She’s Always A Woman To Me…

19^th of November has been observed as International Men’s day since 1999. However many like me became aware of it only this November!  As jokes were circulating about the same on FB, I didn’t find it fair! If women’s day, which is again a media hype, can be celebrated with so much of sincerity and respect, why not men’s?

Thus I casually and sincerely wished a close friend “happy men’s day”. Pat came a reply “we men do not need these days sweetheart. You all are the special lot in this man’s world! And we remind you of this every year”.

He intended to joke. But I knew he somewhere believed what he said. I did not want to consume one percent of my energy commenting on this comment. So I simply closed my mouth that I don’t know for how many seconds had remained open!’

I wanted to repeat the infinitely asked question – if there were no wombs around, what would create this ‘man’s world’ sweetheart? I wanted to tell him we were their Gods. I did neither of it.

Thankfully the MegaPink event I attended in Navi Mumbai five days later, i.e. on the 24th of November, was a strong evidence that many men (at least here in cities) don’t think the same - anymore. Nor do the women, and this is what really matters. Finally, a woman’s perception of herself decides how a man perceives her.

The motto of this super successful Megapink event, that was simultaneously organized in 40 cities around India, was to create awareness about women’s fitness along with breast cancer awareness.

{{  Tip one to prevent breast cancer:

Be Active – Physical exercises like running curbs down the risk of breast cancer considerably! }}

What impressed me as a spectator during this event were not just the serene surroundings of Navi Mumbai...



 ...not just not just the unmatched organization by
Sweta and her team...




neither the volunteers that made the event look like a picnic...

not just the winners or the first time finishers....




but the fact that the maximum of runners were couples – mostly parents!

Almost every woman I spoke to after their run, had the same thing to say – it’s my man who introduced me to this world of running. He cares for my fitness as much as I care for his!!!

Another gentleman told me – ‘ I used to run and my wife used to keep my breakfast ready on my return. This was not fair! I held her hand and introduced her to the magical early morning runs:-). Soon we started taking turns. The day she runs I prepare the breakfast for her and vice versa!’

I almost choked! My thoughts immediately went to my husband. I've had breakfast awaiting me at home after every run even if he’s already left for work!  Men – how we love you J

                                                            

 {{ Tip two to prevent breast cancer:

Check that weight - Obesity raises the risk of breast cancer after menopause, the time of life when breast cancer most often occurs. Avoid gaining weight over time, through exercises and healthy eating. }}

The idea of keeping the runs 3 and 6 kilometers was a fabulous one. There was not a single runner – a fresher or a first timer, who did not enjoy it. A longer run would have diluted the enthusiasm and purpose.  At the end of the race all were alive, no one died of exhaustion J

And the more experienced ones got a chance to challenge their speed limits; – “hey kuch der mein sab khatm ho jaayega. I mean ye run, tu nahin.” That's what their subconscious must have reminded them :)

      

The winner Paan Singh Tomar (our very own Kavin) was a bit upset as he had mistakenly run 1200 metres more than he was supposed to and thaat distubed his timings.





What was evident in his disappointment was how much he cared for his sport and how every run was a ‘big run’ for him. J

                                                                                     

 {{ Tip three to prevent breast cancer:

Avoid certain types of hormone therapies - Combination hormone therapies using both estrogen and progestin increase the risk of breast cancer.}}

After the run, the way Dr.Vedang Murthy, cancer specialist at the Tata Memorial, spoke about the causes and treatments for breast cancer, made me realize it’s the lack of awareness that has attached the disease with so much of baseless fear. He made it seem like he could be talking about a flu, a fever or at the most a cyst! But my attention was not completely on what he said! 

 It was on women who were so serious about their fitness and so openly asked questions about everything related to their breasts.
 

Early awareness makes all the difference! Not that the li'l ones understood everything or anything :)

This took me to a flashback which I know still holds true for many other women.

As long as I know I’ve been hiding my breasts. Everything around me told me it was a thing to hide. My religion, my society, the talks of the boys in my college, discussions with friends, culture, tradition everything!

And I faced the first indirect comment on it as a fourteen year old from a guy friend during dandiya who said  –" does this salwaar kameez not have a dupatta? " Before I could remember if it did or it didn't my partner for the dance changed and I could never ever again feel comfortable with my body.

It was a junior college friend Andrea! While practicing for a performance, I didn't realize that I stooped and danced. Andrea made me realize I was doing so to hide my breasts. She made a casual statement that changed my perspective of them forever – why are you hiding them? They make a woman attractive!

I did not reply. I was not comfortable discussing something I had kept hidden for so long now. She added something that struck me like thunder bolt - Men love them!

That was news! ‘Men love them’. But didn’t they also hate them? If they hadn’t why would they bother if the women around them were ‘properly dressed’ or not? Had they loved them why would they have a problem with their wives and girlfriends flaunting them?

Well this blog is not about me. The above story does not just belong to me!!

My whole point is that, what comes before taking care of the breasts with foods and exercises, is acknowledging their presence. This may not sound very convincing to many. But I’ve travelled across many villages in India. And what an eighty year old woman feels about her breast is what I was made to feel as a child!

I remember during my last visit to a predominantly Muslim village in Northern India, a girl who had become a good friend telling me she’s been feeling a lump in her breast for the last two years but could never gather courage to go the doctor and make him touch them! Besides there was no female doctor in the area so she rather let it be. I tried to convince her to accompany me to the local doctors. She could not get herself to do that. So we made a trip to a nearby city, got her tested from a female doc who thankfully declared that it was nothing to worry about.

I was happy for her. But what about every other woman in that village who thinks similarly?

 I would love to ask Mr. Milind Soman, for whom my feelings have changed from an admirer to that of love and faith, to take Pinkathon to these villages!

{{ Tip four to prevent breast cancer:Avoid excess medical radiation - Some medical tests use ionizing radiation which is linked to cancer. The study authors say don’t avoid mammograms, because the dose is so low, but only get higher radiation – emitting tests, such as CT scans, if absolutely necessary.}}

Here are some of the beautiful runners who is spoke during the event and they still don’t cease to inspire me!

I deliberately didn’t ask anyone their age –  J

1.                                                                                                                               Monica Yadav –

Monica cherishes herself. She loves to live. She loves style. Her weight has taken away her right to look svelte and stunning she feels. Her run began as a challenge to her weight that seemed to be stubborn, and now that running has become a lifestyle. When you are focused at the goal, you do not see the obstacles. She never checks the time. She gets out there whenever she feels like – night or day. She does not need a garden or a park to run. The roads in Nerul at any hour of day or night are good enough!

 With every run she visualizes herself in a lovely tank top and great fitting jeans. And she does not pray for it, she runs for it!

“I know what I want from running. Megapink made me realize there are so many other woman who want the same thing from it. What more motivation would have I asked for?”

 {{ Tip five to prevent breast cancer:

Go easy on that drink - If you drink too much, you could be bumping your breast cancer risk. }}

Sweta Jayaram:

Sweta’s  reasons for running have always been interesting. In school she ran to bunk classes. “Miss I need to play...uh sorry practice on the ground” ;) As an adult she ran for the wide roads that allured her. She registered for the SCMM, for the Sea Link and Marine Drive she’d be crossing. And in this excitement the only thing she forgot to do was to train… properly J

Besides she was wearing a new gear on the day of her first race. An absolutely wrong thing to do on a race day! Wish she had only been guided by someone.At the start line she felt so alone, afraid and vulnerable! 

When she struggled after the 15km mark, a gentleman emerging from nowhere guided her, motivated her and jogged with her until she felt strong again. It was that day she realized the power of running to bring strangers together. The importance of motivation on one’s psyche. And how guiding and right information makes all the difference. Putting all her heart, time, energy and love in organizing the MegaPink event all by herself was thus all with a higher cause. 

          Sonali Pathare –

The most common reason from non runners for not running comes from the lack of time. Well for Sonali, her dreams are bigger than her excuses.  She fails to understand how her being a business head of prestigious organizations such as Dabur and Hinustan foods, could stop her from running. Right now she’s on a leave and looking to switch over jobs. I asked her isn’t not working giving her more time to run? She casually replied – I run more when I work more. So for everybody there who does not have the ‘time to run’…well…

“Megapink has shown me it’s just not me who works and runs. There are so many other women who care for their fitness as much as I do. This will motivate me to never use lack of time to not to be fit and happy.”

       

{{ Tip six to prevent breast cancer:

No Butts! - Smoking is a “probable” breast cancer risk factor, and quitting smoking also cuts your risk of developing other cancers. }} 

          SriVidya Srivatsan –

She is at her strongest when the sun is at its strongest! Setting off her lovely daughter to school in the morning, leaves her with no choice but to start her runs around 9.30 am on the roads. Mumbai roads at 9.30am – let’s not even talk about it. Running in the evenings would mean sacrificing on the family time – a father may think twice before doing so. A mother would never think about it J

She’s run distances of 21kms, but she does not consider herself a runner yet. The walking breaks she takes does not allow her to. She says – the day I allow myself to be called a runner is not very far. The walking breaks have decreased.

“ I always knew running has the maximum benefit’s on one’s body. But it’s so effective in curtailing the risks of breast cancer, that’s something I learned today.”

       

 {{ Tip seven to prevent breast cancer:

  Clean greener - Most cleaning products in the market are laced with harmful industrial  ingredients you won’t find listed on the label. Avoid them! }} 

4.                     Tanya Roy –

The day a woman delivers a child, she believes there’s no one in the world that’s happier than her, at least at that moment.  And though she tries to reason and ignore the piling up of weight post the child birth, her subconscious does not stop nagging about it. Along with a beautiful child, child birth gifted Tanya a weight of more than 20kgs. She took on to running and lost 13kilos in 6 months. Is there a need to say anything more?

“Meeting people who run to lose weight and have been successful in the same is therapeutic and inspiring. This event has definitely inspired me to lose another 13kilos in the next 6 months.”

{{ Tip eight to prevent breast cancer:

Eat organic -Many studies are finding links between pesticide exposure and cancer, including breast cancer. Buying organic food ensures that your food is grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, sewage sludge laced with human and industrial waste and genetically engineered ingredients. }}

5.       Shukla Roy –

She said she’s 53. Nope I did not ask her the age. She told me so, because she’s so proud to be one of the oldest woman who ran for Megapink. She’s been running a distance of 7.5 km daily and 15km during her long runs…on the roads…all alone…at any hour of the day. What’s the most attractive thing about her is her ever smiling face that adds to her irresistible charm. She very modestly pushed the credit to the runs.

“Or else it may be meeting such inspiring people today!!”

That girl in a pink saree - 


 Well, this lady wearing a pink saree was purely a coincidence. But her running - no, it wasn't. What she told me pointing to the women running for MegaPink is that," when so many women can run for their health even I can." That's how successful the event was!

 And the ones joining this lady were ....

     

{{ Tip nine to prevent breast cancer:

Avoid canned food - BPA causes mammary tumors in rodent studies. To lower your exposure to BPA, avoid canned food or choose fresh or frozen whenever possible. }} 

I did not talk to many male runners that had come to support the cause that day. The fact that they were present for something that had nothing to do directly with them, said it all.

 Besides, Megapink and Pinkathon being the babies conceived by a male mind is more than applaud able.

A couple of years back when Milind Soman was running with barefoot Ted and Raj Wadgama in Borivali National Park, I had briefly joined them. (well their slow run was so fast that I had no option but of ‘briefly’ joining themJ)  I remember him speaking to Ted and Raj about how awareness in matters such as women’s health is essential. I assumed it to be just a discussion that may not have any concrete measure seeing the light of the day. Being a sister of a journalist I’m prone to skepticism ;)

 But this man walked his talk!  The announcement of Pinkathon which followed not much later eased my doubts.

                                   
{{ Tip ten to prevent breast cancer: 

Breast-feed your babies for as long as possible. Women who breast-feed their babies for at least a year in total have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer later. }}

If there's anything that is greater than life, it's the one who gives life. Some call in nature, others call it God. All call her a woman.... Any event that aims at her well being is a success right at its conception. Coz a fit man will always mean a fit man...but a healthy woman will always mean a healthy world!

Something like a breast cancer can take away her breast at the most. Not her womanhood. Never her femininity.