-[heavy panting] -[running footsteps]
[instrumental music]
[continues panting]
[man] Hey, anything left?
[woman] I don't think so.
[man] So, just carry your watch.
[child chattering in distance]
[woman] Your gel?
[man speaking in Hindi] Protein, check. Gel, check.
We have this New Delhi Marathon tomorrow.
Ish is running the half marathon and I am running the five kilometer.
[veena playing]
[heavy panting]
-[pouring] -[whistle]
[veena playing]
-[heavy panting] -[running footsteps]
[woman 1] "I run to feel Unshackled and free
I run the glorious sun to see"
[wind chime ringing softly]
"I run to connect And commune with nature
I run to appreciate God's creations In spellbound rapture"
[woman 2 speaking in Hindi] I need to earn money and buy a house.
Even if I win a single marathon, I can get a place for myself.
-[woman 2 chuckles] -[train rumbling]
[hopeful music]
[hopeful music accelerates]
[crowd] Ten, nine, eight, seven...
six, five, four, three...
two, one!
[people cheering and clapping]
Okay, all of you are in the front, that's cool.
No pictures now.
Thank you.
All right.
[man] So, I have seen huge acceptance for the idea
that running is something that can really change your life
in the kind of value that it brings
and it is not only about weight loss,
which was something that was thought about earlier.
We have seen it in the numbers of women participating in each city.
It's grown by 30 to 40 percent every year.
And that's how we had in the first year, it was, two thousand women.
In the second event, four cities and twelve thousand women.
Then, six cities and about forty thousand women.
And then eight cities and sixty-five thousand women.
But not only that...
Even in the... the distances...
For example, in Mumbai we had two hundred women
participating in the ten-kilometer event,
which also requires a certain amount of preparation.
And in the third year we had two thousand women participating
in the ten-kilometer event.
So, the growth was, you know, a hundredfold!
-[beating of drums] -[chattering]
[woman] It's such a happy coincidence,
that exactly fifty years ago, uh, which is in 1966
uh... Bobby Gibbs was the first woman to actually participate
and run in the Boston marathon.
And the running scene in the US at that time was such
that women were on the periphery
but they had... they were proving that they can
and they will run a distance, such as a marathon
and that their "uterus" will not fall out!
The first few women like Katherine Switzer and Bobby Gibbs...
These girls actually had to change their names.
I think Switzer put in her initials and her last name to get in as a man
and they had to run the race.
And Bobby Gibbs was actually rejected and she anyhow went in there and ran.
But these two girls actually paved a way for all of us women runners,
to take part in full marathons.
[women clapping and stomping enthusiastically]
[cheerful music]
[woman] I think the beauty about running is that it makes you more confident
uh, to get out in your own skin.
[all scream]
[cheerful music continues]
[woman] So, we are friends right from the age of ten to eighty, you know.
So, that's the diversity in age groups of people that we run with.
-It's amazing, the kind of... uh... -Bonding!
bond we share and the kind of love we have for each other.
And we all know our weaknesses, our strengths.
And again, you know, very accepting of it.
I love myself! I adore myself!
-[people cheering] -If I can say that. [laughs]
Women know how to have a lot of fun.
It's just that men don't have the kind of responsibilities that women have.
We are very silly, we are very goofy and we have big butts!
[laughs]
I'm happy with the shape I am in, actually.
I'm very happy with my curves.
But you have to be fit.
And you see all shapes and sizes.
We are all quite fit and we all have fun.
[woman] In my parties I won't wear
something like a tank top or a sleeveless t-shirt.
But for my running, because they are comfortable and I work hard on my body
so I don't mind flaunting it, so I wear those clothes. [sighs]
[inhales sharply]
However, when I started running, this was like... it's not too far back.
Maybe in early 2000s...
Even then I think I used to be one of those sole women runners who
would do these long hours of running in Cubbon Park.
And I would have people come and ask me,
"Why are you running? I mean,
if you are running for fitness why do you have to run
two hours and three hours?
I mean, why are you doing this to yourself?"
If you fast forward now, from 2004 to 2016, uh,
it's astonishing that almost fifty percent,
close to fifty percent of the half marathon entries are women.
So, women have really come a long way in the last twelve years.
But again, the numbers in the full marathon are about
500 or 600 women out of six thousand.
If I compare the statistics again, fast forward and compare it
to the western countries.
Every world global race, whether it is
New York, Boston, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago...
Every one of those races has anywhere between 45 to 51 percent women
running and completing the full marathon distance.
So, India has a long way to go.
[cheerful music]
[woman 1] I can run!
That was something very, very new to me.
Because I had been brought up in a very different way.
Classical dance and music and just academics.
My dad just went as far as letting me play table tennis
and that too, supervised.
[woman 2] It is difficult because it,
I mean, it plays on your mind quite a bit when you are on the road.
Running in Gurugram comes with some challenges for women, I'd say.
I mean, we've had instances where some or the other of us got
uh... you know, we had people chasing us.
Or we've had people making cat calls.
So, it is not a very good feeling.
So, we... which is why we prefer that,
you know, you have company while you're running.
Although I like to run on my own, I like to be on my own when I'm running,
I still prefer to have somebody around, especially early mornings.
Between Ish and me, we, uh, try that we coincide our running days.
So... when he is not running,
he will cycle up with me and meet me at a point
and he keeps going back and forth so that he sees that I am fine.
[Ish speaking in Hindi] A few Jats were speaking to the security guards.
[Karishma] Jat?
[both speaking in Hindi] Yeah.
[Ish speaking in Hindi] They were told that it was unacceptable.
A Jat was kicking up a fuss.
He said, "Without permission, it's always going to be a problem."
[Karishma] No, but this road doesn't belong to them.
[Ish] They manage the security of this road, right?
[Karishma] But that's DLF.
[Ish] That's DLF and they are DLF!
[conversation fades into instrumental music]
[woman 1] I think the running scene is not so great here in Kolkata.
It is not taken as a sport.
[woman 2] Yeah, exactly.
I mean, I was, I was telling them.
Um, we... My husband and I
and some of his school mates,
we do these night runs around Maidan, you know.
-Okay. -So, once... I was leading
and I was up ahead and my husband may have been about, you know,
two or three hundred feet behind me.
And the only time I think the Kolkata police has ever been on alert!
They stopped my husband and they thought he was chasing me!
I mean, that rare is running in the city that they stopped him and they said...
And then I had to run back and tell them,
-"No, it's okay, leave him, you know." -No, it's...
And it's that rare to
-see somebody running. -See somebody running.
Absolutely, even I feel the same and I think all of us feel the same.
It's, it's really sad.
I never used to think twice before heading out and running
even though it was dark.
However, I had a... quite a bad experience about three to four months back.
And this was during daylight.
It was already around 7:10, 7:15. It was... The sun was already out.
And I was here around the Palli Hill area, which is the area that I run mostly.
And... I was running and I...
at the corner of my eye I saw a gentleman
who was masturbating in complete daylight.
And he started... abusing me and he started saying things to me.
And... at that time all I could think of was just running faster
and looking back to see if he was behind me and...
that was probably the worst experience that I've had.
And after that time I really...
I haven't... I don't think I've been out by myself anymore,
especially if it's dark.
[Monica] It's sad because...
being in Bandra, it's considered to be one of
probably, one of the safest places
and the type of people that live here are a little bit more
open minded and more aware. And...
It really saddened me to see that type of stuff happening
and even though you... your love for running is so much that
you don't care, uh, about those types of things
but you do have to think twice, um, especially being a woman.
-[birds chirping] -[wings fluttering]
[Chandra] It is amazing that these girls are able to come out
and do this, despite all odds.
Running has taught you this, that you can handle anything.
You just learn to face challenges so much more positively
because your thinking changes a lot.
I see this lady in Cubbon Park, I must tell you about her.
She comes in a burqa. In a... complete burqa.
And she does a whole round of Queens' track
running, holding it up, and running,
and I find it amazing!
And then she walks a bit and then she runs again.
And she used to do that.
Today, I find that she is actually able to do about
five to six rounds without stopping.
And it must be... I keep looking at her and thinking
it is so tough for someone to run in an attire like that,
holding it up and running.
Running requires your hands to be free and moving,
for your legs to function properly.
This lady picks it up and she runs and
it's amazing that she comes out there and she really wants to do it.
[cheerful music]
[Karishma] On a normal working day the only time I get to myself
is when I am running.
I look forward to waking up.
I look forward to getting ready and going for my run.
It helps me work better, because then I work with a clear mind
throughout the day and I am more focused at my work.
[woman] "I run to feel The wind's warm caress on summer morns"
-[Monica] I run because it gives me... -[woman's voice fades out]
[Monica] ...happiness! It brings happiness to my life.
And it also allows me to introspect and have time to myself.
[woman] "I run My like-minded runner friends to meet
I run because I feel Fulfilled and complete"
My kids, when I am upset or angry with them...
"Mama, go for a run,
-relax, go for a run." -How sweet!
I think most runners are very humble people.
-Yeah. -Which is great.
Yeah, I have never come across an arrogant runner, ever.
[woman] "I run for my inner self To surface and unfetter
I run to help me value Every moment of life
And live it better"
[kids chattering]
[Karishma] All of Gurugram was actually farmlands and villages in the middle.
So was a major part of South Delhi, before the current developments came up.
So, the original inhabitants of Gurugram have been
a very traditional lot of people, primarily farmers.
And they owned almost all the land around the place.
And now they've been limited to a few urban clusters,
urban villages, uh, within the city.
And we've come in from all parts of the country.
So, we... [stutters]
I mean, none of us belong to Gurugram really.
And... we in some way are trying to force
our culture, our modern culture onto them
which they do not like or respect.
So, it comes out in the way they then deal with us.
So, when you are running out alone,
when a woman is running out alone
they will try to get a little nasty with her.
But it's primarily because they've been pushed into a corner.
And I guess, we need to learn to respect their space as well
and live with the way things are.
Well, I introduce myself as a "Delhi-ite."
For anybody who knows that my name is Karishma Kaul Babbar.
So, anybody who knows that Kaul is a Kashmiri.
Then, I kind of get deeper into it.
I introduce myself as a "Delhi-ite."
[harmonica playing]
[Viji] I was, uh, typically one of those...
married ladies, like... [chuckles]
...not bothered about my health
and felt that growing old is a part of life.
I didn't know that, uh...
Uh, health can be taken care of
and you can delay the process of aging.
[Viji murmuring]
No, it will become too much of this.
-[Viji] This one? -Yeah.
[Viji] Suddenly, we remembered that we haven't seen the old photos.
So, we are trying to make a collage and put it on the wall
so we can keep seeing it.
[girl] And it's easier to look at the pictures like this
-rather than go through every album. -[Viji] Every album, and...
The second aspect of it was to remind ourselves
what we used to look like before and...
-[girl] And how we were and how we are! -[Viji laughs]
[Viji] This was in the year 1993
and I think this was clicked in the year 19... uh...
-[girl] 2000? -[Viji] 2009, 2010.
[chuckles] Oh, you can see the big difference in me!
-[girl] Here, check out this one. -[Viji] This one?
-[Viji] Oh... Delhi. -[girl] Oh, yeah! Taj Mahal!
[chuckles] Unforgettable.
-Probably the one that... -Look at me over there.
brought a turning point in my life. [chuckles]
I was so huge at that time. So...
that snap still stands, like...
I used to make fun of myself, "I can block the Taj Mahal."
[both laugh]
-I could see so many layers in my body. -[both chuckle]
Nice!
[hopeful music]
These are the parents of my children who come here every day.
[chattering]
[in Bengali] Catch you there.
-[all] Hi! -[in Bengali] Hey, there.
-Come, please come. -[all] Hi!
[everyone chattering]
These are my lovely children who come here
dance, enjoy, and they indulge in a lot of other activities here.
This is, this is... This is the girl Poulomy.
When I started coming here, she held me for a good five minutes.
That changed my mind and I... I am here for all of them.
But yes, she changed my mind. Poulomy Acharya.
-[Anuradha] Neloy? Neloy, come here. -[woman exclaims]
[conversing in Bengali]
[Anuradha speaking in Bengali] No, Ranjana.
Neloy, come here. Meet Neloy.
He has been taking part in the marathon for last two years.
Neloy Bannerjee.
Neloy, you tell them how you started running.
[stuttering] I came to the Interlink Calcutta.
Uh... Firstly, Interlink Calcutta...
I am an Interlink Calcutta student.
Then, Anuradha ma'am...
[stuttering] go... every... every marathon.
Uh... Race... She go...
And then
she inspired me to go and...
And go to the marathon. [stuttering]
And we are... I love the marathon! I love...
I... go... marathon.
To the... uh...
-Five kilometers... -Yes!
Five kilometers.
And without stopping he did finish five kilometers.
Without... No help! No help!
Every, every, every boy [stutters]
They told me that, "You stop, you stop."
I... I... Then, I said that...
"I do not stop."
I finish them! I finish them! I finish them!
[Poulomy exclaims]
[everyone cheering and clapping]
[in Bengali] They are shooting a documentary.
[Anuradha speaking in Bengali] Would you like to say something on camera?
I love Auntie so much!
-[chattering in Bengali] -[hopeful music accelerates]
[Anuradha] When I came in, I thought, for their mental health
physical health is very, very important.
That's when we introduced Yoga for them.
And some sporting activity. And that's when I...
I talked to some children who are like
physically fit, which I know they are like...
their legs are stronger.
Out of that, seven of them said that they'll be interested in running.
I told them how to go about it, how to start running,
gave them a plan, a short plan to run five kilometers.
-[Anuradha and Neloy] Quick, quick. -[Anuradha] And walking, because...
some of them had never run in their life.
So, I told them to walk and run. Walk, run.
And say maybe five minutes, seven minutes. That's how they start.
And three of them ran the whole distance without even walking.
So, I think that is the greatest gift
I have ever got after I have started running.
Because, running, I was doing it for myself.
But when I see these children getting... In fact, in fact I have got more inspired.
My timings have improved. I would say, actually, because of them.
When I see them that they are getting inspired, I get more inspired
and I work harder for them so that
I can be an example and they can be an example for me.
So they push me, and I push them.
It's like a teamwork.
[Mandira] It's amazing! I... was... I mean, reading about it
and, I mean, all the races you have been to.
That's fantastic!
Just, races have been happening, actually. No, I...
I actually started training for a race.
-Then you started running? Okay. -So, that's how it started, yeah.
Within the running community, I think everybody looks up to you, so...
Me, I'm not a... I...
-I run because I enjoy it. -[Anuradha murmuring]
-I hope I can run like that... But... -Oh! I'm sure!
I run because I enjoy it and it's fantastic, it's fascinating, I mean...
Uh, and...
What I see, what is really cool is, I think all of us, the common thread
at least with a lot of married women I know who run.
You know, um, the more people say you can't... [stutters]
For me during the pregnancies...
-Yeah... -When everybody said,
"No, don't, and you know you can't. And you're this...
And you are a bad mother." And all of that I have heard.
Absolutely, you're right
So it drove me more to continue, you know.
Absolutely. Even I have seen, you leaving your child early in the morning
and he needs you and...
As women, I think we don't have any time to ourselves.
None of our life is ours, you know, at least for me.
So that one hour I get, you know, is my time.
There is no infringing on it, you know.
Even going to the loo at home is a luxury because there are kids
-banging on the door, "Mama, come out." -I know! "Mama, come out." Yeah.
-So there is no time which is our time. -Our time. Yeah.
-It's just that, this is our time. -This is... Absolutely, yeah!
[sentimental music]
[birds chirping]
[Mandira] When we were meeting the doctors, I had to make sure that
the doctor, uh, would allow me to run.
I didn't find a doctor in Calcutta like that.
And I still remember speaking to my doctor in Delhi.
And she was fantastic and she was so supportive and she said,
"It's something you have done for so long.
I mean, why would you want to stop?"
-[sentimental music accelerates] -[running footsteps]
I remember the first pregnancy, I mean, the first one I ran with
um, everybody else was really scared, obviously.
My in-laws, everybody, except my husband.
It was hard to convince them.
It was really tough.
But, when they saw that I was fine and, you know, the baby was fine...
they were so normal with it
and they were so accepting and supportive.
It worked out well, all around!
Being a gynecologist, I have seen parents being concerned about
the effect of running or any other high enduring activities
to have some effect on the fertility or reproductive function.
Which is entirely... it's a misconception and it should be dispelled.
There are other concerns like the effect on the joints.
And... For example, people have concerns about osteoporosis
which actually improves on pursuing sports.
And apart from the physical benefits there are also psychological...
psychological benefits of sports, because
it does release some kind of chemicals from the brain
like serotonin,
or beta endorphins, which are called feel-good chemicals
and... these kinds of chemicals,
they boost the immune system, prevent depression,
improve the pain threshold.
Someone who had been, for example, running before pregnancy
I wouldn't ask them to stop
at least in the initial periods of pregnancy.
[Mandira mumbling to the child in a baby voice]
[Mandira] Bad boy!
Fateh's...
The lady who...
entertains Fateh for two hours in the evening,
comes at 4:30. [laughs]
So I wait, and wait... for 4:30. [chuckles]
Then Fateh goes down and then I, I get to go run as well.
So, it's madness, but it's fun!
She is taking my stuff now!
[Mandira] Amara!
Why? Why would you do that?
No!
-[Amara] Yes! -[Mandira] No!
[Amara] Yes...
[Mandira] Even though I know
I am among the lucky ones in having a supportive family,
in having... uh, a mindset that allows me to be strong enough
to say that this is my time,
I still... It is so deeply ingrained and
[stutters] in fact, it's uh...
it troubles me that it's so deeply ingrained.
I... I... realize it, I am aware of it.
That I say, you know like, when I come back from a run
and my husband's been looking after the kids.
I'll say, "Thanks, you know. Go ahead. You go on to the gym now."
That's fine and I say thank you.
Whereas, uh... he... I mean [mumbles] He is not a bad person.
So, he'll say, "Are you fine? Should I go to the gym?"
But it's never... It's just a formality, you know.
Even if the kids are awake and jumping,
it doesn't matter, you know.
For him to go to the gym it's fine, fair enough.
For most men, it would be, "Seven o'clock, I need to get into the gym.
So, that's fine."
Whatever else happens before or after is irrelevant, you know.
And here, for most women, we fit our time into whatever space is available.
And we always feel, we always feel so grateful for it. It's...
It's, um...
It bothers me! It bothers me that we feel so grateful...
for it.
This is interesting.
Men don't know a lot of things about women.
[tapping the table playfully]
I think the one thing that men don't know about women, and they should know
is that, when we say...
When you ask us something and we say, "whatever"
or when we say, "fine,"
we actually want you to probe and we actually want you to
understand where we are coming from.
And, uh, if you ask us something and we say, "Do whatever you want."
It doesn't mean that you actually do whatever you want!
It means you listen to us.
[elegant music]
Karthik, slow down, man.
You have to take care of the girls!
Karthik is a fast runner, so... [voice fades]
He does not know how to run slow.
[elegant music accelerates]
As far as my partner was concerned, I always had a low self-esteem, like,
I used to always feel that he was very good-looking and very smart.
And he is.
Uh...
And I used to feel that I was too less for him. Already!
[chuckles] And after that I had put on a lot of weight
and I felt that...
I was looking, like, too huge.
And, uh...
I didn't like the way I looked.
I was feeling very uncomfortable to go out with him.
[tuts]
[Viji] Yes, I am educated and I was working.
In fact... I started the entire business independently.
Everything, yes.
But maybe my character is such that I needed a lot of
self-confidence and self-esteem.
Just because Woodpecker is running well, it doesn't mean
that, uh, I am doing well.
Woodpecker is doing well because Woodpecker is doing well.
If Viji is doing well, Viji is doing well.
And I think I need to shine on all aspects like health, fitness.
Um...
I was a very different person, um,
after I separated from my husband.
Um, I was on an emotional low.
Um, so, this was a...
a partner that I chose, against my parents' wishes.
So, it was my responsibility to make the relationship work.
So, for a long time I kept quiet and I endured it...
uh...
until the water went over my head,
and I couldn't take it anymore.
At work it's, it's a kind of a setback but it is something that you
take back home with you,
that affects you mentally.
I feared being alone, standing alone.
While I would have a full day at work, I would still choose to go out.
Uh, because...
obviously, there was nothing for me at home.
Subconsciously, it had started affecting me.
My health was taking a toll for the worse.
I had...
I had this problem called the Irritable Bowel Syndrome
which would affect my stomach every time I had a meeting.
Every time I had a subconscious nervous situation
my stomach would start hurting.
And one day I decided that enough was enough!
That I was the only person who could take control of my life.
And no one else could be there to help me.
And I decided to change everything around.
[instrumental music]
Because if this did not happen to me
then I would never have discovered running.
I would have never become this strong.
See, I had to go by my husband because he was
already into running.
He said, "If you are taking an hour for five kilometers, ensure that
it becomes 55 minutes, then 50 minutes."
Which means that you would be literally walking at a faster pace,
the same distance.
That's what I started doing, because from the second day
he didn't come with me.
Knowing him very well...
So, I started doing it and I started timing myself.
Coming down... And then all of a sudden, one day,
when I was walking, I went into the KFI road
which is very close by, which is the most lonely road.
Because I was very shy even to wear t-shirts
I used to wear only a kurta and, uh... tracks.
I started running from one lamppost to another lamppost, just jogging.
And I really felt good.
Then it was actually two lampposts, then three lampposts.
Then I used to alternate
you know, two lampposts walk, one lamppost run.
[Viji] And, uh... by Jan, I was able to run about
ten to eleven kilometers.
Not continuously.
Still half-half.
[footsteps and gentle humming]
[Viji] I went into one of those quiet roads leading to KFI school and
I tried jogging for ten minutes together,
twelve minutes together
and the first time I did 30 minutes together
I don't know how many kilometers I must have covered, but
the day I did 30 minutes altogether for jogging,
I really felt glad, and
I came home and told everyone,
"I jogged for 30 minutes!"
And it was like, "Wow, good." That was the reaction in the house.
But then I could feel that I was getting back my confidence from somewhere
and I can work on it.
[hopeful music]
[indistinct chatter]
[Anuradha] I was teaching a chapter in my school and this chapter had a moral.
"Where there is a will, there is a way."
And one of the child questioned that this is,
"Ma'am, it's just a saying. They're just saying it.
It just doesn't happen or work like that."
Though we argued and I came back home
but that thing was playing in my mind.
And then again in the morning when Shaibal went for the run
and then, uh... [mumbles]
"Oh! I can also do that. Maybe I can start running."
So, suddenly, I asked, "Shaibal, can I run a marathon?"
He said, "Of course!"
He was also surprised that out of blue...
"She used to complain every day that you're disturbing my sleep
and she didn't want to get up.
And how come she... wants to run today."
And he said, "Of course." And he was like,
"Okay, you come with your tennis shoes on."
And then without my running shoes, with my tennis shoes on
where, when I had not run a 100 meters also
I started to walk first, run, walk, run for one minute and then
that's how I started.
And after maybe, I think a month,
I could run five kilometers without stopping.
[joyful instrumental music]
[cooker whistles]
[joyful music accelerates]
[woman] You have to do it to experience it.
That's all I can say.
And I would suggest that all women who can walk
should try to take to running also, if they can.
[woman grunts] Here.
[man] Okay.
-[woman speaking in Hindi] It's done. -[pouring]
[joyful music continues]
[lighter clicking]
Excuses for not running?
Believe, you can! And just do it!
[singing "Sawaar Loon" from the movie Lootera]
[tabla playing]
♪ The bumblebees have looted The brilliance of the flowers ♪
♪ Today, life has changed a little bit ♪
♪ Taking that as an excuse ♪
♪ I should pamper myself ♪
♪ The verandas are old But the sunshine I see is new ♪
♪ I have been mesmerized By a new horizon ♪
♪ The ambiance is mischievous I am letting my walls down ♪
♪ But I can't address this feeling By its name ♪
♪ I should pamper myself ♪
♪ All these cuckoos Have been acting like postmen ♪
♪ They are making me smile With the letters they seem to read to me ♪
♪ All these cuckoos Have been acting like postmen ♪
♪ They are making me smile With the letters they seem to read to me ♪
♪ I should pamper myself ♪
[woman speaking in Hindi] Are you lost, Seema?
-[all laugh] -[in Hindi] I was just listening to her.
[woman] What were you thinking?
Nothing. [laughs]
[man] It was fun, right?
Hmm. [laughs]
The family doesn't meet often. [laughs]
[man speaking in Hindi] Seema is...
a motivation for us.
Uh, she is a family to us.
And, uh, we are very proud of her.
[sentimental music]
[woman] She is with me for 11 years.
She came here as a domestic help.
And that time...
[in Hindi] She didn't speak much. She used to work and just leave.
But I knew that there was something.
[in Hindi] I knew she was hiding something.
And that she is having some... pain.
[veena playing]
[cooker whistles distantly]
[woman] The string is not okay.
[laughs]
[humming Indian musical notes]
[man] We were initiated to the long distance running
by my son Dr. Krishnan
when we went for a vacation to Canada in Vermont.
At that time I was 60 and Sharada was 52.
So I said, "How is it possible to run at this age?"
He said, "That you leave it to me."
[continues to hum Indian musical notes]
[woman] He was in Vermont that time. Now, he was very busy
with his research work and all that.
He felt that we had too much of time on our hands.
And, yeah, all the... jobs I did around the house
didn't count for anything really.
Cleaning up the house, cooking and everything.
Uh, and one fine day he told us,
"Mom and Dad, you people have nothing to do.
Why don't you, you know, start running?"
He was a marathon runner, so he thought it was easy as pie.
And... he asked us that question.
I was shocked. I said, "I can't run."
I have never run in my life before, except after your dad for five years.
Because your grandpa wouldn't let me marry him.
So, I had to wait for five years to marry him.
I don't think I can run.
I am not made for running and all that.
And...
I don't know how it happened. One fine day I said,
"Okay, let me give it a try."
So that's how we started our running.
So it was easy pace in the beginning. Just for a week or so.
We were very easy to run.
Then, gradually it started increasing.
Say about a month or so, we were covering five miles
without any difficulty.
And it went on, went on.
And by the time the last one week came, we completed 20 miles.
We said, "It's amazing!"
Then, uh, he said, "Now you are fit for running the half marathon."
Then came the Stowe marathon.
I can never forget that day. Just in very short let me tell you.
It was freezing, it was so cold!
And it was all through forest and trail.
And I was so scared of losing sight of my son.
He was wearing a blue t-shirt and I told him,
"I have got to see the blue t-shirt, don't rush off because I'll get lost."
She finished in 2 hours 19 minutes.
And I finished in 2 hours, 45 seconds or something.
But that was the best timing we ever had.
I have never been able to get that time again.
Maybe I need another blue t-shirt! [chuckles]
Somebody with a blue t-shirt and a cold climate.
[man] It became sort of an addiction to us.
And she became a golden girl, in the sense,
in the Karnataka State Meet 1500, 5000 and 10,000...
she came first in all!
She went to Chennai, there also she won certain prizes.
She came in second, first and third. And she won some prizes.
And again, went to the Nationals in Chandigarh.
There also she came second in the 5000 meters.
So, they recommended...
I mean, they sort of picked her up for
representing India in the Asian games.
[chanting] Om.
[Sharada] Both, my mother and my mother-in-law
in the initial stages
they... were not very happy with my taking to running.
I took to it like after 52, right. When I was 52.
So, they felt there was something wrong with this girl.
"Why is she taking to something like running,
which is so demanding?"
And, "There is no need to run." And things like that.
But, slowly over a period of time
they were very, very supportive.
In the sense,
they understood that it was not so easy to run and do workouts,
and then come back and then look after them.
And do all the household chores and everything.
So, in that respect now they are very, very supportive.
They are extremely proud of my achievements,
however small they may be.
And... they speak very highly of me to others.
Feel a lot of pride.
And what do you think of me running?
You are nice.
-Did it-- -Did it inspire a lot of other people?
Yeah, maybe.
Were you embarrassed when I was running?
-Yeah! [scoffs] -Initially, you used to be embarrassed?
Why?
'Cause no one else's mom runs.
And did people say things?
-No. -No?
No one said anything to you, right?
So, then why were you embarrassed?
In fact, when my daughter was about a year and a half old
I had gone for a trek to the Everest base camp for 21 days.
And it took me almost six months to make that decision
because she was really tiny then.
And leaving her alone at that time would have been...
I mean it was a very difficult call.
Whenever I get time I like to go out and explore places too.
So whether it's through traveling normally, or trekking.
I do go out and I genuinely do not feel guilty about doing that.
I realize that it is also important to do what you like.
And not always, you know, feel guilty
that you're taking out time for this or that thing.
Because that's never ending. It's like a trap.
She is at that age where peer pressure
and what everybody else's mothers are doing and not doing...
So, I mean, initially it used to bother me and I used to think about it.
And I knew, because it used to bother her,
that I used to not dress like the other mothers.
I don't behave like the other mothers.
So, it was something that bothered her.
Um...
But now, I use it to tell her things.
Like, you know, um...
When she feels she is different in school, or when she feels things like that
I keep telling her that, "Mahi, it's okay to be different, you know."
You need to be different.
You don't have to fit into that box.
But I don't think it's getting to her right now.
It's still, "I want to be like everyone else."
[all laugh]
[soft instrumental music]
[woman speaking in Hindi] She used to be very quiet.
She used to get angry very easily.
She had created a boundary for herself
and would never let anyone in, like, "This is my world."
After a long time I got the chance to get close to her.
[in English] Then she started sharing her problems, her whatever...
So, I said, "What is this?
This is the limit! This is the limit of everything!"
[in Hindi] I was paralyzed.
I was not able to walk.
And the marks are still visible.
Everybody thinks that a paralyzed person is a liability.
And that they should just lay in a corner.
At that time, my husband stood by me.
He used to carry me to the hospital,
he used to carry me around everywhere.
He did that for me.
After that we had problems and we separated.
My son and I, we faced a lot of difficulties.
I was worried about our future.
So...
I knew... somebody here and I asked him
to get me a small place here.
I did not have the money for anything expensive.
After a lot of pleading...
I got a single room at the corner of this street.
The rent was 500 rupees a month.
I moved in around midnight.
I worked as a housemaid at multiple homes.
At that time, I was paid 250 rupees for my work.
Leaving my child alone at home was extremely difficult for me.
There was nobody to take care of him.
I used to get back home only after 3:00 p.m...
-That's right. -...to know if he's okay.
At that time, I wasn't able to pay attention to anything else.
[choking] About what I ought to do...
It was hard for me to keep my child
locked inside the house until 3:00 p.m.
[sobbing]
[sniffles]
[continues to sniffle]
One day he was fiddling with the switch.
He broke it.
If something would have happened to him
I would have known about it only in the evening. [sobbing]
He was a very naughty child.
He used to be very fidgety.
Sometimes I used to bring him with me to my workplace. [choking]
He used to sit aside while I worked.
Nobody was ready to take care of him because he was very naughty. [sobs]
[sobbing]
[Seema] When I came to this house,
I thought my life had become stagnant.
But they have always been there for me. [sobbing]
I share everything with them.
I share my happiness with them.
I don't keep in touch with my family.
I consider them as my family.
[conch blaring]
[birds chirping distantly]
[sound of the conch fades out]
-[chanting prayers distantly] -[uplifting music]
[woman in Hindi] The most important thing was that
she did not want to continue working as a maid for too long.
[in English] She has to do some reputed work.
[in Hindi] She had an ambition.
She wanted to do something better.
After she received her black belt in Karate
she became an assistant to her teacher.
[in English] She used to assist him.
I saw it... on the TV.
On a local cable
that such type of a marathon was going on in Vasai.
And it was a cash prize at that time.
So I said, "Why don't you go there?"
[laughs]
[in Hindi] And by then, she did everything I told her to do.
So, I told her to take part in the marathon.
[Seema speaking in Hindi] My first marathon was 21 kilometers.
I did it barefoot.
I got ten thousand rupees.
I won the second place.
This is what I had in mind.
If I win money, I could take up less work and
I would get more time to practice.
And running would eventually help me with my daily expenses as well.
I practiced for ten days.
I used to set out to work in the morning.
I used to come back home to cook in the afternoon.
Then, I used to go to my Karate class at 6:30 p.m.
I used to leave from there at about 8:30 p.m.
I used to practice running after that.
Running made my stomach ache.
But the only thought I had in my mind
was to do this anyhow, at any cost.
I was troubled with a lot of questions.
I was worried about getting injured.
An injury would have affected my work.
I was afraid, I could have lost my job.
[Sharada] But then, it's the getting up after every fall that makes you stronger.
Two days after the removal of the plaster from my leg
which I had fractured...
I just, uh, ran the TCS 10K, it's called the World 10K now.
[man] Actually, the surgeon advised her against it.
But then seeing her enthusiasm he said, "Okay. Take care."
[Sharada] I was to get the plaster off after another two weeks.
But I did so much drama with the surgeon that he agreed to get it off.
And then he said, "No running." I didn't give him any answer.
I managed to fool everybody at home.
So, I just went into the enclosure and came to the start line
cheered him and wished him good luck and all that.
I just waited for him to zoom off.
I started walking a few steps.
Few steps became, you know, like, half a kilometer
and then there was no stopping me.
Of course, like I told you before, it was actually not a run at all.
It was like... just dragging my...
injured foot and moving along.
And then when I saw the two kilometers and then the three,
then I said, "I am not going to give up."
And when I completed the finish line, my husband was shocked!
He was... standing somewhere there and
he said, he asked me, "Did you run?
Did you also, you know, walk or run, or what is it that you did?"
So I said, "I don't know what I did. But I think I completed the race."
And I think that completion certificate, that finisher's medal
is one of the most precious ones.
It's a mind over body kind of a thing.
[Sharada] The joy of completing that race, despite my physical problem
was much greater than getting a gold medal or a first position.
Yeah!
Nice!
[uplifting music]
[Seema speaking in Hindi] My life has changed.
Running helps me manage my job and my expenses.
I feel a sense of achievement.
And I want to inspire people.
My only goal
is to participate
in the Olympics. [exhales sharply]
[Viji] I identify myself with each and every lady when they talk.
Uh, because most of them who come to me they say,
"Viji, I can't run, I have never been running.
I used to do it in school, I used to do it in events."
So, the first thing I say is, "At least you've run in school.
I have not even run in school." [laughs]
Definitely these people send me messages thanking me and
saying, "It's so nice to be with you," and all that.
I am so happy for them,
and I am happy that I am there for them.
That is the most important
and the only thing I say is, "I am always there for you people."
It's, it's a very beautiful feeling.
Um...
when they come and tell me that they are happy or they're feeling healthy,
they are feeling uninhibited,
it's like me reliving that moment.
[uplifting music]
[Anuradha] I really enjoy my time with my children.
They refresh me.
In fact, I wanted to have two kids of my own.
[uplifting music accelerates]
[Mandira] I find, uh, so many people around me all the time inspiring me.
When we were running today, we met a lady in a sari
and running away against all odds.
And she is an inspiration.
[Mandira speaking in Hindi] Do you run every day?
[woman mumbles] Yes.
[Mandira speaking in Hindi] When did you start running?
How many years has it been?
[woman] Three.
[Mandira] Three years!
[Mandira] Whatever your challenges are, you know,
you can find... find ways to overcome them.
[Karishma] When we left Srinagar there was a lot of turmoil in our minds
and within the family.
In fact, for almost a year all of us were longing to go back home
because that's where we belonged.
And I used to get these nightmares for a long time,
till almost a couple of years ago.
I would see militants coming into my house trying to shoot us,
or trying to kidnap somebody from my home...
And it just kept coming.
So every fortnight I would wake up with this nightmare
and it was really horrible.
Although, many of my cousins and my parents
including my sister, have gone back
at least once to Kashmir.
Somehow, I could never go back.
[mellow music]
[Karishma] It will happen someday, I am sure.
But I don't know when.
[uplifting music]