Friday, March 20, 2009
Did u miss your train?
Monday, March 16, 2009
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....
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.
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 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..:)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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).
Off to Pondicherry
This was a quite anticipated ride not for the fact that i was going to pondicherry but that i was donning (to be interpreted as flaunting) my new ride gear.All set and kicked off at 4:15 sharp with my new Fieldsheet apollo pants and joe rocket gloves.
Within 10-20 min of the ride, the benifits of a proper ride gear became evident, the vibrations were isolated off my palms and wrists, the gauntlet made sure that wind dint gush into the jacket sleeves and my knees felt more secure within the armour.Its better to buy a riding gloves which is slightly tighter coz they tend to stretch upon usage. Initially the little finger was cramped for space but not now anymore. Perfect ingridients for lesser tiredness resulting in longer unbroken rides.
Hosur-Krishnagiri went in a flash and was in no mood to stop, tackled bad roads and reached chengamby 7:20. 190 KM in 180 min.. not bad for a slow moving fully loaded 350CI chugger.Had sumptous early dinner and hit the roads by 8. Enquired the locals abt the road conditions of Tiruvannamalai - Tirukkovilur stretch.Hitherto nightmarish even by bus standards,I used to travel by bus on this route and not even once i could take a peaceful nap for 5 mins.But now it is transformed to a real beauty. smooth glider for 35 km without a single hump or a ditch. Completed in 20 min flat :)Took a left towards Cuddalore cut through the Trichy highway and reached Cuddalore via Banrutti.This route is in good shape compared to Dindivanam - Pondy route and 25 km shorter too. I couldnt believe my eyes when i did Bangalore - Cuddalore in 5.5 hrs flat.Reached my friend Shan's home and had good time talking to his parents and rounded up the day.
Got up the next morning lazily coz of a sore ass after riding 325 KM with only one break. packed up and left to Pondy.The intent of visiting Aurobindo Ashram on that very saturday coincided with the Mother's birthday. The entire complex was a frothing sea of humanity. Faith, help, kindness was all pervasive. Sat quietly in the ashram remembring those good ol times with my friend, we used to sit at the very place where i was sitting alone.
After an hour, faded away from pondy towards ECR on the ever enchanting ECR. Ride to chennai was a breeze intercepted by a roadside beach break.
Trust me, Chennai traffic sucks nowadys ala Bangalore. It took me more than an hour to negotiate through south chennai to central which used to consume less than half an hour couple of years ago.And theso called pleasant weather made me gunning down to my aunts house at frantic pace, the rest of the day was the next day morning was spent on family commitments.
Left chennai by 2 in the afternoon and reached bangalore by 9 surviving the chennai chillness and a brief stopover at chittoor.The roads after entering karnataka at mulbagal is undergoing road expansion all the way to bangalore, a bit uneasy for night ride, but will nbecome a beauty in the coming months.Riding time 5.5 hrs
Overall a satisfying and a fast ride by my standards.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Raid de Western Ghats
A trip that was overdue for one year materialised over 2 days!
Riders : Murali riding his Skud (electra 4s) and Pratheef : Full time pillion.
My cousin Pradeep a.k.a Anand and my bro Ravi on Pradeep's Plastic P 150 :D
April 4, 2008 - Day 1 : Left Bangalore Sat morning at 4:30 am sharp, early morning truck traffic encountered till Nelamangala.
Easy casual riding averaging 80 through out made us reach Dharmasthala by 11 AM
Shiradi ghat roads is 60% redone. the rest 40% makes up for a offroading/ dirt track experience.
Nevertheless, u can reach mangalore faster than through charmadi ghats even at this state.
Had darshan and lunch and left at 11:45 towards Udupi.
Day 1 ki samaapthi, 527 KM clocked.
Day 2 : Got up early at 5 AM, had another round of darshan and hit the road by 7:30,
one hell of a ripping session through one of the most amazing forest ghat roads to agumbe.
Route : Kollur - Vandse - Haladi - Someshwar. We hit 73 KM in 75 KM flat on narrow single lane roads swaying up and down, left and right through the thickest of the jungles in South Canara.
Climbed up Someshwara Ghat and got a panoramic view of the ghats at Agumbe. Continued further to shringeri. Had darshan of Sri Sharadamba and now we had two options of reaching Horanadu.
1. via Balehonnur - Kalasa
2. Kudremukh - Kalasa , though a touch longer.
Kudremukh is easily one of the best locales in Karnataka whose views are unsurpassable. As we ascend towards Kudremukh, the air gets chiller and the mountains greener. Once on the top, u are engulfed with flowing grassland top mountains crisscrossed by thich jungles. The tarmac is sexy, that u can take leaning sweeps at 80s. Not even a single pothole, kudos to the NH maintainance folks.
Now Kudremukh is a ghost town after the KIOCL shut down after ravaging the mountains for decades. I heard that the Guest House is still functional for which we can reserve to stay.
I think we SBers need to plan a ride there once.
Continued further to Horanadu to make our reverence to Sri Annapurneshwari.Had sumptous tasty food at the temple and hit the return leg of the journey to Bangalore.
Tiil this point there was not a single hint of rain, but crossing Kottigerehara, we were suddenly enveloped with such dark clouds ala Lord of the rings settings.
We switched gears, ripped hard to reach home by 12 midnight ass busted!!!
2 Days :
Ghat roads : ~ 450KM
Total : 1070 KM
Unlimited charging after riding the ghats!!!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Ride 2 Mantralaya
Here's a brief account of my Exodus to mantralaya.
I had decided to go to Dharmasthala the last saturday (alone) catch some fresh air & enthu.However my better half had some other plans, spontaneously came up with Mantralaya as the Destination and that she would be the pillion!!!
Hmm, sounded good to me and preparations were done on friday evening .. everything except the bike.Suddenly remembered that the chain was rattling and that its death was imminent.The sprocket teeth was worse than my grannys (just kiddin)However i remembered it a tad too late and 10:30 in the night and i am about to leave at 5 AM the next day.
Just got a bout of strong nerve, decided that let the hell (or chain) break loose, i am getting along with the ride.
Accordingly, got up at bang 3:30 had a hot bath, packed my saddle bags and started at 5:20 AM.
The ride was mundane till we entered Chikkaballapur, damn those 6-lane highways.. no fun.. just keep a rigid accelerator at 90 kmph.Reached Bagepally in no time by 7:10 AM.
KM done : 110
After Chikkaballapur, u get to see the real indian Highways (2-Lane) where the oncoming lorries will literally put you off the road when they are overtkaing another lorry / bus.Need to be very cautious in that highway as it is not too wide.
Had an excellent black top road all the way till Penukonda.Had a breakfast at the only manageable hotel in the town and swiftly road on to Anantpur reached at 9:15KM Done : 235
The unforgiving heat started to show its true colours once we crossed Anantpur. Gooty came and went in a flash and we headed towards Adoni.Its really admirable in Andhra that even the state highways are well maintained and are of top class.Hats off the ChandraBabu Naidu era. He has made sure that even the remotest areas of the state has good roads connectivity.
The real Rayalaseema unfolds after crossing Gooty, flat barren lands, black soil and hot rocky hillocks in the Brown Black Due only to be torn into 2 halves by a dream road.Riding through the virtual desert like conditions, the mind is at atmost peace not worrying abt anything, it helps to scratch the inner souls.
Did I mention that I hadn't cared to rectify my bull's chain before leaving.Ohh yeah, it started to create a menace only we crossed Aspiri. The chain started a deathly rattle which incessantly kept threatening to rip off the sprocket.Stopped at the next immed mechanic shop and got to tighten the chain only to get the shock that the mechanic condemned the bike not to last more than 10 KM uproad
Damn......
Anyway, no other way to go except to carry on forward we reached Adoni only to find our hopes shattered that no Bullet's spares are available in the radius of 100 KM!!
Only possibilites are Kurnool / Bellary.
PS : Bulleteers planning to do this stretch are fore warned to carry enough spares like spare tube, spark plug, clutch - brake cable etc
What to do now.. Its 12:30 in the afternoon, my butt's baked in the heat and wandering aimplessly on the roads.Just prayed once to God and decided .. to Hell with the chain. we are going ahead come what may...
We progressed at a steady 60 KMPH without reducing the acceleration at any time for the fear of the chain ripping off the sprocket.By the holy grace we reached Mantralaya at 1:30
Route : Bangalore- Chikaballapur - Anantpur - Gooty - Adoni - Yemmiganur - Mantralaya
KM - 405
Got ourselves a very decent room adjacent to the temple and hit the bed only to wake at 4 well in time for the darshan.Had an excellent darshan, roamed aimlessly on the town streets before the sleep beckoned us.
Next day morning , again had a good darshan and started off at 7:30.Had an uneventful, calm and serene ride all the way till Bangalore as I couldnt speed up more than 60 KMPH. Atleast my wife is happy that here back ain't hurting of the smooth 60 ride.
Total : 810 KM
Anyway, a satisfying ride for me, a new experience for her, a breather of a life for my bull.