It``s all about the can-do attitude

LIFE BEYOND WORK
ast month, I participated in
Brevet des Randonneurs
Mondiaux, a long-distance,
free-paced cycling event
organized by Audax India
Randonneurs and local cycling group
called, Cyclone. A true test of speed
and endurance, my target was to
cycle from Decathlon, Ahmedabad
to a point beyond Palanpur and back,
almost 303 kms. Having covered trails
from Mumbai to Goa in 2013 and
Goa to Kanyakumari in November
2014, I developed self-belief and
decided to push myself even further.
I decided to test my speed coupled
L
My story
I have been cycling since school days.
I used to cycle to school. It was
about 16 kms ride every day. First, it
was a need. I had to: there was no
other option.
On the bicycle, I used to ponder,
sing in happiness. It was during my
cycling trips that I explored many
places within the vicinity of my
hometown - such as Narnala fort of
Akot, Balapur fort, famous temples
of Nagzari - Shegaon and Satpura
Ranges.
While I was pursuing my
engineering, my father gifted me a
one morning, I came across an
article about cyclists who had
pedaled through Europe.
A burning desire to cycle
resurfaced. I contacted the
newspaper's editor who then made
a few calls to contact the cyclists.
After three days and quite a few
phone calls, I ultimately got in touch
with one of the cyclists. Kishore was
a cycle enthusiast. He motivated and
enthralled me within minutes so
much so that I immediately
expressed my desire to join his
cycling group on their first
endurance trail from Mumbai to
Meaning in madness:
It's all about the
can-do attitude
Marianne Williamson, said, ?"Nothing binds you except your thoughts;
nothing limits you except your fear; and nothing controls you except your
beliefs."Sanjeev Muramkar's passion for cycling amidst several challenges
only proves that man is the creator of his own destiny.
BY SANJEEV MURAMKAR
with endurance. I cycled 300 kms in
18 hours precisely.
I cycle. I often cycle for 100 kms
in a day and I love it. "Why spend
cold mornings sweating and hot
afternoons pedaling?" many of my
friends ask.
I don't pedal to conquer the
world. I pedal to understand, to
know the world. Cycling for me is
freedom; it is the unison of my body
and mind with the bicycle as my
aide. In a cycle, I am the source of
energy. The mind wishes, the body
propels. It is the journey; it is the
end in itself.
46
N
May 2015
shining Suzuki Rx 100. I was
overjoyed but within a few weeks, I
realized that pedaling to college was
more fun than zooming on a
motorbike. After the completion of
my post-graduation, I realized that
because of unuse, the carburetor of
my bike was not working, while my
cycle was hale and hearty! I joined
work in Mumbai and I was pushed
to place cycling at the back burner.
The fast paced life of the city soon
made me realize that cycling
wouldn't be possible any time sooner.
Just as I had given up on the city: the
pollution, the traffic and the crowds,
Goa. He said - we may not be able
to accommodate you as the
participation is more than
anticipated. I immediately sought a
promise - "Inform me if anyone
cancels and he assured". I was
convinced, desperate and wanted to
go anyhow. So before I could hear
yes from Kishore I started practicing
on my old cycle. Just two weeks
before the trip, I got a call from
Kishore asking, "Will you come with
us?" I said "Yes, when should I start!"
'Yay! I am going!"
I was excited, anxious, and eager:
www.humancapitalonline.com
■
LIFE BEYOND WORK
one question which popped up
continuously in my mind was - am
I really fit for cycling since I will be
pedaling approximately a 100 kms
a day on the hilly terrains of
Sahyadri Range, almost after a gap
of 15 years? It was a true test of
endurance. Since I suffered from
acute knee pain and was undergoing
physiotherapy, I consulted my
physiotherapist. He was astonished
and said, "You avoid driving because
of knee pain and you aspire to cycle
in mountains!" However, after he
saw how persistent I was, he
suggested a few exercises.
Soon, I was on my first trail:
Mumbai to Goa via costal rout. With
a background in Human Resources,
the cycling trip was the Human Lab,
live-in-telecast.
On the trails
Ours was a small but diverse group
of 18 with a single goal: to cycle
towards a common goal. Like any
new group, on the first day, we didn't
know each other and hence the
heightened anxiety: first about the
team, second about the route, and
third about whether we will at all be
able to do it or not. While some were
experienced cyclists and shared a
comfort level, others were new; also,
some were not technologically
equipped and hence unaware of the
sophistication of their cycles. Day
after day, the competence to handle
the cycle increased and I became
friendly with the roads and the
apprehensions about the cyclists also
subsided.
The blue sea starting right from
Alibaug, the lush green coconut
orchards, dolphins, chirping birds
and small hamlets surrounded by
dancing paddy fields kept me
engaged, but cycling uphill was a
challenge. Every evening, the body
became exhausted and all I wanted
to do was crash on the bed.
However, I didn't let my body
■
www.humancapitalonline.com
overpower me. I became a sprinting
deer. While cycling, I became one
with nature. The breeze brushing
against the glistening drops of sweat
cooled the body and mind signaling
me to go further and further.
The journeys uphill were
sometimes tedious and I wanted to
give up. However, the journey
downhill was thrilling. It was as if
the cycle was on a free fall. The
wind dried off, the sweat as well as
the speed went up to as high as 5055 km/hr. It took less than 1/10th
of the time taken to climb uphill.
On one such downhill, I thought in real life, the journey uphill would
have been a struggle; it demanded
hard work; it needed patience,
determination and zeal. Coming
down was quick and effortless. To
build credibility at work is a similar
exercise.
For last few years I have seen
many accidents on my way and
realized that it is very unsafe to cycle
on Indian roads. Each road has its
own challenge - in western India,
the roads are smooth and wide but
cycling is still difficult. Traffic
regulations are regularly flouted. In
down South, the roads are narrow
and there is hardly any space left
for the cycle when two average size
vehicles cross on the road. During
the Goa - Kanyakumari trail, in the
evenings when I was completely
exhausted after covering more than
100 kms, I didn't realize that I had
come too close to a giant size tanker.
All of a sudden, I heard a zipping
sound and within split second I
landed on the side of the road and
an accident was averted. My heart
was racing as the truck lurched
forward swaying crazily. After a few
breathless moments, which seemed
like ages then, I came back and
started pedaling again. However, the
near misses test one's grit.
While some incidents are
humbling, others are enlightening.
During the Goa-Kanyakumari trip,
one of the cyclists, a 64 year young
at heart gentleman, during the wee
hours, almost landed in front of a
speeding truck. In a split second,
the truck applied brakes. No one
was hurt: everything was fine. Later
that day, during lunch, I said, "The
May 2015
N
47
LIFE BEYOND WORK
truck was very close. You could have
got hurt."
"Don't worry about me." he
nodded. After a pause, he continued,
"I can't see at night," and smiled
meekly at me.
"Then how do you navigate?" I
asked, taken aback.
"I listen to the sounds of your
cycles and follow accordingly. I cycle
on fluke," said he.
"I didn't tell anyone because if I
share, I don't know what they would
think. I wanted to come and here I
am, against all odds," he said and
shrugged his shoulders.
The man's grit amazed me: he
risked his life merely for the thrill of
cycling. For the remainder of the
journey, I shadowed him in the wee
hours of the morning when it was
still dark.
After reaching
Kanyakumari, our destination, while
48
N
May 2015
all the others were jumping with joy,
this old man came to me and
hugged me for a full minute. It was
his way of saying thank you. It
touched me… Not only was
humbling but also helped me realize
that to be able to see into someone's
personality, we need to be
compassionate. I must have read
the Johari Window a hundred times
but it was then that I understood
that people reveal their blind spots
only when they trust you.
Examples of grit and passion are
one too many. Another cyclist was
hit by a vehicle and there was
internal damage in the vein. Within
60 seconds, his thigh swelled.
Immediately, he was taken to a
hospital. After a few tests, blood was
sucked out and the swelling reduced.
What amazed me was that I saw
him on the cycle just after two days.
This kind of grit and
determination which I witnessed in
my fellow cyclists was not too
unfamiliar as in my professional life
I have had the chance of working
with individuals who were ready to
go lengths to achieve what they
determined. As I spent time with
my fellow cyclists, I learned a very
important thing. It taught me to
bind the self to the achievement of
organizations goals, develop higher
level of conviction about the goals
and help others to achieve their
goals as well.
For me too, the rigorous cycling
on these long trails from Goa to
Kanyakumari wasn't easy. After three
days of cycling for over 100 kms a
day, acute neuralgic pain in my knees
resurfaced.
The
pain
was
excruciating: for that moment I felt
I wouldn't be able to cycle any longer.
www.humancapitalonline.com
■
LIFE BEYOND WORK
biases also tends to get corrected
while pedaling.
Pedaling through almost half of
India taught me to inculcate the spirit
of humility at every cultural
interface. It taught me to not expect
things as you may have them at
home. It inculcated in me the habits
of listening and observing other,
rather than merely seeing or hearing.
I must say that my cycling
expeditions only reiterated a few
things that can be correlated with
my professional life as well. It taught
me to have the courage to take on
new challenges at work and be
committed to my goals. The
exposure further helped me work
more effectively on my day to day
duties.
The road ahead
My next target: to cycle on the most
challenging trail in India: the ManaliKhardung La-Shrinagar trail in the
Himalayan peaks, which is also one
of world's highest motorable pass.
As I grow in my career, my ability
to accept challenges and set tough
goals also increases. Just as I foresee
myself taking on more challenging
assignments at work and pushing
myself to outperform in my
deliverables, I also foresee myself
riding on wonderful trails PanAmerican Highway from Prudhoe
Bay, the northernmost point of Alaska
to Ushuaia in Argentina, the most
southerly city in the world. I dream
of covering the longest and the
toughest trails of the world, and I
call out to Mother Nature, to give
me the courage and strength to live
all my dreams, continue cycling and
exploring world every possible
HC
terrains.
A friend of mine, when he came to
know about it, recommended that I
lie down in the support vehicle and
not strain myself anymore.
I decided not to give up. Deep
inside, I felt that if I give up now, it
will cast a shadow on my cycling
aspirations. I did not give up - got
up and started pedaling. In
retrospect, I realized that I did not
like feel weak and helpless, I rather
felt motivated.
■
www.humancapitalonline.com
Interaction with cultures
Cycling allows for close interactions
with various cultures and people. It
is one thing to visit a place, moving
on when you have seen enough, and
it is quite another to interact with
people who function according to a
different, and sometimes, mysterious
set of norms. I have experienced this
during some home stays during
Konkan trail and Goa - Kanyakumari
trail as well. Many strong cultural
The article has been written by Divya Dugar, who is
a Content Writer & Editor, Communication
Facilitator & Global Admission Consultant, based
on the experiences and as narrated by Sanjeev
Muramkar, who is currently with Adani Enterprises
looking after Leadership Development. He is Ph.D in
Human Resource Management from the Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay.
May 2015
N
49