Indian Music on Wheels

For people who frequent India, or are Indians, this may sound familiar. But for the first timers, who think they need to visit here, I'm damn sure they would be annoyed. And why not? Afterall, it is those people who know the fact that India is a multi-cultural country. They have different types of cultures and heritage. From Tansen to Rahman, India has had some really great music composers. We have also had aspirants like Anu Malik, who succeed at first but fail when they're caught. But it is not limited to just composers. Even the type of music and dance is varied. From Carnatic to Hindustani classical, to devotional and soft music, each language has its own explicit collection which can really add to your collection.

From the Bangalore front though, the most recent addition have been a huge number of instrumental artistes. Yes, the people who use their automobiles. Honking is the in thing and people have their own skills which are all worth it in different occasions. Like the soft songs of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi or Carnatic of Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. But again, everyone has their own speciality.

While driving on the roads here, people have the tendency to express their emotions at times, while at many others, the vehicle itself tries to express the emotions. Lets say, for example, a college boy was gifted his first bike ride on his father's bike. He expresses the joy of convincing his dad for a ride, by honking at all empty stretches and any other wrong places. Or, a mechanic is trying out the new 1000W home-theater effect he just managed to setup and equalize on a customer's car. So, the mechanic will always be looking for a favor. Hence, he would blare out the horn and ensure that the customer is deaf for atleast the rest of his life.

Now, when a vehicle gets emotional, this is what would happen::

Scenario 1: The vehicle has idled for 172 seconds on a traffic signal which would be of a 180 second duration. In Bangalore, the timer LED starts blinking when there is 8 or less seconds remaining for "Lift Off". This is not for people to start their engines, because they dont know how to shut it off. But it is for the vehicles from the second row and further behind to actuate their horn. Yeah! This is a real booster for the first row guys to jump the signal with just 1 seconds. And many would also be proud when the cops hand them the trophy just after the signal jump.

Scenario 2: The vehicle has again idled for over 400 seconds at a railway level crossing, which would be closed for atleast 15-20 minutes, which is stretchable by another 10-15 minutes if the railway motorman and the guy at the gates are from the same home-town. The vehicle is already concerned that it cannot churn out the mileage, which the humans have already delegated to the ECU. Next, the carbon foot-print is also too high. So, even as the train passes by and the gates are halfway up, the war is on at the first layer of automobiles on either side. While this is so, the troops behind motivate the ones at the frontier by incessantly honking. This is again, a vehicle emotion and I wouldn't blame the humans.

I just see a few remedial steps for this:

1. Driving schools should have an All-time horn like All-time 4WD. This would help a few things. One, people would know that the car has a big red "L". Second, the student would get so irritated of horns, that he/she wont use the horns. And also, since they dont learn how to honk, they wont know where the switch of the horn is in their cars. Finally, there wont be damage to any kind of civilization, as all of them would make way to incessant honking.

2. Every time the driver honks, the brake pedal should actuate. That way, by banging the head against the steering almost thrice a second, people would realize it is safer for all to brake than honk.

Well, if my suggestions were to be considered, why would I be blogging this? I would be riding back seat on a car with a red beacon light and asking my driver to honk his way to the fore.

Muthodi - A Travelogue

Well, it was that time of my life where I needed a dose of nature to get back to my human senses and recollect that I was born a human being and not a Computer Engineer. So, I gathered out another 3 such non-humans to go on this trip. This time, the location was Muthodi.

When - 14th - 16th May 2010.

Who - Balu, Raj, Mohan and Me.

How - My own Scorpio

Total expenses - 2000/- per head

Accommodation - Forest department guest house, Muthodi Range, Bhadra Wildlife Division, Chikmagalur.

Route : Bangalore - Kunigal - Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur - Mallandur - Muthodi (Total distance of ~300 Kms one way)

Roads : Totally tarred, barring small stretches which are still motorable in even a Formula1 car.

Day - 1: Friday 14h May. Even as we planned a whole week in advance, there was always a sign that God had sent (although through India Post) that things are going to be a little twisted and off plan. And GOD is right. Confused? Well, I had sent a booking letter with my own name and address on the letter and all Balu had to do was get a demand-draft for 2400/- for the accommodation (2 tents for 2 days, each with 2 people), and send that along with the printed letter. He instead put my name against his home address, assuming that I've started living in the same house. When we planned we thought we will start just before 12. So we started eating at 11:40. We all in our gang know that eating is a pretty detailed phenomenon and we wont take anything less than 40 minutes. So, we left at 1:15 and started off towards Kunigal. 20 minutes later, Balu realises that he has forgotten the booking/reservation letter at home. So there is action replay at 2:15. The reservation letter said your reservation wont be yours after 5 PM that day. So, we had to call up the DCF office and, like true Bangaloreans, had to lie saying that we were stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours inside Bangalore and hence, would reach by 7 PM. Thankfully, he agreed. The rest part of the drive as almost uneventful. We stopped at Chikmagalur to top-up fuel, since we didnt know what the rest of our trip had in store. There, I asked a policeman for the route. He guided us to go through Mallandur. I asked him how good were the roads. He said it is doable. I showed him my car and asked him, will this go? He said not only this even Buses will go. Did he mean to say that my car is more manouverable than a Bus? Or was it that my vehicle is awful than a bus? Anyways, The roads go through some really scenic stretches with coffee plantations on either one or both sides. But beware. Though the roads would invite you to do a good 40-50 Kmph speeds, it is too narrow for 2 vehicles to squeeze through and hence you will need to drive at a sane speeds that a cyclist would do. 20 Kmph would be nice. The reason I say this is because there are timber trucks that ply these roads and if you see one of these animals charging at you, you will need to reverse up until you find a drainage where you can park your car until the phenomenon passes by. Because, they are overloaded and stopping the truck would mean trouble, for both of you. He cant take off again and you wont have any where to go.
Finally, we reached the gates of the forest range and a drunken watchman opens the gates for us. Watch out for a board which diverts to the right to take you to Sigekhan guest house. This is 3 kilometers of sheer off-roading and you will need a good ground clearance to keep from scraping. Go straight and the roads have been recently reparied. The only thing missing on the roads is tarmac. But the roads are level enough and there are enough loose stones and stone-powder, just in case you want to practice Lagori. The guest house has a parking lot on one side of the road and a bunch of guest-houses, dormitories 2 tents, and staff quarters on another. All this is looked after by a Deity that sits right at the gates. "Om Namo Ganeshaya". It was precisely 7 PM when we reached there. We were given 2 tents loaded with enough beds+cots, hangars, running water, electricity and other exotic insects. We have a very decent dinner and settle down as the electricity is pretty automatic (turns on at 6 PM, turns off at 11 PM).

Day - 2: Saturday 15th May. We wake up to the calls of what is presumably a road-romeo of birds. Such impeccable whistle, I just wish our local road-romeos dont learn. Or all of them will end up with a slipper trade-mark on their face. We have a nice time seeing our beautiful surrounding. Huge trees which are a playground to the Giant Malabar Squirrel, the Grey Langur and the Bonnet Macaque, surrounded our tents. There were also some beautiful daffodils and other exquisite flowers, which threw open a door of opportunities for photography, which we promptly exploited. Then, we walked down to the stream which looked peaceful, but at the same time, was pretty unclean with little water flowing. Then was the time for another meal, the breakfast. We were served with pulao which tasted like it was prepared with raw-rice. Anyways, we had to eat just because we had agreed to pay him Rs. 20/- for his efforts of keeping the rice as raw as possible. And also that his wife was looking at us as if she would banish us from the guest house if we didnt finish. We got ready by bathing in freezing waters flowing out of the tap marked "HOT" (since the tap marked "COLD" was literally frozen cold), screaming happily for every mug if water that we poured on ourselves. We left for Mullayyanagiri which was a good 30+ kilometers away, continuing in the path that we took the previous day to reach the guest house. The path started well, but seemed like a video game, becoming narrower with each passing kilometer, as if to go to the next difficulty level. After the neighboring town, the path is well tarred. This left me wondering if the steam-roller used there was air-lifted to the peak and rolled down in neutral across the roads. The gradients were pretty big. At one spot, we saw a big landscape and wanted to snap a few pictures. The silence was such that we actually heard the growls of some big cat (tiger or leopard) some miles away. Poor thing, tried to growl twice and scare the humans there. But the humans are no bad. They used their guns, which could make louder growls. I just hope that they only growled and didn't maul the poor cat with their guns. Remember that we have only 1411 (-6 or -7) tiger left with us. We continued on our journey and reached Mullayyanagiri by 11:45 AM.

DEVIATIONS TO NOTE: The roads are pretty obvious except for at 2 points. Except there, take the wider roads as the other ones would generally lead you to some private estate. But at one point, you have a huge fork (one going sharp left, upwards and another going easy right, downwards). At this stage, we tossed a coin and since we didnt care about heads or tails, we chose to turn left. It was the right decision. Be careful to turn right at this spot while returning also, lest you forget. Again, we end up joining a bigger road at one point. You can fairly realise that at this point, you are in the middle of a massive valley, mountain range on either side (one you arrived from, and one you think you will be going). At this point, if you continue in the same direction, you will surely reach other famous places, Datta Peetha/Baba-Budan hills and Kemmangundi. Turn sharp right (again, the gradient goes upwards). Drive for about 7-8 kilometers. You will see a small building, which the poor locals trust to be a police check-post. Notice that there is a Karnataka Tourism board (yellow color) saying that Mullayyanagiri is 7 kilometers to your right. Turn right and you will reach the foot-hills soon. There are some paths there which tempt you to trek. Trek at your own risk since there is no "Other End" of those hills where you can "Safely" get off. My friends had to jump off 7 Feet (the lowest place possible) to avoid walking back for a good long distance.

Mullayanagiri is around a 150 steps walk up to reach to the temple on top of the HIGHEST PEAK OF KARNATAKA. It lies at 1930m (6330 ft.) above sea level. We leave at around 1 PM and decide we have enough time to visit Baba Budan hills. Locals say it is wise to ask for "Datta Peetha" if you are asking for directions instead of "Baba Budan" since it could instigate political parties. How much of it is true, is not something I know of. You will go back in the same direction you came from and continue further until you pass a small, apparently man-made, falls. Once beyond that, you will have a deviation, one going extreme right, and one going right just after this turn. Take the extreme right. If you go on the outer turn, you will end up in Kemmangundi, after around 30 Kms. From this turn, Datta Peetha is around 7 Kms. As of now, since the cave "caved" in, you wont be able to go down and pay a visit to the tomb of the saint there. We had another BAD lunch here. The only things that tasted good here were the Omelettes and water. Anything else was meant only for locals and cows. But holy Cow!! We are not locals!! Anyways, we did show "COWLY" meekness while we finished whatever we had paid for. Yes, it is pay and eat. Next stop we visited manikyadhare. This is supposed to be the water falls where the water falls in the form of pearls. But, this time of the year had it like a leaking tap. Locals here say that if you get drenched in the falls, you need to leave your clothes there. But neither did we carry extra clothes, nor are we Hrithiks or Salmans. So we decided to take a pass. We returned back to the guest house by around 6 PM, right on time to enjoy the sunset anthem by the locals. I meant the birds, not the people. We noticed one happy thing. We get mobile connectivity only for BSNL, 4 kms away from the camp. So, we remained sane, and away from the technology. We told the local guy that we want to be the first folks to go on the Safari in the morning and went to bed. For some reason, the electricity went off at 10 PM this time. Maybe it missed the time-zone part on the "Time".

Day -3: Sunday 16th May. Finally, we woke up. Earlier than planned. This time we were up by 5:45 AM. We left for the safari after brushing our teeth. Afterall, we didnt want the animals to start their day with a foul-mouthed Human being. We chose to go in our own transport and leave the noisy tin-box from the forest department for those who were proud of going offroading and not for a safari. We paid 350/- for the vehicle and 40/- per head. We were assigned a guide. He took us through the same paths that other jeeps would do, but did promise us that he is taking us in a special path. We only realised it when the Department Safari jeep came rumbling down the roads behind us when we were almost done with the ride. As usual, the department folks said "Your vehicle wont do our terrain". Afterall, they had customised it to make money. But unfortunately, Mahindra has customised the Scorpio to take on anyone's terrain. We did get to see a big bunch of Indian Gaur (bison), the Barking deer, the Red spotted deer, peacocks, elephant dung, bee-hives and some other excellent flora. We also saw the place where the tigers have its meal. Afterall, the forest-department officials are know all. They also were kind enough to show us the dining table, the bedroom etc. of the tigers there. And to know it all, the tigers have a lake-view suite. Well, since we were in the middle of the forest, we had to agree that the tigers will ALWAYS come there with the bait everyday. They had also named the lake as "huli-kere". Which translates to "huli -> Tiger" and "kere -> lake". Read it as "who-lee ;; care-ray". I know, it sounds more like a Chinese whisper from the Karate Text Book. We also saw a 404 year old Teak tree. Amazing thing is they have a name for each path inside the sanctuary, and they can even remember them. We returned to the guest house . We were right on time. Because just as we landed, the skies opened up as if to remind us that we have not had a bath for almost 24 hours. Of all the 3 people, 2 leeches chose to attack Balu. One after the other, at the same spot. Well, lucky him. We were served with Pongal and chutney. This was mostly the tastiest of all the meals we had here. Partly because we were too hungry and partly because it was served straight from the cooking vessel. Finally, it was time to return. We started our journey back at around 12 Noon. We reached Hassan in 90 minutes flat. We stopped at Shri Krishna Deluxe for lunch. We had a power lunch (18 minutes flat). Mohan dropped off from there. And we had another of the laziest drives back. We had a coffee break at Mayura near the Adi Chunchanagiri mutt. And Bangalore had one of the nastiest welcomes in store for us. By the look of what we were doing, I had assumptions that I would reach home by 5:30 PM. But, Bangalore welcomed with one of the nastiest, windiest rains of all times. Visibility was really too horrible. And there it was, a Traffic Jam. This time due to a Tree which decided to lean over a bus for some time. I somehow dropped off my friends, picked up my wife and reached home by 7:30 PM. That was JUST 2 hours late, considering the traffic jam, the rains and all the trips I made before heading homewards.

So, that is the trip. Whew!! That was some excitement. Keeping that on mind, I am back to being a computer engineer and leaving my human self on the outskirts of Bangalore. For some more time now.

Paapdi Chaat

For those of you who know what this is, skip straight to the section which says "More". Of course, at home, if I say "More", I usually get a tumbler full of white milky thingy which is enough to keep your tummy like a water tanker for the rest of the session. In any other context, it would be a "Butter-milk" that is known as "more" in Tamil.

Paapdi chat is a tea-time snack, which is prepared by mini chips, topped with mashed potatoes, like the cream in a cream-biscuit, except that it is not sandwiched on the open side. Now, 6 such open flakes are placed in a plate before being lavishly covered by a sheet of the sour "more". If you cannot comprehend that phrase, please read the last phrase as Yoghurt/Curd. This is then sprayed with a variety of garnishing, which generally only looks in different colors, but adds the same taste. What next? Eat till the last drop of Yoghurt is finished.

Coming to the TRUE MORE. If you can say what is more in this thread on the snack, here is what. We from India have a host of people who are true to their locale. i.e., people who like to eat things that they want. For example, you can imagine what kind of people would eat a Pumpkin or a drumstick or even for that matter, eggs. But when it comes to snack, the art of customizing the food is also something where you can earn a masters. Some also managed to get the doctors. This is really a six-sigma precision game and hence, you will need to experiment this for a good long time on yourself. And you still carry a chance of flopping your own experiments, because TATA salt is more salty than Annapurna is.

Artists first have to carefully calculate that around 3.90 ml of the Sweet is to be accompanied if the curd is 2 days old. If you been having a phobia about diabetes, you can instead add 0.25 ml of Green chilli sauce extra. This is by rule additional to what has already been added. Then you get the garnishing and or topping. Sometimes, you can even add onions and tomatoes, which the Vendor can buy, chop and serve you if you are his good acquaintance. Once the customization is done, you start eating with multiple other dumb customers, who dont have this art, stare at you in disgust about wasting their only time.

But this art is not like paintings or embroidery where the art, whether good or messed, is permanent. The only way around in paintings or embroidery it is either by changing the canvas or not change at all, although embroidery can sometimes invite a lot of flak and sometimes even the (National Commission for Women) NCW taking out a procession embroidered in silk better than you could, in an attempt to TEACH you a lesson or two.

People do have the uncanny knack of rectifying their assessments and go back to defaults many times during their session at the plate, and then, by careful calculation, tend to re-assess the situation and finally, get the LAST spoon to suite their taste. But they would've reached a saturation point by then due to eating 3 additional plates in the process of default-custom-default-custom moves. And finally, the bill.

Vendor: "Fifteen rupees Sir ..." with a moment of calculation pause (15x1 has got to be 15).

Artist: "Just three days ago I saw your board and thought you are cheap at twelve. I came here today and you already have hiked the price"

Vendor: "The neighboring vendor said that you are coming, hence this"

Artist: "What do you mean?" (Confused and proud at the same time).

Vendor: "I meant, you were the sole citizen who voted for the current Government from our lane, hence you are responsible for the price hike.... "

Artist: "@!#@#$!@$" (Although silently assuming it is his art that was being praised)...

My Rides : Trip V; Kodaikanal

Where: Kodaikanal, TN, India
Total Distance: 1000 Kms Approx. (500 Kms one way)

Vehicles: 1 Hero Honda CBZ (2002 Model) and 1 Bajaj Pulsar (2004 Model)

Total Expenditure: Rs. 8000 (Rs. 2000 Per Head)

Travel Duration: Thursday "Noon" 13th Oct to Monday 17th Oct "Early Hours"

Route Map: Onwards: Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri-Salem-Namakkal-Dindigul-Kodai
Return: Kodai-Palani-Coimbattore-Saty-Chamrajanagar-Maddur-Bangalore

Travel Team: 4 Members

Pilots: Nitin S. Bharadwaj (Me), Retesh Gowda, Sumanth G., Harish Kumar G.R.

Tour Diary:

Thursday: Rain, cloud and gloom. This was the situation on a Holiday for Dussera. And our plan was on this very lethargic day. My pals were all set to roll by 1. But by the time the Pooja formalities are all over at home, I'm ready only by 2 PM. I'm the only one to have had a sumptuous lunch. The others are yet to eat. We reach Hosur by around 3:30 PM. It is still raining and we, being quite experienced in long, wet rides, are in our usual wet gear. A Track Pant, a thick Jacket, shoes and gloves with all 4 of us wearing helmets. The one smart thought we gave was, 2 helmets with dark visor and 2 helmets with light visor for appropriate riding conditions. At Hosur, the Lunch is taken and we start munching up mile after mile. In no time, we are near Krishnagiri where the beautiful roads wind through some really scenic hills, and that seemed to be enhanced with the misty formation upon them. Once at Dharmapuri, the sun slowly seemed to come out and tell... "I'm logging off now, CU Tomorrow!!". The roads worsened and with around about 70 Kms still to go to Salem, we are left at a Dhaba. Then again it starts raining and the worst part is the decent 4 lane highway has no paint on dividers, no road-edge markers and no white stripes. The road being jet black, my bikes' Headlamps+Fog lamps were not of much use. I, being cautious as not to ride too fast into pot holes, made sure I'm driving slow. We end up in Salem at 9. We manage to get a couple of decent Hotel rooms quite economically.

Friday: We leave Salem early, thinking that we will cover as much as possible in as little time. we stop for breakfast at Namakkal. By the time we have breakfast, the weather has changed from mild to harsh. The Sun is beating down upon us and we had not seen such a bright sun for weeks together literally. It started to steam underneath our jackets. Typically Tamil Nadu. When we reach Karur, some mind blowing roadways want us to snap some pictures of ourselves. In the riding gear, on those (not-so)mean machines. Just off Karur By-Pass is one of those Indian Oil Fuel Stations. There are almost all facilities here with an adjoining Dhaba and Premium fuels. Here, I suspect a puncture in my front wheel as it was nearly flat. I take my bike to a nearby local mechanic. He checks the whole tube but then concludes the trouble is with the valve-pin. We take 2 litres of Maaza. Retesh and I finish 1 whole bottle while the other 2, unexpectedly order for 2 full cups of tea (Which was 2 full water-tumblers of tea. Too much to drink under the scorching sun). Then, we head off towards Dindigul. The road seemed to be never ending under the burning Sun. It was a nearly frustrating run with the decently smooth roads flanked by dry land on either side and no one else to accompany us. we reach Dindigul and seemingly Retesh and Harish are both exhausted. Sumanth being a product of TN, was as healthy as ever. About me? I work out to be active in that sort of weather. So, I was fit and fine. I suggested that we all drink a couple of tender -coconuts to rejuvinate ourselves. We reached Kodai road by 3 PM. No lunch as such for us. The ghat roads were quite exhilarating and a downhill waterstream made us stop for some refreshing wash up and some pics. We reached Kodaikanal by 4:30 PM. The people in Kodai seemed a lot friendly and showed decent hospitality. For that matter, even Policemen were worth being respected. At the entrance, we stopped for tea and really hot Bondas. 30 Rupees of expenditure was really worth. We found a HUGE cottage to live in. A 7-Bed one with wooden floor and in a descending portion of the hill station. We settled there with some beverages.

Saturday: We start off going around Kodai. We enjoy all the scenics. All the view points, the lakes, Guna Cave (which got its name from Kamal Hassan's movie Guna). We also went boating and cycling there. Yes, you do get cycles for rent there. No safety deposit required. Make sure you don't cycle away too far. You may end up struggling to push your cycle back also. 'Coz some gradients here are literally more than 45 Degrees. Too steep. We came back to a Food World there, did some shopping for biscuits, chocolates, cool-drinks and went back. We settled in the cold night, expecting to be leaving early on Sunday morning, by around 7 AM and make a marathon Run back to Bangalore. Suggestions fly around to go through the Ooty route. I say it would be difficult for me as I've to reach office by Monday 10 AM at least.

Sunday: Morning, as usual, our plan flops. We leave the room by 9 AM. We shop for local home-made chocolates and reach the entrance of Kodai by around 10:30 PM after some superb photo sessions. We decide not to go via Dindigul-Namakkal-Salem route again. Being a little more adventurous, we chose the not-so famous Palani route which is a little narrow and broken at parts. Upon reaching Palani, the weather change is more than evident. We top up our fuel tanks and leave for Coimbatore. The roads are simply superb. Though these roads were only 2-lanes wide, the sparse traffic made things look almost as though they were too wide. And one more thing was that the straight nature of these roads with the dry look on either side meant that it looked like a never-ending story of riding for us. We kept going on and on, but the miles never seemed to end.

Anyways, we make it to Coimbatore at 3 PM. It is really hot. And the cops are really infuriating us in that slow moving traffic by telling that Bangalore is still way too far to cover by evening. Anyways, we come to know that the rough figure still stands at around 350 KMs. This infuses fresh physical waves into all of us. But the mind is already getting ready to switch off. I mean, we have already done like 300 Kms. We start riding towards Satyamangalam. It is around about 5:30 PM when we cross Satyamangalam and start off the highly in-famous 9 Kms hill section with 27 Hairpin bends. These hills are infested with native tribals and loads of wildlife. And it is already starting to get dark. I take over from Harish who is relatively in-experienced in these conditions. We happen to see peacocks, wild-boars. Thank God, no elephants/cheetahs as the boards around there boldly highlighted. Anyways, we also see a couple of tribals with their tiger-claw necklaces, deer-skin clothing and those typically well built muscles.

We stop at a restaurant after the treacherous hill-roads. It is already dark and hardly any vehicle around these streets. I'm done with light snacks. But the other 3 take it easy and we miss a bus which could probably have led us upto Mysore. So, as always, we start off and reach Chamrajnagar all on our own. Thanks to the Fog-Lamps and some experience we have, we reach the TN-Karnataka border. The cops at the gate check us and let us through. Now, a bit of Humor. Harish asks me if we are in Karnataka yet. Just as I was to reply to him, the roads answer him in a rather rude manner. Yes of course, a huge pot-hole welcomes us to Karnataka. Anyways, we had to make a choice of whether we go to Mysore and from there to Bangalore, or try to go to Malavalli, Maddur and join the Mysore-Bangalore highway. As our luck had it, we chose the odd 2nd option. As usual, Worst roads. Sloshy due to rain and poorly lit. And the time being close to midnight, with nearly 14 hours of riding on our record already, everyone is beginning to feel the heat in the... you know where!! Finally, we reach Maddur by 12:30. If we had taken the Mysore road, we should've been in Bangalore by this time. Anyways we reach Bangalore by 3 AM or so. All these people drop me off at my house and I give Harish my bike so he can reach home safely.

Now, this was the whole trip. I have a strange feeling that all of us enjoyed this thoroughly. Maybe, you've felt in my position and enjoyed this exhilarating experience with me as I come to the end of this post.

Try This Music: Turn The Page (Metallica)

Wierd Me...

Hi All, This is just another of those wierd tags by, yours truly, Akshay. And of course, its been long time since I got tagged by this chap. But I think this gives me another reason to start blogging again. Here go the 6 wierd things about me:

A) I hate listening to Himmesh's voice but still have almost all the songs sung by him and keep listening to it quite often

B) I'm a Systems Programmer but still involve a lot in researching automobiles

C) I'd like to work at odd hours and odd days even if I know it will go unnoticed

D) I hate to work when my manager is around but he is my guide

E) I want decent north Indian Lunch/Dinner in Tirupati

F) I still keep track of CET counselling status even if I'm done with it 5 years ago!!

I pass this tag on to Vasu.

Try This Song: Jhalak Dikhlaja (Aksar, Himmesh) :P

World'd cutest prayer

My Photographic Skills

Yeah! Yeah!! I know it has been a long time since I am here. This post is inspired by Akshay's BIRDIE post. But I think that it is worth really putting up some of those pics which I have at the moment which could be called breathtaking.

1. This is an action snap! Car going through a narrow Gorge. No! This is not WRC and nothing faster than 20 Kmph.

2. Agumbe! Karnataka's Scenic Pride.

3. A Cute Fella Posing for My Cam.

4. A Hibiscus, Just for you!

Well, I think I've put up all but Birdies here :D. Anyways, just visit this page when you feel stressed. Oh! And BTW, These pics are all low quality as the hosting site reduced it to below 1MB each.

Try This Song: Flying In a Blue Dream (Joe Satriani)

The Window

A Great note for all to read. It will take just 37 Seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

Try This: Zindagi Ke Safar Mein (Aap Ki Kasam, Kishore Kumar)

The Twenty-something...

A time in everyone's life. People call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.

What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.

One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion.....

Try This Song: I'm 16 going on 17 (Sound of Music)

Marketing Tips and Concepts

Professor was explaining marketing concepts:

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich.Marry me!"
That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich.Marry him."
That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say "Hi,I'm very rich.Marry me."
That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink.You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich.Will you marry me?"
That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich.."
That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.You go up to her and say, "I'm rich.Marry me" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's Customer Feedback !!!!!

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband.
That's Demand and supply gap.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" she turns her face towards you ------------ she is your wife !
That's competition eating into your market share.

Welcome 2006!!!

At last, we are in 2006. Hope this year is a lot brighter than 2005. I am, in this post, putting up a few good welcomes for me in 2006. I think, so far I have been enjoying this New Year.

Let me start off with a Pic of Agumbe:

First good thing about 2006. My cousin who was in the US, Akshay, is back to Bangy. It was quite some time since I saw him and this was quite a relief. I am out of College, working and he is visiting me.

Second good news. Intel has a lot of movement going on. This strange hustle has landed me a new deal. And guess what, I have one of those managers whom I've been knowing since early 2005. While many a things around me are changing, now after the whole drama, it looks like I am firmly holding station. Atleast for now. And I get to work in LINUX. My Favorite news of the Year!!!!

Thirdly, I happened to have a very badly needed break in 6 months now during New Year's eve. I was on a really fascinating drive to Mangalore-Manipal-Agumbe. And I think Manipal is a very happening place like Bangalore. But hey, discount all the technology there. Don't even think about comparing Bangy freaks with Manipal medics. They're no where. No good audio systems on cars, no good eat-outs, no dust/pollution like Bangy and more-over, nothing so IT oriented. I'd say Manipal is worth a week's vacation at the max.

Next off, I will get to eat some good food, thanks to Akshay. He is a good food freak. He has promised me some good food while he is here. And more-over, I'll get to eat his engagement food. Yeah!! Thatz right. He's getting engaged.

Finally, Looks like I'm back to my good old blogging days. Well!! I'm sorry but Bangy had put me into so much of concerns with its rotting weather that I had totally forgotten blogging. Nowadays, Bangy is no good either. The cold SUCKS!! Or rather BITES!!! But it is a lot better off now. At least it is DRY!!

So, Enjoy 2006. Happy and Prosperous New Year to You All...

Listen to This: Aagumbeyaa...Premasanjaya (Dr. Rajkumar)

DOOM!! One month of horror....

Bangalore. The one city which has been like a getaway for people who suffered different types of natural fury. Now, under the rule of our new CM, it has been a disaster. The main cause of all this? One month of continued torrential rain. Headlights on at 4 PM, crowded bus stations, crowded service stations, frantic phone calls pouring into BMP authorities and 87mm of rainfall was what Bangalore experienced on 25th Oct '05.

Well, Torrential rain? Don't be surprised with this phrase. Torrential rains are supposed to occur around the Brazil and other tropical countries like that right? I am having a very strange feeling that I can confirm what some geologists said after the Tsunami that the earth has changed its inclination. WEll, yes, maybe bangalore is now exposed to that region. Maybe thats the cause of all the low pressure regions and depressions.

Yesterday (25th Oct' 05) has been a day in Bangy, quite similar to 9/11 situations. As usual, the BMP, Fire personnel and other rescue teams were under prepared. Water all over the place. WE could see cars stalling anywhere and everywhere. Bikers had the toughest time. Roads collapsing, let alone the buildings. Low lying areas are grid-locked in water.

Our New CM is one real piece of crap. There no more exist any roads in Bangalore. Well, maybe a handful still exist!! :o. Shocking but true. MGs, Brigades and Airport road are some to name some. All other roads are ever growing grave-yards. Poor lighting, poor drainage and inadequate planning all add up to citizens' woes. MEG, RAF and other Army services have been called upon.

Now, the climax of this whole movie is yet to be expected. Touch-wood, there are no epidemic outbursts as of now. But this is the one major sword hanging above the heads of all of us (Bangy's citizens). One corner of our mind says that its OK and we will be safe once it stops raining. But even as I am wrapping up this post, concerns are rising high and the atmosphere is more than tense. When I started this post, it was sunny and bright, bringing hope to all of us. Now it is dark, like the twilight hour!!. The met dept. also has strange confidence in their prediction that this sorta weather will continue for another couple of days at least.

Will keep you all Bangy folks outta there updated with another post in the next few days.

Todays Song: Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhen (Kishore Kumar)

Tag Time Again.....

Tag 23.5: The 23 Post in my Blog; Select the 5th Sentence and put it out here:

Even more shocking is the indifference of some of the city policemen who shrug away complaints from women

Before you wonder what

1. Delve into your blog archive
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to)
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to)
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions
5. Tag five people to do the same

People tagged for this: Vasu, Kishore, Retesh, Ragya, Mental

Try This Song: Zindagi Ek Safar (Safar, Kishore Kumar)

Good Old Days...A Flashback

This post is about all the discussions I had with my friends over the past 2 days. A discussion about how we are oriented so much to automobiles, though I am a System Administrator. And the credit of this particular post goes to Akshay's blog post of the day.

Ever since I am born, I am a person genuinely very fond of automobiles, strangely fascinated about the technology and drive fed into them by man.

Late 80's to Early 90's:

Keep drawing or trying to draw whatever I happened to see on road.

1991-92:

Start playing around with cycle/moped tyres. That was a trend. Amazing game. Take a stick for all guiding forces (Turning, Accelaration, Braking)

1992-94:

Push around a cycle as I didn't know how to ride one. The scene looks like a pet animal running with its master :P

1994-97:

Street-Hawk is the most gripping series of all times and really instigates me to drive similarly. I learn riding a moped and I try one street-hawk stunt and face the ground. The roads taste blood from the left half of my body.

1997-98:

First ride on a geared vehicle. The Bajaj 4S champion owned by my dad. The beginning of a new revolution. The racing era.

1998:

Psychological aversion to the moped. I happen to fall off a moped and consequently, co-incidentally though I fall sick with Jaundice, followed by Chicken Pox. That fall meant I never again touch the moped (at least till now).

2002:

The racing era gains momentum with a more powerful Hero Honda -CBZ

2004:

The worst yet stunning ever endurance ride. This may sound like foolishness, but our trip to Shirdi was accomplished in 62 hours, which includes 12 hours of rest at Shirdi. 2000 odd Kms. in 50 Hours!!! :o

Early 2005:

I have started off on one of the dream projects in automobiles line. My favorite. I just hope that this project clicks. This project has been in my minds for quite some time now. I expect that to be realised by 8 years down the lane

Late 2005:

Beginning of a four wheeler era. 2 Fast 2 Furious gets real into me. I now own what was once a real sport car on Indian roads, a Maruti Zen.

Driving in India..A Crash Course

For all of you who want to visit India and dare driving here, this blog is all about driving India. Read very carefully and if you feel like laughing, laugh before you take the wheel!!

Indian road rules operate within the domain of Karma (Do ur best and leave the rest to the insurance company) Some of the tips/ hints are as follows:

Left or Right?? - Answer is "BOTH". Start from left if the left lane is free. Then move right if right is free. This is more like chess...move to the next free spot on the road. Only trust your instincts

Pedestrians - Dont stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fools want to cross the road. You'll easily be bumped at the back. Pedestrians are strictly instructed to cross the road only when traffic is slow moving.

Horns - Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We honk to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust. Sometimes to mobilize a cow dozing in the middle of the road.

Night Driving - An Exhilarating experience. U will never know which drivers are loaded. What looks like a premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull into the adjoining field till the phenomenon passes. Our roads don't have shoulders. Boulders? Yes of course. Blinking headlights expecting reciprocation is sheer stupidity. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, with a peg of arrack at the last stop. His cerebral functions could all add up to a little more than naught

Truckies - James Bonds of India (License to kill). A single powerful beam of light six feet above the ground... Not a super bike. Instead a truck with only one light on. Usually the left one. Dont get too close to investigate. Your point may only be proved "Posthumously". Of course, this is only at night. During days, trucks are more visible. Except that the drivers wont pass any signals. Only at times the cleaner projects his hand and waves frantically, to beat the heat.
Occasionally you may see what appears to be a UFO with blinking colored lights and wierd sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy piligrims singing Bhajans. They go at break-neck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often succesfully.

Autos - Collision b/w automobiles and rickshaws (Auto Rickshaw). The triangular vehicle runs on ext. combustion engine. Fuel - Mix of Kerosene and Creosote. IT can carry iron rods, gas cylinders or even passengers. After calculations, children are folded and packed into these autos until some in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all around. These drivers follow rules depicted in the movie BEN HUR and are licensed to irritate.

Mopeds - Oil Tin on wheels and make noise like an electric shaver. They run 30 miles on a Tea spoon of petrol and travel on break bottom speed. As the sides of the roads are too rugged, these drivers always drive in the middle of the road at a max speed of 20 Kmph. They are often "mopped" off the road by bigger, heavier vehicles.

One final aspect that could be added apart from other normal occurances like Leaning tower of passes (people hanging outta buses by 3 passenger widths) and one ways, is the speed breaker technology; one per two houses. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and left untarred for the authorities to identify easily, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.

After reading all this, if you still want to learn driving in India, you are welcome from 8 PM to 11 AM, when the cops have gone home, to enjoy the "Freedom of Speed".

Try This Music - Aaja meri gaadi mein bhait jaa

One more Krazee Tag - from Akshay

I don't know how things go on from now on. All I have to do, is be creative enuf in writing a Luv story in 55 words. I haven't considered a's and I's as a word.

So, here goes.... Presenting the shortest love story (55 words):
-----------------------------------------------------------

A skinny punk always observed only women in his shop. He didn't match neither's height nor build, quite opposite to his!!

So, he let his parents choose his bride. But his parents were to choose a similar girl well known to them.

Once she met him and smiled lovingly. He fell in love and married her.

Hmmm... now, I pass this on to Vasu, Kishore. Lets c if anyone else is intersted in picking the tag on their own...

Try This Muzik: Mai Shaayar to Nahee (Mohd. Rafi)

I'm a Superior Nerd!!!!

I just picked this one up from Akshay's blog. Could've been a little more better though. Anyways, it was a good TP. Well, you can also go ahead and try and beat me. This is really disappointing that I am almost a supreme 'NERD'... :-o

Try This Song: Last Resort (Papa Roach)

Ashes for the Brits!!

After 16 long years of strangle hold on the coveted Ashes, it is now high time that the Aussies humbly pass it on to the English. It may have been some time now for me since I stopped following the whole game of Cricket. But this news has brought some fresh life into the Cricketing world.

Now, you may be wondering how the English managed to recover from 34/1 in their second innings with just 6 runs lead to start off with. Thank the Aussies who dropped (yes. Thats no typo) Pieterson who mercilessly punished them for their drops by scoring all the way upto 158. Thanks to that, even though Pieterson was the eighth man out, England had amassed 335 for the Aussies to get further over-confident.

The World Champions who came down to bat, only to go down 4/0 before they accepted an offer of bad-light and hence the historic, long awaited defeat. Now, England has the Ashes just for them.

Try This Song: No Leaf Clover (Metallica)

Tenaliram's Wit......

The following is one of those incidents involving Tenaliram and Raja Krishnadevaraya where-in the undisputed winner was obviously Tenaliram.

The Sage:

Once the village where Tenaliram lived had a severe drought. There was no water left even for drinking. During this period, when the drought was at its peak, a Sage arrived in the village by-chance from elsewhere. As the sage entered the village, the villagers experienced sudden torrential rains. By default, the villagers thanked the sage for his superstitious entry into the village.

At this, Tenaliram went up to the sage and said, "Sage, please, hope you know about the old date tree...". In return, the sage just smiled. The other villagers present there were quite perplexed. One of them asked Tenaliram, "Dear Tenaliram, we couldn't comprehend the meaning of your sentence..."

Tenaliram narrated the story quite mockingly, "Once a crow sat on an old date tree, and the dates in that tree fell on the people below. So, the people declared the crow is the culprit."

The people realised what Tenaliram meant. He had appealed to the people that co-incidence is not a miracle. And the people praised him too for that. Tenaliram had easily cleared the people's mind of all their superstitious views!!!

Try This Music: Are Deewano Mujhe Pehchano (Don, Kishore Kumar)

Help Me...Help My Boss!!!

I really love this picture. I guess it says it all. All the employees, this message is for you. All Bosses. for your own well-being, please forward it to all your employees.

Try This Song: Alla Ke Bande (Aankhen)