मुसाफ़िर

अन्जाने ये रास्ते
अन्जाना  ये सड़क
दूरी कितनी  है
पोहंच्के  देख  ज़रा

अन्जानी ये  दूरी
अन्जाना ये  मंज़िल
वक़्त लाएगी क्या
रुक  मत , बढ़के देख  ज़रा

अन्जाना  ये  समय
अन्जानी  ये  दुनिया
तक्दीर लाएगी  क्या
विकल्प  कर  ज़रा

तेरी  दुनिया,  तेरी  मंज़िल
अन्जान रास्ते , अन्जान साहिल
कभी  बाहर  निकल  ज़रा
ज़िन्दगी  बदल  के  देख  तो  ले ..

Inspired by : Trip



PS : Hindi is neither my mother tongue nor has been my first language. So "my bad" if you spot mistakes!

Credits : Abheek and Kandarp

Three days - for eternity!

"Those moments when you knew it was awesomeness at work; a slice of history, a glorious past - for eternity!"

Evening of Nov 9, 2008 - Mumbai : People ere trooping in for college, which was reopening the next day after Diwali holidays. For the hell of me I coudn't understand as everyone said my face had changed after what I had done those past three days. I did not share their observations, but if it really had, then it was worth it. Looking back to when it all started, never felt the epic it was going to be.

It was mid-August, and Shankar, KK and I were at Anjali for dinner. Shankar wanted to get his CBZ to Mumbai from Bangalore, when I casually asked him if we can ride down at the end of Diwali holidays. The discussion was soon a deal, and there I was in Bangalore on Friday November 6, 2008, all ready to bike our way to glory. Or so I thought; all was not well.

Morning of Nov 9, 2008 - NH4 near Satara : The emptiness was overwhelming - within and outside. What you had inside was the feeling of living a dream, and what you had on the outside - the dream itself. Those winding roads through the ghats leaping down made us forget a trip that could never have been.

NH4 near Satara

Shankar and I told his Mom and Dad that we were packing the bike to parcel it by Chalukya Express to Mumbai. The plan was to find an alibi for the bike and come back later for it. We had informed at Shankar's place that we are taking the 11 AM bus to Mumbai. What we had not bargained for was his parents accompanying us for a send-off! There were a few uncomfortable moments in the car ride to the VRL bus pickup point. Upon reaching, we told his parents that the bus would come in one hour, hearing which they decided to leave. After this first coup, we patiently waited till we could pull off the next one - to get the bike and head out!

Evening of Nov 7, 2008 - NH4 near Belgaum - A pleasant breather on the ghat road to Belgaum. We were nearing the end of Karnataka, a land I would fall in love with! Multitudes of loaded trucks and lorries were huffing and puffing their way up the ghat. We had quite some luggage when we started off, but biking light made sense.

Breather on the highway

We had quite a bit of luggage initially. The idea was to visit VRL Cargo before getting the bike. We retained two backpacks and the rest was booked to ship. Next step was to sneak the bike away without being spotted. It was almost 12 when we did get away. Only after crossing the UB Plant on Tumkur Road we felt we were really away. After Tumkur traffic eased and so did our nerves. The moment was upon us and we were zipping through our dream. With a good 200 km behind, we hit Chitradurga at twilight and decided to halt.

Just the beginning

Morning of 7 Nov, 2008 - NH4 near Tungabhadra : It was just after monsoon and the Tungabhadra was in full spate. Still a little upstream, the river though not quite broad was impressive between paddy cultivation. Green is so soothing; whoever said it is for envy!

Tungabhadra

Exhaustion ensured that we did not make an early getaway. But that did not stop us from having delicious idly-chutney for breakfast - as unforgettable as the trip. The Chitradurga - Davangere section of the Golden Quadrilateral was under construction, which meant 2 lane roads. After Davangere we hit some speed. The first hiccup showed in the form of some problem with the chain - which we got repaired at Harihar. Proceeding towards Hubli, we encountered a number of fuel stations on the other side. Fuel was at reserve and the new Hubli bypass was deserted. This did not stop us from refilling ourselves, a hotel at the exit of Hubli bypass; a place which we visited twice in later days. After our fill, we did refuel - oil, an elixir on any journey!

Night of Nov 6, 2008 - Chitradurga : The hotel had a separate garden sit out. It was a pleasant November evening, and we were enjoying the weather. Too happy with our getaway and too happy to know that there are many miles to cover. It was that point when you reminisce, experience and look forward at the same time!

From Hubli to Kolhapur it was a blur. We covered it in four hours! I vividly remember a race we were having with one of the trucks. It was faster, but it stopped at every village to drop off something, while we took the lead again. The second night was at Kolhapur, a busier and bigger city compared to Chitradurga. The plan was to get off early. The next day was Sunday and we still had 400 km to cover. And for once we managed it.

Early Bird

Leaving early had its advantages. The early ride was refreshing and fast with little traffic. We crossed our first tunnel to come down to Satara. By around 1 PM we had made it to Pune. Ah! Pune! That makes Mumbai look so close, a reminder that this was not for eternity.

The end of the road?

Friday Nov 6, 2008 - Bangalore : The lies had been told. The risks had been taken. There lied hidden a bike which was supposed to be on Chalukya Express. Here were we, supposed to take the 11 AM VRL Volvo to Mumbai. At that moment we did not know what awaited us; we could not guess. It was awesomeness we were seeking!

Pune was behind and the last lap beckoned. It was the sight of the end of the journey that tired you more than the journey itself. We were much quieter as the end was near. By 430 PM on that Sunday afternoon when we rode through the SIMSR gate, it had been 1015 km of bliss.

Credits : Shankar Ramachandran

It's no rocket science. Everything is here.

The conveyors were clanking along with the rock falling into ballistic feeder hoppers. These small boulders were crushed, many at a time by endless number of crushers next to each other. Crushed rock required more transporting to huge cylindrical containers each 10 m in height. These were directly fed by these conveyors. In open dumping places, mounds and mounds of waste rocks were piled up. Earthmoving (?) equipment were working on the piles, collecting them and dumping them over the edge into deep craters.

One guy in a green and ivory suit was watching all the action. He was wondering at the scene around him, as he did daily. No noise and no dust. In a place with no atmosphere, the hassles of pollution were for the moment forgotten. The advantages of mining on the moon.

The green and ivory suited guy was shuffling in his space suit. He could see the next rocket getting ready with its cargo of cylindrical containers for its journey to Earth. Vibrating ground and the fire exhaust were indications that it was time. Within moments the rocket was speeding away from the moon towards a blue crescent visible on the horizon. The speeding rocket did not last long on its journey. It just fell to the ground.

“Andy, come down for lunch”, Andy’s mother was yelling up the stairs. Andy just dropped the rocket he was playing with, grabbed Woody and hoisted him onto his shoulders. Buzz Lightyear was stranded on the moon for the moment. The game can wait while Andy finishes his lunch.

Mining on the moon is most appropriate for Toy Story. The matter can be dealt with in animation and fiction, without us seriously giving a thought to Newt Gingrich’s idea. He may be called the “idea candidate”, but billions already go into a space programme without any returns. Back home, the quantity of proved reserves has remained stable over the years. An indication, those advancements in technology has made us to reach for reserves that were previously thought to be non-existent. People are uncertain about peak-oil and are unsure about its occurrence.

The Earth has enough for its need. Let’s not go the Wall-E way.

PS : I love both the Toy Story series and Wall-E.

Of shelter, slumber, sea and spirits

Aug 19, 2011 2 AM : At last I make it to Mumbai International Airport. A 50 minute flight delayed by more than 2 hours. Air India flight bound to Newark from Ahmedabad touches down at Mumbai. Wanted to reach home as soon as possible so that I can get some sleep before I take the 7 AM train to Ratnagiri.

Aug 19, 2011 4 AM : I am back on the street. 18 missed calls coudn't dislodge the Kumbhkaran in Honeypal, KP and Thanighai. With the bell not working, I was left with no option but to sleep on the chair near the lift or scoot. Attempted the former but the mosquitoes gave me ideas that Dadar station would be better.

Aug 19, 2011 11 AM : The last I remember was tea and poha at Dadar. Vaguely remember Abheek being with me. Had slept as soon as the train had come. Ameya had joined us at Thane. The scenes outside had changed from greyish concrete and morning haze to cloudy skies and spectacular greenery. Ah! Konkan during the monsoons is music to the eyes.

Konkan during the monsoons

Aug 19, 2011 5 PM : We were at Ganpatipule beach. After the train to Ratnagiri and a 30 km  rickshaw ride to MTDC, Ganpatipule and a bit of rest, we hit the beach. All this exhaustion coupled with getting rolled over by the waves, started getting our insides rolling for some daaru! (alcohol of course)

Aug 19-20 (If I knew the time I would know the date!) : We were back at the beach with beer and coke (Ameya).  Earlier we had walked to Abhishek Resorts (after some searching and asking) for some elixir (yeah it is ;)) and walked backed. Reportedly we tried to sleep on the road, and thought it a good place to sing.

Naa ghar hai naa thikana...

Aug 20, 2011 1 PM : We were again at the beach (Considering there is nothing else to indulge in at G'phule). We had chosen a cozy secluded part and were just whiling away lying on the water. The sea still managed to look a bit blue in spite of the sky being cloudy always. Ganpatiphule must be awesome in winter! What followed later was the best Malwani food we had ever tasted.

Can't better that!

Aug 20 (late night) : On the roads walking to the resort. The monsoon had been good to us so far. Kept away when we wanted to be outdoors. It was pouring in the afternoon when we were soundly asleep indoors! These night walks were the best part of the trip! We had the road to ourselves. There is no better feeling than siting on the middle of a lonely road!

Even the T was talli

Aug 21, 2011 1 PM : After packing up and the 30 km rickshaw ride we were back in Ratnagiri. The food we had here was nowhere near as delicious as the feast yesterday. The train from Goa was late in coming. Ah! Goa!! That paradise on the west coast. Always makes me look ahead to the next trip. But it was time to bit adieu to Ganpatiphule. Was looking ahead to the journey through verdant Konkan.

Walking away....

Aug 21, 2011 10 PM : At last I manage to reach home and get in. Success on the third attempt! Nothing great to look forward to except office. The ironies we face! Konkan is most beautiful during the monsoon and office is so unwelcome after a holiday! So I thought it's time to look ahead - beyond Ratnagiri - to Goa!

Credits : Abheek and Ameya

PS : We did manage to go to Goa pretty soon!