To walk on fire? Isn't it cool?

By Rajeev Nair

I WAS NOT GOING TO DO IT. NO WAY WAS I going to be part of this management mumbo-jumbo.. Walk on fire! Bare foot? My foot! So it was, with all cynicism, that I met Martin Sterling of MIB Global. For a martial arts exponent turned management expert, wasn't he convincing (see side story)!

I wonder aloud: "Can I be at your fire-walk training?" "Oh you must and you should also try it out," says Sterling. Fear, I realised again at that moment, is leaden cold. I could feel a tremble. I swore myself that under no circumstance would I do the fire-walk. I am a reporter, you see. I don't kill. I report murders. I don't fire-walk. I simply report on fires.

But what the blazes, I decided to give it a shot anyway, blistered feet be damned! Along with the management team of Gulf Training Solutions and a few students, there I was in their training room, eyes closed, acting out how I look when I feel cheesy, concerned or incredibly happy. Reporters don't stand with their eyes closed. I feigned an eyesore, rubbed my eyes, took sly glances, saw the 20 odd men strike various postures. until Steve Drake, also of MIB, caught me. I winked and closed my eyes hard.

The postures were to help understand yourself better. How do you hold your head, stoop your shoulders or transfer your body weight when you are concerned, sad or happy? How does the body language change in different situations? Sterling explained the physics of burning coal; he reassured us that in the 5,000-odd firewalks his organisation had held around the world, there never has been an injury nor a blistered feet. But then, I hadn't been on their training sessions! Sterling then hit a raw nerve. He talked about fear. "A hero and a coward - both feel fear. You can control it or be a victim. So what are you going to do with your fear?"

I am a reporter. I have your quotes. I can walk out. But I stay. "Fear is a signal," Sterling continues. "It prepares you for action." The MIB team moved on to the next lesson, which was about breaking the shell of embarrassment in us all. We cut invisible lemons with invisible knives, sucked its juice and felt it sliding down our arms. That was another lesson for the day: "Reality is far removed from your false beliefs." Otherwise, why did the leftie shift his "invisible" knife to his left hand?

MIB guided us to shift our focus from points of stress and pain. to ease and confidence. "From the bedroom to the boardroom it is what is in your mind that controls you, not reality." Fire walking, somehow, seemed far from my mind. Yes, I could run away, but what the heck, I might even give it a try. No one knows me here, anyway. Sterling and Drake then wanted us to be our happiest best, give our achiever's smile, feel the triumph and, as the countdown went from 10 to 1, shout in unison, yes, yeah, yup or whatever that you shout when you feel unbridled joy.

Our minds were being conditioned to triumph. That took us to the last step: Rehearse the fire walk. "What's your name?" shouts Sterling. "Are you ready?" he continues. "Off you go." And we, full-grown adults, lift our arms up in the air, shout 'yeah, yeah, yeah" and walk an imaginary fire with the infectious enthusiasm of five-year-olds. That was it. We were ready for game. Fear? What is that? I want to go down there, walk the burning coal and do it first. I threw my shoes and lined up along with the others. I didn't notice the people around. I looked at the burning coals. No, it wasn't intimidating.

One of the many MIB members made the fire and readied the coals and walked on them first - as if to inspire us better. But weren't we ready, already? "Who will go first?" Sterling shouts. Many hands go up in the air. I am third. Sterling asks my name. Asks if I am ready. I remember shouting my "yeahs" and a few steps later. I had walked the bed of burning coals. I had walked on fire. Sterling gives me a bear hug. And I say aloud: "It is cool." Cool? Burning wood is cool? Oh yes, it is!

One by one every one had walked. Our photographer Majeed too. He was still wearing the victory smile when he descended from cloud nine to the 11th floor yesterday and downloaded his pictures for these pages. And then Sterling turned to douse the coal. The hiss was unmistakable. That coals could have made perfect tandoori. And we had walked on that. Pity, Sterling wasn't there to help me drive through rush-hour Shaikh Zayed Road traffic in Dubai. Oh yes, I dread it. If I could walk on fire, maybe, I can tackle that too. Well, maybe..

« Back