At 66, running 10km is a child’s play for him

“It is never too late. I only started in 2000 but one needs to stick to a regimen. One should start slowly and keep increasing the workouts over a period of time. Pranayam will give energy to do any strenuous exercise,”

Grit, willpower, never-say-die attitude, positive thinking and the sheer will and audacity to fight against all odds is what makes the 66-year-old retired Additional SP Hari Har Singh tick. Anulom Vilom Pranayam and Kapal Bhati, you may add, aid Singh to keep him as fit as a fiddle.

A brain stroke, partial paralysis, cancer, stones in the stomach and a bitter battle with diabetes would have broken even the mightiest of men but not Hari Har Singh.

In a matter of eight years, starting 2000, he underwent a series of health problems but he had other plans for life. He fought it out with physiotherapy and his will to live.

Fresh from completing the marathon held last week, Hyderabad’s flying Sikh makes no bones about it; instead he says there should be more marathons. No doubt he is raring to participate as running 10 km is child’s play for him; it is his daily routine.

“I am one of the first guys to open the Public Gardens gate,” quips Hari Har Singh. While the city sleeps, he is up at 3 am every day. Continuous running for 90 minutes either at the Ferozguda Park of Public Gardens, followed by an hour of pranayam has become a part of his life.

What is his advice to people who want to keep fit? “It is never too late. I only started in 2000 but one needs to stick to a regimen.”

“One should start slowly and keep increasing the workouts over a period of time. Pranayam will give energy to do any strenuous exercise,” he adds.

Hope for late beginners

There is hope for late beginners not only for people in their late thirties and forties who want to start exercising but to also people who are retired. Hari Har Singh started exercising after a gap of 30 years. He says, “I first exercised in 1974 when I was appointed sub inspector of police in Anantapur and started again only in 2005.”

Bye Bye glasses

Until early 2000s he used to wear glasses and could not read a word without it, but thanks to pranayam now, he no longer wears glasses and his system is as strong as ever. Just like running 10 km with ease, he also loves to go on long drives. These drives at times stretch to even 600 km with his wife to Aurangabad to meet relatives.

“People are surprised how I manage to drive so long but I enjoy it,” he chuckles. But his wife Kiran Kaur does not forget to remind him that she is the one who makes sure that the best of food is packed for the long journeys.

Without the support of his family, Hari Har Singh could not have won the many battles and he acknowledges her role.

By:T P Venu