Today is my father’s birthday. He would’ve been 86 today. My fondest memory of him happened when I was 11. I was in the northern Indian city of Patiala with my sister (Sheelben) and a bunch of other swimmers from Gujarat for swim-camp. Our accommodations were pretty bad and food was even worse. The pool was atrociously dirty and full of algae. Back then, we swam with no swim-goggles. The conditions were miserable in every which way.
My father surprised us by showing up with boxes of bourbon biscuits. They came in large packets and were loaded with chocolate cream. I still remember it like it was yesterday as he strolled in nonchalantly to surprise us! Fond memories…may his soul rest in peace. He passed away more than a dozen years ago.
For training, I ran 5 miles at an 8-minute pace in and around my neighborhood. It is still chilly in Arizona but is showing signs of warming up.