CTC Profiles - Swathi Sathyanarayanan

Featuring Swathi Sathyanarayanan

What are you currently doing (job/study)? your interests?

 

Im doing my 3rd year engineering in the field of Information Technology at Meenakshi Sundarajan Eng college. Well, to top my list of interests first would be outdoor activities like swimming, shuttle, cycling , playing with kids and fitness.secondly the love for Music, both carnatic and contemporary songs and some instrumental too. I love trying out new stuff and hence cooking comes next my list. For the craze of BIKES , trying out all possible gear vehicles for rides would be my fondest. Some constructive liking for art work ,debating, reading and oratory .Last but not the least volunteering for good causes.

When & How  did you  get started  CTC?

TWCM 2016 was the beginning of my journey with CTC. I happened to come for volunteering at A1 aid station which was led by Ram Ganesh.  CTC was a new acronym for me . i was very much keen to know about the activities and wanted to be a part of it, so began my footsteps with ctc.

What are the activities of  CTC that  you are involved in?

my first ones would be the amazing week day camping and trek. my first time experience with ctcians. Although not very active  i have tried to pitch in for the theo cleanups, plantation maintenance, few 10*10 runs, garbage segregations, ottiyambakkam swimming ,beach cleanups and volunteering for ctc events. 

What will you say has been your biggest achievement when it comes along with  CTC?

My biggest one would be my Maiden Half Iron during the 3rd practice session on NOv the 26th. One of my most cherished and life changing moment i would say.I probably could do something that i never even dreamt of. So much of love and support from my bunch of  people especially had it not been for Peter and Ahamed i would not have pushed myself so much.

Anything else you might want to add?

one best thing about CTC is the unique souls who capture our hearts. not to forget to mention the best place with the best-est memories - ottiyambakkam quarry.its an up and down of 60 odd kms drive for me and not a single time i have felt for it. my whole perception of constrained swimming came to an end after seeing this vast natural body.  such refreshing mornings after the dip in the open water and healthy snack or breakfast to top it with my bunch of lovable souls makes my whole day filled with energy and love. 

 

 

Share any one of the CTC Best moments you had !

Being a part of ctc every event is the BEST with the ctcians.to point out one of them ,it would be none other than my first ever TRIATHLON . Right from the decision of doing the half iron to the interview at night every moment was epic.The spirit of motivation from my people ahamed  Peter avinash raja bhai jackson vipul khushal  and all others made me push through. they gave me everything i needed,may it be shoes, cycle ,juice, food, motivation, music ,confidence  and what not ...the best part was the dance all along the 10km stretch . the vibrant song and dance spread the vibes of energy all over.

How do you manage your work life balance ?

 

College being pretty hectic one thing i crave for is the time with CTC,cuz physical activity never makes you weak instead pumps you up with good vibes and energy to run the week,. i try to sneak in whenever possible to make time to do what i love. Ctc has always made me more energetic and concentrate on my studies . every day counts and its upto us to make the best out of it. ctc has been a great platform in helping me balance my long days with short breaks in between, 

Any specific goals/dream that you are working on ?

 

The biggest motive of mine is to stay FIT and FLEXIBLE throughout.Swimming being my favourite im waiting to venture into SEA swimming with peter and gang. consistency and training is essential to conquer anything you aspire.Being a not so good runner i am  currently focussing on running so that one day il  be one among the ctcians exploring the picturesque trails. so my second big goal would be long distance marathons .the last would be overcoming my fears and gaining the right fitness to go in for moderate and tough treks with ctc. 

 

How has your life changed after joining this CTC ?

 

Its almost been a year with ctc and 6 active months during the TRI season.A lot of learning , life skills ,exposure with nature, love and  fun filled experiences. the vibrant and ever welcoming energy from the ctcians has made my life so wonderful. we always have some or the other ctc activity that keeps us going and gives a sense of satisfaction being a part of it.  i would say i have become socially responsible  after being a part of cleanups and knowing its importance. i feel ctc instils our consciousness and helps us breakthrough our comfort zone. i feel i have become stronger and learnt the spirit of acceptance (success or failure) sportively. one thing that got erased out of my mind is that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE if you put up your pants and move out to explore it. 

Share some of your cycling  that you did in the CTC?

MERIDA be the best one which made me gain the confidence that i could possible do a 90k !

since then i was fond of having one of my own and my friends helped  me pick the most comfy and higher end SCOTT METRIX 10 :)

my cycling diaries started in DEC 2016.... 

 my best experience would be none other than the Chennai to Auroville camping/cycling.Being a novice cyclist my first and best expedition was the 200+ kms with Peter and gang. i learnt that cycling is not just about how fast you go or how much you cover. To me cycling is enjoying the ride with my baby(scott) and exploring new places. 

that ride was one with no highways, no traffic no people  but countryside stoney bumpy lanes, amidst fields, rich and lushy vegetation, sandy dried up basins , river crossings, narrow village boundaries and one close with nature.to top it was the  the part of cycling in the trails of the auroville marathon. Couldn't have asked for a better refreshing weekend ... 

 

We have seen you in leading many of volunteering and how does this helps you outside CTC ?

 

volunteering is basically a selfless service that you do to make a difference in the society.  i feel honoured in that way for being a part of ctc which has given me that opportunity.it lights up the sense of unity and  humanity within us. i feel volunteering helps us gain a lot of experience to handle situations, act swiftly during crisis , take up responsibilities ,improves leadership ,work with unknown people and helps instil social awareness.. i got inspired by a lot of selfless volunteers from ctc and it made me learn that one should work on the things he/she wishes to bring in a drastic change but not one which gives him/her fame ,attraction or money. In that way the action(work) should make the sound(difference) and not us..having all these as my inputs i could perform well in my college front for managing and putting up my symposium, events etc.

im humbly privileged to be a part of such wonderful group of volunteers :CTC

What are you other interest?

 

mostly an outdoor kinda person but i have some liking for these few things too. i love babysitting and teaching tiny tots.children spread a whole lotta good vibes and its so satisfying when you are loved my babies. next would be the untold riding diaries.i enjoy travelling alone to new places or riding fast in calm roads when i need to have my personal space. watching my favourite series(mostly crime plots) throughout the night is one thing is always cherish. last would be surprising and doing new new things unplanned.It  makes life a lot more interesting by adding spice to it... .