Taking a stroll down memory lane; My Experiments in Physical Training

Everyone has an Achilles heel. Mine happens to be the incapacity for “acute physical activity”. 

Right from my school days, I have not been too active in sports. Of course, I used to participate in sports activities like long jump, high jump and football but was never too good at any of these. During the school days, I was also a Boy Scout, but the frequent wanderings in the hot sunlight always made me very dizzy and I never made it to the Jamborees.

In the college, I enrolled the NCC. I wore ill-fitting dresses for the drills on holidays at the college compound, the main attraction being the snacks served at the end of the physical training. Usually, it used to be bananas. I always had dizziness while doing physical exercises and was never a regular cadet. 

I also played ball badminton and cricket at the college in an acceptable manner but, was not in the top league, to make it to the college team. Later, at the Cochin University, I captained our department in Cricket. But the practices were very irregular and the postgraduate students of those days were far too serious in nature, not to waste their time in the hot blazing sun running after a ball. 

In 1977, I had joined a bank in New Delhi. The severity of the winter that I experienced for the first time forced me to take up some physical activities to keep warm. I enrolled myself for a class in Judo that fascinated me greatly. I remember my teacher, Rajesh Khanna, who was a second Dan black belt in Judo. By the time I got the Yellow belt, it was time for me to move out on transfer. I then had a friend named Ramesh Sharma, a jobless youngster with good physique, who practised with me on the judo floor. He appeared in front of my doors in the wee hours of a winter night requesting me to donate him my judogi, the traditional judo uniform. The judogi consisted of a heavy jacket, lighter pants and a yellow cotton belt. I obliged to the request from the jobless youth thus ending my adventures with Judo. 

Today after 40 years, I still remember the advice given by my guru Rajesh Khanna. He had said, thus. "You possess a good physical body. Till now, you have not taken good care of it because you were a student and you had to do the mental exercises. Now is the time for you to go for the physical exercises to take care of your body. If you do it, it will serve you for many decades to come". Great as the advice was, I must admit with regret that I did not follow his pieces of advice with all the seriousness that it deserved. 

Alleppey 1982

Back to Kerala, while working in a bank in Alleppey I joined a gym duly prompted by my junior colleague, PJ Joseph, the “Strong Man of India". He, an Arjuna awardee, still remains the best powerlifter the country has produced. My objective was to keep a thin and fit frame because my future partner was as lean as a compass needle. Somehow, the jaunts to the gym ended prematurely as usual.

With KR Swamy of Swamy's Gym and Joseph 1983

One of those days, my brother in law suggested that I may as well refresh my judo lessons as a new Srilankan master has just arrived in town. Never used to say “no” to requests and to appease him I started to go for the lessons with the new master. Apart from Judo, this young Srilankan -Tamil master was teaching Silambam, a weapon-based South Indian martial art tracing its origins to 400 BCE, and we used to jocularly call him “Vadi master” meaning “Stick master”.

In the meantime, I befriended Sivakumar, a young Chartered Accountant who came to my bank for statutory audit. He was a partner in Krishnan and Company a reputed firm of CAs run by his paternal uncle Krishnan whom also I knew very well. He was a Director of Dhanlaxmi Bank and was in the managing committee of SD College a well-run college in Alleppey. I and Sivakumar hit it off well and we started our jogging sessions on the beach. I used to go to the beach in the mornings on my Bullet motorcycle where Sivakumar would come on his scooter. While the motorcycle rides increased, jogging shrank.

A few years later while working as the Branch head of a bank in Ernakulum, I started my morning walks. I was staying at Edappally that seemed like suburbs in those days. Venugopal, my friend who has now retired as an AGM from the bank was my companion. Venu, a nephew of J.Lalithambika IAS, was an avid reader and good thinker and a fiercely independent person. Though walking did not do me any physical good, I learned many things from my esteemed friend who indirectly inspired me to think objectively in every situation. 

One, especially if he is in a career with responsibilities, becomes heavier mainly in the fifties. This is because he gets adapted to a cosy life that offers good food, zero physical activity, more responsibility and constant stress duly aided by a good dosage of computer-aided work hours.

Malawi, Blantyre Club founded in 1896

My job abroad started in my late forties. Life in Malawi, erstwhile Nyasaland, was very cosy with all paraphernalia like a big bungalow, car, cook, gardeners, watchmen and frequent parties. Since it was a country with no cinema halls or any other entertainments, a club membership came in handy. The Blantyre and Limbe clubs were more than a century old started by the British masters and frequenting these spots as part of official work was normal. Good beer and sumptuous food always help the waistline to expand to new territories. I took up golf as a pastime but my handicap never improved beyond a point as was my practice.

At home, about to go to the golf course Malawi 2003

Later, stationed at Dubai I had frequent visits to East Africa, South Africa and Europe. This also did not help much with my physical activities. I turned back to the gym in the hotel where I used to stay and I must admit that it brought some temporary respite.

The gym at Hotel Sun &Sands Dubai 2009

Back home after years, I tried with treadmills and other usual types of equipment that my better half suggested. However, the fate of the machines was to get rusted and to be sold.

While at Tripunithura, I and Sindhu decided to enrol for a course in Yoga. The weekly classes were on Sunday mornings. It was run by a venerable lady who was a descendent of the redoubtable Chattambi Swamigal. But we never met her as our personal instructor told that she generally does not meet the students. Our practices went for a year and it was a good stint.

Now, in my mid-sixties, I don’t lose hope. I started my morning walks with all earnestness at Palakkad. I also preferred to take a swagger stick with me during my walks. The problem arose when many bystanders out of curiosity started asking me as to why I am carrying this stick. Some asked if I was from the army, police or civil services. I had to brief many of them that even though the swagger stick is a symbol of authority, for me it was part of my dress like using a tie when going to the office. I did not tell them that it was a good weapon to frighten the stray dogs found in plenty on our roads.

Karla Kattai and Swagger Stick

Though the pandemic called for curtains to my morning walk, I, the incorrigible optimist that I am, turned to gardening, cleaning and other such chores including an extended hand to cooking as well. Then, one day, while browsing the FB, “a new planet swam into my ken” as I chanced upon an advertisement for sale of the exercise equipment called “Karla Kattai” (Mugdar), the Indian club. 

Palakkad 2020

A jack of all trades that I am, I got fascinated and immediately called up the seller in Coimbatore. The good lady who attended the phone said that they are traditionally manufacturing these beautiful clubs using the wood of the neem tree and I did not hesitate to order a club weighing 5 kg for me. So, this is my exercise companion for the last month and I am pretty happy about it. 

So, my experiments go on and let me see what is next in store for me in the New Year 2021!

Palakkad,

Xmas 2020