The Kingfisher flight is at 6 am. The passenger reaches check-in counter at 5:46 am. Authorities refuse to let him on the plane. The passenger throws a tantrum. The authorities do not budge. So the passenger goes to the media with this story, and TOI publishes the story - Sreesanth had a "harrowing" experience at Bangalore airport.
1) A passenger is a passenger is a passenger. Just because he is a cricketer, he cannot board a 6 00 am flight at 5 59 am. The Kingfisher authorities were right in refusing him entry.
2) Sreesanth has said something to the effect that it was a special day for him (Onam) and his entire family was waiting for him, and the flight authorities were not at all cooperative, and he reached 4 hours late. If the event was that important for him, couldn't he have woken up an hour earlier?
A budding cricketer, and already he thinks he is God.
No wonder. Cricket (don't get me started on this game), given undue importance, and the players placed on pedestals by adoring fans.
And the media makes it all worse. Hockey player Sandeep Singh was shot 'accidentally'. There was just one column about that in the newspaper. Sreesanth missed a plane to attend a personal event, due to his own stupidity. Two columns, along with a photo dedicated to him.
You wouldn't normally hear a hardcore optimist like me making statements like this, but I see no hope for our people.
82 comments:
Media is at its nadir nowadays, in terms of quality. The 24 hour news channels have made it even worse.
Either they keep on repeating the same footage - like they did during the Mumbai blasts, saying Sion hospital needed blood, when in fact it was full, and there was a stampede among donors willing to give blood - or they sensationalise the flimsiest of happenings as though it were a national tragedy.
The Prince saga - Agreed that he was a small boy in a pit, frightened, shocked, dazed, and the army had to be called in to rescue him. But does it warrant live telecast for three-quarters of a day on national and news channels, apart from hogging the top story slots on the hourly news. It was as though that was THE ONLY thing happening in India at that time.
Whither journalism?
The whole thing is ridiculous.
I am actually glad that Kingfisher refused him entry. Serves him right!
In the article, Sreesanth has been quoted saying:
"The departure of the flight was at 6 am and the check-in time was 5.30 am."
That's obviously a lie. All carriers start check-in 1 or 2 hrs before departure time. 5:30 must have been the boarding time.
Viky, I agree totally. The Prince story was totally uncalled for. A mention would have been enough. Instead, all this hype, and giving him lakhs of tax-payers' money.. for what? For falling down a hole? Phew!
All because of the insane media.
Raj, I am also pretty pleased with Kingfisher ;)
Yeah, correct observation. Even if it had been 5 30, he was late, and had no business to make a fuss.
Ah, you a cricket hater too! :)
[might not be the game, but the hype it is surrounded by]
Surely cricketers are pampered a lot by the media. After all, if the media does not make them famous, how else will they get more ad revenue?
I have almost started hating advertisements which feature cricketers. They even went to the extant of hiring that hairy guy (Dhoni is it?) to advertise for Mysore Sandal.
As far as celebrities thinking they are superior to us lesser mortals, I guess it serves them well if they think of their future when they are old and have no money, fame or beauty (if applicable). Their shelflives are much lesser than others' and they must realise it before its too late.
Any idea what happened to 'famous' people like Baba Sehgal, Kimi Katker, all those miss Indias for all these years etc?
And, do I remember some actress recently throwing a tantrum insisting celebrities should be exempt from security checks at the airport? I dont remember who is that but remember getting annoyed over this news.
BTW, if you think its apt, you can create a google group where people like me can subscribe and receive your posts directly. No, it wont reduce the traffic to your site. We will still come and comment here ;)
In India, cricketers are demi-Gods. There is a serious lack of heroes for the masses. High handedness is really irksome. We've seen plenty of it - this instance you write about, Sonia Gandhi putting whole of bangalore into chaos due to her visit (what the hell!!!), Amisha Patel throwing tantrums with airline personnel coz they wouldn't upgrade her friend to 1st class! So, this particular incident of denying the cricketer makes me doubly happy - coz the airline stood its ground & coz its a CRICKETER.. :-) a game I love to play & hate to watch or hear about.
I agree, our media is becoming worse every day.. What surprised me most was Worldcup Hockey didn't get enough hype as Football Worldcup,despite being it's our national game and India participating in it..
i feel the same abt Film Stars. "Star" ??! wot for ?!??!
i wud rather appreciate a scientist or an engineer or a doctor...
wot has the "Star" done ?!?
and, that Gurl getting "selcted" by some bollywood director after being
spotted on Times Of India newspaper, makes the Headlines of the day.
All i could do, was send a mail to the Editor, asking him the rationale
behind his thoughts. I know, it won't make a difference. But, i did write.
Hats off to Kingfisher. I think standing your ground is important; come to think of it -- we seem to be glad when somebody takes the right stand. Gosh, where are we headed (or already reached??). I think Sreesanth should have been made to cool his heels in Singasandra jail for a day for making such a racket. "Breaking News" is the worst possible thing invented on Television... the ticker tape is bad enough; breaking news makes me feel like breaking the TV (except that i paid for the TV with my hard earned money). I wish the media would focus on positive stories also rather than this kind of crap.
"A passenger is a passenger is a passenger" - very true indeed!! A rule is a rule is rule - everyone's bound to be following them, but it never seems to happen, people automatically assume they get special rights on getting a special status.
The post also reminded me of the recent Amisha Patel spat with the airline staff!!
Hmm.. all this is good fodder for the print media.. the other thing is Breaking news as the others have pointed out.. all the televisons news channels want to be the first to air the so called "Breaking News". What a mockery of the phrase!
Sad state of affairs!!
Just goes to highlight how media, especially Times of India, makes a news item out of nothing. Is the editor even looking at it?
I hope other newspapers praised Kingfisher and slammed this cricketer.
We keep hearing about airlines not allowing rude passengers on their flights. There have been cases where planes have returned after take-off to offload unruly passengers. Here in India, passengers like Amisha Patel manage to get an upgrade after creating a scene and Sreesanth gets sympathy from the media.
Bah! I would have been so embarassed if I had arrived late and been refused entry. This guy on the other hand creates a scene and lets the whole world know how well he keeps time? Thats what undue importance does to a person. He comes to think that if he does it, it must be right! Good show Kingfisher!
It doesn't surprise me, the fact that such an article appeared on TOI. Sreesanth's ego would have hurt from this incidence, and I'm sure it will help him to get down from his imaginary pedestal.
Another such article from TOI:
When Benny Hinn gave a visit to Bangalore early this year. There was some disturbance in the city and all that TOI could come up with was about the traumatic experience of a software eng of a certain XYZ company who reached his house a hour late because of the disturbance. I scanned through the entire TOI paper of 2-3 days during and before the incident, there was no mention on "why on the first hand there was disturbance in the city, what was the controversy all about". TOI creates news for the Junta, the sole motto of this paper to increase circulation nothing more, nothing less. But, its also amazing, the fact that TOI is so good at it.
Shastri, Yeah, cricket-hater in the sense that I don't like the importance given to it. The game as such is, well, just a game!
Yes, cricketers and the corporates feed off each other. Grr... And yeah.... Dhoni for Mysore Sandal - I almost wept when I read that bit of news. It got worse when I saw the ads :(
My guess is that because they know that their shelf-life is less, they try to make the best use of the present, and also hoard money! ;)
Google group? Phew... will have to think about that.. but what advantage would that have, for you? As opposed to, say, subscribing to my feed through a feedreader?
Anandanubhava, You put that beautifully - "a game I love to play, but hate to hear about" :)
Yes Anand, India lacks heroes - or should I say, it has the wrong heroes.
Sudhakar Haaa yeah... I have lost count of the number of sports and sportspeople that have been ignored due to cricket.
Sunil, Exactly. Film stars and Cricketers share similar status. As for that Girl you talked about - Yamini Sharma - the less said about it, the better. I mean, fine, give the news, but the headlines? And a quarter page colour photograph? Grrr!
Madapura LOL-ing at Singasandra Jail ;) I did not know there was a jail so close to where I work, btw ;) And ha ha, Breaking news has lost its importance. Any silly thing is Breaking these days!
Madhu, yes, both the print and the visual media, in competition with others, stick to one bit of news and makes a mountain out of it. Sigh! And well said, about "Breaking news".
Vittala, I think the other newspapers did not even mention this incident. Hope will dawn when a newspaper comes up which would, as you say, mention this incident to slam the cricketer and praise the Airlines!
Anu, seriously!! I would have been so embarrassed - I would have probably turned away even before they turned me out! For that matter, when it came to "going home", I would have landed at that place 1 hour before time - it would have been so important to me! ;)
Anoop, it doesn't surprise me either, that is the sad part. We are getting used to this nonsense so quickly! The Benny Hinn incident is interesting!
And yes, TOI has successfully surpassed the leading newspapers in almost all metros. I am upset that people are falling for it, too :(
Why just cricketers ? Excuse me ?
What about all those bollywood stars ? These are the people who pay your (film goer's) money and pay the underworld who in turn come and bomb our country back. Don't we worship them too ?
What about all those foreigners ? Don't we worship them all ?
What about the foreign culture ? Don't we all fancy doing every thing we think that the other country is doing ? (for all you know what we imitate of the USA is not what really is the mainstream culture there - but that shows how stupid we are).
Let's admit that we (indians) have a fundamental problem. This is NOT just about cricket. I would be interested to know why we have this way and what can be done about it ?
Another thing to note - TOI is NOT really a newspaper. The only odd time I had glanced at it, I almost puked over it. In my childhood days (god knows how long back that was), there was this magazine called "SCREEN" - having just gossip and pictures. TOI is the worst imitation of that having more corny stories and picutres.
Silkboard, I have written off Amisha Patel a long time back, I don't even want to talk about her! That is why there is no mention of her, though many of the other commenters have ranted enough on my behalf ;)
Yes, we do need some real heroes!
Older Bangalorean, Every post has a focal point. And the point of this one happened to be on a pampered cricketer. Who said "JUST" cricketers are pampered? Who said Bollywood Stars are not pampered?
Of course, if your sensibilities are hurt because I belittled a cricketer, then I apologize! (Heh heh ;))
The basic point is that we worship the wrong people. Whether they are cricketers or film stars is immaterial.
Yeah... TOI is more of a tabloid than a newspaper!
Well, Sorry, I got a bit annoyed because cricket indeed has a few role models; Look at other similar fields in many other fields - it's like finding a needle in a haystack. There is nothing in the game to suggest someone like srisanth to behave the way he did. I would have been _really_ upset if kingfisher yielded to him. If TOI obliged, who cares ?
In America (that's what we love here in India, don't we ?), many families have baseball-following as family tradition and the expectation amongst (the decent) public is that the players behave and be role models to kids. I remember incidents where misconduct (during game) was taken seriously as being a disruptive influence to kids.
So sports has a role to teach not just kids but all of us.
Older Bangalorean, yes I understand. Looking at it that way, every field does have worthy role models. (Yes, even Bollywood). But whoever it is, as long as they remain down to earth, and as long as they follow rules, everything is fine. The trend you speak of in America, about sportspeople expected to behave themselves - that is a very good trend. I am not against any kind of a role model - as long as they are worthy of it, and as long as it doesn't go overboard!
TOI obliged. We know what a rotten paper it is. But how can we, as people, not care? We know how much the circulation of TOI is. A newspaper does, to some extent, shape the poeple. If TOI stresses on useless bits of news items like this, it either means that people want it, which is shocking, or it is shaping the people's wants by carrying news items like this, which is even more shocking. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
If you have TOI stocks, it's time to sell them :-) TOI's popularity (if any) is definitely pointing to a bigger problem !
Nonetheless, we have much bigger problem in India - i.e. we have no (or eroding) value system. Is this something we inherited ? I don't think so. Long long time ago, I once remember a co-worker in the USA introducing me as someone from a "family/value-based country".
Now I worry a lot (having kids at home) that it's not easy to find honest, trustworthy people in this very country.
I got to hope that the wheel will turn full circle once again for better - not likely to be in my times though!
Thanks for a nice post! You made my day certainly better. Take care !
Older Bangalorean, I hope too, that we can see better days soon! Thanks for your inputs :)
Spellcheck alert - "People", 14th line, Shruthi to older Bangalorean, 4:37 pm.
Now, I agree with older bangalorean saying players should behave in a manner becoming of the fan following they have. Did anyone notice how Zidane apologised to the children, after he butted Materazzi, saying he was sorry that he set a wrong example? Now that's the kind of thing legends are made of. True, he ended his career in the worst possible manner, but he emerged out of it, a bigger hero than he already was.
All this happens when, in all the adulation and fame, you walk with your head cocked up, instead of bowing it down in humility.
Sachin Tendulkar is one man I hold in great esteem for his temperament and on and off field behaviour. He is an epitome of humility, but with all due respect given to him and his achievements, I would rather that he had paid off the customs for his red Ferrari, instead of asking the govt to relax it for him. But then, its just me. Others are bound to feel otherwise, that the govt could have done atleast that much for him.
And the less said the better about a paper that sells its "editorial" section to freelancers.
Don't, PLEASE don't get me started on this.
my 2 cents: we should put our money where our mouth is and stop buying/reading such newspapers. imho, that's the most effective way to respond. the more publicity one gives such papers, the more they thrive. we switched newspapers in our house long ago.
ano (not anonymous)
Kudos to Kingfisher! Serves him right!
Undue importance given to these cricketers... and for what? god only knows!
I love cricket as a game.. but these days its so filled with "politics" of all kind.. it puts me off!
And reagrding TOI.. less said the better! It's best used for selling churmuri ;-)
this celebrity sense seems to catch up to the people who r not even celebrities
I think in our country the "hero(ine)" worship does not stop with mere cricert/bollywood stars, if there are family members who are grace us on vactions from abroad ( also percieved as the ultimate achievement by many),they are treated like God! THe best food cooked every meal as long as they are around, the house kept ultra clean so the "forin" guests dont get sick, the list goes one .. UGHH!!
Shruthi,
Good post and followed by some thougtful comments. I agree with most opinions mentioned here. Yeah journalism has lost its focus and direction, its all about sensationalism. But dont you think viewers are partly resposible for this change( for the worse), I meant,those who shower these news channels with high TRP and buy useless tabloids for morning news paper. They are the ones who make a hero(ine) out of hyped cricketers and actors/actresses and reality TV artists etc ..Well its only 10% of us think that there is serious degeneration.Most of the other 90% are driving this degeneration. Sorry state!!!
What KF did was right. Apart from the attitude of the *star* the media contributes to the attitudes of these star(lets). It is the media that blows up things beyond proportions. Many have already commented ... and I have restored sanity in our house - discontinued ToI. I refuse to acknowledge it a "news" paper anymore.
Viky, Thanks again ;)
Well, I don't really keep track of what the cricketers do.. and I did not know what Sachin did. I would agree with your point of view. He has the money, he should use it ;) Yes, I have also heard a lot about his humility.
About Zidane, with his last act, became more human, I think.;)
Ano, the Thoughtraker, couldn't agree with you more. But for every person who hates TOI, there seem to be 10 people who wait to devour it each morning. That is what worries me!
Shark, LOL at "selling Churmuri" :D But you have to buy that newspaper to make paper cones out of it... so it is not good even for that ;) What say you? ;)
Maverick, yeah, those who are puffed up with a sense of importance! How true.
Chitra, you are right... that is what I was wondering about. Do the papers resort to sensationalism because the public demands it, or is the public getting used to being fed news like this, because of the media? Which is feeding which?
Anon, best thing to do. And sanity is the right word!
Btw, all you TOI haters, here is a post on the subject of TOI...
One reason for the paper carrying the item was it show that -- as you rightly said -- a passenger is a passenger is a passenger.
Yesterday, a British diplomat, who came to see off someone wasn't allowed into the Kolkata airport.
Again a right decision. But unlike the cricketer, he didn't create any tantrum.
I have seen poor security men, being shouted at, because they do their duty of asking the identity card. This is a very common phenomenon.
The tendency of attaching importance to onself -- to deserving extents or not -- has to be consciously curbed. Moreso, when we pit ourselves against the system.
One more point... beside the topic of this post... Sorry to be deviating... This in reaction to some of the posts.
I never really understand why the media is bashed... for something Sreesanth and Kingfisher are involved in.
It's a fashion to slam the media.. esp some TV channels and newspapers...
Media is only a carrier of information... And, no two of them look the same... Obviously. you can't have clones of each other all around...
The focus of critics should be on the subject, which you, Shruthi, rightly have it on the clash between personality and the system.
The cases of "messengers beings shot for the news" is all too frequent. And, no wonder, the real issue gets sidestepped.
Imagine, Shruthi, you as a blogger being slammed for writing about this incident, as unworthy of any discussion etc.
Many of us mix up the message and the medium. Or, may be I am expecting too much of an academic stuff!
And, lastly, the word "sensationalism" is the most misused word... and used without understanding what it really means...
I must put out one post on that, I suppose...
M > Making
E > Everyone
D > Distracted
I > In
A > Abserdity...
None other than us who are captured between the 'Democratic' way of manipulating the whole country...and the 'Breaking news' syndrome to create the news rather than reporting the fact...
Pradeep, I know what you mean when you say, "why should the messengers be shot".
But it doesn't work in the case of TOI.
As per my knowledge, no other newspaper carried the news of this Sreesanth incident. But TOI did. Why? What was the necessity, really? And this is not a one-off incident. Nearly all its news items have less of news and more of gossip.
If I wrote one blog post which dwelt on a useless issue and if somebody slammed me for it, I would be really angry. If I repeatedly wrote useless posts, then my readers have every right to slam me, and stop reading me. That is what I am trying to say!
Rajesh Dangi, :)) - "creating the news rather than reporting the fact" -- exactly!
Let's test drive it here..
Dude - Keep showing/reading TOI everyday to your child and let us know the result after 15 years.
Anon, err, which dude are you refering to? :)
And btw, are you an Anon I know?
Dudette: Nope, you may not know me.
Sorry for not being clear - the dude I referred to there was the person trying to put a positive spin on TOI !
Pradeep,
You are Absolutely right. And the nice pictures you publish are so amazing; We can't have coffee without drooling over them.
I like TOI philosophy; Pictures are there to show - you are just showing them. Keep up the good work.
Anon, ok :))
TOI rules, I was wondering, actually - most of the commenters dissed TOI.. then who does read it? Now I know!
TOI rules, If you read the papers to drool, I think there are other more appropriate options! Let's leave the newspapers to carry just the news.
Shruti,
You need people like me for balance in "echo system". You need news papers (or whatever you call that) like TOI for balance in "echo system" as well.
So TOI and I are good for the system. Without me and TOI you would get bored :-)
TOI rules, you are right about that - if not for you, whom would we rant about? ;)
I love this discussion:
So here goes a few TOI themes/slogans:
"Balancing the echo system with
corny stuff"
"Catering to the needs of many
desperate youth"
Yep, could not agree more with you!!
Anon, LOL!! If you are not careful, TOI will hire you!
Nirwa, ;)
Anon, You may be right. It is just that some of us are more outspoken about it - but the evil exists in all :-) You may say that the balancers would keep the inner animal in check - to which I say that we also balance it from the other side (if you know what that is !)
It has been fun discussing with you all so far. But do watch out for TOI. It's creating millions of "me's" (what a word !) and they are gonna get ya all ! Jai TOI !
TOI rules, and that is why I ended my post with the words, "I see no hope for our people"!
Join the mainstream ! Join the TOI movement.. Don't regret on missing out later.
TOI rules, No thanks, there will be a shortage of sane people later on. I hope to be there to prevent the moronization of mankind, at that time ;)
TOI Rules: We are already stuck in your stinking-stream (what you call mainstream). The discussion is not about "joining" (which we already have by making you famous), but how to "cleanse" the stinking stream. Some of the ideas are to dip you all in a pool of sabina/nirma/bleeching-powder solution.
By "main stream" you mean "vrishabhavathi" ? If yes, I agree with that.
hai, i have a started a new forum about indian cricket at
www.cricketindia.co.nr ,visit our forums and regsiter yourself and discuss about indian cricket
For those that don't know bangalore all that much:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Vrishabhavathi
Ah .... in this age and times of reality shows, News channels have gone reality too. There is no more structured news content delivered. Everything is an "at the desk, online, discussion"
TOI shows a similar trend. It might make more sense for them to switch online to sustain their visually rich (!) and analytically zilch content.
Sorry to swing the flow onto TOI again, but no harm in quoting an example, is there ?
Oh come on.. I will buy the newspaper just to sell churmuri in that.. There is a pleasure in doing that ;-))
Anon at 5:31, heh heh ;)
Older Bangalorean, :)) but if you notice, Vrishabhavati doesn't stink any longer ;)
Ramanean, thanks.
Anon at 10 15, "visually rich (!) and analytically zilch content" was a good one ;)
Shark, of course, of course :)) IF it gives you so much pleasure to see TOI become a paper cone, then you definitely must buy it and make Churmuri cones out of it :)
Shruthi - Really ? I travel on Mysore road everyday but only upto chord road junction - the leading stream (that eventually joins vrishabhavathi) still stinks.
May be I need to take the scenic route past chord road junction :-)
Older Bangalorean, I think you are talking about that stream in Bapujinagar, next to the temple, right? That still stinks, yes. But the main stream near RV College of Engg, shortly before Kengeri - it was horrible some years back. Now, thanks to some sewage treatment processes, that stream almost looks like another
"regular" river :)
Shruthi - Yes, that is the one near the temple right before chord road junction.
Glad to know about vrishabhavathi :-)
Kingfisher needs to be commended for standing the ground...
Older Bangalorean, :)) yeah, it was a pleasant surprise for me too!
Harsha, absolutely! And long time no see! :)
Yeah ,was kinda bsy with some stuff.
Harsha, hmm.. no posts from you either!
LOL. Hockey Teem never wins.
At least Indian teams wins in A While...? So no reason to cover Anything to the hockey team.
Our hockey team did badly in the current season. Not a single match won
And about TOI Sucking? :) Feels Like Laughing. Its, i guess Decent. I find nothing different in it then the other news paper I read including indianexpress. They all are same. But at least when U hold TOI it feels good holding it. The paper quality is good. Better then Any one else. and Its Cheaper. :)
Content are more or less same. :)
I am a no promoter of TOI but then Everyone is same. :)
What Shreesnath did was wrong. What happened to Sandeep Sing was also wrong.
Prince Was the worst thing I have ever seen.
When he got those lakhs of Rs. I felt as if I was cheated, and my hard earned money was wasted and given as a BHEEK to him? For what a damn reason? cuz he is still alive? or cuz he was in a hole? or cuz of Aaj tak covering that Hole so nicely..?
Utter Shit.
But Still I guess TOI is good. :)
Indian Cricket Team is better then Hockey team (Seriously Guys. They never Win. But atleast Cricket team does).
Uh long post. lets get back to work
Mukund, Take two little boys, give one of them one rupee and the other one thousand rupees, and ask both of them to prepare for a competition. During the preparation, completely ignore the first boy, and give a lot of media attention and support and money and shoes and clothes and equipment to the second boy. Then after the competition, see who wins.
If TOI is not "good" and "worth reading", as some people here seem to suggest:
1. So many people wouldn't be reading it, the paper would have closed down long back
2. You, me and many others wouldn't dare associate ourselves with it by reading it every day.
3. Many people of repute, national and international wouldn't lend their names to TOI.
4. Many national and global companies wouldn't spend millions to advertise in TOI (They don't advertise in rag, yellow journals, even if they circulate more)
So, the sum and substance:
TOI has a way of doing it -- we may like it or not, personally. People may differ with in only for "academic" purposes. When it comes to practical utility, they rely on TOI (not because TOI is the only newspaper available in the market).
TOI is in everyway professional.
PS: Finally, no other paper is so much invovled with civic issues of our Bangalore as TOI is. It's really a people's paper. NO DOUBT.
Media critic, and that is what worries me. That it has such a hold on the public.
I agree with your last point - about it being involved in civic issues.
media critic: Just curious - Do you read TOI with your family members everyday (especially when they publish those pictures) ? If yes, start buying mid-day also; it is TOI's little sister in _that_ class; you will enjoy it even more.
media critic: bad argument. The stuff they print sells does not mean that it is all nice and good. In case you wanted to know about all the bad things selling well... I'm sure you know what they are ;)
Anon at 1 50 and 1 56, well said! I think I should just let you do the talking :)
Shruthi, WHOA ! Time to sneak in a few comments (that you may not like) while I have your nod of approval ?
Just kidding :) Relax.
Anon, ha ha! Go ahead and comment away! Constructive criticism always appreciated ;)
This is the misfortune of our country that peoples are worshipping false gods. As a game cricket is ok, though a game of children only. Not much it gives to our generations to learn. - Arun Kumar Bhardwaj, Delhi.
Dear friends,
I am an ultramarathon runner and can understand it in a better way being in a state of my present situation. I think people writing here would like my little bio data. It is : How can we transcend ourselves
If we do not challenge
Our Capacities?
Name: Arun Kumar Bhardwaj
Email : a_runrunrun@yahoo.com
Cell Phone : 9213 964 901
Postal Address: Planning Commission, Parliament Street, New Delhi 110001.
DoB: 2 February 1969
Birth Place: Village Baoli, Distt. Baghpat. UP.
Education: B. Com. from Delhi University
Occupation: Govt. Service (Planning Commission, New Delhi) India
Height: 5 feet 8 inch, Weight: 68 kg
Family: Wife :Sangeeta, teacher in Central School. Daughters: Zola & Sofia (DoB 23.9.1998&12.1.2001), Son : Yiannis (12.7.2002).
Years running: On & off for 15 years. Ultras: 6 years
Personal Bests:
1. 180 km in 23.25 hours on 28-29 July 2000 (solo run from Haridwar to Baghpat, UP)
2. 270 km in 33.10 hr on 7-8 November 2001(solo run from Yojana Bhavan, New Delhi to National Ayurved Institute, Jorawar Singh Gate, Jaipur). Indian Record for the distance w.r.t. time taken.
3. 138.172 km in IAU Asia 24 hr Track Championships in Taiwan on 2-3 March 2002.(9th place). First Indian representative in any 24 hr Ultra Marathon.
4. 492 km in Australian 6-Day Race 17-23 Nov. 2002 & broke former Indian national record for 6 days race of 478 km made by Tirtha Kumar Phani in 1987. Thus, became first ever Indian to cross 300 miles in six days race (15th Place).
5. 516 km in Self-Transcendence 6-Days race, New York 27 April -3 May 2003 and became the first Indian to cross 500 km in a 6-Days race (7th Place).
6. 520 km in Copenhagen 6-Days challenge, Denmark 3 – 9 August 2003 (4TH place).
Became first Asian to complete three 6-Days races within one year, and every time with a new national record.
7. Finished IAU 100 Km World Cup 2003, Taiwan 16.11.2003. Became first ever Indian to participate and finish any 100 Km World Cup.
8. 501 km in International Six Days Running Championship, Mexico on 22-28 March 2004 (4th place in age category and 8th Place in general). First Indian representation in any Mexican ultramarathon championship.
10.532.8 km in German International 6-day race, 1-8 August 2004. Placed 15th. New Indian Record.
11. 550 km in 122.45 hr Delhi to Chandigarh and back. Appeared in Limca Book of Record 2005.
12. MIR Marathon, Moscow, finished in 3.56.45 in –4 Deg. Celsius and Rain.
13. 153 km in 24 hr Open Championship of Russia, 7-8 May 2005. Became the only Indian in the history of Russian Ultramarathon.
14. 556.45 km in 20th Australian Six Days Race, 20-26 Nov. 2005. New Indian & South Asian Record. (14th place out of 36 runners from 12 nations, after arriving only 20 hours before the start of the race and ran without any support crew).
15. 521 km Loutraki 7-Days International Race, Greece, 1-8 April 2006 (on a hilly course).
Typical training: It varies but normally 160 - 200 km/week. I sleep 4 hours only i.e. 12 mid night to 4 am and one night sleepless per week.
Injury history: None relating to running. Have undergone four major surgeries of Parotid Tumor between 14 and 17 years of age. I was very weak from my childhood, from the age of 6 to 19 yrs, I was a victim of malaria every year in rainy season. My body weight was only 26 kg when I was 14 years of age and 35 kg at 17 yrs. I, always, was the weakest boy of the class in my school time.
Favourite ultra foods: Totally vegetarian & teetotaler. Honey, fruit juice, banana and sugar cane.
Things I like most about ultra: Traveling, getting to make new friends. It gives opportunity to explore the unknown inner world and give spiritual ecstasy. I like my tears most during my ultras, I love them.
Things I hate most about ultras: Leaving my family waiting for me.
What got me started doing ultras: To produce myself as an example before my daughter that Everything is Possible for a willing heart..
Why I do ultras: I enjoy pushing myself to my limits. I am the only ultramarathon runner in India, a country of more than 1 billion people and that’s why I am facing very difficulty in continuing it. But I know that in future my story will become a great source of inspiration for coming generations and I would be satisfied by that reward. Also, the pure spirit I found in Ultra Marathoners is matchless, celestial and I want to be a part of them. When you run beyond the imagination, it gives a special sense of exceeding.
Ultra goals: 276+ in 24 hours. 400+ in 48 hours. 1000+ in 6 days. I aspire to finish and win every race of SCMT (upto 3100 miler). I also wish to run all state capitals of Indian states from New Delhi with a minimum recorded time.
Favourite ultra quotes: “Never Give Up”.
“If you have indomitable will-power then Impossibility-gate is not an obstruction.”
“When you believe then you can do it. Do you believe?”
I’ll want to quit, I’ll want to die. Let me die, don’t let me quit.”
Shruti, you mentioned about Banglore Intl. marathon in detail. are u also in the race committee.
Arun, I wish you the very best! Thank you for all the info. I found more info about you here and here.
And no, I am not in the race committee, Arun.
I dont know much about TOI.
Overall, I dont like newspapers.
I rwad them a lot... But I dont like the journalists.
At least in this case, TOI published versions of both side (KF & Passenger). Mostly newsppaers dont even care to publish the other side at all.
I am still waiting for a news paper who gives less importance to politician's useless statements and gossips..
Arun Kumar Bharadwaj. I have written about you here, please have a look.
Uunaashe, hmmm... then the newspaper will not sell at all ;)
Mukund, Take two little boys, give one of them one rupee and the other one thousand rupees, and ask both of them to prepare for a competition. During the preparation, completely ignore the first boy, and give a lot of media attention and support and money and shoes and clothes and equipment to the second boy. Then after the competition, see who wins.
Lol. No reason at all.
Who started giving money to Cricketers? And Why?
Why the heck it gained so much popularity?
It go media attention just becuz it was popular. It was not made popular by media.
When hockey and Cricket started in India, people were crazy about hockey. And so it was made our national game. But gradually... cricket overtook. Once it was popular...media started making it more and more popular. And now
Cricket is Religion. Hoceky is nothing. Then why shud. we invest in hockey? Why shud we give thousands of Rs to Hockey and why not to Cricket.
I guess you should change your perception a bit for this :). Its a lovely game and its not lovely becuz media had made it lovely...but becuz its Really good. :)
Hey hey hey the fight between TOI and other newspaper and the fight between Hockey and Cricket reminds me of a Fight Between
Microsoft and Linux+Apple+Opensource+Sun+Rest of the World. :)
yup! rules are rules! Applied to everyone! no bar!
...The Prince story was totally uncalled for. Instead, all this hype, and giving him lakhs of tax-payers' money.. for what? For falling down a hole?..
.. thats being very insensitive Shruthi.. that was a small poor boy(3-4 yrs old ) helpless, afraid and down in an underground dark pit... i have a small boy same age.when he gets up after sleep and does'nt find us in the room he cries for papa /mama.. and we immdtly cuddle/comfort him.. now imagine the condition of that small child.
Unless media blows such incidents out of proportion,nobody takes note..the contractor who left that pit open must be punished.. and thye boy deserves to be rewarded for his fearlessness. anyhow tax payers money are wasted in millions of other ways. Not in this case though.
Param
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