Walk and hitchhike to office

I cycle to office; a distance of 10 kms daily. It occurred to me... 'why don't I walk to Office one day?'.
This idea was luring me for a few weeks now. On retrospect, I realized that this thought was provoked by "Into the wild"; whose audio version I am listening to now.
The fuel was ready, it just need the right spark to ignite. My friend Elamathi came over to stay in my place for 3 days. Those days I couldn't cycle because I was accompanying him to office. Travelling by bus after a hiatus of about 2 months gave me headaches. It then struck me... hey! This is the spark; it's the opportunity to DO THE NEW.... walk 10kms to office.
It was to be a Thursday morning. I estimated it to take 2 hours to walk the 10km stretch. So, packed some dry fruits in my bag, water in Ela's bag we started our epic walk to office @ 7:50am; 50 mins behind schedule! 10mins into the walk we had mega-sized idlis thus breaking our fast. Next 3 kms of walk took us  near the Begur bus stand. Just before the bus stand I spotted a beautiful multi-colored  (let the snap take care of the adjectives)caterpillar in the middle of the street. I carefully lifted it off the street with a stray straw; captured it in frame and released it in a vegetated patch.
Another 3 kms through villages, dusty tracks, forested road took us to the Neeladri main road in Electronic city. It was an hour and fifteen minutes we were walking. Another 3 kms walk would have taken us to Wipro gate 5. However, we planned to try our luck at hitchhiking! Frankly, we had little hope, there was no dearth of cars but getting a lift in one of them seemed highly unlikely. But I kept hoping, kept my thumb raised ... some 10 cars passed by without stopping. We could see some drivers noticing us and pretending not to :) , others seemed least bothered and yet others seemed in dilemma. Finally a man who looked like in late 30's rapidly decelerated to stop. I was elated :). HOPE DOES PAY.
We had a nice ride for next 10 mins...  chatting and relaxing after the 1:15 hour walk.
AND guess what! It was today that my overseas assignment was confirmed. :)

My first bicycle escapade leads to an elephant trail!

A whim on Friday night instigated me to go on a cycling escapade the next morning. I generally don't resist my whims, so I decided to leave home @ 4 in the morning(it's pitch dark in Bangalore at 4).

I had completed my meager preparations the previous night itself: a pack of slice cakes, a biscuit packet and a handful of dry fruits.

I woke up with a jolt and made myself a cup of tea, freshened up and prepared to leave.

Then started the extraordinary events of the day; some never before encountered experiences for me:

• Moment I opened the door of my flat I found Rocky, my house owner's ferocious German Shephered. I moved in just a week back, so Rocky doesn't know me well. Rocky was convinced that I am an intruder in the house and tried its best in scaring the hell out of me. Not to be deterred I hatched a plan to befriend Rocky. I had 2-3 pieces of broken biscuits left. The plan worked! Food almost always pacifies animals!
• 40 mins of cycling took me to the starting limits of Bannerghata national park. The main road ramified into a multiple routes some tarred , some untarred. Using Google earth, I had chalked out a vague route which will probably lead to kanakpura road from Bannerghata road through the Bannerghata forest.
• I choose the most dominant tarred road. I also considered taking another road labeled as the route to Mirza Hills but abandoned it by gut feeling. Few hundred meters down the road I saw the gate labeled "Herbivore safari". Beside that was a tranquil lake filled with a myriad of fishing birds. I was wonder stuck! 40 mins of ride from the hubble-bubble of Bangalore city can lead to such rich virgin wild life! It's Unbelievable! 
• I cycled round the lake , noticed a board "this lake is infested with crocodiles" and then to my utmost surprise I beheld a full grown elephant enjoying a shower and scrub just meters away from me! A perfect day, isn't it.... so many surprises(prizes) in a day... that too in Bangalore city. Life is so rewarding at times.
• In pursuit of the route to Kanakpura road; I asked a guy who was washing a safari bus, if that route leads to Kanakpura road. I noticed a slight hesitation on his face before answering my question. He said : " It does, there's a short cut but there are elephants too". GOD! what a day it's been today. My heart started beating faster, my heart told you must take the trail... while something in me held me back.
• Nevertheless listening to my heart's beckoning  I followed the elephant which by then finished its shower and was lumbering into the elephant trail. The trail started with an ajar iron gate with thick iron spikes all over the rods. I recalled: these are used to keep run-a-way elephants at bay. I learned this on a trip to a fort in Rajasthan.
• I was just about a dozen meters behind the elephant... It kept halting and looking sideways intermittently; I was alert and ready to turn round and speed away in case of any eventuality.
• All of a sudden it veered towards the right and lumbered up the forested hill. Bit relieved I hit my paddles hard and sped down the trail. The trail was narrow, just about 2 meters wide with the hill on one side and fencing on the other. That elephants frequent the trail was evident by the fact that it was littered with molds of elephant dung...most dried...some fresh.
• After few hundred meters later the trail bifurcated. The guy at the starting point told me to take the left since it was a short cut. I did so... with my heart beating fast and legs nervous... I sped down the trail... clearly bushes and lose branches on my way.
•  But alas! the trail came to an abrupt end after about 2 kms! I was lost. I was trapped in the middle of the forest with elephants around and only one route to go back. I had no choice... without wasting any time I paddled up hard... now I was cycling against the slope. I fixed my gaze well ahead. I am alert. Ready to spot any danger at the earliest. I am telling myself... do the best you can.. rest is all luck.
• Suddenly a 8-10 month old news flashed across my mind: An elephant trainer had been trampled to death in this same bannerghata national park.
• But GOD did not plan to put me in the headlines the next day; so I emerged out of the trail... my tensed muscles relaxed the moment I was out of the iron gate. I found the guy still there. I told him that the route abruptly ended. He replied: " You had almost reached, you only had to improvise a little to cross a mini canal to reach the main road on the other side!"  "OK" I said. I'll try it next time.

Thus the heart throbbing experience of the elephant trail ended. But my lucky day.. and its memorable tryst with nature did not end here. Continued in part 2.....

First group bicycle commute to Wipro EC

A group of 10 spirited Wiproites started off the first bicycle commute to Wipro EC today (11th Jan 2010.) morning at 7:20 am from Silk board. Some regular cyclist and some newbie choose to burn fat over petrol. The ride which lasted for 40 minutes broke many myths, proved some points and started a new journey.

The myths we broke:

• Cycling on Bangalore roads is dangerous: No it not, just stick to the left and the service road wherever possible.
• Cyclists are bottom feeders: No, you aren’t. When in proper outfit and on a decent cycle you get enough if not more respect than motorists.
• Pollution: Yes, roads are polluted but you can overcome that by cycling during off-peak hours.
• Physically demanding: Its absolutely not, rather it’s physically rejuvenating. You don’t yawn or doze off in the bus or cab; hence you are at your peak when you reach office, the most energetic guy ready to take on the challenges of the day.

The points we proved:

• Cycling is fun: It’s not a stressful activity like driving. It rejuvenates you and does not tire you like driving. And when you ride in a group it’s even more fun.
• Traffic congestion is a non-issue: You always find space to ride your cycle through. When things get worse you just start walking with you cycle, carry it over the divider and in the worst case lift your cycle and negotiate through the congestion.
• Social exposure: You meet many new people which you don’t when you commute in an enclosed car.

The journey we started: Promote cycling as a sustainable means of commuting.

• Organize this group commute every month.
• Organize workshops across Wipro campuses on this theme.
• Form a cycling club within Wipro.
• Promote Electronic city as a cycling zone.

All those who have missed the fun this time, please do join us with your bicycles next time onwards.
Let’s all have fun and do our bit to save Mother earth.

Drenched in Fog : a surreal experience.

I started cycling to office @ 6:40 am today which is incidentally my earliest.

Visibility was at max. 10m.; wherever you look you find the dull surreal shaded of white. It rendered the whole stretch mystical.

Then it started with the hairs on my forearm. They started turning white with frozen drops of Fog. It seemed like snow flakes covering my forearm. Then my black tracks assumed similar state. My lenses, the helmet, my face all were wet. Water kept dripping down from them droplets after droplets. By the time I reached Wipro gate 5 the white deposits had melted drenching me completely :helmet to Woodland.

It reminded me of the Moonlight night when I cycled without any artificial light. That night it was ‘shades of black’ this morning it’s ‘shades of white’.

The dense fog started from the Vijay apartments in Bilekahalli. No attribute can describe that entrance, into the dense fog through the natural gate formed by stooping branches of trees. Only one phrases resounded in my mind: “This is heaven”.


I don't have a camera phone and I missed it badly, I couldn't freeze the moment physically. However, it left a permanent imprint in my mind, a very personal one... a moment not to be shared with any one else.... And that way it was good I didn't have the camera phone.


By far THE BEST cycling trip till date.

TO ACHIEVE A DREAM

"TO ACHIEVE A DREAM: First you must have a dream, second you must start the journey towards that dream, third you must work tirelessly and fourth you reach it. Everyone is great at step one, some stop at step two, most stop at step three and the great achieve. Greatness comes from all four, dream, start, never quit and... achieve your dreams - your purpose!" Mark Quam

 I have completed the first step..........

I dream of:  beware, the list is dynamic... because I am

1. Scale 'dadubhai's ' Karuna soap factory to a 500 + enterprise.
2. Scale 'The Everest'.
3. Go on a world tour.
4. Go Sky Diving.
5. Experience the ultimate state of meditation.
6. Work in a BPO, as a salesman, as a beggar.
7. Build a bungalow for myself in the serene Himalayas.
8. Fire an AK47.
   

When dream comes true

When dream comes true:
For two years I dreamt of this day. And it was finally here ... I have dreamt and it came true.. I hoped, against all odds.. Persisted.waited. prepared and there it came. It came as a surprise and swept me off my feet making me forget all other things. I was sooooo happy.. My dream came true.. It's a moment of great joy. no I can't call it joy... its satisfaction. a triumph. the triumph of all triumphs. It means so much to me... so very much. It's a feeling... a feeling like never before. how beautiful life is. and more so when dreamers see their dreams come true.

This day is the day we (Team Wipro) won the Rootssports 2009 Table Tennis Championship.

I had two dreams : Winning the championship atleast once for Wipro and to defeat Yateesh for the second time.

Links to the news, results and articles in newspaper:

• http://www.rootssports.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86:indoor-corporate-championship&catid=17:corporate&Itemid=37
• 14th December DNA Bangalore edition Page 20.
• 17th December DNA Bangalore edition Page 17.

7.5 kms/hour

7.5kms/hour: A Volvo can roll 10 times that speed. I can cycle 5 times that pace, I can run twice that pace, I can walk at that pace.

Today it took me 2 hours to reach office which is 15 kms away. So what did I travel by?

Yes you guessed it right, I traveled by the doomed Volvo.

I sat in on the last row, feeling encased in a glass chamber with other helpless dolls. Being captivated is my one of my worst fears and traveling by a Volvo in Bangalore always gives me that feeling. My gaze wondered to the emergency exits and then to the hammers attached to the frame. I wished to shatter the glass and fly out in the open.
Being in control is a necessity for me. Its also one of the reasons I prefer cycling to office over taking public transport.