Support my Run at NYC Marathon 2010!

I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible - John Hanc

There are several ways of experiencing the diversity of life that NYC offers, I am told. But none of them beats running the annual New York City marathon - one of the oldest, toughest and most popular marathons in the world.

When I was planning my move into NYC last summer, I vaguely hoped that I would get a chance to run the NYC marathon some day (only the top athletes get a direct entry). But I had no idea that I would get so lucky to run the NYC marathon this year itself!

Just a few days before I boarded my flight to US, a friend from NYC told me that his non-profit organization - Union Settlement Association, was looking for runners to run the NYC marathon on 7th November 2010 and support their work through individual fundraising efforts.

Though I was initially thrilled to learn of this opportunity, I found it difficult to arrive at a decision. I wondered if it would even be possible for me to train for a marathon within 3 months (as against the usual 5 months), especially since I had run my last marathon 3 years back. What would make this race tougher would also be the weather in NYC on race day – 5 to 10 deg C, way below my comfort limit! Not to mention the rigour of settling down in a new city and going back to college after 6 years to pursue a very demanding Masters program.

Eventually, I couldn’t succeed in talking myself out of it. The marathon bug had bit me badly and I enrolled myself to be a member of the Union Settlement team running the ING NYC marathon 2010. Ever since, I have been training like a mad man running 40-45 kms every week. The going has been surprisingly smooth so far, and I am hoping to finish the marathon in 4hrs 30min.

While I have been making great strides (sorry for that!) in my training, I need your help.

The Union Settlement Association is an organization that has been serving the East Harlem community (one of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods of NYC) since 1895, fostering community leadership and self-sufficiency by helping local residents build better lives for themselves and their families. They do so by working in close partnership with the New York City government.

Over the last few weeks, I got to learn a lot about their work through my friend (a SIPA classmate who worked at Union Settlement before) and also after visiting their community centre in East Harlem. I must admit that I was left thoroughly impressed by the quality, professionalism and dedication of their work. In signing up to run on the Union Settlement Team, I have pledged to raise $2,500 to support their work.

They have set up a web page to provide donations to your favorite runner (i.e. yours truly :) ) and ways to learn more about Union Settlement. You can also view this brief video on the history and work of Union Settlement. I urge you to make a $100, $50 or $20 contribution today, if possible.

The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone here, certainly for those who benefit from the work of the Union Settlement. While I realize it’s a tough task to ask anyone for money, I ask that you dig deep and support me in this endeavor. If you are able to make a donation, any donation, regardless of the size, thank you for your generosity on behalf of the thousands of people who benefit from the life changing, sustaining and saving services of the Union Settlement Association.

It’s an honor for me to run under the banner of the Union Settlement and with your help, I look forward to reaching the double goal of raising $2500 and finishing the race in my personal best time!

Click here to donate funds for my run now

First Reactions of US!

As I complete my first month in US, I feel this strong urge to put down some of the great and not-so-great things that I have noticed about this country!

Before I begin, some caveats. The points listed below are not in any specific order and the observations may not be unique to US alone. But they are certainly true of US from what I have seen of it in one month and living in two very different cities – San Diego and New York. I am sure this list will evolve over time. But for now, here it goes…

Best of US #1: Sense of orderliness – This is an obvious one. The most striking feature about US (especially for somebody coming from India) is the sense of order that prevails in day-to-day life. Be it the streets or the supermarkets, flying by air or taking a ride in a NYC subway or bus, opening a bank account or locating an address, simple things are just so easier to do out here!

I can’t think of a better example than the amazingly well-organized streets of US. All of them have clear signboards (In San Diego, they even mention the plot numbers covered) and lane markings, traffic flows smoothly, everybody obeys signals, and most importantly pedestrians have equally good if not better facilities than anybody else! I wasn’t surprised when I learned that Google had mapped almost each and every building in the top US cities. I learnt this in San Diego when our GPS device running on a Google base map indicated that our destination was on the right side as we stopped our car besides the building!

NYC takes this one level further by numbering and not naming all its streets - I live off 122^nd street in Manhatten, while my home in Mumbai is on Swayambu Ganesh Mandir Marg. Not just that, my address here fits in line 1 itself (I still can’t believe it), while most Indian addresses need 3 if not more lines, with one exclusively reserved for a nearby landmark!

Best of US #2: A new concept of public spaces – One of the most striking and impressive things about US cities is the prominence they accord to creating beautiful public spaces, and the efforts they undertake to maintain them.

Be it the beautiful beaches of San Diego filled with people (even on weekdays!) doing all sorts of activities – reading a book and enjoying the sun, surfing or kayaking, jogging or listening to a free rock concert; or the Central Park in NY – a dream come true for runners and cyclists, a perfect setting for music performances and a great picnic spot, it is so refreshing to know that malls are the last thing in the minds of people here when planning a fun time outside.

I found it remarkable when a friend from San Fransisco told me that she loves her city even more with every passing year since the city government is constantly at work redeveloping and beautifying various parts of the city! I dream to hear that of an Indian city one day.

Best of US #3: Dignity of human life – Though not very obvious, I feel this is a wonderful virtue that runs deep in the American society and manifests in multiple ways. Almost all public spaces – streets, stadiums, parks, buses, toilets etc. are carefully and meticulously designed keeping the needs of the handicapped in mind. A few days back, I almost stopped and watched in awe when I saw a person on a motorized wheelchair cross multiple streets of New York, faster than the other pedestrians! In contrast, on the pavements of India, even ordinary people sometimes feel handicapped.

Besides, people smile at each other very often and though they don’t always mean it, do take the effort of asking how the other person is doing. I also noticed that most people here accord great dignity to any kind of labour, and would strike a conversation with their building security guards, bus drivers or housekeeping staff just as with any other friend.

Ok, time to move on to some not-so-great things about US…

Worst of US #1: Give me more! – Widely known as it is, the daily life of an American is indeed quite energy intensive and clearly unsustainable.

Complete reliance on cars (except for the top few cities), packaged foods, over usage of tissues and paper napkins, automated cloth dryers and dishwashers – the list of what seems to be grossly out of tune with modern sensibilities on energy consumption is endless. It almost seems like all of human knowledge has been pressed hard into service to ensure that extra little degree of comfort in doing mundane things, with little regard to that imaginary (unfortunately so!) carbon footprint.

What is depressing is that there are hardly any efforts underway to change this way of life anytime soon. Take the case of reliance on cars. As the 8^th largest city in US, San Diego is a perfect showcase. Only limited areas of the city are covered through public transport, that too with infrequent service. While part of the blame clearly goes to an urban planning paradigm that doesn’t seem to incentivize high density and multi-purpose zones resulting in large spread out cities, what was also missing was any serious attempt from the city government to put high quality public transport infrastructure in place. My guess is that the case with most other American cities won’t be very different.

Worst of US #2: Mobile industry is a big cartel – It’s strange that the mobile industry in US is hardly what you would expect it to be at a model free market society. Battle lines are clearly drawn and alliances between mobile handset manufacturers and service carriers run deep, often hurting the interests of the consumers.

For example, I can’t use an I-Phone handset if I don’t choose AT&T as my carrier howsoever poor their network might be (I am not saying it is!). Each handset manufacturer releases different (if any at all) models for different carriers resulting in a limited range of options for any consumer. What is worse is that all carriers lock you into a 1 yr or a 2yr plan with high penalties for violation, and you get to choose only between fixed talktime plans (eg. 400 or 700 mins per month) even though your average usage might be much below that.

Worst of US #3: Yet to figure this one out. Certainly goes to show that the country has more good than bad to offer to any discerning visitor!

Pusuing MPA at Columbia University

Difficult as it is to believe in it myself, it’s true! After spending three most exhilarating and memorable years at Janaagraha, I have quit the organization to pursue higher studies.

Leaving Janaagraha was a very tough decision. My years at Janaagraha have shaped my growth as a public service professional in ways I had never imagined. I got my first ringside view of the exciting world of public change in India, and was fortunate enough to witness some successes too.

In fact, in my last week at Janaagraha, we hit a major milestone in the campaign (Jaagte Raho! or “stay awake”) I was leading at Janaagraha. ECI signed a historic MoU with Janaagraha to launch the BEST initiative aimed at reforming Bangalore’s electoral system. Ball was certainly rolling in the right direction and possibilities of what could be accomplished in near future were boundless.

Yet, I was certain that it was time for me to pass the baton and move on. I have decided to pursue higher studies by attending the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program at School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York – the most global and amongst the top public policy schools in the world. That I was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship to pursue this education made the decision a lot easier!

The reasons why I chose to pursue this MPA education are simple enough. Let me try and list them out (my fascination with bullet points is there to stay!):

• My years at Janaagraha left me convinced that what I thought was my calling, was indeed my calling! I realized that I was truly cut out for a career in public service. But as I looked ahead, I felt ill equipped to do complete justice to the roles I would like to play. Having been trained as an engineer, I had little besides passion, reason and some experience to keep me going. Given the increasing complexity of public change in a vast country like India, and the multiplicity of debates that each issue throws up, I felt it was essential for me to develop an academic footing in public policy and go deeper into at least one policy sector of my choice – Urban Policy. And which other place to do that better than NYC!
• While the context of India will always remain unique, I strongly believe that we can find the best solutions to our problems only if we are well informed of the history and experiences in public policy arena from all across the world. Studying at a globally reputed public policy school is a good way to do that.
• Besides public policy, there were a few topics in other related fields that I wanted to study for a long time – law, journalism, political science and religion. Spending 2 years at a place like Columbia was the only way I think I can do that!

When I look back at my years at IIT, I almost think of it as memories from a past life. My transformation from an engineers-rule-the-world person to a complete humanities person has been astonishingly quick and effective!

Besides leaving Janaagraha, what made the decision to study MPA abroad especially difficult was the thought of leaving India for 2 years. TWO long years!

My only hope now is that I return back quickly enough without missing any major action (thank god the next parliamentary elections are only in 2014!) and accomplishing as much of the ambitious agenda that I have set for myself J.