Parkour Mumbai - Heat Level

Heat Level.

India is largely a country of intolerant and irrational people.
This intolerance manifests itself mainly in these three areas -

1) Religious and cultural intolerance.
2) Intolerance towards couple activities.
3) Intolerance towards anything out of the ordinary (parkour and stuff comes under this heading).

Remember, there is always going to be some asshole who does not like whatever it is you are doing because -

1) he does not understand it.
2) he does not like it (for no apparent reason at all).
3) he is Dursleyish, in that he does not like anybody doing anything out of what is considered 'Normal' by the society he lives in (you need to read Harry Potter to get that one).
4) he is internally jealous of your physical capabilites, boiling over why he cannot do it/could not think of doing it in his own youth, and cannot stand to see others do it.
5) he does not give a rat's ass about your safety, or anyone else's safety for that matter, but will quote that as his reason in any case.
6) he is scared (paranoid would be more like it) that in allowing you to continue, he is somehow going to be in hot water. Even if you or someone else, or any property are/is not injured or damaged, in which the blame would fall on him, he still feels he will get in trouble if his bosses find out what you have been up to, despite of his presence there (this is especially true of security guards, they take the blame for accidents, and even if they don't occur, their bosses would nevertheless jump up and down their asses for allowing you to do/being indifferent to your activities in the first place).
7) multiple or all of the above.

All of the above contribute to raising the heat level of a hotspot, as those people are going to be on the lookout for you jumping around those areas again. Atleast for a few days/maybe months they will! So it is of utmost importance to notify the community so that no one else goes there and lands himself in a soup and we can allow the spot to cool down.

A description of what the different heat levels are, and what they entail follows -

Heat Level	Description
1	You own the place, rule it well.
2	A little trouble from the guards or other similar assholes, nothing you can't handle, but be on the lookout.
3	Now begins the time to start looking after your back, because trouble lurks at every step you take.
4	Things get hot to handle, and people frequently try to come and stop you/start arguments/chase you away.
5	Any out-of-normal activities are strictly not permitted at this heat level and above, in the places you're practicing at. You won't get simple arguments, you will face outright hostility.
6	Hostility levels are high, and more than once and they'll be on the lookout for you. They won't forget your face. Don't try it till you can lick it.
7	Run for your life! You don't stand a chance! Run! But don't Free-Run. Don't be seen. Don't ever be recognised. Because if you are, you're dead, or worse, busted. Better still, don't go there in the first place.

(Note:- Places at levels 5 and above are only for looking at from afar and being content in the fact that they are good for parkour.) wink

Some tips to maintain/lower heat level, and to look after your own ass in general -

1) Try and always practice in groups, of atleast 2 people or more. There are lesser chances of being interrupted than if you're doing it alone.
2) Try and do your stuff when fewer people are bound to be around, example - the mornings, late evenings, late at night, or on weekends.
3) If confronted, especially by authority figures like security guards or the police, try and stay polite, even if they're the ones totally in the wrong and are being total assholes. They could make life really difficult for you, and even have you arrested. (I am going to study the local and national laws soon, to find the the extent of legality of what we're doing).
4) Try to explain rationally to them what you are doing. Try and give them a primer on Parkour. This will work very rarely, as the person in front of you also has to be a rational and tolerant human being, a rarity in India, and he also has to be willing to listen to your reasoning in the first place. (Did you note the use of the word 'try'? I generally agree with what Master Yoda has to say, but I have to differ here.)
5) If explanations about Parkour don't work due to recipients' ignorance or illiteracy, but they seem congenial enough to listen to you, then try and 'patao' the security guards or bribe them if feasible. Note:- I don't recommend bribing policemen (officially). Bribing any govt official/public servant is a criminal offence. But that does not apply to private security guards. Unofficially, what you do is your business. We are not responsible for it.
6) If it doesn't work, leave the place, amiably. Try to avoid the place for a few days. If that doesn't work, and you still get in trouble even after the cool off period, then notify us, and we'll raise the heat level for that hotspot. wink

Remember, Heat Level is a very subjective figure. What is a low heat level for me at one particuar point in time might not be the same for you at another particuar point in time.
Some of the reasons for this subjectivity -

1) Practicing alone vs. practicing in a group of atleast 2 or more people always makes a difference. So if in what we describe as a low heat-level area, you try and practice alone, there are still chances of being accosted by someone, just because it is easier for the person to do so to you, because you are alone.
2) Practicing in a place early in the morning, as opposed to any other time of the day, or rather, when fewer people are around, will automatically reduce the comparative heat level for the place. So, the heat level for a place might not be the same during different times of the day.
3) If you are fairly competent in parkour, i.e., when you practice, it does not appear that you are about to fall off any minute and break a few bones, and, your movements look somewhat aesthetic, fewer people are going to come out to try and stop you, because, at this point, they will be more interested in what you are doing, the same way people are interested in circus shows, and you will only attract curious glances. But if you are a total newbie, and aren't able to perform moves correctly enough, people are more likely to come out and stop you.