NH44 - Redefining Life!

One of the best days in my life. Its a life inspiring journey. I learnt a lot during this road trip - NH44. Its very much analogous to our life.

I am looking at my mobile. It says 3 30 AM. I am damn sleepy and I slept off. My friend Surendra wakes me up at 3 45AM. I asked him to get ready and I dozed off. Got the strength to push my bed and went out to check the weather. Its pouring a lot! I bang the bathroom door and startled my friend 'Aarambaniki Avarodam - its heavy downpour buddy'. Luckily the rain stops in 10 mins. We are again up for journey. We started at 4 30 AM- so early in the morning with just 4 hours of sleep.

I started on road towards Cyber towers.. Perfect way to start journey! Riding towards Mehdipatnam! We crossed Mehdipatnam and took a right turn towards Sivarampally junction. An unnoticed bumper made the bike skid - luckily we are safe - my first encounter - fear started - but confidence not dettered! Crossed the Sivarampally junction and we are now racing towards Shamshabad! We stopped at the flyover towards the airport and took pics at a billboard. A good way to start!

We started towards Jedcherla another stop on mind which is 70 kms away from Shamshabad. It started drizzling - the drizzle picked up - its pouring now. I am on my raincoat but Surendra is not - he did not get any as rain was unexpected - decisions matter. Its all dark only trucks on the road with speeding cars! I was maintaining 50 kmph- suddenly I notice a truck stopped on the middle road - thought it was moving - but I was wrong - but no panic made me handle it easier - 'chusevanni nijam kadu'(Jo diktha hai woh Sab sach nahi hota). Reached Jedcharla at 6 45 AM. Had tomato bath and a strong coffee. Its still pouring in - so we decided I should continue riding! Now that its not darker - I can speed up! Kurnool is 130 kms away from Jedcharla - Another major stop! Now I am speeding up and hitting 70 80 kmphs consistently! The road is awesome - the traffic is becoming dimmer - the sceneries are wonderful- the farms are green- nallamalla range started - the fog mist over the green hills - is a must watch - a never to miss- the rain is making me enjoy it with heart! I hit above 90 - made my friend go crazy - the rain is hitting him like bullets! The journey is like a race now - overtaking many vehicles - and many cars overtaking us- one hell of driving experience it is! I don't know if I ever get chance to drive on Buddh Circuit but I would surely miss that chance - got NH44! Reached kurnool - time to piss!

It took us around 30 mins to cross kurnool.. Seema Andhra Agitation did not die down yet. I can see people scattered and no public transport. A lot of Toofans in the city.. The private vehicle owners are making their business- No one questions the rates! Out of Kurnool now - Ghat road starts - the mountains here are not green - most of them are rock cut - bethamcherla is famous of stone export business! This is NH18 - it connects Kurnool with Tirupati - most of it is undergoing renovation! There are potholes and concrete waste on the roads here and there. To remind you its still raining and I am still riding!

I was driving carefully... But my mind is racing! Nandyal is nearing and I am rearing - here comes a pothole which breaks to otherwise smooth journey -  Suri enjoyed the jump - second case where we missed an otherwise possible mishap! This should have stopped me speeding up... But as I said my mind is racing! The third time - bike slid on the concrete waste - possible ankle fracture - but I am better again - a lot of running and working out in gym during college made me physical strong person - Surendra is happy that he did not get his leg broken! My next is panyam - my dads hometown - we have agricultural lands here! We stopped to have Rayalseema's favorite breakfast - Uggani Bajji!

In 20 mins, we are at Surendra's house - I left him at his home! To remind you - its drizzling now - I am still riding! I reached my village along the country roads - a lot of potholes - A water Splashing ride! At my doorstep - all dirty - tried - gummy hands - dripping pants - peevish - famish - All for love of mother!

As I earlier said - traveling inspires me! This journey has been one hell of experience!

Coming up with idea of road trip amid seemandhra protests - seek freshness and challenge!

Turning challenge into reality - never backing down attitude!

Fresh and safe start - instills confidence to continue the journey!

The first skid after mehdipatnam - we stumble upon problems initially, if we stop and go back - we would miss a lot of life to be lived - so never stop when u r doing something closer to heart!

Stop at Shamshabad - you need to celebrate your initial success - to drive yourself towards destination!

Truck stopped on the road - in your line of work / business you may find halted businesses and lifeless work - you need to push yourself past that event - should not be fettered by others failure!

Jedcharla - you need keep major milestones to check your progress - the first milestone takes time - in my case avg speed is less!

Speeding up after jedcharla - the first milestone will surely increase your confidence!

Accidents and vehicles toppled roadside - the drivers lost concentration - if you lose your concentration you will also be in similar situation!

Race between vehicles - You cant always follow one or a group - you need to pace up and make changes - hit the bulls eye and remember dont stop for anyone!

Piss before Kurnool - you need to free yourself before each major milestone - panic will not help! ;)

30 mins to cross kurnool - you go through a lot of things during success - but u need to stick to the work u r doing - if u r over enjoying it - accelerator drops and breaks apply!

Potholes and waste concrete and the skids - not all roads are green enough to simply pave you way - when you are doing good job - you will face unknown waters - you need swim through - you will not find time to breath - you would not have space to swim - but you should not let your courage down - else you would go down the Ghat road like pack of cards!

Uggani bajji at panyam - you need to energise yourself when you are setting longer goals!

Leaving friend at his house - you need to support your clients and friends - dont expect help from them - your humbleness will help you surely sometime later!

At my doorstep - you will be twisted - you get headaches - you have to keep on running - you will be hit hard - whatever happened to you is forgot in a whisk - when you get what's closer to ur heart!

last but not least sunlight after jedcherla - we may not get support when we start - but later when u r doing well - those who said you can not do - will change their minds - give you moral support and vision to drive yourself!

And the rain - its like pressure of work - sometimes it pours like hell - sometimes clear sky - you need to fuel urself to handle these situations - like raincoat in rain!

This is what I learnt during this road trip - so to get inspired - Do a road trip on bike! Enjoy the ride and learn life!

Independent and very much Dependent!!!!

I never saw Gandhi, Nehru…

Neither did I see their struggle for Independent India..

Do I know what Independence actually means?

Or Do you?

I have seen people starving..

And others who are raving….

I  have seen people who hardly get food…

And others who waste for their own good…

So much said and done…

I am still dependent.. So do you…

Then what is Independent India??? Thrill me!

 

My BhuBaneSwaR - Part 2

The last 5 months :

I have been working at Verve(Check my last post!). I ended on a rather interesting note : "The better place to be right now in India is Bhubaneswar". Right now, I can say, I have every right reason to say so.

Bhubaneswar is tier-2 city just like Pune. But as you well know, There is a big difference between Pune and Bhubaneswar presently. That can be attributed to location of the city, age of the city, governments in the respective state, climate of the city, nature of industries. Apparently film industry and tourism play a major role. Bhubaneswar has pluses when compared to Pune. It just happened that Pune grew faster due to some windy changes. Being closer to Mumbai, being cultural capital of Maharastra, the establishment of IT and automation industry and several factors helped Pune to become what it is today.

On the other side, Bhubaneswar is a planned city which just started(Modern city was designed in 1946 and came into existence in 1948 when it was made capital city of Orissa!), though the Ancient has an history that lasts from 3000 years.  Though I am not here to tell you about the history of Bhubaneswar, I can suggest this link for a good and clear understanding of Bhubaneswar. Check this

There are primarily 4 factors to be taken under consideration when one is evaluating a city - Demographics, Economy,Transport and Education. Here I dwell into them

1. Demographics
2. Economy
3. Transport
4. Education

Stayed Tuned for further information in my next post about Bhubaneswar.

Logical Child!

                In our Childhood, A day never goes by, without us struggling to stand on our feet. A day never goes by, without us doing everything to get what we want(sometimes we deserve!). A day never goes by, without us questioning everyone about everything. A day never goes by, without us dreaming to be superman, spiderman and  some alien with super natural powers from an alien planet. Haan, Those were the days.Here is an instance where every other child like me tried a way to become un-noticed, invisible and invincible.

My mom put Rs 10(Then in 90s, 10 rs is great amount! ) in a Hundi(Pooja room). And told us not to take the money, explaining us that god will be very angry and send us to hell, if we take the money!. My bro, my cousin and me are quite scared and decided not to take the money(Though we always used to entice our parents to give money for one thing or other- ice-creams, chocolates and cakes especially).

Here I am, intending to get the money and buy a cricket ball(as I lost a cricket ball the preceding day!). My brain started functioning like a racing horse, making its own strategies, theories, conclusions and betrayal!. I always had this doubt, Brain or heart? which one makes the decision? you decide!

How to get the money?
Case 1:
Let say if I took it without informing my brothers. My mom would come to know that money is missing, she would call my brothers and me, ask about the money. Both the brothers would say 'no', me being the rigid here would definitely say 'no'. Then she would ask to tell the truth, I would repeat the same. Nothing will happen but I feel guilty for stealing the money and lying to my mom for just Rs 10. The feeling of guilty is very hard to deal with.
Case 2:
When my mom asked me who did it? I might have made our maid a scapegoat. Though I may feel guilty for that, my mom would not be looking at me or us that these children are 'badmaash' and would take every measure to ensure that we never come to know about money. But here, I would be committing the third sin.
Case 3:
I could make a pact with my bros. We form a team and take the money. When mom asks, we all answer the same, we did not take it. The feeling of guilt is shared by all of us. As we knew, mom would forget about it. But it is bad because I am lying to the woman who gave me this world.

However in all the cases, I/we should always try to hide the cricket ball from mom because once she finds out that we have a ball, questions arise. She would come to know that we took the money. So all the cases are bad. The only true thing which I should do is, go up to her and ask her 'Mommy, I need a cricket ball, I will pay you back when I grow older'. She unhesitatingly will give me the money. Right??

I faced these kind of situations many a times at different ages. But its our duty to not to hurt parents and not to feel guilt for a step which never should have happened in the first place. Hope you all do the same.

Be a logical child!!

Logical Child

My BhuBaneSwaR - Part 1

It would be tough for me to write a critique on Bhubaneswar. First of all, I don't belong here. Secondly my purview will be limited... But for almost last 3 years and 5 months of my life, I have been in Bhubaneswar. Being a outsider, I am may be bit judgmental in my view about the city. So, Here it is....


Its 20th July'09, 9 PM, the Prashanti Express is slowing down, honking, braking,screeching.... Finally,  Here I am at BBSR Rly station after getting a tatkal ticket on IRCTC. It was easy then, though I paid for the  price of entire train's journey  plus 150 bucks. Nevertheless I reached BBSR safely. Its the first time I saw BBSR station though I traveled through the station from IIT Kgp to my home(Coz Sleep was the only thing I do on trains). The station is newly constructed one. The walls were made of redstone(might well painted  reddish brown), the traditional color painted all over Odisha. And the third language on the speaker "gaadi nambare eke duyi chare thini..." struck me as alien language. Among those unknown and unacquainted faces, A familiar face caught my glimpse, there he is, Pradosh at the receiving end. Took me to the bus, There are more familiar faces, :p, sravanthi chandrika, Karthik Reddy, Swathi.. OMG! Finally...

The very first day, I got to know, 'dada' in Bengali is 'Bhaina' here. I cant post my every detail at BBSR right?.. Here comes the part where I actually made something out of this place.

After the college, I decided never to come back this place, But my fate does not love me, its fucking retard and always likes to harass me every possible way, Deloitte happened dot(Those who do not know, joining got postponed by 6 months). I had done my 3rd year internship at Verve Bhubaneswar, where I met some of the very cool other IITians. The fastest thing I can do is mail him for internship position again. Got it, back again in BBSR.

These 5 months, I should say, is Eye-opener to me. It changed my thought process. It made me to be much more patient, corrected my attitude, to cling to my destiny and to love Odisha. These 5 month period, I made serious detailing of this place, which I would say the right place to be at this time.

I would tell why it is the place to be right now in part 2.

For guys who know bhubaneswar and who do not know bhubaneswar, read this page
Bhubaneswar

P.S : You can find many 'Bihars' in Bhubaneswar where as there is only one outside of Odisha !

Bhubaneswar surroundings

The krishna key

Arigatou Sravanthi.. for the terrific book "The Krishna Key" by Ashwin Sanghi, The author of Rozabal line and Chanakya's Chant. You can reach him at Sanghi's website .

A serial killer who believes himself to be "Kalki Avatar". A history doctoral student who goes by Priya alias "Mataji" manipulates one of her students to being into "Kalki avatar". A descendant of Krishna, Kanha alias "Sir Khan", tries very hard to retrieve the base plate gifted by his father, in the search becomes obsessed to trying to get "The Philosopher's stone"-Syamantaka. VSKBC and its relevance - Anil 'V'arshney, Ravi mohan 'S'aini, Rajaram 'K'urkude,Nikhil 'B'hojraj and Devendra 'C'hedi - A group of friends turned professionals in different lines of work towards a single goal - To Prove Lord Krishna is not mythical but Historical!. The never tiring police office Radhika singh who eventually falls in love with the first usual suspect 'Saini' and her devote subordinate Rathore who always present when help is needed.

The beauty of the book is 'A parallel running Mahabharata story','The importance of numbers, their representation and the number system founded by the Indians','Vedas and gita and their undying scientific revelations','A walk through of all the major temples all over India and fantastically etched Indian maps', 'Simple yet powerful word puzzles','trying to prove that How kurukhshetra war was responsible for drying of  great river saraswati and people moving towards west and east', 'Episode of Taj mahal being proved to be 'Tejo Mahal' ' and 'The way he make us believe that kalki avatar is born and indeed show us a way that we should not believe everything which is being told'.

(1,0,8,18,108,1008,786,894 - Read the book to know why they are important).

The book is whole lot of facts and fiction. You will come into believing that what is written is true, such is the convincing work of the author. To write a book like this, will surely a whole lot of effort, intellect and whole length and breadth of geographical India and Indian mythology.

I personally liked the way he presented it. The book can be made into a movie with 2 parts with interval-'Revealing original Identity of Priya' or a serial with 2 to 3 seasons.

Get the book and enjoy the read..:)

Visiting a temple..

My mother woke me up at 4 AM. she gave the extra push needed to make me brush my teeth and made me to take bath with cold water in rather chilly winter.. By 5 AM, I was ready with 'offerings to god' in my backpack. By offerings I mean, the first handpicked satchel full of  rice from the field, a bottle of milk and a saari. My mom knew that I am an atheist, but she also has belief in me that I do everything she ever wanted. Mom, grandma, bro and me are better put in friends category rather than family. We always enjoy each others presence - the saddest and happiest moments. Damn, my bro was in college and this journey was entirely on my own!.

     I started on bike from my village at around 5:05 AM. I never liked to put jacket on, I always liked to experience the extreme!. The climate was compassionate, bitter, envious and relaxing. Rode the bike over the unpaved rural roads, there are ups and downs on the road caused by the preceding rainy season just like the highs and lows of our lives.  

It was still dark and cold, Sun was shy enough to raise and moon appeared to encourage sun to help him rise and greet his girlfriend, the 'Sunflowers'. Its 6 AM, 30 mins from now, I would reach the temple of my family god- Lord Shiva. We were shaivites by birth. Though me and my bro, are atheists by nature. My mom and grandma never imposed theism in us, they always wanted us to do good and be good. Along the way, I was thinking about my guardians and   my own impression on god. In tandem, I was enjoying scenic beauty of sun rise from above the clouds and the flush greenery of crops which are  grown to a good level, Thanked the supreme for the good crops this year due to timely rains. 

Reached the temple!. I do not know why I hate visiting temples. But I try to explain myself why I do and what led me to be a dis-believer of god and  idol worshiping.

Now here's the interesting part, The first thing I should do was, But tickets for archana and other stuff, some would not believe, I should pay charge for offering coconut too. I bought everything and now I am asked to pay extra to offer what I bought!... Paid at chappal stand! Paid to get my head shaved! - got my head shaved.. first payments...

Entered the temple on barefoot. There are 5 idols in the same temple... what for? To get more dakshina at each idol! As per my mom instructions, I have to donate a minimum of 10 rs at each idol apart from the offerings... where is this money going? and offerings? to god!!?- Absolutely no!!! a big no!!... Oh yea.. The priests take them!!... second payments.

As usual, I did everything quick... Its time to leave the temple.... There is this queue of people who will kill you If you do not give them dakshina. They are aged from 5 to 90. They  do not accept what we give, they demand for more. Lost 50 bucks - third payment

My mom wanted me to bring bracelets from temple premises.. bought them for mom. Do those really protect you from bad as shown many of the films bestowed on gods?. No idea! - fourth payments.

May every moment in and around the temple is revolving around the money which I am spending for being there. But the purpose I came for is - to jus take blessings from god and wish everyone live happily. But the price for that is in terms of paisa! rather It should be in my willing to do good and help others.

Did the supreme really wanted us to worship? Did he really wanted us to come to location, find his idol and offer what we have? Did he asked the people in the place to built a temple for him? Did he ask the shopkeepers, beggars, priests to be there for him and extract money from fellow pilgrims? Does he have reservation for the guys who spend much money or show more bhakti?... Numero questions left un-answered...

Left the temple, pitying how foolish the people are , trying to find solace in a stone. Re-assuring myself that I am not part of that chumpy people.  Switched on the mp3 player, my favorite playlist started playing -

"Pal Pal Hai Bhari Woh Vipda Hai Aayee .........  

Ram Hriday Mein Hai Mere, Ram Hi Dhadkan Mein Hain
Ram Meri Aatma Mein, Ram Hi Jeevan Mein Hain....
Ram Har Pal Mein Hai Mere, Ram Hai Har Swaas Mein
Ram Har Aasha Mein Meri, Ram Hi Har Aas Mein

Ram Hi To Karuna Mein Hai, Shanti Mein Ram Hain
Ram Hi Hai Ekta Mein, Pragati Mein Ram Hain
Ram Bas Bhakton Nahin, Shatru Ke Bhi Chintan Mein Hain
Dekh Taj Ke Paap Raavan, Ram Tere Man Mein Hain......."
  

The demigod - Enna rascala :P