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.