M has written an absolutely brilliant piece on racing. Truly brilliant. Have no other words or sentiments to describe it.

It got me thinking… Do I like racing? Guess I don’t. There has always been that latent fear somewhere in me of “what if..?” And yet I have been on a bike doing close to 100 kmph on a road somewhere in Bangalore. No helmets. The wind stinging my eyes. Hair flying in the wind. Yes, it was thrilling to the very core. And very, very reckless. Been on another bike. Done close to 100 kmph again. With helmets. But the feeling was so different. The bikes were different (the first was a CBZ, the second a Machismo). So were the riders.

Metaphorically speaking, I don’t like racing in life either. (Although there are those who would laugh at this, saying that I am deluding myself.) But seriously, I have never been in a mad rush to do something, anything. I get things done more or less on time – that’s about it. I was recalling my momentary urge (somewhere back in college) of sitting for CAT. A visit to the tutorial later, I realized that’s not what I want to do in life. No one at home wanted me to do what I was aiming for – “it’s bohemian, wayward, erratic, irregular” etc. And yet I did. Two years later, when placements were round the corner, I opted out of it. “Do you want to get married?” was one of the reactions. And yet I was the first to land a job in the whole batch. Well, that was a phase of a few “firsts” and it felt good.

There have of course been times when standing on the fringe has exacted its toll. But it’s worth it.

Of the many things that I remember he said, one of them was:

Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.