Looking back

Just finished watching “Top Gun” for the umpteenth time and it still gives me the kick. Not that I have any regrets but there definitely are some things I miss doing in my life.

To start with , I always wanted to learn martial arts, I even joined some amateurish classes while I was in my 5th std at school, but somehow couldn’t pursue it long enough cause my instructor ran away. And I was left adoring the other kids going ga ga with their katas . I dedicated myself to the god of kung-fu Bruce Lee just as homage, by making sure I watched every single one of his movies and not just once but many times over.

Getting over with that, I developed this urge to join the defense services, the IAF in particular. I even remember myself playing that stupid ghost game to ask if I would get through. I just grew up with this ambition, so much so that I had even decided against sitting for my pre engineering test. My parents somehow convinced me to sit for it and even take some coaching classes just as a back up plan in case I didn’t make it. Something went wrong somewhere and I ended up doing what I am doing now. But the very best of my friends are in the Indian Navy and they owe their careers to me, because it was me who pushed them into it. And when ever I feel the need for speed so to say, I head for their dens.

I sometimes just wonder how different it would have been.

Well leaving these behind me, I actually have done or am in the process of doing a few things I always wanted to. Owning and riding an Enfield to unknown places, learning to play the guitar, owning a racing cycle in my teens, and the likes.

Stuff will keep adding to this list…

Happy Birthday!!!

Another day gone, infact a whole of 365 days have gone since my last birth day. Trust me on this, because I have seen all 23 prior ones, and this day today has by far been the most forgettable one of them all. Infact this would be the only birth day I would like to forget. For now I am living it.

As always there is a disastrous built up to the whole scene. If all had gone well I would have been sitting in Mumbai as of now, and for that not just sitting but partying big time. I still digested the hick up of my cancelled trip back home and of being away from all my family and friends and decided to go through the motions just like any other day. But however hard I tried, the umpteen wishes from various mediums of communication just wouldn’t let me forget it. So it was that I entered my birthday IST talking to my sweetheart and my best pals, Still talking to my sweetheart when Saudi clocks truck midnight January 18th and woke up to a special phone call when the Big Ben struck midnight in UK. Now this is not what would make this day forgettable…but it’s the carnage that is to follow that will.

Attended a further few phone calls while still in my sleep, till the one from my dad which literally threw me off the bed. A credit card personnel had called up at my home looking for my whereabouts for payment of some outstanding on my credit card. It’s rightly said that you reap what you sow…and what perfect time to reap my past mistakes. So, I spent the early hours of my birth day fire fighting. What a start and I already had a bad head ache. Reached office just to discover that it was gonna be a long long day…and not a easy one by any chance. It was almost like a chain reaction of sorts…I don wanna go into the details of it, but I still have the mental burden from my office when I write this. If it would have been any other day, I wouldn’t be making such a fuss about it…but on your birthday you wanna feel happy and relaxed and special. And I was miles away from this state of bliss.

All said and done, I can see some positives too. A lot of people still wished me and that’s a real good feeling in itself. There also were some lessons learned. And the best part of this birthday, I have someone very special to share the rest of my life with.
At the end of it all, I would really like to quote myself”
” Its been a real cool life...with all its twists and turns...and I have enjoyed every moment of it till date.I don know how many more such days I am destined to see...but I sure hope that as many are there...I am always able to feel the very same way as today....Alive...and Rocking!!!!Cheers...to me!!!”

Experience Saudi..

Woke up this morning, it being a weekend for me today, didn’t get up in my usual way…was just lazing in the bed for quiet a while. I have taken to a bit of exercising lately…it has finally dawned upon me that I need to do at least a little bit of physical exercise to keep me going…and just as a foot note…I have to get rid of my pouch…beer belly so to say, without the beer. Anyhow, went about my morning chores followed by the push ups and I don know what exercises.

Then stepped out of my room for a cup of tea, and to my surprise it was all foggy outside…at 9 AM in the morning in Saudi Arabia. Now how strange is that? One imagines Saudi Arabia as a hot sizzling barren desert land with Sheikhs ruling the wilderness in their own barbaric ways. At least that’s what my picture of Saudi Arabia was until I landed here. I was right and wrong in that. It still is a desert land but with an infrastructure comparable or even a shade better than that of a US of A or a UK. But the ways here can definitely be termed barbaric. It’s a very orthodox Muslim country. And this too is an understatement. The locals are very arrogant and it gets a shade uncomfortable at times. There is basically nothing much to do apart from shopping off course, with the flurry of humongous malls and shopping arcades mushrooming up every nook and corner . There are no movie halls, no tourist attractions in the real sense so to say. I have even heard that one cannot even click snaps at public places. So it’s pretty much of an indoor kind of a place. Gloomy place for even a guy like me who s not much of a party animal.

But there are positives too, very few though, one of them being the monetary part. The employer provide for your food and shelter. A compulsory saving because you run out of options to spend. So in a way its good, but ultimately this is not some place you would want to stay for too long and no wonder I am dying to return back to India.

Its has been quiet a learning experience professionally and personally , but there still are a couple of months to go before I return. And I might be up for many a new experiences till then.

Escape...

Someone special has become a year old….and alas we are not together to celebrate. My thunderbird completed a year today in my possession. On this very day an year back I drove it out of its mothers womb so to say, the Royal Enfield show room in Bandra…and all the way till my office in Borivali. And that very first ride I knew that I was a proud owner of a very very special and priced possession, My Bird.

Since that 10th  day of December last year…I have shared many a great memories with it, and will hopefully continue to do so for many a winters. The whole process of buying my bird was a rollercoaster ride in itself. After quiet a lot of serious thought, rethought and no thought, I finally decided upon a silver Royal Enfield ,escape as they put it. Obviously I didn’t have the money to buy it on my own…and neither of the well known financial institutions were in any mood to loan me that big a credit. So I was back to the world’s best and simplest bank…my mom. And after some simple cajoling, she agreed to loan me almost the entire amount at 0%, and infinite term of return…

The test drive itself was mind blowing…and I could hardly wait to own of those might beasts myself. But the wait was gonna be a little long than I had hoped for. In the midst of all this excitement…another dream of mine was calling me…I had got a call for an AFSB interview…for the ignorant; it’s the Air Force Selection Board interview. And lo and behold I found myself on a Delhi bound Rajdhani at a couple of hours notice. Spent one of the best set of 5 days in Dehradun. Although my dream wasn’t to be fulfilled, I had made some very beautiful memories for life..and a bunch of not so beautiful but amazing friends. Within a couple of returning back from Dehradun , I had in my hands the keys of  my very own Silver Bird.

And the world was my play ground so to say….and from that day on it has become my escape….

Stuff of dreams..

Lately one of the prime things that excite me in life is to think and plan about a bike ride. Now the obvious question here is that how the hell am a planning a bike trip when I myself am sitting in this foreign land while my beloved Bird is literally across a sea, back home in India. But then it’s a plan….and people plan for years in advance, am merely planning a couple of months prior, and look how excited I am about the whole thing already.

Okay so let’s get to the actual thing now. I came across this article on rediff a couple of days back. It actually was one of those informative slideshows about this place called Pushkar back home in India. It’s a small town so to say some 15 kms from Ajmer, Rajasthan. It’s famous for this annual festival that is held there. Its actually in full swing as of now….and it’s all colorful and beautiful. Now where does this thing fit into the aforementioned bike trip scenario that I have been so ardently talking about?? Simple, Pushkar happens to be the supposed destination of my fantasy trip.

The travelers remain basically the same, my bird, myself and YES…Rathore. We have had a preliminary round of mail exchanges between us and he too is basically raring to go with a minor issue raised regarding leaves from office, which I am sure will be taken care of.
The trip, as when it happens, will be the longest ever for us as it would come to some 2200 kms to and fro. The maximum we have done till date is some 800+ kms on our ride to GpPule. I have been wanting to visit Rajasthan for quiet some time now…and what better way to do it than on my Bird and my buddy Rathore to keep company.

So that’s all to it as of now. I am trying to make it thorough this time….I hope am able to plan my plan to perfection.

Cheers…

CosmoLogical reloaded...

This is a new experiment that am up to…I am actually typing this on word as of now…and thanks to Google’s plug-in ,I can publish this stuff directly to blogspot. Obviously I will have to be logged on to internet.  And these are wonders of the so called cutting edge technology.

Now back to the actual stuff, I am reading this compilation these days. It’s called Juggling Act and the author obviously is Jug Suraiya, TOI fame. I had picked it up from Pune crossword before I left for Saudi. And believe me; I had to search extensively to find a copy. Not sure if it’s the popularity of the book or the mock demand that the publishers have created. But I sure hope it’s the prior of the reasons. Because I find it an amazing read. I have only gone through some 20 odd pages as of now…but I am sure to finish it up soon enough. Actually I am deliberately slowing down my reading pace in a hope that I will have it for me till my stay here.

Okay now the article in the aforementioned book that’s the inspiration for this post. It is titled Cosmo Logical and contrary to the title is not about the cosmos, but about the Indian version of the internationally acclaimed women’s magazine Cosmopolitan. The female fraternity in India seems to be an avid fan of the subscription. I keep wondering what‘s so enticing about it and Mr. Suraiya enlightens me with just the same. I am afraid can’t quote the whole article here, but some excerpts which really tickled me…..I quote ….
“Cosmopolitan – or Cosmo as it is popularly known – is dedicated to the proposition that all men are born free – and it’s up to women to change this undesirable state of affairs.” Another one …
“A post-feminist guide to cohabitational consumerism, Cosmo features educative articles on how to get your man, how to hold him (half-nelson, arm-lock, etc.) and how to trade in your old model for a newer , top-of-the-line version with minimum of fuss ” and another one…
“A unique feature of Cosmo is its quizzes which help you rate yourself in the cosmic battle of the sexes”.

Then he goes a step forward and devices a cosmo style quiz of his own with a series of questions, which I think my female friends will be fully aware of. Not that I endorse the writers view but then he does have a point. The whole article is a beautiful satire on the “Liberated Urban Female - LUF” as the writer puts it, psyche of the contemporary fairer sex. I am sure I haven’t made any great friends (as if I have any before) out of the opposite sex by highlighting this article, but I hope the pun is understood in its right spirit.







     

my harley davidson....

Was just listening to this song by AC/DC , called Harley Davidson . It starts with the whorrring sound of a Harley engine...and that sound just tore through my heart and mind...I miss my Bird, yes my ThunderBird. Instantly I was into a time warp back to my days in India when I was rolling on my very own. I could just feel the enormous power of the monster of a machine under my command waiting to be unleashed.
Those long drives to Kaashid and Murud and Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar and GP pule are still fresh as yesterday in my mind.Not that it has been years since I have done them but it almost seems that way. How myself and rathore used to plan about them for weeks in advance , not the actual preparation for the trips but Just the excitement of making one. We invariably ended up with unplanned trips which ultimately used to turn up all gooddy good for us. The excitement of touching 100KPH on the bird ...and then breaking my own record of speed again and again. the
velvet smooth road down from Mahabaleshwar till Pune , the seaside drive from Alibagh till Murud, The curling roads to the fort at Ganpatipule...and the untouched beach that we discovered on the way back from the fort. They all seem like random flashes of an amazing experience.
A little too dramatic I guess, but then out here in this place, imagination is all that i have at my disposable. With nothing much to do apart from breaking my head against my workstation almost intermittently all day, these sparks are my rare moments of excitement.
Yes, I am getting bored here!!

let there be Rock...

Music is my life, now how cliche is this line. Hundreds of people keep repeating this line over and over again, at various forums small and large. But then music is something which touches every single person in various different ways.

The whole connection perhaps ,between music and the being ,lies in the inherent rhythm of the universe. So much for philosophy and science. For me music is something that gives me immense pleasure. And then i am not just an amateur listener so to say, who would listen to any and everything that comes across once ears. I have some very specific and almost weird (as most of the people say) tastes in music. I am a major Rock and Metal freak and I equally appreciate the indian classical music.how weird is that??

I think the weirdness in my music tastes is got something to do with my parental roots. My dad is a very good classical singer and in addition posses an immense knowledge of the art. I have been brought up listening to Kumar Gandharv's and Pandit Ravishankar's, marathi natya sangeet and the likes. Rock n roll stands out as an obvious abbretion in this otherwise sublime picture. But then like any adoloscent I am not supposed to like what my parents like, so it was that I took to Rock. I still very clearly remember the day I brought my first cassette of rock music, On a day Like today -- Bryan Adams.Today I can almost laugh at the thought of calling Bryan Adams as Rock music. But that s where I started and to this day Bryan Adams remains one of my favorite singers. From Bryan Adams to Mettalica to Rage Against the Machine to Iron Maiden and what not, I have come quiet a long way. Life catches up, and the music of my childhood has lately started to attract me. So much so that I actually sit and ask my dad about it.And to see the happines in his eyes when he tells me about his greatest passion is a real joy.
I was not supposed to write all this, I had started writing this piece to introduce my newest passion in music AC/DC, yes the 70's and 80's big time Rock n Roll band.I have never heard them before, but on the sake of reputation I picked up a DVD of close to 40 videos songs candidly named the home videos. And yes they are too good. So in the words of AC/DC "let there be Rock...."

salaam walekum....!!

Ages literally since my last post, but its better late than never.Well there was one prime reason behind the long absence..and will be writing about that at length here. As i had mentioned somewhere in my prior posts, that I was supposed to be heading for an overseas assignment, so it happened...and am sitting here in Dammam , somewhere in Saudi Arabia. I am still trying to locate this place on the map of Saudi. I hope am able to mark my bearings before I leave, though it seems an unlikely possibility. Its over a couple of months now since I have been here. There are hell lot of things to write, but then by some strange stroke of luck, blogspot isn't accessible from my clients network. So I never could log on until now. I finally purchased my priced possession a lappie....which i had been craving for so long.Although had bought it almost a month back, managed the internet connection at home just a week back. And today was just going through my own and rathore s blogs , and i just felt the itch to post something. Well I just hope that the itch just stays there...and i keep punching things. It s possibly the only creative thing that i wud be doing here in my stay at Saudi Arabia. About that and more....later.

To Kaashid...

Most of the times in our lives...we travel to reach a goal, and in the process we loose site of what the road has to offer to us.but I have learned my lessons rite that its the path and not the goal that matters....atleast when you are riding your way to it.And so it was for this ride.The original idea was to reach Kashid...meet up with Abhay who was already there on some team building tour of his. But as soon as I mounted my bird...i knew..that the destination was immaterial now and i could just head on in any direction from here...and it would be pure magic all the way and any way.

So we started on an overcast morning this Sunday at arnd 6.30...with the faintest of idea of what the rain gods had in store for us. But whatever it was..we were strapped and ready for it(I guess???)There was enough fuel in the birds tank to take us out of mumbai...so we skipped the fueling part to start with. Just rejuvineted our pockets with some money and we were off. Hardly a couple of kms on the palm Beach road...and it started to pour down like therewas no tomorrow. And by the time we could actually get a clue of what was happening....it was already back to just overcast again, with one subtle difference....we were drenched.Atleaset i was.But I was prepared for it...this was meant to be a ride in the rains. But it so turned out that this was the lone shower in our so called rain trip for the first leg. Nonetheless it was fun to start with.

The weather was perfect for driving from here on...with wet and dry patches of road to run on, making me vary my speed.I usually am pretty quick on the roads...but the collage of wet and dry slowed me down to a good extent. and it was well worth it....bacause it allowed me to look around what I usually miss while driving.The sky was a darkish gray...one of my favourite colors.And the rain clouds just mounting on....sometimes i just wonder if i could fly away on top of the clouds and lay in the fluffy cottony material for hours together...never to return back.

Back on the road...in apparently no time we were at Pen....and rathore was torturing me to stop for a mast chai.The chai flowed in with a little bit of debris in the form of a couple of vada pavs and bhajiya.Moving on....there is this phenomenon on this specifc patch started some where before Pen almost till the left turn of Wadhkal naka....they call it the rumbling strips.They are basically are a set of 6-10 closely spaced speed breakers....they definitely serve there purpose perfectly...but they also go far beyond it and as rathore rightly puts them...are a real pain in the ass!!!We always wonder....and its better expressed in hindi ...."ki jis bechare ne inhe banaya hoga use har passer by kitni gaaliyan deta hoga".

Further on...we quickly crossed Alibag and took the left turn that headed for Murud. Last time around on our first riding adventure of Alibag- Murud we had traversed thi route. We were trying to make out the exact same spots and offroad advetures we had undertook the last time. Clicked some wild snaps....on the road(literally on the road...rathore sitiing on it and me actually lying down on it). The surroundings were greener and majestic that we had visited the last time. Turned a curve and there it was a spread of white sand....kissing the sea. Our eyes literally twinkled at the site. but we had a task at hand before we could hit the beach....we were supposed to meet Abhay...who was in some resort starting from P or S...because that was all rathore could remember of the the name that Abhay had told him....

So began the hunt....

time to ride...

yes...its ride time yet again.
It has been close to 3 months now since we last made a journey to our wild sides....on my bird.But the drought is getting over this weekend...when we hit the road again with a splash this time. Its pouring cats and dogs in and around mumbai....and what better time to roam the roads rather than this.
The destination yet again is immaterial. Its the fun of riding again ...that has kept me and rathore on the edge of our seats all this week.
This ride holds a special significance for further reasons as well...as this ride could turn out to be the last one for this year...as i am scheduled for an overseas assignment on behalf of my employers for the next 6 months.
It comes between a hectic schedule for me....there are a lot of important things happening in my life as of now...and I have been shuttling between various destinations over the last couple of weekends. All said and done.....
Kashid here we come............

Chennai Monologue...

Its been a long time since me doing any activity on this big and bad blogworld. Work pressure ...or my lethargy whatever you call it, can be held in court for it.

but now that I am actually writing somethin....lets get back to the why's of it.
Firstly, as the title suggests...its something to do with Chennai....infact the root cause and the sole reason for this blog is Chennai. Now this blog is being written from a huge office building sparsely occupied by people as of now...me being one of the fateful occupants.

Secondly....the word monolgue doesn't mean that Chennai is speaking something to you....because that is what is the literal meaning of a monologue (don argue...cause i looked it up in a dictionary)...but it is there because the combination rhymes with the famed theatre act....Vagina Monologues which sounds really sleezy...and since its my blog...I deciede what it is called.

So it must be obvious by now that I am in a twilight zone.
There is a long story in the hindsite......and let it remain one.
Chennai.....land of THE LADY.State capital of Tamil Nadu. This being my first visit to the place...i have tried not to come with any assumptions and apprehensions. But these comments its damn hot, its sticky , you can't communicate there....are still ringing in my ears. And all the 3 comments have proved to be true. And have further strengthened my unwillingness to visit south indian destinations.
Temperatures ranging in mid 40s and humidity that could make Mumbai look like a hill station.
The best part I am alien to the people here....They don understand what I speak and neither do I understand their language. Got the first glimpse of it the moment I stepped out of the airport. and later on when I tried to board a rickshaw to reach my office. and will keep having these experiences till the time I am here. Its really frustrating and even funny at times.
I will be staying here till Wednesday morning....and I hope to see a couple of places...at the least the famed Marina Beach. I also seem to have found some mumbaite company at my place of stay. Looking forward for a evening out with them today.

Its now time for me to go back to my twilight zone......in the dilapidated world of software.
So long.....

GP pule...Concluding!!

That sleep was life giving...after the tiring day through the sun.
Yet again missed the sunset...I think will go to Ganpatipule once more just to check it out.Now there were some plans of a campfire on the beach later in the nite.Me and Rathore got up and ready, and headed for the beach for the n th time for the day.The troppers were to follow us there.Or I guess they were ahead of us.
We finally did go to the famed Ganapatipule Temple.And I even managed to make some kind of a donation for 25 bucks..on the name of my dad obviously.Another walk on the beach with one of the fairer breed and sadly rathore too was a different experience.Had our dinner again at MTDC and were off for the beack party.It basically wasn't a weather meant for campfire...so I kept my distance from the fire. We had also arranged for Rathore 's guitar on the beach...but I guess both rathore's and my prowess with the guitar was rather disappointing for the audience..so they continued with there dumb C. took some long lazy walks in the knee deep sea on the beach...and soaked myself with the millions of stars in the sky. This is one experience I 'll remember forever.
At around 12.30 in the nite after some persuasive and heated discussions rathore and myself decieded against going to Ratnagiri the next day,Because we still had to cross the 350 odd kms to mumbai in one piece.
I was hell bent on leaving as early as possible, the initial plan being 5. But Rathore was a little cross with me for this and so he made sure that we left only by 6 .Turned out to be a wise decision.
Let me digress a little here to mention a little more about Mr. Rathore as a pillion specifically. Over the last 4 trips that I have had with this buddy of mine, he has turned out be an amazing and excellent companion sitting behind me. First and foremost I being an avid driving lover, hate to share the driving load with anyone.and Rathore too I guess loves being a pillion and has never shown any interest to actually drive. Secondly he trusts my driving a lot...and doesn't make much noise abt the same apart from some stray incidents where it was actually required.Thirdly he like me loves speeds...testimony to this is the fact that we top sped to 107 KMPH on the return leg. Infact on the clearer stretches of the road, if i happen to take it a little cool...he urges me to touch that 100 Kph once more, Or take over that Santro..and stuff like that. He has his own shortcomings too...he has not all that good as a navigator , because he isn't that keen an observer of the road as myself.In all a real dude to ride with...cheers to us Rathore.

Okay so let me get back on track...Started off at 6 on the meandering roads through the plains..we reached the junction of NH-17 and turned left for Mumbai. There was this early morning nip in the air...and also the Stars fuel tank was craving for fuel. Stopped and refuelled we opting for the non - inflammatory chai. that was close to 7.From here till the next stop at chiplun..we had a little dual with a pulsar, I must say the driver was skilled enough to match the 180cc pulsar of his to my 350cc giant.Hats off to him.Stole a hopeless burger at Chiplun. The roads were a little crowded now. but we still managed to blaze thorugh most of the towns en route. Infact I can easily say ..that this was the fastest leg over all my rides. Another stop in the midst of the ghat where we had to stop in our first leg because of our dozing off. Had some kanda bhaji and chai here.

Rode on...and it was getting hotter by the minute. Took a break for some cola s at arnd 11.We were some 100 odd kms from mumbai. Were forced into another break at Wai. Had a couple of life giving nimbu pani's with some local coolant put in them.
It was scorching by now, but our spirit of adventure was still at large...we turned left inplace of the usual right while entering Panvel in anticipation that we'll reach Palm beach road from there. Gross misjudgement because although the road was very good...it happened to be going in the wrong directions. After a couple of set of directions...we took a kuttcha road to finally reach the palm beach road albeit from the opposite side. This cost us 10 extra kms ...and a lot of energy due to the burning hot sun. But a lesson neverthless...and a new route definitely.Bought a bottle of chilled mineral water and coke enroute to Rathore's place.
This will be the last drive before the summers...and we have decieded to take a break now.Although a quick trip to Pune is still on the cards.

Dozed off finally with my burnt feet in a bucket of water and a glass of chilled cola in my
hand.

GP pule ...continued..

But as all questions have there answers...so did these ones.
We found a very good place called Morya Lodge(if i remember it correctly) and it offered pretty decent accomodations with luxuries like balcony as well.Once the place was all set, it was time to take that much fought for sleep...which had shown its true colors throught the drive.
Both myself and rathore simply migrated from this world of mortals for the next few hours.I being an ardent sunset fan wanted to grasp a view at GP pule too...but my body had some other plans.It was wandering in the void of my dreams when our dear sun was throwing its last lite.

Sunset gone..we finally woke up somewhere close to 7 or 7.30 in the evening.And pretty obviously the first thing that we thought off was food.and so it was time to hunt for the same. Started off rather candidly with some local chivda and moongfali...then on the beach we had some nariyal Pani(coconut water)...but there was no sign off , as rathore puts it,tan ko lagne wala khana. Battle weiry we decieded to take a break from the hunt...and found ourselfs some decent rocks by the sea for contemplating our future course of actions.

Here let me describe you the whole scene,its a full moon ,in front of us is the vast and endless expanse of the sea...we ourselves are on a stretch of a white sand beach...audience to the this great jugalbandi of nature. There is nothing more that I can express in words.It was mesmerising.
Not a place where anything could trouble you rite....wrong...we and rathore in particular has this magical ability of creating trouble out of thin air.His wallet probably wanted some fresh air too and Mr. Rathore the good human that he is...just let his wallet out in the fresh air and put it on the rocks, where we were sitting. Eventually our stomachs got the better of the surroundings and we decieded to continue with our hunt..also we needed to make a couple of fone calls. Now when it was time to pay for the same...dear Rathore thankfully discovered that he had let the wallet have a little too much air...and had forgot it on the rocks. Now here was a man with his a** on fire...and theres no other option left in such a position then to run and so he did...and later confirmed that those were the fastest few hundred meters of his life.Thankfully we weren't entirely out of luck..and found the wallet safe and sound...and can joke abt it now.

(Mis)Adventure done...we were looking for a place to eat..walked across the whole town and finally decieded to eat at the MTDC restaurant after a short break at our abode.Had a sumptuous whole hearted dinner...and it was time to go back to the beach. After a little wading(as rathore chose to name our walk on the beach) we found ourselves some more rocks to lie upon. Finally returned back to our abode at arnd 1 in the nite. the other tourists were supposed to join us sometime in the nite..till then we were just finalising onm our plans for the next day.We had found of a place called jaigarh fort in the vicinity..and although rathore and myself being such ardent critics of Shivaji Maharaj's forts..planned to have a look at this one too.
Early to rise was the motto...but yet again it was foiled when we woke up at almost 8 and came to know that our other tourists had some other plans.They wanted us to join them in their holi celebrations on the beach...rathore and me just looked at each other and smiled...Left our fellow troopers(thats what I am goin to call them from now on) to get ready and we headed straite for the beach.Went to our pet rock..and loused.Our troopers joined us there and we had some nasty fun in the sea.Definitely a unique way to celebrate our holi.Clicked some Dil Chahte hai style snaps...with me posing to eat the Stars keys in place of the fish that aamir khan disguised to eat and the likes.Had a quick break fast again at MTDC...and went back to our abode to change as we had got skin wet.and also to pick up some stuff.Till then the troopers too were back from the beach.
We parted ways with them and headed for Jaigarh.Jaigrah is some 33kms from Ganpatipule...the fort itself is not all too scenic from inside...but the view from its out posts is amazing....some branch of the sea makes its way to bottom of the port and adds to its beauty.Another incident..as rathore has mentioned somewhere in his prior posts in relation to the camera itself...I quote "the severity of the itch will be maximum at the part where it is difficult for your hand to reach"..and this time the place was impossible to reach by hand. Our camera role got over and there was nothing remotely similar to a camera role that could be bought in the vicinty. So we finally mourned on it by sitting on the entrance of the fort listening to some Kishore Kumar classics(thanks to my sony walkman).We have had a few glimpses of the sea enrout to the fort...and on our return we decieded to explore one such trail to the sea...and it turned out to be a treasure of sorts. In the backside of a small habitation almost sitting there like a kitchengarden was an untouched beach...just lied down in the sparkling clear waters of the sea with our backs to the sun. Thankfully we were short of camera roles...otherwise the censor board wud have come hard on us for this one.Reached back at our abode and to our surpsirse our troppers were taking a hike somewhere.Went and had our unch at MTDC...and were forced for a real looooooooooooong walk on the beach in the overhead sun.Another experience of sorts.Our troopers were finally back and with some confused plans for the evening we retreated to a deep slumber..

final part to follow...

GP pule....Part 1

This may seem like a devilish ploy but its one way to bring the proceedings to an end...Deep Purple @ the end of a wild concert.

And so is this travelogue...a devilish ploy.This adventure as all other prior ones had its own share of madness and magic.
So here I go...

I kicked off with a routine day to office on thursday...and was already packed to go to rathore 's place at Vashi directly from office. Picked up Rathore from his office somehwere between 8.30 and 9 dropped my bag at his place,and set off yet again for a little pre trip shopping. But it turned out a lot more than mere pre trip stuff that I shopped...imagine...I bought a cell phone...JLT.

Now the plan was to start as early as possible, because we were anticipating some 7 hrs of driving...to cross over the 350 kms to ganpatipule. Now what qualifies as early for any sane character...5...4.30...4....no,not for us mad characters. We dozed off late at arnd 1.30...but I can say for myself I effectively slept for just 1 hr...Thanks to those flying blood suckers...and part to the excitement of the trip..I was already up by 3..and to my surprise even rathore was awake. Now I was raring to go...but Rathore induced some sanity...and we finally were ready by 4.30 after a mast chai.

Kickstarted the Star to life...and just let it warm up.The trip meter was set to 0..and we were all set.That was 15 minutes to 5.After almost an hour of riding through the darknes and early morning(lateeee nite) chill...both of us were craving for the sunrise.Rathore more so..because he didn't have the warmth of the biker jacket that I was wearing. Topped up the Star at some 81 kms after start from a Reliance filling station.The sun was just rising in the east and the Stars headlites were still shining when we ripped through Magathane at almost 80 Kmph..Must definitely have woken up a few sleepy residents there.

The clean tarmac was helping my cause quiet a bit...as I quiet often touched 100kmph..and even managed to remain at that pace for some time.First stop was a little prior to Mahad after 157 kms of continious driving. topped up our stomachs this time with some Idli ,dosa's and the likes...and yeah...definitely some mast chai.Me opting for a coffee though. Started again after chilling out there for close to 45 minutes.

Now we had hardly gone 30 or so kms when we had to stop yet again on the middle of the ghat.Reasons are as starnge as they come....I dozed off ...while driving...not once but twice.And at the second one I actually spotted a chai wala when my eyes opened.Rathore too had dozed off more than a couple of times..so this was a welcome respite.
In the process we had already crossed over the left turn to m'baleshwar that we had taken the last time.And we were on uncharted territory now. There on it was ghats and more ghats...atleast 4 as per my count.But the road was a beauty....with its smooth twists and turns...and fading green and yellow trees all arnd. i never needed to slow down.
Next stop was 50 odd kms prior to Ganapatipule at a place before or after Sangameshwar.And the customary Bhurji Pav followed. Also there hadn't been any foto sessions...and the photographer in Rathore spotted a perfect spot behind the eating place to inagurate the foto shoot. Click click click click...the shutter snapped and the three of us were captured on film forever.
Rode on , it was somewhere close to 11 or 11.30 in the morning.Looking for rite turn to ganpatipule ,crossed another small ghat...and when the turn finally was there...we missed it..and went ahead...but not too...far because I soon realised...and a little inquiry confirmed my doubts.Turned back...and took a left turn instead of the actual right.
The surroundings changed drastically here....till now we had been through roads which had lots and lots of vegetation arnd...but this one ,SH106 was almost like in the middle of nowhere.Small hillocks and vast plain on both sides of the road...with the distinct red/orange konkan soil keeping company.
Reached finally at 1, but only after another round of poses infront of a milestone. Rathore later explained to me that, he had something going with these milestones...so he always made us pose infront of atleast one.
Now before we could drop of to sleep we first needed a place to do that.Also we needed to book room's for another grp of tourists...rathores roommates...and some frnds of frnds,who were supposed to join us there sometime in the night I guess.Now its already tuff to find a place to stay for just the 2 of us on a long weekend , imagine finding a place for all of 14 ppl.The prospect of a couple of nites on the beach were looming large on us yet again.We even checked out a tent on the Beach..offered by MTDC..by far the most lucrative option...was hopelessly available just for a day.
Question marks all around.... to be continued...

here we go again....!!

Thump Thump Thump....Such a sweet sound....blend it with some black tarmac beside the sea...and give it a couple of crazy but adventurous free spirits..
A perfectly heady cocktail...
So thats how its gonna be this weekend...this cocktail is gonna flow on the beaches of Ganpatipule and the likes...over a duration of 2 and 1/2 riding + static days.
Ganapatipule as the name rightly suggests is more a holy spot rather than being a party lovers paradise.But the free spirit requires peace and calm...and there is no better place in the vicinity(or atleast I think so...:-)
And at some 350 Kms from the bustling mumbai...it just could turn out to be a bikers paradise.

Cheers...to The Star, rathore and myself...and may we return with many a wild stories to tell!!

So,Here we go....Thump Thump Thump...!!!

Vela vows...

Its another vela day at office...with no work what so ever. I just wonder a little too frequently these days, that how does my company afford to carry me as an extra baggage for free.
Although the bagage doesn't care until it gets its salary credited on every 28th..but still...heres a hazard of a thinking baggage.

Anyways...there are so many things beyond (no) work in life....like having fun. And I sure know how to extract that to the fullest. Will flash back a little.
Weekend was totally inactive, with the exception of a cool movie in the evening on Saturday with Neha..and a time killing ,window shopping expedition with my cousin on Sunday. but there wasn't any exception in atleast one thing...the amount of money spent in the weekend was almost equal if not more to the amount of money I happen to spend on a happening riding weekend of mine. And it is all the more painful since I didn't do anything...sad ,real sad!!

Come monday....I was a little apprehensive on my work front with my new project not yet decieded....and me still waiting to get a confirmation on certain things that were pending. Uneventful . Tuesday was no better either to start with....but I didn't want to give it the very same sad ending as my other previous days. So called up Rathore. He wasn't feeling all that well that day...but I insisted , he said YES as usual and I was on my way to Vashi. Rathore still hadn't shifted gears to the wake up mode when I reached Vashi half an hour later...so I too decieded to laze a bit...started watching 'What women want'...real nice movie...and I definitely wud like to have Mel Gibson' s power to know what women are thinking...imagine...too good!!

Finally Mr. Khumbhakaran Rathore decieded to break his slumber and woke up to this world with a hungry stomach as always. As usual decieded to go to McD's..but not the easy way...we decieded to go all the way to Panvel..some 20 odd kms from there to put off our hungry stomachs. This is what is the definition of fun....thump arnd on the Star just for the heck of it.
Had a real refreshing drive...and the star left us craving for more... ended the day with a cool flick...'socha na tha'..I find the leading lady of this movie...Ayesha Takia kinda sweet. I had liked her in 'Dil maange More' as well.

Come Wednesday and after a non happening day at office...I was back to Vashi. And there we accidentally discovered a cool shopping place called Megamart...it has all the brands at a reduced price....and both of us just plundered the place...me buying a gab ,a biker jacket(Yes..finally!) and a couple of T- shirts. Rathore too dug in with a couple more T- shirts.
Yet again ate at the McD's albeit at the vashi one today after a visit to planet M.
Ended the day with looking for the highlights of Sehwag's heroics in todays session of the match and finally watching Lakshya and reading....

PS: Rathore's guitar is sounding perfect now...miraculously.

Lite at the end of the tunnel...

The title says it all...
After a brief stint of disgust...life seems to be throwing some sunshine for me.
Will like to cut paste something that a friend of mine sent me....pretty relevant I think...
here goes....I quote...

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they
were meant to be there...to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You neverknow who these people may be but you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that withoutovercoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by meansof luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved,straight, flat road to nowhere safe and comfortable but dull and utterlypointless. The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls thatyou experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can belearned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones.If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive thembecause they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again. Talk to people whom you have ever talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Holdyou head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.

"If you take your eyes off your goals, all you see is obstacles."

...the end.

Life definitely has its small lessons and they are spread everywhere...and at most points in our life we are so engrossed in the winning and losing part of it that we miss out on these subtlities.

This may sound like a loser s excuse to non competence, but its all about reading between the lines. For now I just hope to defy Metallica's famous lines "and it seems to be a soothing lite at the end of your tunnel...is just a freight train coming your way"
To hell with Optimism!!!

Cheers...

Rude Awakening

Its actually just a minor glitch in the otherwise peaceful and smooth life of mine, if you look at it from the higher plain. But deep down its something that has shaken me.
Yesterday I undertook a Client Interview...as in the client was trying to judge me if I was good enough to work on his project..and it so happened that he found me unfit for the same.
Simple ...rite? But I know what that actually means. He asked me certain basic questions about what I happen to boast off on my CV. I was visibly confused abt them ...and un convincing to myself while answering them. And I was still secretly hoping till yesterday that...I just mite clear the interview on my Luck. And it was really good of my lady luck to desert me on this....because it showed me my real standing as far as my professional credentials are concerned.
I am not a really ambitious person...and I am fairly happy when I am a little busy with some decent work. But I do believe and want my self to follow is that...whatever I do i do it the very best way that it can be done...and I guess i have failed myself on that.
Bottomline....study man study!!!

Drive On....Final Part

Next morning...that was the second day of the trip ,we had planned to get up and start at 9.But as usual there were further seen and unseen circumstances to handle...
Seen....that both me and Rathore feature in the creme de la creme when it comes to sleeping late. And Unforseen....that our attendant wanted to make a little dough out of feeding us a couple of precious plates of POHA(imagine a plate for 15 bucks)

Finally surpassing these...and after a cup of 'mast chai'...I warmed up The Star...for a long drive ahead. We had decieded to take a roundtrip to mumbai this time...as in...we reached Mahabaleshwar via the Mumbai-Goa NH-17...and were returning back to Mumbai on a different route which was via Pune, Lonavala...So the high level plan was simple ,to leave Panchgani by 12..and finally reach Mumbai(Vashi at Rathore's place) before Sundown.
We started off a little off time...but not too late....passed the scenic Vienna lake yet again on route to Panchgani.The road was a visual treat...with not so high mountains on one side and not so deep valleys on the other...we made a couple of stops ..one to click some snaps..and the other one to pick up some stuff like jams, gulkand..and certain others...but we skipped the supposed speciality of Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani..the strawberries.

Our target in Panchgani was the famed table top mountain..and as the namely rightly suggests its the top of a mountain but its flat.There were a lot of horse rides available....but we were on a horse of our own....so just took a slow drive through the dusty plateau...posed for a couple of stone Background snaps and headed back. I guess my dear frnd Rathore has some heart break story attached to some caves...so yet again he almost jumped from the Star on seeing the left turn to Rajapuri Caves. I obliged my frnd by turning left...but the obligation soon turned out to be headache....because the Caves were no where to be seen even after a good 5-6 kms of ride.And the road also wasn't all that good.Finally after crossing a couple of villages and a few wrong turns...we finally reached the end of the road in the village of Rajapuri...and the caves were a small trek from there.The caves turned out to be the holy abode of 'Bhagwaan Kartikeyan' the first son of Lord Shiv..and not some ancestor of our F1 man Narain K.
The ride back till Panchgani was all uphill...and the Star showed its raw power as we eased our way up.At the end of this offroad(almost) adventure...we three were under a blanket of dust....and our stomachs too were craving for some good food.So decieded to take care of both the things in one stop.After a small difference in opinion I exercised my rite as I was driving and dived into a good looking place called the Ravine.Rathore later agreed on my decision after seeing the place.freshened up and had a nice lunch there of Dal Tadka , Veg Pulav..and Omlette.
Finally left Panchgani at 2.Pune was some 100 odd kms from here.Decieded that we won't be making any further stops till Pune...and the road turned out to be a dream....first it was downhill from Panchgani...and then on it was a wide 4 lane road with sparse traffic....almost till Pune.I just let the Star rip...and touched the magical 100kph...many more times. We averaged close to 80 on that stretch...and within a little over an hour and a half...we were reckoning at the gates of Pune. But the fast drive did take its toll on our already mellowed rears.And we were visibly uncomfartable by the time we entered Pune.Had a life giving apple Milk shake on MG road ,Pune and headed straight for Lonavala...where my friend Shash was waiting for us.Had amazing cold coffee there...rathore opting to have a hot flavour of the same. Started from Lonavala at arnd 5..and entered vashi at 7 after a minor traffic jam.Headed straight for the foto developers shop and from there to McD's.By the time we reached rathore's place...we had done 550Kms of magical driving over the last couple of days.

The ride will be etched in our memories for the amazing roads that it offered us...throughout, the adventurous detours that we took, the spell bounding ghats that we overtook and offcourse the great time that the 3 of us had together.

With plans of our next trip already doing rounds in our hearts and mind..we closed this journey.

Cheers...