Lifestyle - India;No Potbelly please

Preethi Nagaraj

MYSORE: Pot (beer) belly and flat-foot are a big no-no for Mysore police now. Threat of terror has sturned them into fitness freaks for over a week now.

More than 200 policemen in Mysore --inspectors, sub inspectors and first line constables--- are slogging two hours every morning to make themselves fit. The session, headed Deputy Commissioner of Police V S D' Souza, has brisk walking some four kilometers, trekking or basics of rock climbing and Yoga.

Interestingly, D'Souza, a known teetotaler who took to Yoga early in his life, also assumes their instructor role sometimes. With his experience in the anti-terror squad, D'Souza and the Commissioner of Police Dr S Parashivamurthy have decided to make their constabulary fit as fiddle. More than 300 select policemen have already been put on commando training to manage any emergencies.

An astute follower of Yoga, D'Souza says, Yoga is a complete form of exercise for policemen since it does not exhaust them but makes them alert to perform their duties better.

The sudden love for exercise is borne out of the Mumbai terror attack and threats of terror to Mysore. "Intelligence reports suggest more than 100 persons have entered the country by sea. The officials have been told to keep strict vigil and be prepared for any eventuality. The number of intelligence officials posted across the city has increased, an officer said.