Shaping up…
By NiveditaNagpal
Anala’s reluctance on the treadmill was much too obvious. She hated rigours of all kinds. Yoga, aerobics, brisk walking, swimming, acupressure,visits to the gym – she’d tried them all with no visible evidence of having lost a single kilo. Orwas she just not ready to wait until any such evidence started showing up? Losing weight isn’t magic, after all.As the treadmill slid into motion, her mind was already thinking about the new TV fad she could useto lose those extra pounds: the Wi-Fit?
It wasn’t because she didn’t have the desire. She just failed every single time. Whenever she saw some of her colleagues clad in well-cut outfits carrying themselves gracefully, she experienced a surge of fresh resolve in her mind to give that edge to herself too.News ofyet another Bollywood beauty shrinking to size zero never failed to give herjitters. And, college – well, college was a low time for her, what with having to see one girl after another in her group successfully walking away with Mr Right while she had to be content with just watching them settle down. Buying dresses was a nightmare. She envied all those who could pick dresses from anystore while she had to confine herself to stores dealing with plus size clothes. What about the pain and agony she had to undergoround the year with fungal infections on her inner thighs? Who would she tell all these things to?
“Why am I so obsessed with finding my Mr Right?” she thought. “Is getting a life partner the be all and end all of life? I am educated and I have a flourishing career. I can take care of myself.I am capable of making a difference in the lives of others. If my looks are preventing me from having a normal kind of life, so be it. I’m not going to care a hoot about it any longer. I should only be thinking about making each day more meaningful and fulfilling than the one preceding it. I should in fact be happy about all the freedom in the world I’ve been blessed with.” With a clear resolve not to worry about her weight and not to part with her favourite chocolates, ice creams, pizzas and cakes even temporarily, she rested all these thoughts and got immersed in her work.
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Anala was just getting back to work after lunch when her phone rang. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of her old friends had called. After an exchange of pleasantries, Nisha, her friend came up with a strange offer.
Rajath, one of Nisha’s colleagues, had worked his way up the corporate ladder by sheer technical prowess and hard work. Serious to the coreat work and a party-animaloff it, he was an excellent person to be with; a person who had an immense liking for fresh ideas and experimentation. But the one thing that was bothering him in his life was that he was overweight.
Rajath had received an invitation from a premium TV channel to take part in a reality show that focused on weight loss. He was extremely happy at the invitation, but the format of the program required him to team up with a lady partner who was also overweight. He was looking for one and had casually mentioned it to Nisha. Having known Anala for a long time, Nisha was certain that her friend would be open to this idea. She had just called Anala to inform her of this opportunity.
Rajath was sailing in the same boat as Anala. He had been a topper throughout his life. His keen interest in studies had kept him away from sports. As a consequence, he had gained too muchweight. Though he wasn’t worried about it in the earlier stages of his life, it started bothering him once he started working. Every time he was overcome by this thought, he used to make a resolution that he’d hit the gym; he would even do so for a while but would find it impossible to keep the tempo alive for long. His job required him to travel very often and maintaining a strict exercise or diet regime seemed unimaginable to him. He had already started looking much older than he was. It was time he seriously did something about it.
A golden opportunity had just knocked on his door in the form of a reality show. His eagerness to lose his weight knew no bounds. He just needed a partner who was as eager as he was. And Nisha had just helped him find one. After introducing him to Anala, Nisha passed her cell to Rajath. Awe-struck, Anala said, “Hello, Mr.Rajath.” He replied, “Ms.Anala, you can call me Raj.”
The reality show is bound to shape them up. Will it also shape up their lives together?
