The downside of good things is that they come to an end. Leaving you with warm and pleasant memories. And sadness. Wishing there was more. So it was last night at Qi Lifecare, or Melt as it was known in its final avatar, my friend Nithiij Arenja’s
exceptional fitness and health and wellness center in stylish South Mumbai’s Eros Cinema building. It opened 21 years ago on June 6, 2002. The doors closed at midnight yesterday for the last time. Leaving hundreds of its patrons, the gym’s trainers, and
the housekeeping team in tears, myself among them. I was a lifetime honorary member here, because Nithiij is like family to me, even though I stopped working out at Qi/Melt ten years ago when a change in job and residence took me from South Mumbai to the suburbs, where life is challengingly different. Close friends and meaningful relationships I had made during this time stayed with me. Keeping me connected with Qi/Melt over the years. And bonding over workouts turned into warm and cozy evenings over dinner and drinks regularly with gym buddies in the media, medicine, law, police, hospitality, stock market, advertising, and marketing worlds. I am an old-school fitness enthusiast. There were no air-conditioned gyms with state-of-the-art equipment and qualified
professionals running them back in the day. I ran on the road in canvas shoes because Reebok, Adidas, Nike, and Puma had not yet made the scene. Supplementation was not whey protein, BCCA, and creatine but raw eggs consumed before your training. If somebody you knew had a monkey bar in his building, a pair of dumbbells, and a Bullworker at home, you became his friend for life. All that changed when Nithiij coaxed me to join Qi/Melt from Day One.
The girl in this picture taken last night, Jennifer Sadri – one of the pillars at Qi/Melt, took me under her professional wing and trained me ruthlessly for ten years. Inculcating a lifestyle of change and introducing me to healthy and holistic habits that will
stay with me forever. I trained with a discipline I never knew I had. For which I am a better man today. And the friends I made at Qi/Melt opened doors to a more purposeful life beyond home and the workplace for me. Do I miss them? I haven’t really, because the thing about friends is that you can be separated but are never far from them.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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