some of the Team Asha folks did a few more loops as we tapered down this week for the upcoming Auroville marathon. After the run, we all got together and there was a spontaenous call for a game of volleyball. Slowly, almost everyone around joined the game! We had quite some fun with a very well fought tight volleyball game. George is one of the teachers at Ananya who encourages all kinds of sports at the School.

We then had a hearty breakfast of Idlis, Sambar, Chutney and boiled eggs! We also had some tasty filter coffee. We discussed about Ananya's efforts over breakfast. Uddhav (teacher at Ananya and avid runner) gave us a brief history of the school and its efforts. He also narrated his experiences and how he became a part of Ananya. We also discussed the recent efforts of Asha and B2F (back 2 fitness) in involving itself with children through running. Some of the kids have also expressed themselves through art and drawing. One of the kids drew about her jogging experience :). We went through the work of many kids and also browsed through the informative charts put up in the dining space.

The school next door was an 'international' school holding its sports day competition. The principal of the school was going on and on with a long speech on the need for more physical activity :) - then they conducted many events like the 100m sprint for LKG kids etc. It was quite a contrast to what was happening at Ananya!

We chatted with the kids for a while and got to know more about their backgrounds, their aspirations etc. Later, we clicked a lot of photos and it was time to bid goodbye! All the kids wanted us to stay for longer and play cricket with them! But, we all had to go and it was unanimously decided that we all will meet up again for a similar run-together next Saturday!

You can see the rest of the photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/manjula.sridhar/Ananya#

These are the volunteering opportunities available at Ananya for those interested (as sent by Uddhav from Ananya):

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

27/2, Devi farm,Chikkabellandur Village, Varthur Hobli, Sarjapur road, Carmelaram Post, Banglaore-35

1. Day: Monday
Time : 11 am to 1 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Morning Movies
Description: Watch a movie with the children followed by a discussion. (During this time we have a staff meeting while the children arrive from their homes):

2. Day: Thursday
Time: 10.30 am -- 1.00 pm
Venue: VS Dental College
Activity: Visiting the dentist
Description: A group of 10 children go to visit the dentist at VS Dental College near KR Market. A new group goes every Thursday morning. After the children have had a check up, some children go through remedial treatment if they need to. The volunteers are expected to escort the students from Ananya to the Dental College, or receive them there, and see them off at the KR Market bus stop after the check-up.

3. Day: Monday to Fridays
Time : 5 pm – 7 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Homework and Tutoring
Description: Any weekday evenings convenient to the volunteers can help a group of 10 children with their home work and tutor the tenth standard students. The students are taking the following exams: Economics, Science, Kannada, Social Studies, Hindi, Business Studies, and Mathematics.

4. Day: Saturday
Time : 11 am to 6 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Games and Sports
Description: Anytime! The volunteers can play games and sports that inculcate a team spirit and sportsmanship ( cricket matches, hockey, football etc.) at the campus. They are welcome to stay for lunch and beyond.

5. Day: Saturdays
Time : 11 am to 1 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Computer Classes
Description: The volunteers conduct computer classes in our computer lab consisting of 10 computers. Our resident staff will help with the curriculum.

6. Day: Anyday
Time : Any time convenient to volunteers
Venue: Any place convenient to volunteers
Activity: Fund raising
Description: We need help with networking and fundraising. Volunteers can help build a network of Ananya supporters who in turn can help fundraise or create visibility for Ananya.

7. Day: Anyday
Time : Any time convenient to volunteers
Venue: Any place convenient to volunteers
Activity: Web site updating and maintaining
Description: We have a website and we need help updating the website periodically and maintaining it so that the latest developments and information is available to the visitors to the site.

8. Day: Saturdays and Sundays
Time : 11 am to 1 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Mentoring
Description: We want mentors for our children. Mentors who are there for the children—to talk to them, listen to them, be a part of their lives and occasionally socialize with them, help them make informed choices, take decisions and widen their perspectives.

9. Day: On Activity days
Time : Depends on the activity
Venue: To Ananya campus
Activity: Transportation
Description: The volunteers (if they can drive or arrange transport) can drop the 12-15 children off to campus from the following activities:

o the Karnataka State Hockey field near Divya Shree Chambers, Langford Road at 9. 00 am) on Wednesdays after their Hockey practice,
o on week days (except Thursdays) from Jayanagar 4th T Block to the campus from the Table Tennis coaching at 6.30 pm.

10. Day: Saturdays and Sundays
Time : 11 am to 1 pm
Venue: Ananya campus
Activity: Outdoor Activities/ Campus Cleaning
Description: Volunteer at any of the outdoor activities as and when planned. Help with gardening or cleaning the campus.

Trip to Auroville

2009-01-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the team who were at Auroville:

Kanishka, Senthil, Perumal, Sriram Srinivasan, Aarthi, Priya, Ishan, Sahana, Santhosh, Saroja, Padmanabhan, Sai Viswanath, Jonaki, Aastha, Aakash, Vinay and family, Abnash, Archana, Sooraj

We all gathered at Cubbon park on Friday Afternoon to get on the traditional Team Asha Bus - A tempo traveller :). There were some initial jitters when we found that the driver might not know where MG Road is!! But, we all packed ourselves in by 1 P.M and left on time - quite an achievement in itself! Vinay and Abnash were coming with their families directly to Auroville. It was a fun trip, we stopped for chai, had some cream dipped cookies, played with sugar high kids, scoped out for lotus filled ponds, played twenty one questions for more than twenty one times! We picked up Senthil and Perumal (Kids from Thulir, Sittlingi, Dharmapuri) around dusk and reached Auroville around dinner time. Abnash and family joined us for dinner. Vinay and my parents had their own plans.

We had a filling dinner with Italian pasta, pizza and mashed potatoes! Ya, Auroville has such cool variety of food available in its campus. But, Senthil, Perumal and Manju (our driver) were not exactly enticed by the idea :). So, we went on a second dinner trip as well to ECR road for some egg fried rice. Fredrick and Chandresh kept us entertained through dinner. Fredreick was an instant hit with the kids! His accented call for 'Pasta...Pasta.. ' had the kids laughing their heads off! After dinner, we made our way to the New creation school for a good night's sleep. Though it was simple accomodation, we had a cozy area to sleep in. Everyone had a sleeping bag, pillows and mats. The mosquitoes took pity and stayed away from us (also thanks to Chandresh's thoughtful coils!). We woke up pretty early in the morning - 5:00 A.M and were all ready for the run. Perumal got his first pair of shoes thanks to Chennai runners (Balaji, Ram, Shumit et. all) and my parents and brother (who dropped it off for us). Sriram and Aarthi volunteered to bring the kids along after they woke up. We went to the start location to find all our other friends - Abnash & family, Vinay & family and SarojaNTeam!! After our long catching up with each other routine. Frederick and Chandresh explained the route and run support for the day. Jonaki and others decided to do a shorter distance, while the half marathoners and full marathoners went on a 17 km loop (this is part of the 21 km loop planned for the actual race).

Chandresh and I went ahead to mark the trails. The trails were beautiful and the weather awesome at the start. The fresh air and greenery was so very a welcome sight after the bangalore smoke fest! The trails were not all marked, so it was quite difficult for us all first timers. Though I marked them with flags, they were not enough. A few of us did get lost. But, all of us had a lot of fun and in the end did get the intended mileage. Abnash, Vinay, Priya and all had a good run with the single loop. The kids also had a fun time with the Fredrick led 5km run. Kanishka, Senthil and I went on the second loop with Chandresh. It slowly got pretty hot and we were getting dehydrated. Chandresh took a break (given that he has not run for so long, it was really nice of him to be running along with us). He had given us quite some company, talking about his efforts in the Auroville campus, the origins of the center, background on Aurbindo, the mother etc. When we had about 4-5 kms to go, the sun had come out in its full glory! The three of us did get a bit pooped by the end of it. Thankfully, we had kept an easy and steady pace. So, though it was crazy humid and hot, we were not totally way off in speed. This would be the key thing to remember on race day. Marathoners will start at 5 AM. But, they would still go through a 'hot and humid' phase towards the end. Need to hydrate and keep breating at an easy steady pace. If you go out too fast at the start, you will suffer and go about 5 times slower at the end! On race day, the trails itself will be well marked, so there would be no chances for you to get lost. The trails are not exactly flat, but no hills that would make you walk either. Overall, its a fun trail to run on and very scenic!

After we finished the run, we all gathered at the New creation school for breakfast. The headmaster and a counsellor at the school gave us an overview about the school. The counsellor spoke about the session they were having with the kids in the morning. They were talking about protection against molestation etc. After that, Senthil and Perumal got us all engaged with papery jewellery making! It was an instant hit with the kids! We all got down to making beads of different shapes and were amazed by what we could all do.

Later, Shankar, the headmaster of the school, took us around and gave us a brief on the philosophy of the school - integrated and wholistic child centered learning, alternative curriculum etc. Towards the higher classes, they integrated into the CBSE syllabus. More specifics are in the photos and comments. We met Rajan (who returned from London to Auroville as a teacher) and some of the kids working on their vegetable garden on a saturday! The kids were really interested and were making a high-raise platform of mulch and top soil for their organic vegetable garden. Rajan explained what the organic garden was about, how the children made decisions on what to grow etc. We got an insight into the school, the kids learning process etc. Then, Sahana and Aastha led the way in working with the other kids on the garden! We all joined them. Soon, we had a good no. of ppl working with the school kids for their garden - Ishaan and aakash helped us too! They also got some tasty choclate biscuits to reward us for the effort! After the fun afternoon session at the gardens, we then got ready for a sight seeing trip in the campus. We were too late for the Matir mandir and decided to hit the beach instead. Wow! It was quite something to cool your heals in the beach after a nice and tiring long run. Kanishka was too beaten up and wisely chose to take rest at the school itself. Meanwhile, the kids and we all partied at the beach! We had some savories as well - Chilli, onion and egg bajjis were gobbled, long walks were taken and shells were collected!

Later in the night, we all had dinner at a Tamil-vietnamese-chinese place with a vietnamese couple who spoke wonderfully fluent tamil. We all got up again for a short 8 km run on Sunday morning. This time we went into the forests and I would call it 'soul' ful running - its quite an experience going through almost pristine trails (at least when compared to the other ones). After the fun run, bananas and chat with the Auroville runners, we all headed to Ganesh bakery for a breakfast of idlis and dosas. Chandresh let us all take rides on the auroville electric bike at the bakery while we waited for everyone to gather. The wonderful family there kept tossing dosas for us as we had a party with the countless dosas and idlis finding its way in the crowd! Over breakfast, we discussed many things - the schooling system in Auroville - how its more child centered (Anna, one of the runners is a teacher in the schools) and different from the main stream system. The schools are bilingual and cater to the village communities as well. Chandresh gave us a brief on the incubation center being run for the youth of the villages. It was evident that Auroville community made it a point to reach out to the surounding villages and communities. They have brought about quite a remarkable change in the area - besides the afforestation, water conservation, natural regeneration, they have also created many opportunities for the villages. Of course, they do have considerable avenues for those seeking spiritual growth as well.

After the hearty breakfast, we all went on a short shopping spree - eco sensitive cloth bags, auroville jam, cheese etc. were amongst many things that were purchased. We also found paper jewellery (the same stuff that Senthil and Perumal taught us) being sold at quite ..hmm...a hefty price! Sahana and Aastha were seen explaining to a potential customer about how its so easy to make on our own - I silently moved out from there :)

Finally, after lunch and packing up, it was time for goodbyes! We thanked the folks at the school for the wonderful hospitality showered on us. Chandresh and the runner gang left no tables unturned to make us feel at home! They are truly a wonderful group and we hope to support them further. We really can't wait to get more of the Auroville trails!

We then had a quick journey back home - thanks to Manju for ensuring that we reached home safe, sound and well in time! There were more games, anthakshari, movies and a lot more fun stuff as we made our way back home. It was a truly memorable trip and quite a learning experience as well. We look forward to going back there in February to meet our good friends!

Here are the Photos from the trip

Wednesday's Workout

2008-12-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday I tried working on strides. I must confess, the general public thought maybe some mad dog was chasing me, all i can say is, it went horribly wrong, that weekend i had severe shin splints. Anyways, today I was there at Cubbon park working with Thushar to correct my workout's on strides. We did our 5 of 6 drills taught by our super coach ( forgot 1, need to ask the coach again ). I could do 2 loops of stride.

As, I was stretching after the run, a guy walked and asked me is that bag on the bench yours. I said, no. um .. he said, he has called the cops.. they would come here at any moment. At the end it turned out to be of Thushar's.

Run this weekend

2008-12-01T01:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend (Nov 29 and 30) we went through our training schedule for Mumbai and Auroville. On 29th Anita, Sanjeev, Santosh Hulkund and I were at Cubbon and started the run at 6.30Am. It was drizzling quite a bit. I ran around 7K with Anita and rest with Sanjeev. Nice time of the year as well as the winter was setting. Anita, Sanjeev and Santosh left for breakfast as I had to head elsewhere.

Sunday (Nov 30) we all met for a quick run at Lal Bagh glass house at 7AM. This was my first run in Lal Bagh. Got my friend Abhay sarkar as well for the run. Siva, Thushaar, Anita, Sanjeev, Balaji and I were there for this run. Met others for the first time. I paced Abhay for around 3KM and then caught up with Balaji for the rest of the 7K. Others had already moved into SKK (Sree Krishna Kafe) at Koramangla for breakfast as Balaji and I hurried to finish our 10.5K inside Lal Bagh. The drizzle started again and we reached SKK to join others.

Breakfast runs are always exciting !

Balu's First Bangalore Ultra Run with Asha Folks Amid Running Demons

2008-11-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

The buildup

It was my first Bangalore Ultra and the idea was to do a 25K as I was coming back from an injury. For beginners Ultras typically cover distances greater than your marathon (42K) distances up until 100KM (and beyond sometimes). I was training with Asha folks as I ran my first run for them.

Doc Rajat and Santosh where to do a crazy thing, like run for 24 Hours or 200KM which ever comes first. Later we got a mail from doc that he may not run because of flu and Santosh was up to it. Guess couple of others volunteered to run with Santosh.

AS the Bangalore Ultra starts on 16th Nov from 6.30AM to 6.30PM the idea was to reach the run sight a day earlier and begin on 15th Nov at 6.30PM and end by 6.30PM the next day. Shumit surprised all of us by declaring that he would do a 100K and would accompany Santosh and Doc. This just spruced me to aim for 50K subject to how my leg reacts.

Asha Tent: Our Eldorado

Santosh and I did an easy 5K at cubbon the previous Webnesday and I decided that I'd be up for volunteering and Santosh picked up Shumit and myself in Tata Sumo. We reached on 15th Nov by 4.30PM and soon got into business.

We setup the Asha tent from scratch as it was fun to build it following the manaul for dummies and filled it with all possible paraphernalia that was required for such an event. Santosh' mom and dad were a wonderful company and Aunti had got so many varieties of food and I chipped in with few Aloo phulka rolls. This was just the beginning of so many things to follow. It was a long night.

Gathering Storm

Soon Doc and Anita joined us and by 6PM we were all set. The Three Musketeers were all set with water bottles, lights. Unfortunately Sudhir had his gearbox jammed and could cycle further but was a great company in the tent.

On dot, at 6.30PM all three started for the (epic) run and the RFL guys had already marked the path for the next day event. All that we now had to do was to wait for them to come back as the loop was 6.25 one way, so 12.5KM would be like one and half hour and thereabouts.

I was starting to feel heavy stomach as there was so much food out there. Luckily Anita had some "poha" as a quick starter. Doc had got some loads of breads and his car bonnet had some 10 pair of running shoes (no kidding).

First Break

We had our time sheets ready and in about one hour and forty five minutes the trio turned up. It was dinner time and every one were happy to serve them. After some fueling the runners started again. They had spotted couple of snakes as well.

Soon Gaurav joined us and he cycled with them the rest of the night by providing them support. Make no mistake Gaurav also planned to run 50K the next morning.

The moment they all left we volunteers had a galla time and there was so much food that every visitor to our tent was offered food and many tasted it as well.

Sleep, Snooze, Sleep, Getup and Sleep

Well this is what we precisely followed the entire night. Suhir, Anita, Uncle (Santosh's dad) and I were doing this after the third lap onwards. The were taking about 1 hour and 40 minutes so we had to keep the alarm at for every 1.5 hours. Luckily no mosquitoes and there were some great sleeping bags.

Then somewhere from horizon three-four lights begin to appear and keep moving in a sinusoidal fashion and approaches towards you. They were our runners all glued for refill and begin afresh taking one lap at a time.

This cycle went on till 6AM and now Aunti and Uncle were back fresh to take over. Aunti initially called me "Balasubramanian" and soon she made it "Balu". But the tone with which she used to call was all the more soothing to my ears.

I must have bugged Anitha, Sudhir, Aunti and Uncle with my gibberish and some silly PJs. But guys it was fun !

The Morning of 16th Nov

Sreeram and his wife had come my motorbike around 4.30 in the morning and Sreeram's wife also joined Aunti and Uncle in the tent for support. Soon other Asha runners came by and by 6.30 we all were set for the run.

There were around 300 runners in various categories and it was a very well managed event and planned to perfection.

My Run and Running mates

Soon I was slowly settling to a pace and hit upon Rajesh Vetcha from Hyderabad Runners and Pankaj from Dell. Rajesh Vetcha calls me as "Son of AP (Andhra Pradesh)" and soon we three of us hit rhythm and Rajesh Vetcha took lead in all sorts of topics and 25KM just passed by. As I was aiming 50K I slowed down around 20KM mark and was doing fine up until the 31KM mark.

Now I started to walk and was feeling worn out and had lost all the motivation to run. I just walked the next 6 odd KM and decided to stop at 37.5KM. I could have walked the rest 12.5KM and finished my best ever 50K but decided to save it for next year. One my leg was slowly beginning to hurt and the next is I want to run bulk of my distances and not walk instead. I guess it was a wise decision to stop and tapered for rest of the day.

Massage and Stretching
Luckily Anita pointed me to go to the B2F (Back to Fitness is Doc Rajat's Venture) folks and have massaged and stretched. Thanks folks !

Then I took room keys from Anita and went to room and took a fresh bath. It helped a lot and I had lunch coupons from the RFL guys. Gaurav was also done by then and we had lunch together. It was pretty decent lunch and the only thing that I did was to sleep for the next two hours.

Screw It, Lets Do It

The above pic explains it all. The kind of motivation they all had. Way to go Doc !

The Grand Finish

The time was approaching 6PM now and Santosh and Doc were planning the distances for the next half hour. As the clock slowly ticked we all waited and just about 6.18PM Santosh and Doc finished. Santosh finsihed a mammoth 160KM. These three, Sanotsh, Doc Rajat and Shumit were like Running machines. Running tirelessly can going on and on like the machines and stopping every hour and a half for fuel. It was one long 24 hour !

It was photo session for all of us to get noticed and be part of this elite company. Soon we got the Asha tent down and packed up. Doc was very tired so Sreeram drove Doc's car as I cannot drive a car. So I took Sreeram's motorbike and we all met Bombay Post near Domlur. Had some decent dinner and discussed some topics orthogonal to running.

All in all it were great two days with Asha folks and hope to join you soon for a run again.

Just in case others if you have forgotten to contribute, please do so by going to my Asha support page:
http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/marathon/runners/balu.html

Some of our Pictures are at Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/Ultra2008PicsfromBalu#

Thanks to everyone who have supported me for this run. It is primarily you who are the winner !

Keep Miling !

First Ultra in India - Santhosh's experience at the Bangalore Ultra.

2008-11-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” - Kahlil Gibran
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Edmund Hillary
“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.” - Edmund Hillary
"Courage has never been known to be a matter of muscle; it is a matter of the heart. The toughest muscle has been known to tremble before an imaginary fear. It was the heart that set the muscle trembling." - Gandhi

In different ways the above quotes mean the same to me. This post is my experience and a report on my first ultra marathon attempt after I moved back to India.

Why Running?
A couple of years back I wrote a post about what running means to me. Its been an education for me. I believe it has taught me a lot of things in life and can be quite transformational to a lot more folks. Moreover, the soul of these efforts is to fund raise for the underprivileged. This motivation has kept me going for the last 5 years now.

Why Ultra?
There is no easy answer for this. Many folks think its an 'ego trip' or something 'whacky'. Its quite the contrary - when a 'normal' person does it, I think running and the desire to attain one's physical or mental limits becomes normal. The intent is to take away the 'super human' aspect away from the idea of running! You don't need to be fit and thin to run. If you run and develop a passion for it, you will be what you want to be :) Nowadays, I would rather not talk a lot about it to people who most probably won't get it - because I tend to get expert medical advice on how I would die soon, if I carry on with this - some of the rather funny ones include - "My brain would shake a lot within my skull as I keep running and eventually, I will loose my brain cells and god knows what..", "By running on pavement, hard surface etc. etc. one day my knee caps would just pop out and I won't be able to walk", "I would be exercising my heart too much that I could die very young". So, my reply would be "Thanks! I would keep that in mind when I run next time."

Why fund raise for Asha?
This is an easy one. But, I still get social experts who leave me speechless with some rather sad quotes. For e.g. "The poor in India are poor because they are lazy.", "Discrimination was in the past. There is no caste or gender discrimination in India", "Our culture and way of life keeps us ahead of so many nations
", "The sensex is booming, the GDP is high. Talk about poverty etc. is only a crib and the work of pessimists". Now, I have written enough in this blog about how all the above statements are blind to reality. I have also written about how Asha works at the grassroots levels in various areas towards empowerment of the underprivileged and creating a systemic change. The many visits to various efforts have only convinced me and created hope to help make the change in a small way. Feel free to contact me if you have any doubts. Here are some of my recent visits.

The 24 hr run - until D-day
Ironically, after all the expert medical advice I get to quit running, the person who inspired me and came up with the goal to run for 24 hrs at the Bangalore Ultra was a Running doctor. Dr. Rajat had a crazy dream to do 200kms in 24 hrs. It got me excited immediately, but I was worried that 200km in 24 hrs was not my cup of tea. I decided to run all 24 hrs after I start with him. We trained together with night runs in an army campus (thanks to doc's friends!). We did a couple of 30k+ runs and a 50K in the night. We then ran real early in the morning, with dogs chasing, doc flying etc. for a 60k+ run. Followed that with a 42K marathon run in a couple of days. Then, both of us fell pretty sick around Diwali time. While, I recovered from the food poisoning in a week's time, Doc was not as lucky and couldn't recover in time from the viral fever, congestion and cold. So, even on Nov 15, as he came down to support us he was sick. He had dropped the plan for the 200K or 24 hr run. But, he was there to make it happen for me! We had planned quite well for this run - a tent, food, volunteers, pacing etc. - thanks to experience from Austin, my parents and wonderful friends.

So, before we started the run - we had food (chappathi rolls, puliyogare, curd rice, vegetable rice, fruits, biscuits, noodles, soups etc.), water (we filled water in our own drums), a small stove, our own running gear, lights for the tent and a dedicated set of volunteers! We set things up by 5:30 p.m as Doc and Anita reached the race location. We realized that the race starts at 6:30 A.M, so we relaxed for sometime and went to the start/finish line for our run at 6:30 P.M.

Loop1 - Time: 1hr 35mins, Break: 15mins
The initial plan was to go with a preset run/walk interval - this was designed for a really flat course. But, I didn't want to take a chance, and thought of the first lap as a survey lap to figure out strategy for the rest of the run. As Shumit, Doc and I started at 6:30 PM on Nov 15th, we had 5 cameras clicking at the same time - so for a moment under the flashlights it felt like we had a million folks cheering us :) - there were about 15 ppl (a good part was the crew) wishing us the best and a RFL race organizer announcing where bibs can be collected for the race next day :). The weather was chilly and nice. We figured in the first lap that there was quite a bit of bumps (about 3) along the way and lots of open area - we feared that we would all be roasted peanuts the next day! Though it was supposed to be a survey lap, we ended up being too fast (one of the fastest laps!)

Shumit, is one of the recent Team Asha runners. Its amazing how he decided to do a 100K with us. He had not done a marathon distance in a year and here he was! Doc and I suggested that he take it easy and look at things one lap at a time. I have not seen anything like this - but, I surely wouldn't recommend it to anyone! I hope the ultra bug gets him and he trains well next time around :)

Loop2 - Time : 1hr 36mins, Break: 12mins
We had a sumptuous dinner after the first loop. For all the folks who are not used to the 'Team Asha' ultra way of life :) - the elaborate dinner was a bit surprising - but, trust me whatever you do, your body needs what its used to. You can't just survive on candy bars, gel shots and sports drinks to do an ultra run. I have almost weaned off all the so called designed-for-running foods. I get the salts I need with some salt capsules (high concentration of minerals in a capsule), take plain water and eat normal home food, fruits etc. Second loop we stuck to the walk breaks at bumps as planned, yet we finished with a faster time again!

Gaurav had volunteered to bike with us as support all night through! He got his bike and came out with us every loop, making sure we didn't take any wrong turns or did anything funny. After his biking ultra marathon through the night, he went on to do a 50K run of his own!

Loop3 - Time: 1hr 36mins, Break: 14mins
We did an even loop again with the same walk breaks and amazingly did the same time as the last loop! I had a couple of Bananas and some oranges. I requested for some lime juice in my next stop. Folks at the tent were getting tired a bit. My mom had gone to the room to get some sleep, while my dad dozed in his chair. During the run, we discussed a lot of stuff - about sensitivity of races and courses to the runner community, what running means to each of us etc.

Balu is another Team Asha runner who trained for the ultra with us and would be doing the Auroville marathon as well. He was up all night supporting us and by the first few loops knew exactly what needs to be done. He was awesome as crew support! After all this, he came out and ran his race in the morning as well!

Loop 4 - Time: 1hr 46mins, Break: 9mins
By the 4th lap, it was kind of obvious that we were hitting a low. Halfway into the lap, all of us were feeling a bit groggy and tired. This was around mid night and probably past our usual sleep times. There was also a slight drizzle and thankfully it was not a downpour. Around this time, I had some serious concerns. I was getting an urge to urinate, but every time I did, there was a burning sensation and this kept happening too frequently. This distracted me and got me worried - had not happened to me before. Meanwhile, Doc had his issues and was looking pretty bad too.

Sudhir is another good friend who jumped up to volunteer with this effort. The plan was for him to bike with us all along like Gaurav. Unfortunately, his bike broke down and he pushed quite a long way to the race location. He was up all night and supported all of us. He also went out to run in the morning!

Loop 5 - Time: 1hr 51mins, Break: 17mins
The 5th lap was slow. Doc dropped out of this one. He felt like throwing up and just lay on the sleeping bag and he said he will take a loop's break. Shumit was not doing all that great, but still was in high spirits! So we set out and did our thing like always - walk the bumps and run the rest. By the end of the loop, Shumit wanted to walk most of the way back and I jogged to the tent. This was one of the slowest loops. Obviously, this was the most crucial stage in the night and we were fatigued. I had a shot of hot black coffee to wake me up.

Anita was an angel at the Asha tent. She patiently listened to what we needed and made sure we got it whenever we wanted it. She took a few sleeping breaks and with a rather sleepless night still finished her 25K run in the morning! I feel bad that I didn't help her with her running as much as she did with mine.

Loop 6 - Time: 1hr 45mins, Break: 15mins
We had completed 62.5kms through 9.5 hrs of running by the end of loop 5. Shumit was feeling pretty groggy and fatigued. He decided to take a break and work on his legs a bit - massage with bio-freeze etc. Meanwhile, the short nap woke Doc up and he was his usual self again! We did a faster clip and by the end of lap 6 we shot back to a 1:45 lap time. My coach joe mentioned that, its quite possible to face ups and downs in the run and I had to play it according to my body and situation. He was right and just when I thought things might get screwed up, it got better. I had controlled the urge to pee for a while, drank lots of water with more salt intake. After a while, the burning sensation was gone and my urination turned normal.

Around the middle of this loop a couple came in the bike and cheered us along! It took me a few minutes to realize it was Sriram and Aarthi! Aarthi spent all the time from early in the morning 4:00 AM till late evening helping out all the runners. Her enthusiastic cheers every time we came in, woke us all up and made the break lively!

Loop 7 - Time: 1hr 35mins, Break: 15mins
Its an amazing feeling to have the sun rise and the day break when you are in the middle of a run through the night. I don't think I will ever be able to express it well enough. Time and again I have found that it brings amazing energy and your body and senses literally wake up. It happened to all three of us as we went on our 7th loop. We did our fastest lap time again! By the time we were returning back from the half way point, we saw the 50K runners coming in with all their energy - just the sight of all the runners pushed us and I had to pull back Doc a few times :).

Sahrika, Preethi and Vish work for Back to Fitness (B2F) and are part of Doc's team. These folks did an amazing job volunteering for us. We were lucky to have them at our tent. What they did meant a lot to all the runners at the event. My mom mentioned that they couldn't even have lunch and they went on and on. Special thanks to B2F - you folks are simply amazing!! You mean the world to the runner community and that's what matters most!

Loop 8 - Time: 1hr 43mins, Break: 11mins
In this loop I had a kind of a stabbing pain right under my rib cages. First, I though this was side-stitches (due to running too fast and the lungs can't get enough oxygen), but this pain was actually from a muscle and I felt it with every step I took. It was not too bad to make me stop, but was something new. As we reached the 4Km point, Shantanu joined us - he literally switched directions, took his bib off (so as to not confuse anyone) and ran with us! Moreover, he gathered a gang around us by needling folks to join us :) - Soon, we had a gandhi gang as Shantanu liked to call it! He made the morning and afternoon entertaining for all of us! It was an amazing feeling to find folks you have not met, run with you and egg you on. I was not in a shape to carry a lively chat, but this support meant a lot to me!

Shantanu is another Team Asha runner that many folks don't know about. He trained on his own and couldn't make it to many of the runs with us. He did more than the 25K he had planned, proudly wore the Asha T-shirt and brought me home on the next two laps!

Loop 9 - Time: 1hr 47mins, Break: 9mins
The weather was actually pleasant and wonderful for running. The sun never came out although it threatened to, hiding behind the clouds that were too coy to rain. I couldn't have asked for better weather and as I saw the Team Asha shirts go by - Siva, Santosh, Balu, Sridhar and others, it brought a smile and an encouragement that's again not easy to explain. It might sound cliche' - but, I really do derive inspiration from other runners when I realize what they have been through - training, injuries etc., yet they come out to achieve their goal. Shantanu was still sticking along. He was hoping for the good food at the tent that was the buzz on the entire running course. It made me hungry too!

I am still not sure how I get away with things I do when it comes to my parents. They seem to have taken the role of 'running parents' with ease! In Austin, my mom made the trail runners in Texas crazy about good indian food. In their short trip to Austin, they knew more runners and became friends with so many more than I did in the 4 years I was there! Back in bangalore, they did it again - this time offering all the food and affection to the running community here!

Loop 10 - Time: 1hr 51mins, Break: 10mins
Shantanu was done after Loop 9. I had a quick lunch of puliyogare, curd rice, water melon and lime juice with black salt. I was looking for someone to run with me on the mid-afternoon loop. I was almost desparate as I yelled out in the tent - "Can someone please run with me on this loop?" - Nischal called out from behind me and said she is going out right now and was up for it! She was being treated by the physio at the tent and looked like she was in pain. We trudged along for the 10th loop. By this time, I was quite sure that my loop times was not giving me enough leeway to finish a 13th loop. We decided to discuss a few nasty things about doc behind his back :) We also saw Pratibha go past us with all smiles. I asked her if it was her final loop and she nodded her head - we thought she was really strong for her final loop - it did turn out that she was strong enough to come 2nd in the girls' 50K!!

Nischal is one of the ultra runners that almost everyone on the course knows! When I found that Nischal wanted to do the same thing as me - i.e. finish 2 more loops after this one and go as far as possible in the 3rd, we decided to stick along. Nischal had a bad problem with her foot. It was swollen and she was dragging herself along in pain. Around the last 2 miles in the loop, I decided to run along as Suresh gave her company. She really inspired me with her all out effort this year!

Loop 11 - Time: 1hr 48mins Break: 11mins
125 kms down and 4hrs 45mins left. While, a 160km run would have been awesome, there was also a back-up goal that Doc and I had discussed months back :). I was in with a chance for it, if I could finish the 11th and 12th in a fair enough time. So, I had to find fresh legs to help me out! Sriram volunteered to help. He was worried if he would be able to keep pace with me. I told him that should be the least of his worries. We set out on the 11th and chatting with Sriram took my mind of the times etc. As most folks were finishing their runs, they check on where I was with regards to the distance. Towards the end, when there was just 2kms left( a nice straight downhill and a flat stretch) I picked up pace and started off.

Sriram is a veteran Team Asha runner, a good friend and a colleague at work. He was amazing with his support. He had finished his 25K in the morning and came out this loop to help me out. If not for his company, it would have been very easy for me to give up and do a long walk.

Loop 12 - Time: 1hr 43mins, Break: 3mins
I was like a kid waiting to see Santa claus when I came inside the Asha tent after the 11th loop. There was Doc, ready to go with me for the last stretch! He looked fresh and raring to go. I asked him if I can do it, he said "Of course, we are doing it!". He was wearing a bib which said "Screw it, do it" - which of course had many meaning for many folks :). We set out for the final few hours. I had about 2 hrs and 45 mins left. Doc, pulled me along at a brisk pace and I had done a fast loop again. We discussed how best to handle the final stretch. We estimated about an hour in our hand when we finished the 12th loop.

Doc and me decided that no one is officially recording our times (other than vols at Asha tent) and this won't even count as any official race - because RFL never recognized it. AID stations were winding up and there was no point going beyond the 3K mark on the course. We decided to do 2K repeats - go to the 1km point and return back until 6:30 - I estimated that I will be able to do 3 of those in that time.

Loose change - Time: 47mins, Break: 0mins
As we came into the tent after the 12th loop. I had done 150kms. Folks were expecting me to either stop or really go after the 160km mark. Then we announced to the rest of the team why we are doing this - 153K is the longest distance run in 24 hours by an Indian on a surface other than a treadmill. We requested Balu to get the clock and the note pad and wait at the finish. We wanted him to give times as we crossed the turn around point each time. The first 2k was in about 17 mins. I knew I was close to the mark. Doc, was relentless, he wouldn't let me walk more than what we decided. We did a fast 2nd repeat - I really pushed it and when we clocked in at 6:01 P.M, we had 154K! I was elated as I went out for the third 2K repeat.

So, finally by 6:18 P.M I was close to 156K - I was not in a mood to go further, because I knew I can't do another 2k repeat in that time and I wanted to finish with our folks around. I sprinted to the finish and jumped up in glee in front of the team that made it possible for me! It took me a while to realize that it was over and then I was incessantly chatting and eating people's heads off!

Nothing official about it
Firstly, this was a team effort from the beginning. If any of the folks I mentioned in each of those laps were not there, I doubt if this run would have been possible for me.

Now, there was nothing official about this whole effort. It was a purely self organized run that has no real proof for supporting a claim. Then what was the point of going after a record? Well the quotes at the top of this write-up are really cool - Lets say I like the third one :). My motivation has always been the efforts that Asha supports. I believe once we are truly convinced about our motivation, there is very little that can come between us and our goals.

Running is one sport that is meant for anyone. I sincerely believe it should be made affordable and achievable for everyone. It has the potential to increase confidence and self esteem in folks. Of course, like any rules or dogma, records are meant to be broken and only when more and more folks come out to run, can we see more records being broken. The real finish line for me was to derive meaning out of this effort and reach out to folks with the cause we are all striving for. I don't think an official commendation, my name on a piece of paper etc. matters as much. This effort was not about me, it was about the change we were trying to bring in many lives - through Asha's efforts and through running.

As we made our way back home, I got a phone call from one of the kids at Thulir (Background here). He patiently asked me for this week's schedule. There would be four kids from Thulir who would be training for the Auroville half and full marathon.

I sincerely request you all to support Team Asha's efforts. You could donate to us through my runner page. My family and I hope to fundraise at least Rs 3lakhs through our efforts this year.

Go Team Asha!

Ananya, A Hope for the Flowers

2008-10-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

I visited Ananya last October for a run. This was Team Asha's first year in Bangalore and we wanted to organize a run at a school. Also last October, Doc was doing his 'Run October Run' which was basically a half marathon every day of the month. He was open to running in different places and with different groups of people to raise awareness about running. Asha had supported Ananya in the past and Sanjeev got in touch with them to organize a run there. Shashi, the coordinator of Ananya, and others were very enthusiastic about this, which was very nice. Running is part of the activities the kids do there. Also, Ananya had supporters running to raise awareness for them in the Mumbai marathon. So Team Asha, running with the kids - none of this needed any explanation.

A bunch of runners that included Team Asha, Doc, RFL reached Ananya early in the morning. The kids were all up and ready for the run too! We started soon and it was a blast. People were running, walking, jogging and there were a good number of us on the road. The route, near Bellandur, was very beautiful. Post run we all had breakfast at the school. It was a wonderful experience and we are plan to organize another run with Ananya this year too.

Right now the children are on a tour, visiting places across the country. They start with Goa, then get to Rajasthan, Delhi and Mussoorie. They are also staging a play in many of these places/schools they are visiting. Its an adaptation of a book by Trina Paulus called 'Hope for the Flowers'. A wonderful, very quick read. I highly recommend it. You can find a version online here

In their adaptation, this is what they are talking about:

"fighting the Diploma Disease, not joining the mindless majority who are a part of the rat-race and oblivious to their goals in life. It is about each one of us identifying our latent qualities and using them rather than following the herd in the quest for something unknown. It talks about transforming our lives in our own unique ways, not by competition but by co-operation."

I am joining them during their Mussoorie trip, where they will be staying at SIDH. A four day workshop has been organized for the children there and then we will all be trekking to nearby schools that SIDH works with. More on this when am back, which is just before the Bangalore Ultra!

Team Asha Rocks KTM!!

2008-10-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

Here is the email I sent out to the lists giving a report about our efforts and showing at the Kaveri Trail Marathons.

Here are photos from Santosh's camera

Hi All,

This weekend many folks from Team Asha completed their target race and finished the Kaveri Trail Half marathon and full marathon! More than 20 runners were at Srirangapattinam fighting out the hot and humid conditions. This surely was not an ideal day for running. But, our team did great even against such odds! I have had the privilege of observing all our runners train and reach many of their goals. So, I guess its my responsibility to give a brief account, which in my language is a long email :) - So, here goes!

Anita
She has been silently working for the program behind the scenes. Her hard work and time commitment in the last couple of years has setup this program that we are all part of now! She is one of the few girls from Team Asha who have done ultra marathons (i.e. Team Asha across the world!). This was a training run for the upcoming ultra and she did great on Sunday for her 21km.

Asha
I can't imagine a better suited name for a team member :) - Asha completed her first half marathon in one of the most trying conditions on Sunday. All through the training and the race she was smiling and cheerful. She has had consistent problems with blisters and bad shoes. But, she didn't let that stop her from finishing the run on Sunday. Her effort is awe inspiring and I am sure she will go for more from here on!

Divya
Even with major developments in her life :), she has been consistent and committed in training. She showed up for almost every workout until she had to take some time off. But, she did not lose heart and switched to the half marathon. Her first half marathon effort is admirable and I am sure she is well within reach of her goal of a marathon! What is even more amazing is that, she has kept her commitment to the team on the fund raising front and has already surpassed her fund raising goals!!

Manohar

For every workout early in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays, he would come all the way from Yeshwantpura in BMTC buses. This just shows how dedicated and committed he was to the cause. I have never heard him complain about anything at all and he really made it look effortless! Congratulations to Manohar for an amazing first half marathon and wishing him a lot more marathons!
For every workout early in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays, he would come all the way from Yeshwantpura in BMTC buses. This just shows how dedicated and committed he was to the cause. I have never heard him complain about anything at all and he really made it look effortless! Congratulations to Manohar for an amazing first half marathon and wishing him a lot more marathons!

Megha
A veteran Team Asha runner, she made it all look easy and was the energizer in the team. Whenever she turned up for workouts, all the pain and struggles seemed to be replaced by smiles all around. For the most part she trained on her own and had a fun run on Sunday. Her target is the Bangalore Ultra and looks like she is all set for the 26K already!

Nitin Gupta
Not many folks have met Nitin, who joined the team a few months back. He has been running consistently though with the RFL folks. He completed a half marathon yesterday and I guess he finished too fast for us to catch him after the run :) - I am sure he will be successful in his goals of doing the Bangalore ultra and Mumbai marathon!

Padmanabhan
He is the senior most member of the team, but he really is young at heart! Even after all the trouble I gave him, like asking him to come for a run right after a tiring train journey etc. he never complained and kept high spirits through out! His effort was very inspiring not just for Team Asha runners but, for others on the course as well! He patiently listened to all those who discouraged him to not get into this at such an age and still completed in style on Sunday!

Pratibha
Pratibha is one more of the consistent and dedicated runners that make Team Asha. The way she has been going through the training routines and the races, one would never guess that this is her first marathon or ultra! She is already a seasoned runner and even with busy travel and work schedules she gets all the running in! Her enthusiasm and lively nature surely spreads around at all our runs! All through the run on Sunday, she gave company to many friends on the course and did a great first marathon herself!

Sai
I never thought I would actually get him to listen to me :) But, he was amazing. The first time we discussed this, he was even worried about just walking this distance. But, on Sunday he did a great time for his first half marathon. Somewhere along the way, he dropped the plan of walking and started to run! He brought life to all our running trips with his smart comments and silent provocation :)

Sanjeev
A Team Asha veteran and one of the brains behind the Team Asha program in Bangalore, he has always come out successful against all odds. Food poisoning, old injuries, humid weather conditions etc. would have typically meant a struggle for most folks, but here was Sanjeev with his fastest half marathon! On any other day I am sure he would have done even better! After a hard race he waited for almost every runner at the finish line to cheer them across the finish line!

Santosh
The name itself commands respect and admiration :) - Seriously, he has been one of the most committed in the program. His replies are prompt and he showed up for almost every workout. He has vastly improved even in the short time he has been with us and is well on course for his first half marathon at Auroville on February 15. Sujata and he have been our 'official' photographers and have given us some great memories! He had a fabulous 10K run on Sunday!

Saroja
She has been my inspiration for years now. Behind all the fun and frolic is a very serious and committed effort. She even sprinted at the end to finish her first half marathon! Wherever she has been - all running courses from Austin to mysore, she has inspired folks and fellow runners. There is a lot to be learnt from her patient and consistent effort through this program! She has made everyone beleive that you can get to a goal if you set your mind to it.

Senthil
He was actually on course for a stupendous effort on Sunday! By the half way point he was coming in as 5th in the marathon course. If not for the bad cramps, I am sure he was in with a great chance for a top three finish! Nevertheless, he did an amazing time for his first marathon! Senthil is from the village of Sittlingi and is one of the kids from Thulir, an Asha supported effort. All through, he has been training on his own with almost no run support! As it can be seen, he is a natural at this and at this young age he has amazing potential! His effort has really been inspiring and his passion for running is simply awesome. I really hope we can keep this passion burning for a long time!

Siva Athreya
We all affectionately know him as 'Prof' or 'The fast one' :) - He keeps the team entertained thoroughly whenever he is around, though at times it has been at my cost :) . He had a bad cold to start with and felt he wouldn't be able to finish this one! But, he showed amazing resilience and while folks dropped out as they withered under the sun, Siva endured through the race and finished with a really great performance and as we all expected him to, he got the fastest time for the marathon as well :)

Siva Ramasubbu
Life wouldn't be the same without Siva around :) - He truly is the life of the party! Be it lost key chains, beer hunting, interesting arguments or wild GPS measurements, he made sure we were entertained. Behind all the sporting smiles, patient and sometimes timely rejoinders, is an amazing effort. Siva ran for more than eight hours on Sunday in the most humid conditions for his first marathon. I am sure none of the bunnies (the fast runners :) ..) have any clue to what this means. It really takes true grit to endure through something like this! You inspire all of us Siva!

Sridhar Desikan
One more of the behind the scenes man of Team Asha! His silent and dedicated effort is amazing in the middle of a hectic work schedule! He came in at 1:30 AM and slept for 3-4 hours only before the run on Sunday! He has been going through a bad injury phase with his ITB and rightly judged to take it easy at KTM. He did 21K at KTM and I am surely he will bounce back from his injury in time for his first ultra marathon next month!

Sridhar Srinivasan
Sridhar has a hectic work schedule that involves a lot of travel. Its really amazing how he gets time out of his daily routine for a run almost every day! For the most part he has been training alone and not a lot of us have met him yet. On sunday, he had one of those bad days and stopped after 21Kms. I am sure he will have a great time at the Ultra and this is only a training run. We missed him at the end of the run and hopefully we will get to meet him soon!

Sriram Srinivasan
Our Team Asha Old Airport run co-ordinator made 'sure' everyone finished :) - His busy work and life schedule not withstanding, sriram made sure he completed his goal of the half marathon at KTM. He was part of the team that conspired to get medals for everyone ;) - He makes it so easy that I am afraid people would stop training for races! We look forward to Sriram's run at the Bangalore ultra!

Thushar
Thushar is a testimony to the grit and determination involved in marathon running. He has an ITB problem that has been troubling him for more than a year now. It started showing up even before the longest training run we had this year. But, he told me "I have learnt to live with it"! On Sunday, he had a late start, bad weather, the ITB problem and many other battles to be fought. He weathered through all of these for an amazing marathon, that I am sure we would all remember for his effort!

Vinodh
The self acclaimed superstar of the program, who never forgets to pose when there is a camera around :) - His consistency in training and the runs showed in his first half marathon performance! Under such torrid weather conditions, he still endured for an admirable effort on Sunday! His involvement and eagerness to know more about the efforts we support is really amazing and inspiring!

A special thanks to Sujata, Vinoo, Shashidar and Sreesh who traveled all the way to Mysore to support Team Asha on the course! It was also amazing to see other friends - Anand Rao, Meghana, Shantanu on the course, cheering us and inspriring us on our runs! They all put up an amazing performance as well!

Thanks to Apu, Shiv and Puttasamy for their patient and skilful driving to take us around on our training runs and the race!

A big heartfelt thanks to Arvind(A2) and RFL for being different from other race organizers, especially when it comes to waiting till the end for all our runners. This was truly amazing and appreciated greatly!

Thanks to Dr. Rajat and B2F for sposoring our amazing red Team Asha T-shirts!! Thanks to doc for also providing us free consultation on shoes. We are really lucky to have a knowledgeable doc and a super runner who helps us out!

Thanks to Anu, Krishna, kids and folks at Thulir, Sittlingi for hosting us for the training run and making it a memorable experience! That training really meant a lot for us as we endured through the hot weather in KTM.

Thanks to all Asha volunteers, friends and family for giving the support and encouragement that we all badly needed! This has been a wonderful experience!

While many of us have crossed the finish line in terms of our running goals, there still is one more finish line to cross. All this effort, running and crossing the finish line would be worth a lot only when we achieve the goals we all set out for! Asha Bangalore relies heavily on the marathon program for supporting all the wonderful grass roots efforts. Lets gear ourselves up and make sure that this running makes a difference in many other lives as well!!

Go Team Asha!!

Thanks,
Santhosh.

P.S: If I missed mentioning anyone's contribution, I surely didn't intend to and would want to blame it on the fatigue from running and typing a long email :)

Bellandur and Lal bagh runs - taper for kaveri!

2008-10-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

We all went to Bellandur (Off Outer ring road, after the Sarjapur road junction) for this Saturday's long run. The original plan was to meet the kids of Ananya - But, the kids were off for a week's vacation. So, we all went for a run in the bellandur trails. A nice shower made the day wonderful for running! The taper felt real good and the marathoners did 22 kms, while the half marathoners did about 16 kms. After some tense moments all of us decided to get lost in our own ways. But, I am sure we got the distance we intended to! Looks like we all have grown out of the "Did I do 0.3 kms more or less?" mode :)

On Sunday, we returned back to Lal bagh for a 13km run. Did you know that Lal bagh was founded in 1760? I think thats even before the British came here! Maybe, someone can confirm it for us.

We had breakfast at 'Kadambam' after the run at Lal Bagh. 'Thattai Idli' was pretty good and service was real fast! Just what we needed to get to the bi-weekly Asha meeting in Lal Bagh (11 AM) in time. Amongst many other things, we discussed about the idea of getting some crew support and much needed cheering support from Asha volunteers for the Kaveri marathon.

Here are the photos from the run.

Trip to Thulir - Sep 20/21.

2008-09-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

The trip we all had been waiting for! Sep 20 and 21 were the longest runs in our training program. We travelled to an Asha supported effort, spent time there and also did the runs. This was a fun trip and an experience to remember!

About Sittlingi:
Sittlingi is a tribal village in Dharmapuri district of Tamilnadu, India. Its around 6 hrs from Bangalore. You can get more information on the exact location here

About Thulir:

"Thulir" is an Education Resource Centre at Sittilingi, for children. It is a Tamil word meaning "a tender shoot", also "to sprout". Asha has worked with Anu and Krishna over the last few years through the fellowship program. The asha fellowship program provides an avenue of supporting individuals who we believe can have a larger impact in society. Their website and blog have detailed information on their experiences over the years. Information on their fellowship can be obtained from the asha projects page (please see History section). Sanjeev and Anita have also visited them frequently. Their experiences at the project are available at their blog.

The gang started in the evening and arrived late night on the 19th at Sittlingi. I had reached Sittlingi by afternoon and scoped out the run with Senthil. We also discussed logistics for the run. Krishna and gang were awesome crew for us! So, except for Anita's mom, the rest of us were going to do the runs! There were eleven of us -
Senthil, kid from thulir
Santosh
Siva
Thushar
Sanjeev
Anita
Sridhar
Vijay
Asha
Saroja
Santhosh.

We started out early in the morning and the course was a 16km out and back on the Salem road. It was a beautiful morning with mountains in the background (note to self - next time, we should make the runners go up the mountains!). Senthil, Sanjeev, Sridhar, Thushar and I started on a fast clip. We breezed past the first couple of water holes and reached the 8km mark in about 53 mins! Sanjeev had to turn back from there, while the rest of us continued. The next 16 kms were not too bad as well. The second 8km was slightly shorter than the first 8 kms :). We met Siva on the way back and he was doing great - rock steady!. My mom, Vijay and Asha came way beyond the turnaround point of 8 kms! We saw them at 10k and asked them to turn back. Asha's shoe didn't hold up and the sole came off! Anita was her usual chirpy stuff (just wasn't hungry enough though!). Senthil did amazingly well in the run. When the sun came out towards the end, all of us had a real hard time and we all slowed down considerably. While Senthil, Sridhar and I didn't face a lot, Siva and Thushar got the brunt of it! Thushar got some extra points as he got lost and did some extra kms! We came back home for some really good rava upma for a light breakfast! Later when the whole team made it, we all got lunch and took a short nap.

In the evening, we went to Anu and Krishna's home. They gave us an introduction about their work and tour of their home (composting toilet, beautiful garden, thatched roof, creepers, mud bricks - it was just awesome!). After a lively discussion on the state of the education system, the situation in Sittlingi, Anu and krishna's experiences etc. we went out to meet the kids. The kids were making soap. They taught us the process. We then played Dingari (seven stones) with the younger kids. Later, Dr. Lalitha from the THI (Tribal Health Initiative) came by. She gave a background of Reggie and her work in Sittlingi. After which, she described the work of the Lambadi tribals. There was a huge spread of hand tailored/embroidered products from them. We had a nice time shopping! By the end of the day we spent time with the kids who were camping out at Thulir for that night (It was their monthly crafts camp!). We learnt a lot of things - making friendship bands, key chains, paper jewelery etc. The kids were great with their hands. Then the kids took turn serving dinner, cleaning up etc. We then crashed for some well earned rest!

We got up on Sunday early morning and left just as the sun came out. It was a shorter run on Sunday and though our muscles cried out the first few kms, it felt normal and maybe good :) after a short while! All of us came back home in good time and confident that the marathon/half marathon can after all be done with no concerns! Senthil was a revelation! He is an energetic and athletic kid who can run far and well! I am sure he can go faster and longer. The rest of the kids came out on this erun as well! They did about 4 kms with the elder kids guiding them. One of the elder girls was also a strong runner and was enthu about it. After the run, we took a dip in the nearby stream - the water was muddy, but we decided to not let it spoil our fun! Siva showed us some cool dives and Sridhar thought he could swim :). The dip in the cold water was just what we needed after the pounding in the last two days. After the bath and breakfast, we all spent time with the kids. We had a songs session (our stars were Siva, Anita, Anita's mom, Asha and Sanjeev) and then some discussions/introductions on what each one of us were up to. The kids were enthu about running! The plan is to have Senthil go through the basics with them and guide them to run safe. Senthil will be running the Kaveri Marathon as part of Team Asha! We all bid goodbye and thanked everyone for the wonderful hospitality shown to us. The stay at Thulir, meeting the kids and learning about the efforts made the trip worthwhile! The running, mountains, streams and the rest of the trip just made it perfect!

Photos from the trip - Santosh's camera

Photos from the trip - Santhosh's (the bald one) camera

Lal Bagh Run.

2008-09-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from the Lal bagh run. Our determined runners did this right after the first Half marathon (full marathoners) and first 10K (half marathoners). We ran out of battery power and could only get a few photos. We surely would post more photos in the coming weeks.

Photos from Lal Bagh Run

Team Asha in GKVK.

2008-08-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Here is my first post! Team Asha in Bangalore is doing great. We have a committed group of runners communicating through various means, training at various corners of Bangalore, Chennai and the rest of the world!

There have been a ragged bunch of us who have been meeting up every weekend and have been going through a training schedule. The Marathoners and Half-marathoners have reached the Half-way point this week! I am really inspired by our wonderful team! No frills, no cribs, just pure fun :)

We did the Half marathon distance (marathoners) and the 10K (Half marathoners) at GKVK, the closet to trails you can get in Bangalore. Its a really nice scenic location. This is an Agricultural University on NH 7 on the way to the New airport/ Hyderabad, just after the Hebbal flyover.

The run was amazing and even when the sun came out in all its glory, our team didn't let go! We had some wonderful fruits, biscuits and electrolyte drinks after the run. Thanks to my patient mom, the neatly cut juicy watermelon was just amazing! Hmm...hope all the 'no shows' are watching - you are missing a lot of good food, company and parties!

The other highlight of the run was our newly adopted unofficial mascot - GikkuVikku, who ran the complete half marathon with no training! He was enthusiastic and showed us all the knooks and corners of the GKVK trails. Unfortunately, he has a busy life and mentioned that he will be available as only the GKVK tour guide. Don't forget to say hello to him when you go to GKVK again. To know more about him contact Divya or see the photos :)

We took a few snaps on the run. I don't think I got a photo of every person. This is just what I got in the second loop. I will make sure I get a photo of everyone the next time - there are lot more runs to go :)

Photos from GKVK runs

Conversations on a Run

2008-08-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

Date of the run: 09-Aug-2008
Distance: ~10K

Comfortably Numb, being the coach, has to come up with new/unique ways to keep us motivated during the run. Since he feels that it is "all in the mind" and due to some "mind-distance" correlation (half of us have unfortunately forgotten most of that half an hour lecture) Santhosh decided to ensure that a steady stream of conversation is always flowing.
So with Siva (Athreya) pitching in actively and some of us getting in a word or two, we had a very "enlightening" discussion :)

For no particular reason we managed to discuss about:

1. Dogs [ Santhosh's pet topic - this was more of a monologue than a discussion ]
- Why dogs bite/bark
- Frequency of the bite/bark
- Pack mentality of dogs vs docile behavior when alone
- Santhosh's pet dog in college
- Whether a stray dog's bite is better than a pet dog's bite and the probability of its occurrence

Conclusion: Dogs bite due to "seasonal" reasons (Manohar's contribution) and due to "scientific" reasons (Santhosh's contribution) .

2. Weird Specimens at meditation camps (Siva's experiences with one such specimen who did all of the following)
- Going to meditation camps to "experiment"
- Controlling the "oracle" through meditation (or was the inability to control it?)
- Tantric/Pranic healing by looking at photos of people

3. BJP, Sri Sri Ravishankar and an existing proposal to attract "moderate Hindus" by cleaning Ganga

Oh...and the most importantly, after the run, I managed to get my first traffic rule violation ticket and actually met a police cop who I think was subtly asking for a bribe. And as always I am totally kicked about this new experience :P

About Team Asha

2008-07-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

We are a bunch of runners, some of us volunteers of Asha Bangalore, who are training together to run long distances. While training for a half/full/ultra marathon is a challenge in itself, we all have also pledged to raise funds for the different social efforts Asha Bangalore supports.

We are curently training for the Kaveri Trail marathon (Oct 19, 2008) and the Bangalore Ultra (Nov 16, 2008). We run 3-4 times every week and try to meet up for the weekend runs. This blog will be a space for all runners to share experiences with other runners and the (runner)' world :D