Life lessons from the Allapuzha boat race

72nd Nehru cup 2026

At the outset, let me wish all of you a “Happy Onam – 2026” today.

I attended the “72nd Nehru cup boat race” at Allapuzha, Kerala on 22nd August 2026. This race happens every year and is a spectacle to be witnessed, to be believed. This was one of my life long dreams and it became a reality in 2026. It was not just about attending a boat race and enjoying the same but it offered me a lot of life lessons.

If I have to summarise the key life lessons I learnt from the boat race, they would be the following :

  1. Working hard with a goal in mind: The participants in the race work hard and practise for more than 2 months before they enter the race. They have to build their physique as much as their mental strength where the gap between competing boats are in milliseconds almost like a 100 metres sprint. This is in spite of more than 100 rowers rowing in sync to win the race.
  2. Life is all about team work : One of the most important lessons we learn from this race is that the winning team has combined well to make the mark. Individually other teams may have excellent rowers but the team that synchronises and reaches the destination with collective efforts is the winner.
  3. Emotions & passion : If you participate in the boat race even as a viewer, you realise that winning the race is combination of emotions and passion apart from team work, hard work and synchronisation. Life is no different. If we are passionate about our goals and are willing to put heart and soul into it, nothing is impossible in life. All world class sportspersons prove this in every sport. The musical beats and rhythm leave you wonder struck
  4. Secularism in action: When we see the participants and the organisations supporting it, we witness secularism in action. We cannot associate any religion, caste or creed to this event. Whatever we witness in reality is what our law makers envisioned as “Secularism” in the preamble of our Constitution.
  5. Goals versus means : As Gandhiji said – “ The means to the end is as important as the end in itself”. The rules of the game are clear and everyone has to follow it while striving to beat others along the way. There is real time observation through umpires and hence the means to end is as important as winning the race.
  6. Sports unites communities: The boat race is an event held once in a year but this is like a festival, which unites communities rather than dividing it. The spirit of the sport is always more important than the sport itself.
  7. Winning or losing is part of the game: There are multiple teams participating in the race from different cities. They compete fiercely but ultimately gracefully accept winning or losing as part of the game. Just as in life, we may win some and lose some but we need to lead life harmoniously.
  8. Rich cultural heritage : The boat race happening consecutively for 72 years , year after year is a symbol of our rich and diverse cultural heritage. We not only have to be proud of it but need to preserve and promote it.
  9. Fight to the finish: The boat race had a nail biting finish with the time gap between winners and loser in milli seconds. This teaches us an important lesson in life that we need to fight till the finish. We may never accept defeat till the race of life is over.
  10. There is always a next time: We had one winner and many losers in the race. But the competitive spirit taught us that there is always scope for improvement and aim to win the race the next year. Winning and losing is part of the game of life too but never giving up at any stage.

S Ramesh Shankar

26th Aug 2026

Social Entropy

I heard three incidents in the last few weeks and felt very disturbed. All these incidents were shaking ,the basic foundations of social institutions in India. The rich Indian culture was getting shaken by such incidents and our belief in them , getting shattered.

The first incident was when a young couple got married and went on a honeymoon. There, the wife kills her spouse by hiring goons ,since she wanted to marry her lover. I am not against anyone marrying anyone they love. But, what I could not understand is, to marry someone against her own wishes and then killing her spouse during her honeymoon.

This shook the institution of family and marriage. Her own parents and siblings could not believe how this could happen and have rightly disowned her ,after this incident and supported the late son in law’s family.

The second incident was ,when an elderly couple were admitted to an old age home by their son ,stating that his parents did not like the food cooked by his spouse. His parents in their eighties ,committed suicide by hanging from the fan.

We were further told that the son had admitted his parents earlier too, forcibly ,in an old age home a few years back and they returned to his house, since they did not like the environment in that home. The roots of “family” as an institution is being questioned. How can one think of admitting his/her own parents in an old age home, when you are in the same city and are capable of taking care of them.

The third incident was when I got news of a friend’s death in a distant city ,two days after his death. When I enquired from some other friends living in the same city ,in his neighbourhood, they were are not even aware of his death. Are we getting so socially alienated ,that we are not aware of a friend dying in our neighbourhood.

We are making a lot of progress technologically and science is taking us to places. Artificial intelligence may make life easier and more comfortable for us ,than ever before. But, what is the use of all this, if we cannot be honest in our relationships. We cannot nurture family, friends or respect our own parents.

Although, I was not personally impacted by any of the above incidents directly, I had no tears to cry. I felt as if my tear glands had dried up like the wells and lakes ,during a severe drought in some states. What is the use of living a life of prosperity ,when we cannot take care of the people, who made us prosperous today.

In the past, if something happens in our village, the whole village would come to know of it and everyone will try their best ,to contribute. I agree that urbanisation has made us alienated and distances have broken relationships. But what is the use of technology, if we cannot be in touch and nurture those relationships.

I am a born optimist ,in general. But, today I would say that I prefer to die rather than live in a society, which tolerates spouses killing one another after marriage ,to marry a lover. I would hate to live in a society, where parents cannot be taken care of ,with love and are sent to old age homes, where they end up committing suicide as they feel unwanted. I regret to live in a community, where I am unaware of my neighbour’s death ,even though I live in the same neighbourhood.

But, being a born optimist, I hope the worst is over and the next generation ,will realise ,that the rich Indian culture ,was always built on the foundations of family, marriage and extended communities ,as social institutions.

Let us look within and contribute ,to bring back the glory ,of the great India culture.

S Ramesh Shankar

27th June 2025

Say it…

“Never be afraid to let someone know if they brightened the room they just walked into. Or if something they said inspired you to change..” – Donna Ashworth, “LIFE”

One thing which amuses me ,as to why people are afraid of saying the “truth” to others. It is like someone in the family sings very beautifully and can mesmerise you with her voice ,but we are not ready to say it to them.

I can understand not talking negatively or criticising people, in public. I think it makes sense to appreciate people in public and criticise in private. But, nothing tells us not to say good things about others, as and when it happens.

My son can brighten a room and make people feel positive, wherever he goes. This a positive trait and I admire it in him. I have told him many times and wish I could develop this positive trait too. There could be similar qualities in your family or friends circle. But, most of us are reluctant to tell them.

We tend to appreciate someone, behind their back but are reluctant to tell them ,when they are around. I have never understood this psychology ,amongst human beings. Even parents, do not generally easily appreciate, anything good in their kids. They may even appreciate the neighbours children but not their own. On the other hand, they will pounce on the child ,even for an accidental mistake.

Our life should be like a transparent glass. We should be able to see others and others should be able to see us and our behaviour. The more open we are and more openly we say it, the more ,we will be respected.

Even in organisations, the leaders, who give you feedback on your face, with real life examples are appreciated more than those, who camouflage their feedback and try to shoot through ,others’ shoulders.

I can understand the reluctance ,when there is a negative feedback to be given. But what prevents us from sharing positive feedback. Why cannot a captain ,tell a player that she has played well and we won the match because of you. Or her sportsperson spirit is worth emulating by everyone in the team.

We get ,what we give in life. If we say good about others, we get back good. This does not mean ,we fake about others. If we are not authentic and honest, nobody is going to believe us. We will lose our own personal credibility ,by our behaviour.

The best of leaders in organisations and society, do not hesitate to say what they like and what they see as positives, in others. This makes them adorable and even when they give feedback for improvement, they are taken very seriously.

Let us start practising this with our family and friends from today. If we spot, something good, let us resolve that we will say it and never keep it within our selves. This will not only motivate others but also make us feel good.

Let us just “say it” from today.

S Ramesh Shankar

22nd June 2025