New kuch kuch...

This post is long pending... atleast since 2 weeks i have been planning to pen down changes in my life... today finally after watching "Band baajaa baarat" movie in 2 continuous shows, i somehow got that extra-little push to write a new blog post... i went to the 6.30 pm show half-an-hour late, watched d movie n followed it up with a 9 pm show to cover the 1st half-hour i missed... n yes, obviously i liked the movie... the songs were awesome n the energy in the movie is good... as always i got a high from the movie n for some time from now will remain under its spell...

Its been 3 weeks since i left bangalore... 2 weeks since i left vijayawada... slowly n steadily i'm getting used to the new conditions... the 6 km stretch from ameerpet to west maredpally is now my adda... 4 fly-overs n 1 left turn is how i remember the route... coincidentally, a new branch of "Chutneys" restaurant has also opened the day i joined office here... being a foodie i exercised my duty of a customary visit to the new restaurant...

My workplace... the 4 bedroom house fits in a distributed library of books, a workshop, package room, rooms with computers & a room for any client discussions... the workshop is loaded with interesting tools - the wood cutters, adhesives, wires, ropes, screw drivers, pipes, nuts, bolts etc etc... with the new joinees and congestion in rooms with computers, it was decided that the under construction 2nd floor in the same building will also add to the workspace shortly...

Everything here is in bits n pieces... everybody do everything & so no one takes responsibility for any issues which may arise later... i now see how well organized my old company was & what it would have taken them to move from here to there...

Process & standardization... two things which help companies scale up & at the same time turn the exciting parts in start-ups to boring routines of the established firms... currently, i am one of those responsible to bring in a process, a standardization of the activities in the company... i fear employees of the company 3 yrs down the line would hold me as one of among those responsible for killing the free-flowing start-up culture... although it doesn't sound good, i realize these are 2 inevitable steps for any company looking to grow big... i hope to pick only the goods of start-ups and established firms...

Chicken pox

get up... chk status of boils.... read paper/book.... cookery programs.... malgudi days.... playing cards.... ipl.... walking rounds.... tv serials.... uzzzzz again....

Bike trip: bangalore - halebid / belur - bangalore

Knock, knock...

Sarath (S): Hey Anil, whtz up?
Anil (A): We r planning a bike trip to Belur/Halebid this saturday... will u join??...
S : who we?... where?... how far?... this weekend?...
A : me n Hrishi, its arnd 230 kms from Bangalore...
S : who ? the Ladakh Hrishi ??... so it turns out to arnd 450 kms in a single day?..
A : yeah...
S : hmm.... ummm... i will think over

Later...

S : Hey, so u guys decided... going??... i don't think i can drive so much... no prior experience..
Hrishi (H) : its 'doable' man... aaraam se karlenge... afterall, there's always a first time...

n that's the line... i decided to go...

The trip...

Later I came to know that even Anil had done bike trips before... Hrishi had done many trips by then, hez gone to Ladakh man, wht else... so i was the amateur... plenty of doubts but wanted to check out the experience...

Started early at home... we met at Gangaram's book shop on MG road... went in PUP (Pulsar-Unicorn-Pulsar) formation with Hrishi n Anil at the head n tails... they have 2 contrasting styles of bike riding: one the professional way n other the free-style... we reached Belur/Halebid by noon... the temple walls had gr8 stone work... had lunch n started our return journey by 4 pm... by 6 pm, we still had arnd 100 kms to cover n we had to drive into the night... after taking some tips on night driving, i carefully finished the last mile n reached home by 10 in the night... i liked night driving for two reasons: i) a new driving skill & ii) it calls for high concentration when the brain's working at its best...

I have done it... 460 kms in a single day... aah felt like i graduated from Beginner to Intermediate... THE END

Bike trip - jog falls, gokarna, udupi, agumbe, belur

Aug, 2009...

Anil, friend at Softjin, came up with the idea of a bike trip along the scenic west coast.... sounded exciting for the starters... but after the detailed plan read : arnd 1200 kms to be covered in 4 days... it sounded too ambitious... however the travel blogs, the pics, the routes n the thrill got me excited... slowly n steadily things started falling in place... the routes (courtesy google maps), the accomodation (courtesy google), water-proof jackets (courtesy DuckBack), the bikes (courtesy service centers) n most importantly an extra day's leave (courtesy Murali, our PL) were all set...

Sept 24 - 29, 2009...

Day 1: Bangalore - Chitradurga - Shimoga - Jog falls

Woke up at 5.30 in the morning, packed my stuff n started from home in an hour… reached Gangaram’s book shop on MG road, our meeting point… Anil was there after 10 minutes n the chequered flag was waved… we hit our first pit-stop almost immediately… got our petrol tanks filled, tyre pressures set to 25 psi (front) n 35 psi (rear)… n off we started… we took the tumkur road (NH 206) passing via yeshwantpur n nelamangala... Anil was the lead driver setting the tempo n i was the trail driver...

After an hour an half’s drive we stopped by a coffee day, had a yummy bread-omlette breakfast... we then took the NH 4, bglr-pune highway… after crossing the toll gate, the road was awesome.... it was then we went full throttle… with 5 min breaks in-between, we reached chitradurga by 12pm, much earlier than planned.... drove through the town n started to shimoga, arnd 120 kms away... the road was ok in the beginning but towards the end turned horrible… the last 10 kms was bumpy n katcha… my buttocks ached…

We reached Shimoga by 1.30 pm.... our initial plan was to halt at Shimoga on day 1, but as it turned out we covered close to 300 kms in 6 hrs... lot of time n nothing to do... hungry by then, we had our lunch n discussed over our alternate plans… the restaurant owner told us that Jog falls was another 105 kms from Shimoga n assured us that we can get an accommodation there... n so we decided to move on...

This stretch turned out to be a treat.... cool, refreshing evening breeze, green fields on both sides of the road n curvy roads.... wht else to please bikers with tiring bodies… reached Jog falls by 6 pm... took a quick view of the 6 to 7 waterfalls… got the kstdc accommodation… the room is located barely 50 m from the falls n with a good view of the falls from the window.... we went to a nearby village on the pitch dark roads for dinner… after finding nothing interesting, we came back to the room, had dinner n retired to bed…

Day 2: Jog falls - Gokarna

The waterfalls weren’t in full flow n we were disappointed. After a photo session in the morning, we set out to Gokarna. We had to cross the Western Ghats enroute. As it was downhill, we turned off our engines to listen to the sounds of the forest. After a silent half an hour, started struggle... the descent was putting stress on the buttocks… my buttocks started paining… n paining like hell... we took more breaks n reached Honnavar by 11 am. Gokarna is arnd 70 kms from Honnavar... huffing n puffing, we reached Om beach in Gokarna by noon.

We checked-in into the shacks at ‘Namaste Café’ right in the beach. The beach was barely 20 m from the shacks, the place lively, foreigners all over.... a couple of them in bikinis.... good music n a beach side restaurant....

The ride totally sapped my energy n considering we still had 2 days to travel, we decided on no more biking for the day... i took a nap n in the evening we went to the beach.... spotted some beauties n bikinis… had a king fish sizzler for dinner n set out to bed…

Day 3: Gokarna - Udupi - Manipal

Got up early for a walk on the beach.... went rock climbing n followed it by a photo session… checked out the shack at 8 am n set off to Gokarna siva temple.... the "athma lingam" was believed to be put down on earth here by Ravana, the demon king of Ramayana. Gokarna town had two contrasting sides, the modern beaches with lots of foreigners reflecting the western culture on one side n the temple based old fashioned religious town on the other....

After the temple, we set out to Murdeshwar through Honnavar.... we covered a famous ganesh temple at Iddi-gunji enroute. We have reached Murdeshwar by noon n went for the temple darshan. The temple stands on a small stretch of land covered by sea on 3 sides… plenty of water sports on the beach…

Our scheduled halt for the day was Kundapura… as we had reached before schedule... i proposed we halt at Manipal instead of Kundapura… Anil, being an ex-student at Manipal, also likes the place n so it was Manipal for the night....

That decision took a heavy toll on my body... we first rode through the Marwanthe beach to reach Kundapura.... this road is sandwiched by Arabian sea on one side n a lake on the other side.... awesome sight.... after taking a break there, we started on the road to Udupi… the road from Kundapura to Udupi is bad... really bad.... back-breaking bad... it was just 30 kms but was real torture...

We reached Udupi by 5 in the evening, had a shower n hit the road quickly. Anil showed me around, the hostels, the mess, the colleges, the temples n most importantly the "chicks".... fast.... posh.... short skirts, mini shorts... hot n happening place, really… we then went to a pub called "Dee Tee"... rocking place, drunken dancers all around.... dim lights.... cigar smoke.... place to be for the youth... we followed it up with tasty liver fry n chicken noodles.... finally set to bed... dil kushhhh…

Day 4: Manipal - Agumbe - Chikmaglur - Belur

Visited the famous Krishna temple in Udupi early next morning... we then set out to Shimoga thru the Western ghats... the route goes up the hills, reaches the peak at Agumbe, the south indian Chirapunji, n then goes downhill... we then changed our plan for the umpteenth time, decided to visit Sringeri n go to Chikmaglur instead... that day being Dussera, the temple at Sringeri was very crowded... after lunch we started to Chikmaglur... the roads were curvy with some blind turns… as a result 70 kms took us 2 hrs to reach Chikmaglur only by evening.... we dropped the plan to go local sight-seeing n proceeded to Hassan, n then to Belur where we halted for the nite...

Day 5: Belur - Bangalore

Quick bath, packing n off we started... the road from belur to hassan is top class.... we covered around 120 kms in 2 hrs.... took a break at coffee day... reached Bangalore outskirts by noon n after fighting out the city traffic, reached home at 1 pm... having now gained enough confidence to take the Ladakh bike trip, I wait in anticipation... THE END

Dalhousie YHAI winter trek...

Oct 2008....

Came across the YHAI winter trek to dalhousie... n started pooling up friends.... booking slots for the program.... scheduling.... travel bookings.... some friends droping out n some adding in... n the final list read it as: Satti, Gopal, Chandu n Sarath.... Satti n Gopal are friends from my btech, Chandu's a friend at Softjin...

The prep....

Shopping for a trip to Himalayas was in itself fun... starting from woolen inner-garments to gloves, jacket, rucksack, trekking shoes, first aid kit n toilet paper....

The next big thing was to get our leaves approved n make sure they remain approved... I moved into a new team/project at office n my earlier approved leave stood no longer... I had to convince my new manager n get it re-approved... i lost 2 days in the bargain n so had to book my return journey by flight @ 6500/-... costly deal but by then i was too excited to drop out...

Dec 26th, 2008....

Satti n some friends dropped-in at our house in BTM... had dinner n after the "happy journey" wishes from friends, we were off to yeshwantpur railway station where Chandu joined us... our compartment in the train was full of engineering students from army college.... we were curious abt their daily routines n they were interested in ours... the boys were in joyful mood, they were going home after a 6 months afterall... pulling each others legs, imitating their strict army instructors, whistling at girls... time passed by easily, it takes more than 36 hours from bangalore to delhi...

Dec 28th, 2008....

Due to the early morning fog, train was late n we reached delhi in the afternoon. Our train to pathankot was in the night. We got into the 2nd class waiting room, took bath in shivering cold water, took the delhi local to chk out "India Gate"... with fully-loaded rucksack on our back, it turned out to be a 'not-so-easy' outing... but the place was special, brought in a patriotic feeling... after a 'rang-de-basanti' salute at the india gate, we returned to the delhi main rly station...


Gopal n his brother joined us at the rly station... gopal took a flight from hyderabad.... so they we were at our full strength, took dinner n took the jammu mail to pathankot....

Dec 29th, 2008...

Again the early morning fog delayed the train.... we found other participants of the same trekking programme in the train, Mr Salim Mulla, his daughter Tanvi n Nilesh from mumbai...
together we went to the pathankot bus stand, took a bus to dalhousie, arnd 4 hrs from pathankot.... with pakistan border close-by, pathankot has a huge defense base (army, air-force)... had a yummy punjabi lunch on the way n passing thru the mountains up the hill reached dalhousie by afternoon.... met the camp organizer, pre-poned our program by a day n got tented accomodation... unpacked our luggage, took a hot water bath n strolled into dalhousie town in the evening...

After a briefing by the camp leader abt the program, the rules n the yhai rituals, we were allotted accomodation in the dormitory much to our relief as it was getting colder by the night.... had a voluminous dinner n retired for the day in gr8 anticipation abt the days ahead....

Dec 30th, 2008...

We got up at 4.30 in the morning... had hot bed-tea... n the group set off to an acclimatization walk... after the morning drill, a 4 km walk, an informal intro with the group members, we came back to the base camp tired n exhausted... in the evening, we packed our luggage n deposited in the counter... the food at YHAI calls for a special mention, hot healthy n very tasty.... there was a cultural nite organized in the night with performances from ppl of different states.... true cultural integration experience...


Dec 31st, 2008...

Woke up at 4.30 again... after the morning drill at the base camp, we had breakfast n collected our packed lunch boxes... took bath, our last for the next 2 days, n started off the trek... our destination for the day is 'Kalatop', arnd 8 kms from the base camp.... the energy in the camp was high, singing hindi songs on the way... we stopped by in between for breaks, had yummy maagie noodles, omlettes cooked by the locals of himachal pradesh... we reached kalatop by evening.... again tired n exhausted... kalatop is the highest point in himachal pradesh n to be spending the new-year eve there was a nice feeling... it was shivering bitter cold that night, no lights what so ever n fog surrounded... ahhh awesome sights... spent the night playing games with the camp leader's supervision... had spl dinner n off to bed after the 'happy new year' wishes all around...

Jan 1st, 2009...

We started after having breakfast n collecting our packed lunch boxes... took leave from the camp leader n set off to Khajjiar, arnd 11 kms from kalatop... it turned out to be a most difficult n f****** hard trek... we had to come down a hill, cross over to another hill n climb up the hill... very tiring indeed... reached Khajjiar, also called the mini-switzerland of india, by evening... tried out some kashmiri costumes for the pics... Satti, just bcoz of his lesser weight was eligible to try out the mini para-gliding stunt... n he pulled it off quite well... after a photo session n some fun rides on the lawns of Khajjiar, we reached the yhai camp n retired to bed...

Jan 2nd, 2009...

Took off to Mangla in Chamba valley... yes, the same valley shown in Taal movie... its a beautiful place.... reached by noon, went sight-seeing round the town... that being the last day together in the group, we had a cultural nite again... our camp leader then told us that any one coming to this place will get the "Call of the mountains" soon after going back... yeah, i did fall for himachal pradesh... shud go back some time soon...

Jan 3rd n 4th, 2009...

Reached the base camp at dalhousie, no signs of the much expected snow yet... took the bus to pathankot n then the train to delhi... been to a friend's (Nivas) place in delhi... went to akshardham n by evening i started off to Delhi airport... nnnnn that's it.... reached bangalore safely, vouching to go back to himachal pradesh (the land of gods)... THE END

Bike trip: bangalore - ananthpur - bangalore

Swetha, friend at Softjin, was getting married at Anantpur n I wanted to attend the event... got my leave approved the day before n was pondering over the mode of transport to take with my room-mates... 'how abt gng by bike?'... ting, a thought came out of the blue... no, not yet, my first serious bike trip n all alone... too risky, said my wiser part... so dropped it n decided to go by bus... surprise, surprise.... seeing that I was planning to go all alone, Sudhakar offered company... accepted immediately n so the seemingly difficult bike trip was on...

First bike trip for both of us n we aimed at covering 220 kms driving into the night... daring?? or dumb??... way to start... Sudhakar, my partner on the trip, captured the trip in his blog at:

http://sudhakar-specialmoments.blogspot.com/2009/10/trip-to-anatapur-with-sarat-on-bike.html

Bakrid

my 1st blog... was gng thru sudhakar's blog n in d process this resulted... though a holiday in the company, i'm at office... my leave for the winter trek largely depends on finishing this task... let me c how it goes... happy bakrid... aamen