Friday Lessons from a Lake Loop

Friday, July 25, 2025

I had missed my regular Thursday run (my usual schedule is Tue–Thu–Sat–Sun), so I laced up on Friday morning instead. By my standards it was late—normally I finish by 8 a.m., but that day I was only starting at 8:30. The venue: the 3.3-km dirt loop at Rachenahalli Lake in North Bangalore.

Walkers were still circling the lake—some solo, some in pairs, a few in small groups. Midway through my first loop, a lean runner eased past: grey-templed, even-paced, unmistakably strong. Curious, I tucked in beside him, trading small talk for company.

That’s when Mr. Parameshwaran’s story spilled out. At 67, he only discovered running two years ago, shedding 26 kg and swapping his car keys for daily walks with his wife to any destination under four kilometres. Today’s plan? An 18-km long run as part of his build-up to the Hyderabad Half Marathon next month, where he was chasing a 2 h 09 m finish.

Watching him float along the trail, I forgot my own fatigue; the next two loops vanished, pulled forward by his quiet resolve. We finished together and—selfie-averse though I am—I snapped a photo to remember the moment. If you ever wonder “how do you still run at your age?”, look to everyday superheroes like Mr. Parameshwaran. Inspiration is often jogging right beside us.

Another Meeting, Another Lake

In mid-August, during another training run at Rachenahalli, I bumped into Mr. Parameshwaran again. Same steady stride, same quiet focus. By then he was sharpening his build-up to Hyderabad. Little did I know our next meeting would be in a very different setting.

Meet the Podium Finisher

I caught up with him and his family at the Hyderabad Half Marathon expo. It was a joy to meet them—especially his wife, herself an avid walker. The surprise twist? She speaks fluent Bengali, which made our conversation even warmer.

On race day, Mr. Parameshwaran made us proud by finishing 3rd in his age category with a blazing 1:57:45—a new personal best, and more than ten minutes faster than the time he had been targeting. On a challenging course, no less.

Congratulations, Sir—you are an inspiration to all of us.

Bangalore Lake Trivia

• Rachenahalli is fed by overflow from Jakkur Lake, and in turn releases surplus water to Nagavara, forming part of the historic Hebbal valley cascade that once knit hundreds of tanks together for flood control and groundwater recharge.
• Citizen-led group Jalmitra Trust and scientist Dr. Shobha Ananda Reddy transformed Rachenahalli from a weed-choked dump into a clean, fenced, 104-acre biodiverse haven within five years.
• Across the city, lakes are still linked by 840 km of rajakaluve (storm-water canals); when one brims during monsoon, its excess should naturally spill to the next—a design first laid out in the 6th century CE.

Wikipedia: Rachenahalli Lake
The Better India: How Rachenahalli Was Revived