Saturday, July 19, 2025

Battle of the Bulge (Revised)

During my morning walks in Chennai, I would see a friend doing exercises on the parapet wall at the beachfront in Besant Nagar. He was on all fours with his protruding belly dangling prominently to the twists and turns that he was attempting. It was a sight to behold. I stopped and asked him the purpose of the exercise. He said that he was trying his best to reduce his tummy and look trim. I know that he has been trying to do this for several years without luck. I wished him good luck and moved on. It brought back memories of my bulging tummy and my efforts to reduce it for several decades.

Before I acquired a bulging tummy, also known as a `paunch`, I was a thin guy. My waist was so slim that even a baby belt would not hold my pants. I used to wrap a piece of cloth around my waist and then pull up my pants to ensure that it did not slip down.

There is a story behind how I acquired the `paunch`. Throughout my student days and the early part of my career, my mother did her best to help me gain weight. She forced me to eat vegetables & fruits. She would roast a few badam kernels and give it to me every morning with butter. I was also given an extra quantity of milk to consume at night. Nothing worked. What she could not achieve for a decade happened during my stay at Murugan Lodge in Calcutta, where I gorged on the delicious meals they served. I had spent three months in Calcutta undergoing training in advertising at the second-largest advertising agency at that time. During my stay as a trainee, I was also introduced to drinking beer. I was told that as an adman, I would have to do a lot of entertaining and drinking alcohol was a prerequisite for a successful adman. In three months, not only did I learn about the advertising business but also learnt how to gulp down three bottles of beer without any problems. My tryst with the bulging `Madhya Pradesh` started in Calcutta which eventually became an integral part of my body. In the early years, girls in my office used to call me `roly-poly`. My efforts to reduce the tummy over the years were not successful because of my inability to control my eating and drinking habits.

However, I found that my tummy was a great asset when my four grandchildren through my daughters arrived in this world in quick succession between 1996 to 2003. My `Thoppai` as they would call my bulging tummy was their playground. All that I had to do was lay still on my back exposing my Thoppai. They would go berserk playing with it. One of them would play drums on it, another one would give it a massage and the third one would give it an imaginary bath using appropriate sound effects. It was a joy beyond compare. For a change, I was happy to possess a Thoppai.

Eventually, my Thoppai` did shrink, after the two hospitalisation experiences I went through about 10 years ago. Thanks to a complete change in my lifestyle since then, I lost about eight kgs in six months. While I am fighting hard to ensure that I maintain my reduced weight, I am happy that the smaller bulge in my `Madhya Pradesh` has allowed me to reuse half a dozen tight-fitting pants that I had stopped wearing.

A small victory in my `Battle of the Bulge`!

This article appeared in the Adyar Times issue dated December, 14/06/2019


PS: Since the publication of this article I have put on weight. My Madhya Pradesh has gone back to its original size. All the pants I restored have become useless. My `Battle of the Bulge` continues.

 

 

Saturday, July 5, 2025

A Farewell visit to Chennai? Not yet!

 I was visiting Chennai after three months. Primarily to attend the Upanayanam ceremony of my brother`s grandson on 27th June. As I found I could attend a couple of get-togethers of a few groups with which I am associated,  and meet most of my friends,  I decided to reach Chennai on 21st June, and return to Coimbatore on 30th June. Though I had invitations to stay with my children, this time I decided to stay at the guest house of the Gandhi Nagar Club because I wanted to be independent and not bother my children. Besides, by staying at the guest house I could entertain my friends and also  meet my walking friends at the Bessy, every morning.

While it was a joy to meet all my friends and relatives during the short visit, the sweltering heat in Chennai hit me badly. After experiencing the salubrious weather in  Coimbatore, when I got out of the aircraft at Chennai at 3.30 pm, I could not bear the searing heat of the sun that welcomed me.

After checking into the guest house and spending a pleasant time with my son`s family, who had come to meet me, I had to rush to a dinner meeting of the 41 club (an association of ex-Round Tablers with the motto `May the Hinges of Friendship Never Rust`) at the Cosmopolitan Club. The next morning I attended the AGM of SHARAN, a Senior Citizen group consisting mostly of NRI parents, with the motto, `For Mutual Support`, at the Gandhi Nagar Club. On Tuesday evening, I had the privilege of attending the 66th Installation meeting of the Rotary Club of Madras South( RCMS), held at GRT Grand Hotel in T.Nagar. I was a member of RCMS for 47 years and the 31st President ( 90-91).  From June 25th to 27th, I was busy attending family get-togethers associated with the Upanayanam. In between, I was also visiting a few close friends and relatives. The trip ended with the Breakfast meeting on 29th at Tag Centre organised by my good friend R.T. Chari, where I thoroughly enjoyed the lec dem on `A Pictorial Tour of Mahakumbh 2025 - A Spectacle Once in 144 Years by Mr V R Ajitkumar. It was a brilliant presentation on Mahakumbh where the speaker walked us through the Mahakumbh, describing the mind-blogging efforts that had gone into organizing the mega event by the UP government at Prayagraj.

At the end of the 10-day trip, I felt exhausted. Apart from the hectic schedule, the humidity in Chennai made me feel miserable. A few friends quipped," You were living in  Chennai for 50 years. Why are you complaining now?` To which my answer is,”I did not have the opportunity to experience an alternative. An air-conditioner addict in  Chennai, I have managed two summers ( March to mid-May) in Coimbatore without an air conditioner in my flat”.

I am not only enjoying its beautiful weather 10 months of the year but also the pollution-free atmosphere in the community where I am living. Besides the wonderful friends I have made here make me feel like part of a happy family.

Though I have become a 100% Coimbatorean, I cannot say goodbye to Chennai yet, as I would have to attend important functions of family and close friends in the future. However, I have decided that in future my trips would be only for a day or two to attend specific functions and return to Coimbatore the next day. I have had enough of Chennai!

Though I still have the enthusiasm to do things, my energy levels are going down. While the mind says `think young`, the body says, `enough is enough, respect your age and restrict your activities`. I have decided to respect my body!