The spot light

I hate being in the spot light.  I'm at my best when I'm at the back, in the dark.  I don't like light.  I prefer doing my job without people making a big fuss about it.  That's probably why I fail my potential in tournaments.  On a normal day, I do pretty well.  In a tournament, there are people looking at you.  Kinda irritates me.

There's probably only one person in this world whose attention I'd like.  And I never seem to get even an ounce of attention from that one person.  Irony, eh?

Stallion Cronicles: Valparai trip



Route Map

On ward route: Bangalore-Mysore road-Mysore-Satyamangalam-Coimbatore-Pollachi-Valparai

Return: Valparai-Pollachi-Avinashi-Salem-Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri-Hosur-NICE road-Magadi Road-Bangalore

Total trip distance: 1083

Bikes:

One Yamaha FZ1 (Harish)

Two Royal Enfield Bullet Classic-500 (Vatsa, Sunjay)

One Honda CBR 205r (Sanketh)

One Pulsar 180 (Abhay)

Two Yamaha R15 (Nekhilesh, Subbu)



Time Log:

Day1-

5:05am: Bangalore

6:50am: Mysore

2:10pm: Coimbatore

8:40pm: Valparai (Green Hill Hotel)


Day2-

8:15am: Roaming around Valparai

3:00pm: Return to hotel.


Day3-

7:30am: Valparai

11:00am: Pollachi

4:00pm: Salem

8:00pm: Krishnagiri(A2B hotel)

10:30pm: Bangalore



It was a trip we all were eagerly looking forward to. Lots of planning had gone into it to ensure that our bikes didn’t cause any problems with touring. For most of us(including me), this was the first long bike trip.

Starting point - RV college, Mysore Road, Bangalore

We left from Bangalore (RV college) at about 5am. We were prepared for rain, but we hadn’t expected it to rain right from the start! Slight drizzle greeted us, as we made our way to Mysore. We had breakfast at Mysore, and headed to Coimbatore. A bunch of us slowed down as we neared Coimbatore to help out Neki who had a little trouble with muscle cramps. We had some delays at Coimbatore, as the P180 had some trouble with the front brake disc. We had to get it replaced. After lunch at Coimbatore, we made our way towards Valparai, again relatively slow due to regular stops to give Neki sufficient breaks. By the time we reached Valparai base, it was already dark and starting to rain. Barely five minutes into the climb, the rain turned into a heavy downpour. From about half way through, we ran into mist! But the roads were very good, and it turned out to be one of the best rides of my life.

 

We woke up relatively late, and left by 8:15am to roam around the vicinity of Valparai. Harish and Neki decided to leave their bikes behind and rode along with Abhay and Sunjay. We were greeted by a patch of deep slush soon after we started. Beautiful tea plantations in all directions made me feel like I was inside a 3D wallpaper! Fresh clean air with a hint of the aroma of the soil wet by the rain. Perfect. Just what I needed! We then went off-roading in search of better views, on rocky paths which few would’ve bothered even walking in! We returned to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the evening. Subbu and Harish went off on their bikes to a dam nearby. After an exciting evening of Poker, we retired to bed.

We left by 7:30am the next morning. With every turn, spectacular views unfolded around me. On the way up, we had missed all this because it was night. We made many stops for pictures on the way. Sunjay and Neki carried on, and I got a feeling that they’d reach Bangalore well before we would. It was about 11am by the time we reached Pollachi, a little tired due to the sun. After breakfast and rest at Pollachi, we headed towards Salem. We encountered a stretch of in-construction roads which would have been manageable, but for the senseless bus drivers. Mindless driving without caring for anyone else on the road! It really got on to my nerves! We reached Salem by 4, and after a late “lunch”, we left for Krishnagiri, where we decided to meet for dinner/snacks (at A2B). Most of the guys didn’t want to eat, but I had no dinner waiting for me at home, so I had a quick dinner and we joined the relatively dense highway traffic. The car drivers somehow have this complex that because they two wheels more than us, they are superior! It was quite irritating to ride till Whitefield. From there, we took the NICE road, and reached home by 10:30pm.

An amazing experience for a first long ride! I was pretty happy with my fitness; Did not have any muscle pain during the ride except for a little stiffness in the neck when doing high speeds due to crouching. The hangover, however, was relatively more than I expected. I felt very tired for two days after the trip! Hopefully I should get over that as well next time!

Anna, saakanna!

DISCLAIMER: The following are MY viewpoints. I don’t give a shit if you agree with them or not. This is me exercising my right to write. If you don’t like what you read, I suggest you turn away.

It all started with a great step by one old man. A fast unto death. A mass following across the country. The government and all politicians forced into drafting a bill. And then, he committed his first mistake – calling it the “second struggle for independence.” He had planted a seed in the minds of millions. Most of us grew up studying about our freedom fighters. Events like Dandi march, and Civil disobedience movement. Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and the likes. I understand that Anna is trying to do something big here, but to compare it with our Freedom Struggle is grossly unfair. Also, remember, you are citizen of India. A free India. Value and respect the existing laws first. You want to fast, please, go ahead. But don’t bloody disturb the peace of the nation by wanting to do it in a public place, disrupting traffic and hampering the lives of the common people. Just imagine, thousands of agitated people on the road screaming slogans. If you are an Indian, I’m sure you have seen the mechanism of mob mentality. Of the thousands, there will be at least one dumbass who’s there not because he really believes in Anna’s vision, but because he doesn’t have anything better to do. And if this one dumbass decided to pick up one stone and hurl it at a cop, in a matter of minutes, you have a mass riot. And irrespective of the respect and following Anna has, he will not be able to control it.

First of all, fasting is a great tool and is a very difficult feat. I understand that. But you can’t threaten to stop eating at the drop of a scoin. Some politicians started pointing fingers at Anna, and he goes “Set up an enquiry. I will not eat till I’m proven innocent.” What the hell is that? Soon he’s going to go “I’ll stop eating till there’s world peace”, and the entire world’s going to embrace each other immediately? It was a cheap shot at him, and he didn’t have to dignify it with a response. He just downgraded the value of a fast.

Anna was arrested on 16th August. I don’t want to debate if it was right or wrong. He was released later. And what did he do? He refused to come out. That’s just bull shit. The jail is not your home. When you are arrested, you are SENT to the jail. When you are released, you LEAVE the jail. I have done no research on the legalities of this, but I hope I’m right. If not, our beloved Anna has just shown a fantastic way to safely retire in this country. (Throw a stone at a glass window and then chill in the jail even if you have been released)

There might be political reasons for declining “ India Against Corruption”’s request to hold the protest at Jai Prakash Narayan Park, but did anyone realize the possibility of a terror act at the place? I don’t know the exact restrictions posed by the Delhi Police, but I read that they had imposed restrictions on the number of people and the duration(3 days instead of one month). Well, I’d say, better safe than sorry.

There is also a large group of people who go on and on that this government is not good. That it’s the worst government ever. I don’t want to debate on that topic because that is left to free interpretation of each individual, and I don’t seek to influence anyone. But let me ask you this – Had the BJP been in power, you think this story would have unfolded differently? True, there have been a string of corruption related issues in the recent past under the UPA government. But does that make the BJP the white dove of all parties? I mean, we are talking about the same BJP, where the center has to bend down to the tainted CM (read Yeddy) who managed to erect a puppy in his place before stepping down. The same BJP who failed to do anything about the brutal pub attacks in Mangalore and Bangalore. Congress got caught. BJP didn’t. I have absolutely no trust in either.

Let me make it very clear here, I’m not for or against any side here. No, let me correct that. I’m all in support for Anna Hazare’s cause. I personally feel that it takes great courage and determination to do what Anna is doing. But, I don’t like the way he’s choosing to go about it now. I feel Anna’s camp is slowly losing the plot. After all, if you want to make one law, you can’t go about it by breaking other laws.  I really do hope that Anna is satisfied with the result at the end of all this, but I pray that our country doesn't suffer more at the hands of our new age Gandhi.

Anna, Saakanna!

Jai Hind.

Obituary quote

If you have watched "Serendipity", you will surely remember an awesome quote written by a guy who's job is to write obituaries.

That made me think, if I die today, what would YOU write if you were asked to write an obituary about me?

What are the things that you would remember about me?

If you not comfortable writing it in the comments here, mail me, and I will add it as an anonymous post.

The Silver Stallion

It’s been a little under a month since I became the proud owner of a handsome silver Honda CBR250R. The bike itself arrived sooner than I had expected.
It had become a routine for me to call up the Honda showroom twice week to enquire if the bike has arrived. I had initially booked a black one since I was told that the silver would take longer to deliver. One of the days, I called up the Honda guy, and he asked me if Silver would be okay.
“OKAY?! It would be perfect!”
“Ok sir, then please come and make the payment by tomorrow morning, I will give you the bike in two days time.”
A sudden rush to draw out the money, and I made the payment the next day. I asked if I could see the bike, and they obliged. Heart beating frantically, I was taken to see the bike. I walked down the stairs, and as I turned the corner, there it stood. There was another black bike parked next to it, but the minute I laid my eyes on the silver, I knew my name was written in the fate of this bike when it was made. It was covered in a little dust, but you could make out how beautiful the bike was.
I couldn’t sleep that night! The few hours of sleep that I did get was filled with me riding the bike!
And then, finally, the day arrived. I made it to the showroom with Vatsa on his RE Bullet Classic 500. The CBR now looked superb. Washed and polished, it looked brilliant; the body looked like a soldier’s silver armor. After completing the formalities, I put in the key and pressed the ignition. The bike came to life. I zoned out for a few seconds as Vatsa was capturing the first few moments on camera. I could feel the engine talking to me.
I rode the bike straight to the Cramster store and purchased riding jacket and gloves. In the evening, I met Harish, and headed for a short ride with him on his Yamaha FZ1. We turned right from Mysore road on to the Outer Ring Road, towards Peenya. As I clicked through the gears, I moved back on the spacious seat and crouched behind the wind shield. That is when I realized how amazing this bike was. It was like a horse that could read my mind. To make a turn, it seemed like I just had to think it! Right then, I decided to christen the bike “The Silver Stallion”.

I did a few highway rides after that, mostly restricting myself to below 6K RPM. 12 days after I first saw the bike, with 825kms done, it was already time for the first service! I got a few minor tweaks to help me ride better. The day I left the bike for service, I wasn’t willing to go away from the place! I guess this how a parent feels like when dropping off his kid on the first day of school! When I got the bike in the evening, I realized how well the engine had opened up.
After what seemed to a looong time of waiting for the right opportunity, I finally took out my bike with intent to use it till it’s limits. I decided to head to Tumkur, to my granny. I left on a Sunday morning, at about 7:45am. The traffic had built up a little, but I could still manage to consistently stay in the 120kph range. And then, I started raining. Though the bike was handling very well, I slowed down. 50 minutes later, I was sitting in my granny’s house, sipping coffee. I then visited my cousins in Gubbi, a further 20 kms of average road away. I headed back at normal city speeds till Tumkur. I time on the bike read 11:48am. The wind was low, the roads were now dry, and it was cloudy. “Perfect”, I said to myself.
I cruised at around 100kph till the toll gate. A few meters after I crossed the toll booth, I ducked down, and speeded up the bike. Such an awesome feeling! A few seconds later, I noticed the speedo indicating 138kph. There was a bit of wind drag on to my chest. I ducked further till I was practically lying on the tank and squeezed the accelerator to the max. A flat empty road ahead of me with clear visibility. The number of the speedo was increasing. 143…144..145..146….147….The wind was pressing the helmet against my face, but I didn’t want to give up!

And then I saw some traffic ahead, so I reluctantly slowed down (I knew the bike could go a few more marks on the speedo!), and accelerated once I’d gone past the pocket of traffic. The next stretch was more awesome, simply because I was able to stay above 145kph for longer. After what seemed like a heart’s beat, I was at the Peenya signal, among traffic. As I parked The Stallion in front of my home, the clock read 12:28.
70 kms in 39 minutes. An average of nearly 108kph. What an awesome animal I own!
And the efficiency’s pretty good too! It gracefully prances about 35km for every liter of petrol in the city, and about 30km when I rev it up on the highways.
I ride it daily to office, the good low end torque ensures that I don’t have to keep shifting gears. If there’s a gap in between vehicles, and another bike’s competing with you for it, he will have to choice but to follow you. I wake up more excited everyday now, because I get to hop on the The Silver Stallion again!
There are many instances when people enquired about the bike on the road, and quite a few when I kicked the behinds of some of the arrogant incompetent riders on famed bikes. More on that in future posts.

Enough

Patience is very important. But sometimes, it's equally important to stand up, slam your fist on the table and say "ENOUGH".

Reflex

I’ve observed that on some days the world around me just seems to be slower than me. This morning, I was riding to office and I was wondering why everyone around me is driving so slow….I glanced at my speedo and that is when I realized that I was just one going faster than the others! You know how you feel that you are actually going fast? That didn’t happen. I was actually feeling like I was riding at average speeds.

That got me thinking how my reflexes have improved in the last few weeks. I’ve been playing table tennis for about 3-4 hours every evening for a few weeks now, with some really good players. They used to play professionally before they decided to take up jobs. I used to have a hard time with one particular player who was too fast for me. When he smashed the ball, I could just see an orange blur. Most of the time, my hand would come up long after the ball had whizzed past by, or would crash into me and I would squirm as it burned my skin. A few days ago, I was able to see the ball but was not able to react fast enough. Yesterday, however, I was somehow able to pick every one of his shots. It was like everything was in slow motion, and I was the only one to able to move at normal speed. My feet were moving faster. I wasn’t struggling to reach for the ball anymore. Not only was I able to defend his smashes, I was even able to hit back a few. He’s got a few tricky shots where he induces a bit of side spin into his top spins. I was able to see the spin on the ball. Not by his action – I could actually see the logo on the rotating ball and determine how it was going to spin.

I have no idea how the improvement came about, but I’m not complaining!