ART and RUNNING!!

The other day I visited one of the government office buildings in New Delhi. This was one of the newer buildings (although in the older, or 'Lutyens Delhi' area), and had been done up very well! The objective of the visit was to learn about (and hopefully admire) the artwork in that building and to understand and appreciate the ethos behind the same. What a visit it turned out! We were fortunate to have the artists who had conceptualized and created some of the more complex art pieces accompany us during the visit. Each piece of art had a different story. There was a different reason (apart from aesthetics) to place each of the art works where it was placed. The whole process of first planning and then executing the project was sometimes so arduous and agonizingly difficult, that just hearing about it gave me goosebumps! There was this one beautiful metallic peacock that has been displayed on the outer wall of the building. The piece weighed some 8 tons! Then there was the added difficulty of the fact that to maintain the visual appeal of the piece it was important that there be no scaffolding or any kind of support visible from the front. The wall on which the piece had to be erected was not strong enough and not thick enough to support the piece. So, what the engineers did was to create a support for the piece in the ground. Yes, they dug a big hole in the ground (putting it crudely), filled that pit with concrete, iron and other stuff, checked for various other things like the weight bearing capability of the structure etc. and only then did that art work see the light of the day. Also, since the art work was metallic and was to be placed on the main wall (where it would be subject to the harsh northern sun in summers, rains during monsoon and the nail biting cold during winters), the team of artists and engineers working on the installation had to ensure that the metal didn't warp or wilt during the year. It’s testimony to the hard work put in by the entire team, that even after 3 years of the piece being put up, it stills gleams like silver in the afternoon and the light plays off the ‘feathers’ of the peacock beautifully!

While I was going around the building and admiring the art pieces with my friends, it struck me that I had to go through the same process when I had started running. First, it was the ideation, then the execution. And each step which I took to achieve either a longer distance or a reduced timing was accompanied with its share of struggles and pain. In my case, the pain was more physical!! Also, why only running? Isn’t this how life works?? There is NO Gain, Absolutely NO GAIN, without PAIN!!

On that topic, I am in the midst of reading a book titled ‘The subtle art of not giving a f__k’!! While the expletives can be pardoned, the essential point that the author makes is that it’s very important in life to choose one’s battles. One HAS TO give a f__k about the more important things in life. It's giving a f__k about what matters, and working towards it that gives one happiness. The methodology has to be as noble as the goal!

In running as in life as in creating a brilliant piece of art, while the result is what it is (and hopefully, it’s beautiful), it’s the PROCESS that shapes and molds a person. And though I have written about this in my earlier articles in LinkedIn, most of the great literary works that I have been lucky to read and understand say the same thing – The Gita, 7 Habits (Steven Covey), Principles (Ray Dalio) etc.

Each time I lace up for a half marathon, vowing to beat my best timing, steeling myself against the pain that inevitably follows (both while running and post that), hearing the throbbing music playing in my ears, I feel on top of the world! Yes, my calves and sometimes my sides beg me to stop. They literally scream “Stop, Stop, STOP!!”. But I go on. And at the end of the race, its pure joy!! Exhilaration! Satisfaction!

I can truly understand what must have gone on in the artists’ and the other team members’ minds while they would have planned and executed those wonderful pieces. I can imagine (in small measure maybe) how anyone who struggles to achieve any objective in life feels. Its only after that visit that I now appreciate truly and deeply how hard it is to achieve anything notable and worth cherishing.

In the end, we all run/walk/work towards our goals in our own limited way and try and achieve victorious! And I don’t know who said this, but at the cost of repetition, I am quoting this line : “The race is long and hard, and in the end, it’s only with yourself!”

So, GOD SPEED and ALL THE BEST!

Till we meet again!

Cheers!