heels on fire

Raising awareness can be simple as sending an email - calling all talented people!

Its all happening folks. The action behind this mad run is phenomenal. I wish you could see it. Lots of people moving in lots of directions, shimmying their way through address books, penning briefs, putting together excel budgets, chinwagging, sharing ideas, researching and much more. It's a humbling experience to be surrounded by such talented people.

Im hoping that you can momentarily step out of your working world and live the fun of the preparations with us. Read on....

Fact - as like minds from a multitude of job titles we all share a vested interest in development. When the run gets going (very slowly) on May 1st 2006 the aim is that:

a) we provide you a daily update of the run, the people and the sights along the route, and

b) that on any given day whilst on the road we will come across a story of a person, place or whatever.. that potentially can provoke your thinking and if we are lucky, broad development discussion.

From the route we will write up what we see, and share it with you on a web-blog (attached to the run website - to be developed) and facilitate YOU GOOD PEOPLE to come into the blog to say what you think about what we are seeing in the context of development. It may be a related story from elsewhere, it may be your opinion on what works or what doesn't work, it may be what my mum thinks....it can be whatever. The world (blog) is your lobster!

We hope to share ideas on development, to explain concerns, to spread good stories and to do it all in the web blog in as simple a language as possible.

The way I see it we all have pretty good networks of friends and colleagues in our email address books. Between us we have at least a hundred or so immediate people this web blog could go to with minimal effort at the touch of the send button. At a that initial list of one hundred people could travel to 30 countries. If you can convince those first recipients to spread the story onto their networks we might just reach a helluva lot of people with this web blog. Thus, possibly enhancing their understanding of what's happening thousands of miles away that day on the road in a village in India, and .....reading the fun of a running adventure amongst three like minds (one of who can balance a chair on his chin).

At its simplest - the hard part of the run rests with Rahul, Dez, myself and the friends who are behind the tale of getting us to the start in northern Kerala. However, and much more importantly, the true success of this run rests with you and your willingness to get into the adventure. To share thoughts and to pass on the story to your friends.

Between us - lets see how far this thing can go with the aid of you and your talents.

Have a good weekend. Go running!

Pete

All Kerala Democratic Runners Association (Republican)

It is entirely possible that in Kerala running is classified as 'intensive physical labour by proletariat' that gives exploitative bourgeois sitting in the comforts of their houses and offices (of multinational corporations) immoral pleasure and pecuniary benefits. Running is possibly classified as a form of class struggle, that is to be used only in extreme circumstances – such as running away from cops and running after speeding state buses that do not stop at designated bus stops.

Running might be an activity regulated and permitted only to the hardworking and exploited working class (who have nothing to lose but their chains). Only members of runners unions might be allowed to practise this profession. Non-union members might have to pay a fee fixed on a pro rata basis to the distance covered. Each union would have sovereign running rights over a few villages and therefore we will have to work out payments for a network of unions along the way. A union that we pay to could offer us protection, while rival unions might boo the runner, unleash dogs, chuck coconuts etc. The revolutionary opportunities could be immense…

If there is a federation level body of the unions, it would not necessarily make our life easier – they might need a separate payment towards the cause of ‘global class action’ or the ‘Final Run’.

Plus, we will have to worry about photographers unions, writers unions etc. By now, Kerala might even have a bloggers union. Each union will have a noble class action of global significance. We might need an entire team of people to work through this intricate web of unions and might never quite be on the top of issues.

One possible way around this could be to form our own union. Forming a union should not be too difficult so long as we stick to some basic rules. I can remember the following:

Typically unions in Kerala need at least one member, but there is a measure of flexibility on this clause.

The Union should have a name that emanates gravity. ‘All India/All Kerala/World should appear somewhere. Use of ‘global’ could have us mistaken for a bourgeois outfit. Democratic/Peoples (we need to take a few cues from the Chinese here) will give it a sense of fairness and legitimacy.

The flag/logo should be red and have images of a sickle, hammer, chainsaw, pile driver etc. Kalasnikovs are not quite in fashion yet.

The head of the union should adopt a middle name of a famous revolutionary. Stalin, Pol Pot, Miloslavic etc might work in other states, but here we might have to think of someone who has transcended class divide and appeals universally. How about Desmond Rooney Roberts or Peter Paris Hilton Dulvy?

Anybody who runs/plans to run in Kerala needs to be a member. This should be non negotiable. Study classes for members will be compulsory too.

Subsequently, we could extend compulsory membership to anyone in Kerala who wants to walk.

I can already see tremendous potential for ending exploitation and freeing the masses from the oppressive yoke of capitalism. Exploited people of the world, RUN!
RK