Nilgiri Ride

Just a simple ride report of my first ride of Nilgiris done this last weekend.

Was in mind for a long time but planned just a week ago.

Spoke to a very young friend of mine (just close to completing Golden Jubilee ) abt the ride and he readily agreed to accompany me on the ride. Was stunned.

Planned to route and timings and was scheduled to leave on Friday morning (which always obeys the Murphy law)
Finally it happened to be last Saturday when the D day arrived and we set out in my friend's Bolero Caper with his Giant Iguana Disc and my Bergamont commuter firmly secured in the rear using Bungee cords.
Had fitted a rear rack just a day earlier which really saved my back of the load needed for 3 day touring.
Tried smooth talking my friend so fit one for himself, but he was so assured of himself to ride with a 12 kilo backpack and a motorbike helmet! (Helmet was a goof up, he loaded the motorbike helmet in his jeep with early morning groggy eyes)

Drove comfortably till a little further ahead of Nanjangud where he had his ancestral home and we parked his camper, assembled the bikes, loaded the luggage and set off by 9.
One look at him would tell that he is the Megatron cyclist that I had imagined with that helmet and luggage!

The initial pace that he set from Nanjangud to Gundlupet made me wary of the day's destination.
We had planned to ride tough on Day 1 to reach Gudalur via Sulthan Bathery and Nelakottai. But why that circuitous road when a straighter NH is available via Bandipur.
Its zimble.... had made my mind to suffer more and ride more !
But we were still in Gundlupet at 11:30 and Gudalur was still 47 km away via the straighter road and 90 km away via the planned Bathery climb.
He was convinced that he could pull it through the dreadful Nelakottai climb.
So, we started riding against heavy headwinds to Bathery which happens to be steady climb from Gundlupet intercepted by minor descents.
Was surprised to see lush green forests in Bandipur and Muthanga even though the monsoon was yet to arrive there. I guess the pre monsoon showers have blessed them in bounty.
Reached Muthanga and had hearty veg meals in a road side shack. It was already 3 and was getting gloomy with overcast clouds.
My friend Tejas with his gladiator outfit and limited cycling practice was huffing and puffing even on flats and hence, it always happened that I had to wait for more than an hour in every stop to sync up with him.

Since, we bit the bullet to ride via Bathery, it became seemingly evident that we will end up riding in the dark.
I asked him if he wanted to call it quits in Bathery and ride the next day to Gudalur and extend the tour by a day but he assured me that he can pull it to Gudalur even if its middle in the night.
We couldn't even dream of riding Bathery to Ooty in a day with so much loaded biking, hence Gudalur was the only choice. My navigational instincts told me that there should be some vliiage roads which would bypass Bathery and lead us to Gudalur and Bingo, we found a shortcut from Muthanga leading us to Nambikolli via some fertile plains.
Rejoined the Bathery - Gudalur road and started the heavy 10 km climb to Paattavayal which is a elephant minefield even in the early evenings.
I reached Paattavayal by 5 or so and was waiting for him to reach but soon started getting nervous since an hour had passed and he could not be seen. Frantic queries with passing vehicles gave me an assurance that he is almost there and he finally laboured his way to the top by 6:15. It seems 2 motorcycle borne persons were killed by elephants on the ver road just 2 days ago which compounded my fears.
Relieved that he made it in one piece, it was time to unleash my precious Solarforce Cree Lights which simply lit up the tea estate roads
It was a dream riding in the dark nights on the ghat twisties under spotless skies with just me and my friend and no other vehicles on the road. Crazy it was.
Reached Gudalur after marathon 120 km uphill rides with unknown elevation conquered and crashed on the first available lodge..

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



Day 2 :
Holed up in an almost window less room and dark interiors meant that we got up by 8 and started rolling by 9:30.
The deadly climb to Ooty starts immediately after the signal and goes unrelenting for the first 20 kms. Surprised myself by hauling my heavy commuter with luggage within 2.5 hrs and waited a cool 3 hrs more for my friend to tag along...
The elevation drops the next couple of kms (TR Bazaar) only to go up for the next 5 kms. We took it easy from there on (was cursing myself for leaving him alone all the time to do the climb alone) and rode comfortably and ever so slowly to Pykara to break for Lunch.
Ooty is f*%ked up with tourists and resembles maggot infested rot. Didn't bother to stop anywhere and strolled into the town a whole 6 hrs later than I had hoped to do..
Nevertheless, my first climb done.. not done to the best of my efforts.... will cherish it....

Checked in YHAI hostel & celebrated the climb with lots of "Child Bear" and again zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 3 :
Victory ride !!!
Rode out of Ooty on a cool Monday morning with people still not out on the roads and wanted to end the descent as fast as possible so Kalhatti it was.....
Glided comfortably till 28th hairpin only to be intercepted by a pair of wild boars.. dint want any panga with them. waited till they carted away from the road and then strolled along.
Broke for Breakfast at Masinagudi and reached Mudumalai / Bandipur border in no time.
Got informed that the elephants were found wandering on the road and dint want to risk ourselves on their way. Took a wise decision to haul the bikes on a truck and just couple of kms down the road, were confronted by couple of these seemingly gentle giants having a good time by the road side.
Justtt misssssssssss...

Got down midway to Nanjangud, put our bikes back in jeep and reached Bangalore to a chaotic welcome(traffic and rains).


All in all, a very very memorable my first mini TFN and sure many more to follow this year

Pics here : https://picasaweb.google.com/jumjumkhoya/MyFirstNilgiriRide#

and Ciaooooo...

White Horse

So, my hunt for a good commuter started sometime in Feb when I felt I need to give my faithful ride for 6 years Hercules Ultima.. a well deserved rest. Not that it was intended to be scrapped or given away, but I felt I could do much longer commutes and weekend rides with lesser effort than compared to the older one.
Since used to rising a heavy, steel bike for so long, my inclination was again towards a tough bike, weight dint matter for me.

Instinctively liked the Konas for their battle tank build. I loved both Kona Dew Plus and Kona Smoke for their ability to act tough. Had ridden Balu's Smoke and loved the feel of it. Searched in many shops Bangalore (even in Pune), however due to lack of availability for such an extended period, patience started to wane after a futile wait of more than 2 months. In the mean time, a friend of mine pointed me to a friend of his.. and friend of his.. ohh.. finally spoke to the entrepreneur named Aswin Apte in Pune who imported Bergamont cycles.
He suggested me to have look at Bergamont Transmit http://www.bergamont.de/cms/de/02__bikes/cross_bikes/detail/transmit/version/rahmen/1 (which he felt would suit my kind of riding)
I knew that Bergamonts made good MTBs but was wary of their performance on 700c segment. And to make things worse, the forums and the net gave no reviews on most of the models they sell.

But what the heck, I liked the looks, liked the geometry and the specs and instantly booked for one.
Got confirmed that he had a 52 cm frame in stock in Pune (He had got a lot of 25 cycles from Germany), paid him in full even without the slightest knowledge on that bike and got it delivered at home in 3 days flat.

The boxing was impressive, which was very easy to read (All German !!), the front wheel was neatly packed to the left of the frame, the handle bar was tied to the right of the frame (with the wiring in place) and the wellgo pedals were neatly boxed in a separate container with some additional bolts.
Ripped off all the protective coverings and was able to get it up and running in 20-25 mins time.
The front and RD had to be tuned ever so slightly, which needed abt half an hour or so.

During the course of my hunt, i had tried the Trek 7.1, Trek 7100, Merida Crossway, but this guy felt more assured than others.The frame is 6061 alloy, the downward tube is pretty fat compared to others. The top tube doesn't slope much towards the saddle which is OK with me. The paint finish is really good. Can feel the quality in it. The white color of the bike seems unique and stands out from the crowd.

Found that the Rigida double walled rims pretty tough to handle the bad roads around my home, could simply cruise over the potholes thanks to the 700c rims and the fat 622*40 tires. Tried a few wheelies to test the impact.
The website said Schwalbes would be the stock tires but I got "Trax" tires of the same specs. Anyway, nothing to regret about these tires. It grips well and rolling resistance is manageable for such a fat tire.

Lets not discuss much about the Gears since the Shimano Alivio RD's performance is pretty well known to many. The RD shifting is slick and its more than apt for me for now. However the basic Shimano SIS FD feels cheap, the shifting is quite irritant and is not eager to shift to the bigger cranks unlike the Deores. I am planning to replace the gear train assembly to Deore / Deore XT in the future (may be 5k kms down the line), since I feel that's the weakest component (quality wise) in the entire assembly.


Talking of the other components, most of the other visible components in the cycle (Stem, SeatPost, Saddle, Handlebar) are made of Tattoo Brand which I later found that they are Bergamont Subsidiaries. I am not able to comment much on them coz, except the Saddle, all others are static components and their worth can be justified only on impact or severe crash.
The saddle contour is quite good, feels quite good to stand 100 km ride days. (I may replace the saddle if I get hold on Brooks B17 some how).
The 550 - 600 kms that I have rode over the past 12 days or so, I have found the bike more assuring than some of the peers under the same category (This is just my view, I am no expert in saying Pros / Cons about any brand).


I have cruised close to 45 kmph on certain flat stretches, and the bike goes whoooosh. Simply flying my "White Horse" :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/muralidharan.ramamurthy/WhiteHorse#

Kodachadri

Myself, Karthik and my bro Ravi underwent this experience this last weekend which is not just any other trek which comes our way..
Day 1 started with the trail from Nittur to Kodachadri through Marakuttaka-Yemmehonda - Hidlumane falls and culminated at the summit where we pitched the tent and had a glorious evening with several like minded trekkers braving the rain and the cold. The fact we were able to light up a bonfire in such moist conditions and that we could make super duper lemon tea not just for us but for most on the hill shows our perseverance.

Hidlumane Falls:

Day 2 : We started running down the hill to Valur and realized that this trek should not end such tamely at 11 in the morning.
Hired a guide (the most important and best decision of the day) and we trekked to a dream land of a forest which we used to drool about.
Perils are impertinent as this is a Leach haven. Suckers were found in our legs, thighs, limbs etc in thousands over the period of the next 7 hours or so in which we skidded, rolled, fell , hurt our body with a single objective of reaching the pinnacle of the Mookambika WLS named Arishinagundi falls.
En route, we had ample opportunities to wash away the dirt and our skins on our own sweet non-descreptive pool with a pretty waterfalls.






The way we came out simply busted up after a 38 km saga thorough one of the brilliant forests what we have are blessed to have in our very own Karnataka.

We thought about this trek and aptly named it "TH Trek" a.k.a Thika Hariyo Trek.. Sorry, I don't apologize for the profanities 'coz we feel its worth THAT.


Best left to be explored by themselves who feel intrigued to know about this place..else keep dreaming on it
Pics here

A refreshing ride

Rode after a 4 month hiatus , a rather impromptu ride.

Was always fascinated / intrigued with the North Dharmapuri hills a.k.a Kenneth Anderson's homeland and a monday holiday compounded the enthu.. Thought abt the ride at 11 and myself and my bro left home 15 min later under the burning sun..

Reached Denkanikottai in no time and negotiated my way to Ayyur through tiny winding village roads and fantastic grass land and rolling hills landscapes.

Soon after crossing Ayyur, the topography suddenly transforms to dense jungle past the Ayyur forest check post. Long winding ghat roads leads to the pristine forest top plateau of Bethamugalalam. This village is situated at an altitude of abt 4000 ft above sea level, hence was very cool.


Inquiries with the local villagers soon led to me to a fantastic off roader that I dream t for a long long time.. A 10 km fundoo dirt track with numerous hair pins, steep slopes, crazy precipices leading to the only village ant the end of the trail - Kodekerai...




This village is the base for the trail to Gutherayan Peak located in the dense jungles abutting the Kaveri's northern / eastern banks.
This peak at 1390 m is the highest peak in Dharma puri and supposed to have beautiful views of the surrounding hills and towns as far as Dharmapuri, Hosur, Mettur Dam, Kaveri, BR Hills etc.

Thought couldn't trek to Gutherayan coz of lack of time, made it a point to return to this new found love as soon as I can.

Returned back to Ayyur and proceeded to my next unexplored area.. The Panjapalli dam.

Proceeded from Ayyur via Hosalli, Thippasandra villages to the Panjapalli Dam site :

Situated 20 km to the west of Rayakottai and Marandahalli, this 7 km long dam feeds the downs and villages of Dharmapuri dist. Amazingly the dam was full and provides idyllic settings for a good afternoon siesta.

Returned back home by 6:30 evening via Rayakottai, Kelamangalam, Mathigiri, TVS, Athibele.

A very refreshing 250km ride that I enjoyed the most.

Pics here...

Did u miss your train?

7:45 PM, steady hum of countless idling engines reverberating the Trinity Circle, haplessly waiting for the roads to be cleared of insanity. Stuck amidst this chaos is a young girl who has to catch her 8 PM train to Bombay. Her anxiety is very obvious in her face as she is stuck in that very place for 20 min. She asks her rickshawala, by when can he drop to the city station knowing that its humanely impossible to reach the station by the time the train would chug on. He gives her a wry smile indicating that how silly had been her request.

So, her mind clock begins ticking and the compass points to Plan B. Lets catch the train at Cantonment station as that is quite nearer to the place she was stuck and that she could bypass the traffic, she goads the driver to change the usual route and instructs him to lead her to the other destination, which obliges after a slight grumble. He brings in his expert traffic negotiating skills and maneuvers his way to cantonment. He drops her off in the lobby and she scampers to the platform just to see that the train has chugged off from that station too.

The tears are visible in her eyes, that she couldn't catch the train, that she couldn't meet her papa and mama whom she was about to meet after a long time.

She cursed her bad luck that had caught in her and made her to miss her train.

U might question her that its her foolishness to leave home so late to catch the train knowingly that Bangalorean traffic is notorious in the peak hours. Had u asked her , she would have sobbingly replied that she anticipated the traffic and left earlier by an hour than usual, but she dint anticipate more than usual traffic caused by a political VIP who had to be home with his wife after a trip to delhi and that he wished he remained inert to this traffic scene. Her auto was held up in that place just to make way better for that VIP.

U might feel sorry for her, might even offer condolences, finally U would ask what happened to her. The surprising fact that she made it to Bombay the next day same time!!!

Had she sat at Cantonment whining that she lost her train, wouldn't have led her anywhere. But Sanity prevailed in her mind and the compass pointed to Plan C. She immediately boarded an auto, went to a private travels and boarded a bus to Bombay the same day, a touch later though.

She made it to Bombay, no doubt.. but a touch later and without the satisfaction of enjoying the chitter chatter of urchins in the effervescent second class compartment, nor the crispy chikki, delicious vada pavs or the hot tea at the pune station.

The point is .... she made it.

But, U may ask whats so special in this episode. It happens to every common man in the streets.

Yeah true, it is applicable to every common man missing his train, but more applicable if we correlate his missed train to our missed ambitions in life.

So many of us have nurtured many dreams in our childhood. I wanted to become a CA once i grew up. When I met an opposition to that plan, my engineering mind made me wanting to become an electronics engineer. But that sad feeling that I couldn't become a CA was always in the back of my mind and that hampered my preparations to CET. This lack of focus made me get an inferior rank which obviously resulted in me taking up mechanical engineering. All against my interests but yet it happened. Okay i downplayed my ambitions and started loving my subject. In fact I really loved that subject and wanted to go further in the same subject. Wanted to study further, but owing to family compulsions (inevitabilities rather) i had to look out of for a job and finally ended up in this IT industry. Now I am working as a Software Programmer making tons of code which pleases my boss and my client. But what has become of me??? an aspiring CA educated in the engineering of other interests working in IT of God knows what interests..

Am I happy for what I have made of myself? I am sure this would have happened in countless such lives where people have subdued their yearns and still cribbing.

The point is.. how long should U crib, and why should u crib? Do we life of an eternity where our life is dependent and solely dependent on our interests alone. Even stones which seem eternal are crushed down to boulders and sands.

A guy or girl who is love torn often end up becoming devdas or end up in the posters.

Some proceed further and get married to other person other than their interests. Think of the pain the counterpart would experience when they would be expecting the love of their life.

A guy or girl who has lost his job often end up venting their angers and frustrations on their near and dear ones which further divides them apart which ends up ruining an entire family.

Don't we think we need to move on in our lives at-least for the sake of our brethren. Wont one bitter pill cure a bloody headache. Dont we need to think of the long term interests and successes that are sure shot present in our path ahead.

A love torn ass whose positive and looks ahead of the present crisis in his life might end up getting an adoring partner. A dejected pink slip holder, if his crisis is properly nurtured might end up getting a job being more focussed in his future interviews or even become a good self dependent business man with right opportunities in track.

The key think we need to keep in mind is that what ever transient set backs we face in life , this beautiful life will present us a myriad of opportunities for us to make us of it. All we need is a positive thinking heart and mind which wishes to succeed further.

Opportunities are always in present, we need to make an attempt to recognize the potential opportunities and grasp with fullest effort. That my IT life is feeding me and my life itself is an opportunity that life has given me. I might not be charmed by it now, but sure it will surely keep me and my family happy in the longer run.

Some people might argue that career setbacks are different from emotional setbacks and not to equate them. But isn't emotion and career ambitions arise from the same heart. hence both have the same emotional quotient to it. Dont we think learning to move ahead of the setback and grasp the next opportunity is the key? The fact that the girl thought of the bus as her opportunity made her successful in reaching her destination.

Did u miss your train anytime? How u reached your destination?

Lead India

So, we have another soap in the making.. "Lead India".
All set for the TRP ratings to shoot up for the mother channel.. People swearing by their kids that their kids n kin's life are hung on a few mobile voted souls.. Wowwww....
Arguably the much hyped event in last years television history competing with super sizzling dance shows blaring out in almost all video graphic mediums, made moolah for innumerable adv houses and even roadside giant hoardings. People felt happy that something interesting is happening..

And it happened, weeks after weeks people debated left and right, north vs south, god vs Satan and what not.. finally the pyramid was carefully "chosen" by the "intellectual" souls who began eliminating candidates one by one, based on what stakes (to be read as vision) laid out by them for the upliftment of billions of Indians, finally culminating with the "Clash of Titans" a grey haired wiser man vs a bespectacled guru. The promises oops.. vision were drilled into the people's hearts that "Ohh yeah.. All hail our new Neta.. oops Leader".
So the people had their chosen one.. our real Netas endorsing these enlightened souls that they will rub their shoulders with the chosen ones and would reshape India's destiny.
Okay done...We got two endorsed Titans supposed to help us. LeadIndia 2008 was a success..

Then....
In a months time, as prominent a human's memory is.. first that vision blurred from peoples eyes, those names vanished from memories.
Peoples life returned to normalcy after withstanding that giant surge of anticipation, roads grew potholes, pipes developed holes, fatter and deeper pockets to concerned people, gutters nurture seepage, utter disrespect for "stick no bills", color blindness for the traffic lights, blatant ignorance for our taxes to be paid honorably, neta prachaar for a corruption free samaj started..
BACK TO NORMAL.. what India is...

What happened to them?
I donno..
Might be they attended couple of seminars enlightening people with their plans for our future.
Some scholarships..???
A few benefits??
Went back to their daily chores working for their families bread.

What happened to their vision? Definitely in records readily available in cds and tapes, but is it the place it is suppose to languish? What should the endorsers do with the vision? Dont we think the onus is on their part to nurture wither these selected ones into our leaders so that they can represent us or atleast take these vision forward in their own asses if they want to save theirs.. I bet they could....

Some "legacy" persona come up with some out of the way thinking like giving away 1 crore laptops at throw away price to our younger generation to be awakened to lead India. Woww!!! He must be Bill Gates ^ n to be so generous to give away at such prices else must be looting our own money right under our noses. We are fully aware of this, yet we don't speak of it. Some of his peers who too know this obvious fact yet dare to comment on it, they do only when they feel it DOES any good to their own clan.

Unfortunately even these people fall under the same bloody system which governs the mind and soul or every other Neta.

Its a pity that this system runs our country rather than the people themselves who were voted for the purpose. Our own vote became vetoed!!!!

So, agreed.. we are living with a system which is governing us. If we are ready to be subdued by a system let it be... but let it be a constructive and progressive one. For a certain period of time, lets put our country ahead of our personal goals and try to build such system. Why do u think socialism and communism is still prevalent when people round the world are going ga ga over democracy. I am sure we have our some of our own neighbors reaping the benefits of such a system.

Why is this relaxed nature that we have? Why do u think we need to be taken for a ride each and every time. We are fully aware that THIS IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN but why should go hand in hand with it? Please dont mistake me if I am venting here.. coz iI believe its not just my frustration..

Coming to the question..
Do u think we need such a chosen leader for an Indian tradition and culture which has been developed and cared by pantheons of great kings, sages and visionaries who have made our tradition so called INDIA a mesmerizing opinion for the world. Do we need a such a leader when our own history could guide us in the right direction. Why not manu smruthi, kavi raja marga , tirukkural or any other beacons lead us a judicious, hard working, country loving, honest life.

If we still feel that our minds are in deep shit and yet needs some one else to lead us through the troubled times that we bestowed upon ourselves. Why should one ape others when he can look within himself our the knowledge, vision that has been passed to us by our forefathers for millenniums which were profound even before the third or the second world bore its existence.

A leader always rises when he is exposed. People may say that person is a born leader but nobody gives a damn if he is not noticed. Leaders need to be noticed and nurtured.

If we still need that we need a good leader, then please formulate the plan such that it reaches out to everyone and at least let it cause a flutter in everyone’s heart.
That leader may not change the common man, at least let it give him an awareness that something beneficial is happening around him.

So coming to the question that’s pondering in front of our eyes...

Do we need a leader?
Do we need a leader in human form or else..
How do we choose a leader?
What should we expect from a leader?

What bare qualities do we expect from a leader?
What do u think the real worth of such Leadership programs to be..
Should the media houses only make super moolah or even people be benefited.

At least I want a proper LEAD INDIA not a heavy dumb "LEAD" (Scientific Plumbum ) India.

Care a few words, please put in your thoughts.
Plan to lambast me.. I am all ears, coz I might be outright wrong too..:)

6, Ballygunj Place

For a change, a culinary blog.

For a foodholic like me, the mere mention of a cuisine, delicacy,dish would open the sluicegates of jollus and keep me hooked on to it ruining me the current interests too.When it crosses the threshold, what else to do than to dash to your fav joint.One such surge happened last saturday which resulted in me cutting accross Indiranagar in search of a Bengali restaurant.

The restaurant is aptly named to induce the curiosty for a travel frek like me.. "No6/ Ballygunj Place".Located on 12 th main Indiranagar above the Cafe Coffee Day, its run on the first floor of what looks like a home. The interiors are well annointed and the staff courteous too.The menu was handed to us what looked like a mamoth relic straight out of Paris Louvre Museum which is pursued by our good ol' Tom Hanks.The beauty of it was the names were impregnable to my 28 yr old vocabulary. But some names were more understandable as they were some prominent landmarks in Kolkota like Salt Lake, Elgin street, Chowringee Lane etc..

Started stretching my mouth vertically instead of horizontally to pronounce them, which caught the attention of a gentle mannered waiter who put me at ease.Nyways, i decided am not going to eat it (I meant the menu book daammmmit). Started with Aamchor Sorbot, a thick juice made of Dried Mangos and pepper.Its tangy , spicy... instanteously made me to humm umm mmmmmmmm.It went well with Manchow Chop, a cutlet like starter served with tamarind sauce laced with poppy seeds and fengreek. A tangy combo.
The main course was entirely greek and latin, our helplessness was clearly visible in mine and Aparna's eyes which were eager for any assistance to help us understand what it meant.The waiter again came to our rescue and based on our preferences, we settled for Bengali Dum Aaloo with Peas and 2 kinds of puris, one a luchi with peas paste sandwiched in between and the other Radhaballavi, a batoora like puri the size of a dinner plate !
We ordered for Shoktoni, a dish teeming with lots of vegetables cooked in Cocunut milk, which looks and tastes similar to Keralite veg stew.
The combi was heavenly and the rest of the gravy was gulped down with plain bengali steamed rice.
I could listen to lot of wahs wahs and mcch mcch from NV guys who were having a battle between hand and mouth munching on lamb, chikken, kitten, mutton..and tons and tons...
I recommend this place for any food lover whose looking out for change of taste from his mundane gulpers.
Avg Price: 500for 2 (Veggie).