Trek above the clouds at Kodachadri

We finally embarked on our long-aspired & planned-for, but never-materializing trip to Kodachadri hills - a peak in the Western Ghats ranges standing tall at a height of 1813 metres above sea level near the famed Mookambika Temple at Kollur. Me (Rakshith), Mithun, Gaurav, Sushruth and Safwan boarded a bus to Udupi at around 12.30 on the 5th of Jan 2008. We were joined at Udupi by experienced trekkers - Dr Sachin Pai and Dr Ananth Pai. From Udupi, we boarded a bus to Kundapur and took another bus to Kollur from there, finally reaching Kollur at 5.15pm. This delay of more than an hour from our scheduled time meant that we would not make it in time to catch the magnificent view of the sun setting from the peaks. For your information, there are a few 'direct' buses to Kollur from Mangalore at various times of the day, but, we couldn't take them cos of our plan to meet up with the Docs at Udupi.

We continued on our journey on a hired jeep which taking the route leading to Shimoga from Kollur. After picking up a few necessary items at a town called Nittur, we finally took the right-turn to Kodachadri. (This takes about 45 mins from Kollur). This turn took us into what seemed like unmotorable roads - unmotorable, except for our very own All-Terrain Vehicles, ie Mahindra Jeeps & also few bikes, under the hands of an experienced and daring rider. I say unmotorable cos there are huge crevices running in between the roads at some parts & it is dotted with huge boulders over which the jeep jumps along. This must give you an idea about the ride comfort of the occupants & that too in a jeep. We went through a highly Topsy-turvy ride that would have loosened quite a few of our dental fillings!!! After motoring along on this hairpin curve infested narrow "road" for close to 14 km & passing through a no of valleys, catching glimpses of the neighbouring hills, we finally reached the "Bhattra mane", ie (the pooja pundit's house) & the Government-run Inspection Bungalows at 7.30 pm.

Both the above mentioned places were pretty crowded with other groups of people preparing to spend their night there. Having said that, the pundit will usually try and make arrangements for the people at neighbouring houses also, in case of capacity crowd. We, however, weren't thinking of using that privilege, as we were planning to spend our night at the peak, battling the darkness, cold & loneliness which were to be expected there. When we told the Bhatta this, they asked us to be cautious, cos not many groups do so, but assured that we can stay up there, if we were ready to face the challenges that the place had to offer. We were game to it, cos our leaders - Dr Sachin & Ananth had both braved the night at the peak during their last visit here.

So, our proper trek to Kodachadri began at 7.45 pm in the pitch darkness. For most of us, it was a first experience of trekking at night. And to add to it, we were a little short of torchlights, having to make do with only a couple of torches & the brilliant flashlight of 2 Sony Ericcson phones, used economically, so as to last us the night. We just walked on on the used-path which our lights showed us, hoping that it would take us to the peak. At certain areas, the light shed outside the cleared area failed to hit any solid object, cautioning us never to even dare venture outside that path!!! After one such heart-stopping incident, we finally reached our desired destination at around 8.30 pm after trekking for about 3 km.

The Saint Adi Shankaracharya is said to have meditated at the Kodachadri peak & the Sarvajna Peeta established by him can be seen here, housing an idol of the revered saint. After offering our prayers at the Peeta, we spread out in search of wood, twigs, shoots, grass & any other material which would help us to set up & maintain the campfire-which was our main hope for cooked food, light and warmth.



The peak is a cleared area, where many inflammable articles cannot be found. We had to trek down along unknown routes around the peak to fetch wood. Having started a small fire, we cooked noodles in the utensil which we carried, which was very tasty. The eggeterians feasted on the egg-bhurgie, while everyone played their part in finishing off the other eateries.


All this time, the weather was turning cooler & the air windier. As time passed, the winds started posing too much of a problem for us, chilling us down & making us draw closer to the Campfire. But we were in a dilemma because of the challenges the campfire had to offer. Our eyes started stinging badly because of the smoke, while our noses started 'running'. The pitch darkness allowed us to treat our eyes to the splendor of the starry sky. Many of us were off the opinion that we hadn't seen so many stars & planets in the sky & so clearly ever before. After star-gazing, photo-clicking & playing detectives in an analytical game by Dr Sachin, we started humming some of our favourite songs around the campfire. Not only did we enjoy spending time this way, we might have inadvertently ensured that any uninvited animal would run away from us!!!

We finally got down to taking a short 1-hr nap in two shifts at 4 am. On waking up, not only did we find that the added dew had further chilled the region, but, the much-awaited colourful sky caused by the rising sun was taking shape brilliantly, with a small, crescent-shaped moon showing up for a couple of hrs. The sky was at its photogenic best between 5.45 & 6.45 when finally the sun made itself visible in a royal manner. The view from the peak with the fogs & clouds below you, is to be seen to be believed.

We next set out to go to an area of Kodachadri which not many are aware of. The route is steep, with inclinations of upto 70-80 degrees at some stretches. The route starts off behind the Sarvajna Peeta & goes downhill for about a KM and half, finally revealing us a small stream of fresh water amidst the crevices in the rocks at a place called Chitrakoota. These rocks are home to a few Sadhoos who come there to sit and meditate. The climb uphill back to Sarvajna Peeta is very tiring, but, we reached by 8 am. Bidding our goodbyes to the peak, we started on our trek downhill back to Bhatra mane, where we had asked him to keep a breakfast ready for the 7 of us. This route is actually very scenic, taking us along the top & sides of many hills around the peak. The view offered along this route is breathtaking, with the bright blue of the morning sky forming an excellent background to the Golden brown grass.

After the breakfast, we returned back to our waiting jeep & came downhill experiencing the Topsy turvy ride all over again. There are people who take a bus from Kollur, which will drop them off at Nittur & after that its a trek on those 'unmotorable' roads, but taking short cuts through many of the bends on the way. The jeep journey saved us a lot of time, though at an expense of Rs 1500 for the 7 of us, which we found quite reasonable. Another trekking route for the hard-core trekkers is straight from Kollur, through the forests, which is a 20 km long trek.

Anyway, our final leg of the journey was our 'direct' return bus from Kollur to Mangalore which was spent in catching some shut-eye.

In all, the Kodachadri trek was AWESOME where we enjoyed to the max & also gained valuable experience in survival skills while being audience to the spectacle of the Kodachadri region.

Holiday with Mr. Bean

Watching the antics of Mr. Bean is always fun & as soon as I heard that a new iteration of the series, i.e. Mr. Bean's Holiday, is ready for release, I was looking forward to it. Finally, i got a chance to watch the movie & I can say it was a laugh-riot, alright.

The movie is about the Mr. Bean’s (Rowan Atkinson) journey from London to Cannes as part of his holiday. As can be expected when Bean is around, anything which can go wrong, goes wrong as he gets lost and into trouble many times over, with just his Sony Camcoder for company.

The movie has its typical Mr. Bean moments, which only Rowan Atkinson can perform. His expressions are simply amazing (& at times, disgusting) What seems to have been done, though, is that, with few comedy sequences in mind, the rest of the plot of the movie, seems to have been written. That is probably the reason why the story takes so many turns. The movie is a little slow-moving at times.

The music collection is apt & suits the mood of the movie. Cinematography is a lot modern when compared with the Bean of 1997. I, however, felt that the Camcoder inlays in the movie was a bit too long, especially early on, although, it plays a pivotal role in taking the story forward.

The support actors are par for the course. The boy, Max Baldry has done a very good job. William Dafoe doesn’t have too much of screen time. But, the movie belongs completely to Rowan Atkinson. His uninhibited portrayal of the absent-minded, fun-loving & idiotic Mr. Bean is what we have loved him for.

In short, it is a movie which will make you laugh, at times, clutching your stomach. Your experience is likely to be similar to watching a couple of episodes of Mr. Bean on TV, but, who cares, its still Mr. Bean. Kids will have an even better time watching this movie. I give it a more-than-decent 7.5/10.

WC - The Game of Unity & Love

Come the 13^th of March, 2007, everyone’s attention will turn towards the tiny countries in Central America, collectively called, the West Indies, to follow the progress of the biggest & most-awaited event in any cricket enthusiasts’s schedule – the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Although the opening ceremony will be held on the 11^th of march at Jamaica, the matches do not start off until West Indies play Pakistan on the 13^th. Both of these teams belong to the Group D; Zimbabwe & Ireland being the other two teams. West Indies are having a decent build-up to the WC, hampered a little bit by their 3-1 series loss to India. But, they do play well in WI, with the backing by their jovial crowd. Brian Lara, playing in what-should-be-his last WC would want to make this 1 a memorable 1. His leadership skills has improved a lot in this captaincy stint.

Pakistan, on the other hand, are an unpredictable outfit, being wounded by their 4-1 away loss to South Africa. But, as we have seen time & again, on their day, they are capable of beating the best. Pakistanis would be looking up to their old warhorses – Inzamam & the tremendous Mohd. Yousuf to fire consistently. Absence of Shoiab Akthar & Mohd. Asif will definately be felt in the bowling department.

Moving over to the Group A, there is a mouth-watering clash between the current No.1 & No.2 ODI teams in the world, namely, South Africa & Australia respectively. Although, Australia have been outclassed in their previous 5 encounters, it wouldn’t be wise to rule them out of WC contention, especially with the return of their Captain Consistent – Ricky Ponting & the wicketkeeper-batsman, Adam Gilchrist. They, however, are bound to miss the services of the in-form but injured, Brett Lee, who has been gradually developing into a deadly fast-bowler.

South Africa is a team which has been performing consistently in the past few months, easily beating India & Pakistan in the home series. Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis & Shaun Pollock are their proven players. They will also rely on the services of Makaya Ntini & Mark Boucher to come-up with a clinical performance.

Group C includes two teams which must have gained immense amount of confidence after recently beating the World Champions Australia, ie. New Zealand & England. New Zealanders have a nice team, packed with all-rounders, because of which they bat deep. But, they might have a little problem in the middle order, which lacks experience. Their greatest strength is their fielding & their team-work…many players chip in with runs & wickets in most games.

England played wonderfully well to win both the finals of the Commonwealth Series against Australia, but, their form in the matches before that isnt very encouraging. Apart from those two gritty games, they have been struggling in Australia. Andrew Flintoff & Kevin Peterson alongwith Paul Collingwood, are bound to be their players to watch.

Group B is where our primary interest lies, with sub-continent teams like Sri Lanka & India battling it out here. Sri Lanka might have looked a bit out of sorts in their last ODI series against neighbours India in India, but, their team will be boosted by the return of the tremendous bowling war-horses, Muttiah Murlitharan & Chaminda Vaas. Batting line up appears strong, but, they will require players like Sanath Jayasuriya, Sangakkara & Jayawardane to fire consistently.

Indian team, after its terrible outing in SA, has managed to recover its confidence, beating both WI & SL at home. Their main concern will be the batting. Although, most batsmen were among runs in the past two home ODI series, but, its while playing away that they manage to falter. Captain Dravid has made a courageous, but, right move by picking Sehwag in the team; because, he is the kind of batsman who can murder any kind of bowling attack, if he stays in the wicket for a while. In the 3 practise matches & agaisnt minnows, if he gets close to a hundred, then, that’s what will get him going. Sourav Ganguly, who has looked very good since his comeback, should hold the top order together. In my opinion, Sachin Tendulkar should still be opening; but, in order to fill in the lacuna in the middle order, he has had to drop down the order. He should have a good WC campaign, if India are to do well in this WC.

Bowling prospects are in the hands of Zaheer Khan & Agarkar, with new comers like Sreesanth & Munaf Patel fully raring to go. If Irfan Pathan gets back to his earlier wicket-taking ways, it is going to help the team a lot, as India will get a decent all-rounder as well.

Among the minnows, if any upsets can be expected, it should come from Bangladesh or Kenya. Zimbabwe have had very few matches in the last couple of years & most of the seniors are also gone. Canada, Holland & Scotland would be aiming at improving on their past performances & giving more of a fight to the test playing nations, all the while hoping for an upset. Ireland and Bermuda will be be feeling ecstatic, just being part of the major cricketing event.

All said and done, the league matches might not draw in too many audiences, save for the 1 or 2 matches in most groups between the test playing nations. The party really gets started on March 27^th, when the Super 8 matches begin. It’ll make for some good TV viewing!!!

Aaya Aaya Gurubhai!!!

GURU... This movie is all about the vision of a person – Gurukanth Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) & his efforts to realize the dream, fighting against all odds. Some people say it is based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani. I can see why they say so. But, this is actually a movie about a simple guy trying to make it big in this world. It can easily relate to just about any successful entrepreneur who has been able to achieve his vision.

This movie follows Guru’s journey, starting from his teenage days; his first work in the petrol industry in Turkey. As he matures in age as well as in riches, he decides to start working for himself & begins his “bijjness”- His foundation stone & his first business takeover being his marriage with Sujatha (Aishwarya Rai). He steps into Bombay and bids to cut out his own route in textile trading, through the weed-infested fields of the trading unions. His entry into trading, is greatly influenced by the works of a news editor with great principles, Manikdas Gupta (Mithun Chakraborthy). The relationship between these two, then, goes on to progress to a father-son standard. Flanked by his innovative ideas & his sole will of realizing his dreams, he dares to foray into other areas, manufacturing polyester, producing chemicals etc.

But, as we near intermission, an important incident occurs, which makes Mithunda to take notice of the ways & means of Guru’s success. To investigate Guru’s work, he appoints a young reporter, Shyam Saxena (R Madhavan). This is where the story really starts developing its many twists & turns; involving many intricate plots bearing great emotion, building up wonderfully to a Grand Finale worth the huge expectations from this film.

Mani Ratnam as the Director does a commendable job of realizing his screenplay dreams. His attention to detail in every aspect of the movie is commendable, be it the evolution in the type of clothing which the characters wear or the concept of using different shades of colours for different decades in the movie, there is typical Mani Ratnam uniqueness written all over it. High points in the movie are the sequences between Mithunda & Guru, the simple chemistry between Aishwarya & Abhishek & of course, the Finale. The cinematography by Rajiv Menon is very nice, capturing the essence of the India of the bygone days. The editing though good for the most parts, was a little too flashy for my liking towards the end.

The music by AR Rahman is another huge point going in favour of the movie. The soulful song & tune of “Jaage Hain” & the ravishing song “Tera Bina” are pieces of musical brilliance. "Barso Re" is a melodious number, shot very beautifully with nice choreography. ARR plays his charm though his innovative & fresh music.

Coming to the performances, the beauty queen – Aishwarya Rai has given a wonderful performance, suiting her strong character in the movie. This is one of the few occasions, where her acting has done the talking & not only the looks. Madhavan does justice to the role of the sincere journalist. Vidya Balan runs her charm in the brief, but, important role she plays; portraying her unrelenting love for her quarreling caretakers. Mithun Chakraborthy’s comeback role is the best that I’ve seen coming from this Disco dancer of yesteryears. He is involved in a few quite memorable scenes in the movie, adding his charm. Mallika Sherawath fans would be disappointed to find out that she doesn’t have any role in the movie at all, except for a song.

But, this movie belongs to Abhishek Bachchan & none other. This is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play such an important role & he has grabbed it with both hands. This is not a typical hero’s role, which he portrays. There is the interesting addition of grayish shades to his character. His choice of role means that he probably wont have too many of his female fans swooning over him during the movie; but, it is his acting which steals the show here. He graces almost every frame with his presence. His dialogue delivery is immaculate, his energy & confidence in the movie is truly breathtaking, towering over all the other good performances in the movie.

Digital Photography....Demystified

Laying your hands on your new digital camera, you suddenly find all sorts of symbols on the dials of the camera. You open up the instruction manual only to find it flooded with an array of technical words. Understanding very little, you fiddle around the dial, slotting it in the “Auto” mode & click a few snaps. You are pleased with the outcome initially. As you go on experimenting, you find that although the photos are average, they aren’t upto your expectations. This is when you must start venturing out to see what the other symbols & terms in your camera stand for & explore the vast array of customizable features offered by your camera. Before doing this, however, it is better to have an idea about several of the terms used & the concepts behind them.

In this blog, I make an effort to simplify the concepts used in photography.

Optical zoom v/s digital zoom

Optical zoom uses the physics of optics to enlarge or reduce the image using lenses of different focal lengths. In the photographers’ language, the zoomed-out position is called “Telephoto” (T) & the zoomed-in position is called “Wide-Angle” (W).

On the other hand, digital zoom magnifies the individual pixels of the ordinary sized photographs. So, one gets a magnified image alright; but, at the cost of the image clarity. Hence, when analyzing the capabilities of any camera, it is wise to take the digital zoom out of the equation & considering only the optical zoom characteristics.

Aperture is the opening in the lens of the camera. This is what determines the amount of light falling on the image sensor (the analogue of a film in a digital camera). Aperture is denoted using what is called as “F” number. The aperture size & the F number have an inverse relation. Thus, a large aperture has low F no in the ranges of F1.8, F2.8 etc. Small aperture has a high F no, like F8, F16 etc. Representations of aperture sizes are also made as f/8, f/16 etc

Shutter Speed is the time for which the shutter allows the light to enter through the lens. If the shutter speed in a camera reads 1/125, it means the aperture is opened for 1 by 125^th of a second. Some of the cameras have shutter speeds in excess of 16 to 32 seconds. Seconds are represented using the ‘ mark.

ISO refers to the sensitivity of the image sensor to the light falling on it. ISO representation is based on the speed rating. ISOs ranging from 50, 80, 100, 200, 400 etc can be seen in various cameras. The lower ISO ratings mean the image sensor is less sensitive to light & can be ideally used in well-lit conditions. As the speeds increases, their sensitive to light also increases. Hence, these come into better use as the lighting decreases. But, this means that the fainter light signals also get recorded now, resulting in the appearance of 'grains' on the photo, which is called “Noise”.

Flash is the external light which one provides to fill-in for the lack of natural light at the setting, in order to attain a proper exposure. Fill-in flash can also be customized in many of the cameras, having positive as well as negative ranges.

Thus, we come to Exposure, which is the end-result of all these – Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO setting, Flash – put together. If the subject appears optimally bright, the photo is said to have a proper exposure. If the photo comes out with dull & insufficient lighting, then the photo is said to be underexposed. Overexposure is when the photo appears too bright. Hence, what all photographers strive for is the optimum exposure of the sensor.

Depth of Field (DOF) is the amount of the subject which is in focus. If the whole image is in focus, it is said that there is a Great DOF. This is desirable usually when capturing sceneries or in landscape photos. On the other hand, if only a part of the image is in sharp focus, with the rest being blurred out, then, it is said to have a Shallow DOF. This is sought-after in cases of portrait (close-ups of people) photographs, so, as to lay emphasis on the subject & not the surroundings.

DOF is mainly influenced by the aperture size. A large aperture like f/2.8 will produce a shallow DOF, whereas a small aperture (f/8) results in a greater DOF.

Regarding the different aspects & terms used in photography, I found a very appropriate analogy on the net. Let me share it with you. Consider a hosepipe conveying water to fill a bucket. Here, the diameter of the hosepipe is like the aperture of the lens, regulating the amount of light passing through the opening at any given time. The duration for which the tap is kept open corresponds to the shutter speed. The speed of the flow of water through the pipe corresponds to the ISO speed in the camera. And finally, the amount of water collected in the bucket refers to the amount of exposure.

Let us consider this. If we have a narrow pipe (small aperture = large F no), then we will require the tap to be kept open for a longer time (higher shutter speed) & with optimum speed of water (ISO setting) to fill the bucket (optimum exposure). Keeping the other settings constant, if we turn off the tap half-way through, the bucket will not fill to the brim (under-exposure). Keeping the tap open longer (lower shutter speed) will result in excess of water in the bucket (Over-exposure).

Similarly, keeping the shutter speed constant, if the aperture is increased (lesser F number), there will be over-exposure. Decreasing the aperture size will result in underexposure.

Another important thing to be kept in mind while photographing any object is the Rule of Thirds. The basis of this ages-old rule is that if you were to divide a frame into thirds, both ways-horizontally & vertically, the points of intersection are the points where your subject should be placed in order to be most interesting, while also being most pleasing & easy-on-the-eye. The photos taken keeping these rules in mind tend to grab instant attention. However, these are actually just guidelines, not absolute rules. Feel free to experiment with different positions.

All said and done, you don’t get good photographs by just learning about the different aspects of it. You must go out & shoot as many photos as possible, letting your creativity play its role, looking at things from a different perspective. Shoot multiple snaps, try out with different settings, compare & decide; you can always delete them later. With the advent of the digital cameras, photography isn’t such an expensive hobby now. Knowledge of these things just helps you to get photos which are closer to what you had in mind while shooting that snap!!!

Prayaana to Yaana in our Vaahana

They say if the first button of a shirt is fastened properly, the rest will fall into place automatically. I suppose, that applied to our journey to Uttar Kannada starting on the 23^rd of Dec, 2006, as, once the basic itinerary was carefully set & decided upon, the trip was bound to progress without many hiccups. This was the case with this journey taken by Rahul, Abhishek, Sandeep, Yours Truly & Kiran to his native place near Sirsi. We started early from Kiran’s house in Bangalore at 5.40 am in his Maruti 800 with Kiran on the wheel.

Our very first stop-over was to tank up the car to the brim at Dasarahalli. Rahul took over the reigns of the vehicle from there & zoomed along the splendid new stretch of highway to Tumkur. At the next piss-stop, it was my turn to burn the road. With our stomachs making their presence felt, we made an early stop at Tiptur to fuel our appetite at a reasonably good restaurant called Kamat at around 8 am.

Our satisfied appetite was evident with a lot more activity happening by the passengers, while I sat at the drivers’ seat to continue on my stint from where i had left of. As we zoomed past the ever-increasing traffic, we took part in a very healthy discussion whose topics ranged from the latest business moves to the state of affairs of the economy to sports & photography. As the discussions ceased, Sandeep started humming some of the popular songs in Hindi & Kannada in his melodious voice & we gave him company by singing along in our harsh & loud voices, managing to mask his singing brilliance. The roads, although very smooth & straight for the most part, were dotted with a couple of potholes here-and-there. That coupled with the very bouncy ride of the Maruti wouldn’t have made life very comfortable for the occupants at the back row.

At our next stop to answer nature’s call, Rahul took over the wheel, being freshened up by the brief nap. He continued on at a very good pace. While on the way, we decided to meet a friend of Abhi and Rahul – Ananda Mattur & we called him to Shimoga. Having reached Shimoga at 11.30 am, we waited till Ananda came & escorted us to his native house at Mattur (the famed village, where people converse in Sanskrit). After being audience to the procedure of processing Areca nut in his farm, we crossed the river Tunga to view a typical, old village house. In and around Mattur, me & Kiran scouted for a few scenic photographic opportunities. I'm glad that we have a few decent ones atleast to show for the effort.

We started from Mattur at around 1.30 pm & reached our next stop outside Sagar where Kiran took over the wheel. Our emerging idea of a visit to the famed Jog falls had to be dropped, because of the inadequacy of time. This stretch of road from Siddapur to Sirsi was a confidence-inspiring one for Kiran, who enjoyed the twisting drive, while all the back-benchers utilized the time to catch a bit of shut eye. Thus, we reached his native house at around 4.15 pm, after a fuel-stop at Sirsi.

After being introduced to his relatives & filling our lunch-deprived stomachs, we set out to

Banavasi, the age-old temple which is just a 15 minute drive from there. On the way, we made a detour to the calm lake at Gudnapur, which was looking brilliant in the fading lights of dusk. Banavasi is a temple of Madhukeshwara (Shiva), but, its uniqueness lies in the presence of all the major deities around India in the corresponding directions. Thus, it is said, if you make a tour of Banavasi, it is like going on an India-wide pilgrimage.

The next day, we set out at around 10 am, being accompanied by the youngest of Kiran’s uncles & 3 of his other old chums in two bikes – Bajaj Wind & the Bajaj Pulsar 150. Our car also had new inclusions in two of Kiran’s kid cousins. We fueled the car again at Sirsi in our journey towards Yaana, a spot very well-known to trekking enthusiasts across the state. The drive to Yaana from Sirsi takes up more than an hour along the winding route. Drive becomes especially scenic after taking the deviation at Hegdekatte. Rahul at the wheel did a nice job of catching up with the bikes on those broken road surfaces. We parked the cars and started on the 4-km walk to the renowned temple at Yaana.

The walk towards Yaana is descending for most parts, including the crossing of a small stream. After having walked close to an hour along the trails through the jungle, we were starting to wonder about the distances yet to be covered. Then, as we rounded a bend in the trail, we finally caught a glimpse of the towering rocks of Yaana. The biggest of them called the “Bhairaveshwara Shikhara”, stands tall at 492 feet, having a circumference of over a kilometer and half, soaring above the encircling green vegetation. There is another huge rock opposite it, which measures close to 290 feet. The temple at the base is of Goddess Devi, with a steady, continuous spring of water falling all throughout the year on the natural idol. It is possible to encircle the temple, taking a cut in between the rocks, which is a fabulous experience, with the rocks appearing as if they are ready to collapse on you anytime.

After having a small drink to quench our thirst & few bites at the snacks at the shop there, we set out on our return journey. This was taxing to a few of us, especially, the seemingly non-ending ascent. Eventually though, we took about 45 minutes to return to our car. We gobbled up the food which Kiran’s aunt had packed for us. On our drive back, I commandeered the vehicle with my bro, Rahul taking over when we stopped to snack again.

Me & bro intended to return to our hometown of Mangalore from Sirsi on our way back from Yaana. To this effect, we boarded a bus to Kumta at 3.30 pm. Kiran, Abhi & Sandy intended to stay over-night at Kiran’s other uncle’s house & drive back to Bangalore the next day. We reached Kumta at 5.10 pm & took a quick auto ride to the railway station. We were able to catch the Verna-Mangalore Passenger train, only because of its over-an-hour delay. But, we were dismayed to find out the train was over-crowded & all the seats were occupied. That meant we had to stay standing for close to two hours, taking in all the nudges & pushes of the vendors & passengers till we finally got to sit at Udupi. We alighted at the Suratkal station & took a jolting city bus drive to our house.

Kiran & others started off early the next day, with Kiran solely responsible for the driving duties. They chose a different approach, preferring to take the Sirsi-Dasankoppa-Haveri-NH4-Bangalore route. On the way, they visited Sandeep’s house at Davangere & had their breakfast there. As Kiran drove on through the seemingly alternate stretches of silky-smooth & cratered roads, pausing at a railway crossing, he grew more & more confident, which was evident in his pedal-to-metal approach in the straights. After lunch at Kamat Upachar at Tumkur, they finally reached Kiran's house at 3.15 pm. For a detailed description of the routes and an assesment of the roads, check out Kiran's wonderful report.

All in all, it was a pretty relaxing trip for us; we were able to not only soothe our minds with the calmness of the village setting, but also, feed our adventurous hearts with a testing drive as well as a nice little trek.. And the excursion became all the more special in the presence of close friends.

My year in retrospect

As i stumbled upon Darren Rowse's ProBlogger topic for the season, I felt myself relive my past year. There were few moments that stood out; forcing a change in me or teaching me something important or just pointing out at some of the decisions that I made. Here, I wish to take you through some of the events that took place, with my retrospective thoughts about them.

I noticed encouraging signs in the evolution of my thought process. I am very pleased to report increasing incidents of positive approach to many of the situations, which not only helped me in dealing with it when I could, but also in pulling myself through when I could do nothing. Its been a year where I learnt that negative thoughts are not to be thrown out of the window altogether, but, to look for the hidden meanings in them. Looking at things & ideas in a pessimistic perspective, at times, aids you to be more careful & makes you look into the intricate details. It also helps you to come up with escape routes or to plan different approaches, should the present approach fail. The idea of swapping places with others to judge any tricky situation & to handle tight corners, payed rich dividends to not only me, but, also to the others involved; of that i am certain.

In my journey of self-discovery through the year, I also noticed the role played by the “Feel-Good” factor in my approach towards day-to-day, as well, as special activities. Of course, this was greatly enhanced by instances like motivating others, encouraging them; besides being a sturdy rock to lean on or to take support or to just vent away the worries whenever a buddy in distress needs one.

Academically, there was reiteration of the fact that one need not concentrate on scoring very highly in the subjects alone, as long as one knows whats going on & knows how to use the knowledge he has garnered in an apt way whenever called for. Having said that, if you do happen to set your sights on doing something memorable with the amount of skill you’ve got, then, that decision should be taken early; while also being accompanied by systematic planning & a disciplined approach, with enough time thrown in for fun & family.

Getting injured, physically or psychologically, need not always be due to ones mistake. It can even happen in the most trivial of circumstances. The pain & discomfort one endures is what makes him stronger.

Although, I knew helping others & volunteering to help in doing something are noble & satisfying; this was the year in which I first experienced the taste of the elixir of true happiness filling my heart to the brim. The joy & pride which floods ones mind once the work succeeds is what can be defined as being truly sweet. In addition to that, there was the delight in toiling towards the goal, especially, since it was accompanied by all-round laughter & fun.

Sports are always known to relax the mind, while at the same time, giving enough work to the ever-eager musculature. Over the past year, I discovered the delectation in persevering with sports and training over a long period of time. Not only does it ameliorate your skills, but, it also impels you to manage time better, lest you be left wanting in your other activities. I, especially, liked the grit we showed in fighting hard & working harder to make our way to a commendable position in the cricket tourney for which we were working, in spite of ours being not such a strong contingent this time round. My modest contributions in it, has made it an experience that I will treasure. As an added bonus, making it through to the next level by representing our university, where only a few get selected, has formed an important blip in my never-ending learning curve.

Finally, towards the end of the year, my brother re-introduced me into blogging, as we set out with our minds filled with hopes of doing something substantial. The important thing for us is improvement which we want to see develop within us in terms of our writing skills & also, in getting the message across in a very polished manner.

The new Xtreme avataar of CBZ

The very first thought that came to my mind when I heard about the new bike - CBZ- Xtreme was "Is this really something new?..... or is it just another re-badged & a pathetically newly styled bike from the Hero Honda stables?"

After seeing the photos of the new machine & going through the tech-specs of the machine, i was forced to at the least give it proper notice...

The side profile of the bike caught my attention 1st, and I was fairly impressed by its looks, atleast in the photos... What caught my eyes were the aggressive rear quarter panels, the split grip at the rear (which by the way looks really good, I must add). The tail-lights, though, not the best...were somewhat acceptable. Then, I happened to look at its front fairing & for a moment, I thought I am in a different world... the world of 100cc bottom-rung bikes. Well, I don't know of a better place where a squarish, flat headlamp would fit, other than in the budget class...!! Even the subtle, unique touch of the bulging, eye-like side indicators integrated into the fairing fails to compensate for the unbelievably bland front. I didn't get the funda behind the rectangular, flat & separate parking light above the headlight either. That indeed looks very odd! The tank is pretty decent, although, it has got lines of familiarity running all over it... The black finish of the engine is a nice touch, although, it would have been even better if it was matted...

When I finally got my chance to see the bike in its flesh, during a test-ride, I was quite disappointed, actually… The shiny black finish of the engine cover & the bottom half of the bike was reminiscent of the lower class bike though the color coded rear view mirrors is a nice touch...

Now coming to the engine… The essentials of the engine remain fairly the same as its sibling, the Unicorn, but, with minor tweaking to get the power output upto 14.4 PS @ 8500 rpm & a torque rating of 12.8 Nm developed at a very respectable 6500 rpm. This makes it the highest ranked mobike in the 150 cc segment, power-wise… In my short test ride, however, I could not test whether this translates to heroics on-the-road… The initial pick-up was pretty good, I have to mention, although the manner of power delivery is a little laid back, in comparison to the Pulsar 150 DTSi or the Apache. One aspect of Hero Honda which has made it legendary is the refinement offered by the impeccably smooth & refined Honda engine & the precise gearing… All these points are, thankfully, seen in the new CBZ as well… The gear ratios seem just about right… The gear shifting is as smooth & effortless as hot-knife-through-butter. The gear shift lever has only a front foot-peg, with no foot pegs for the sole. I know, this is the way it is in the sports bikes; but, from the practicality point of view, it would have been far more useful providing a sole gear-changer as well…

The ride with most HHs is pretty good & sorted out keeping the Indian roads (& pot-holes) in mind… The ride in this bike is also pretty decent… The riding position is almost spot-on & the seats seem to have the right amount of firmness, but, its effectiveness in long rides is yet to be found out…

The bike has a decent balance, with not too much of its weight being felt at the handle bar. So, maneuverability in moving in & out of the bumper-to-bumper traffic in the cities should not pose a major challenge… This should also help its handling…

The instrument cluster has new-look dials with a few detailed touches… The switches, though, are similar to the ones seen in other HH bikes… But, what is being provided does seem a bit less, especially when u get a fully-loaded Pulsar, with the digital speedo, self-canceling indicator, LED lights etc with a bit less of a pinch into your pockets…

With its price tag of Rs. 64000 odd, on-the-road Mangalore, its not exactly sending any chills down its competitors spines… Especially when TVS offers a brilliant looking, power-packed handler in Apache & the Bajaj guys raising the bar yet again with their brand new Pulsar… HH doesn't even come out with vague promises of over-the-moon fuel efficiency figures with this one…

In conclusion, although this is a much better work at renovating the CBZ than the previous efforts seen by the HH guys, it has still left wanting in several areas… The looks need to be improved, and a more aggressive power-delivery by the impressive engine would be most welcome & so will a few more paraphernalia at a competitive price… At this moment, however, I get the feeling; it will probably be accepted by only the HH faithfuls..!!

Shantaram - A review

Title : Shantaram

ISBN : 0316728209
Author : Gregory David Roberts
Pages : 944

I’m just laying down the book Shantaram, after having first touched its pages a month & a half back… The Question that arises is.. Is it boring or just too long??? Well... Actually, it isn't... My busy schedule with work and play & my habit of unhurried progress through each page explains the mammoth time I've used up in enjoying... that's right, enjoying most of the 900- odd pages of this book...

To give a view of the plot from what it appears to someone at the moon… This is a story of an Australian fugitive’s search for freedom after he touches down at the Bombay Airport… On a slightly closer look, it deals with his social life as a Bhai in the Mumbai Mafia, the mistakes he committed during his lifetime… As you read on, you tend to see through the fugitive-mask which has been put on him by the authorities & be able to read his emotions, his thoughts about the people he meets, the events that occur, his simplistic approach & his sincere effort to help the deprived…

Amidst all the deplorable views of being a Goonda, there is ample of proof of the real ‘him’ which sparkles in his tenure at the slum, being a friend, a social man & the slum doctor… Book takes you through the turmoil of his love-life and his remorse for the actions he has done, the omissions he has made & the signs which he left unread…

His work is of a pretty high standard on the literary charts, with great descriptions of the events & the characters, with great attention being thrown into the details… The action plots are satisfactory… Although, I felt it a little tedious at some parts, his pace is pretty good, as a whole…

What appealed to me most about this book, bringing it into the thresholds of entering ‘one of my favorite’ category, was his amazing description of the “Indian” way of leading life… It amazes me to see the connection he achieved with the Indian minds… His vignette of the mindset of the people & the breath-taking narrative of the sights, smells, tastes & the feel of Bombay is simply marvelous… You tend to colligate his narration to most of the Indian cities and it brims you up with pride, especially, his findings of the Indian kindness…

One more thing which fascinated me in this book was his thoughts & his philosophical impressions of the events & his unmistakable talent of summarizing it in his own wonderful way, as can be seen at the end of most chapters… There are pretty apt generalizations and some cheeky quotes thrown-in all along, as well…

I would definitely suggest it as a read-once atleast for most of the people… If I had to whine about something, then, it would probably be its length, but, even that, you tend to enjoy it as you browse along… It certainly struck most of the right notes in my head which makes me give an admirable nod!!! So, Kudos to Gregory David Roberts!!!

Sar mein Helmet.. Nahi toh hoge Hell's inmate!!!

With many of the states embracing (or proposing to) the “helmets are compulsory” rule, it has got the Mango people (didn’t get it?? our AAM JANATA) farting their hearts(?) out. And, surprisingly, instead of supporting it, we find that the opposers outnumber the supporters, and that too, by a far shot.

Helmets are really our true MATES in this HELL, called Indian roads (or any roads, for that matter). Whatever your ‘nut’ is made of, it needs to be protected, & helmets do that job to a "T"... providing an outer, tougher Nut, which is hard to penetrate. Also, they come with visors which ward off the dust & other elements, which is an oh-so-common thing in our dust-bowls called "roads".

The main hindrance to the use of helmets is undoubtedly the mindset of the people, although, they are not willing to accept it... For this very reason, they come up with complaints that it gets hot and sweaty inside the helmet... I agree, it does feel a bit hot inside during daytime when immobile, but, this is just a transient state... Once you get moving, there is enough airflow inside any helmet... And once you throw open the visor, you can enjoy the fresh air, just like before...

Another reason for its non acceptance maybe the added burden a helmet possesses in carrying it around, after parking... For this very purpose there are helmet locks to secure it to the vehicle...

Then, there r people suggesting that their drop-dead, gorgeous looks cannot be appreciated by the fairer sex because of these helmets coming in their way. I have nothing much to say about this, except that, there is nothing “macho” in having white bandages adorning your handsome face or, worse still, your photo appearing in the newspapers in the Obituaries section for all those birds to see. After all this, they will be left kissing tarmac, rather than u-know-who’s ;-)!!!

I, quite apparently, am not as good my fellow Bharathiyas in finding the cons (or creating one, as it seems to me) about helmet use. Coz, I’ve heard reports about demonstrators going out onto the streets with protests (can u imagine??) to ban the helmet rule, coz it causes hair-loss & what not!!! Of course, there is no proof to back their claims...

Forcing pillions to wear helmets may seem obscure to some, but, give it a thought... Are pillions spared in any accident; don’t they get hurt just as badly as the riders themselves.

I hope better sense prevails & this rule comes into effect across our Bharath-varsh. Coz, we Indians have a special liking for doing things out of compulsion, rather than out of conviction. But, even that, I feel is OK. Force it, if they don’t have the discipline to do it themselves. After all paying a fine is far better and cheaper than paying for the hospital bills; or worse still, paying for the funeral procession…!!

As they say, with this SAFETY device on your head, u can sip SAFE TEA(was’nt that a good one?!!) at home….!! This ensures that you BURN THE ROAD & not the BODY!!!!

Am I Distant from Society

AIDS…One of the most dreaded acronym of recent times... What does it actually stand for?

Most of us know it as “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”… But, ask the victims, and they might probably say it stands for Am I Distant from Society!!!

How often have you not read reports or seen incidents of a Tom Hanks (in Philadelphia) or a Tinu Hari being thrown out of work just because he has fallen into the deadly grasp of this disease… It is more heart-breaking to see children being outcast from schools & from play areas, just because they are innocent carriers, through none of their faults…

Most of us, educated people know that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) spreads mainly through unprotected sexual activity & sharing of body fluids, as in Blood transfusion, sharing of infected needles & during child birth from mother to child… It has been proved time-and-again that casual touch etc can’t cause the infection… But, lots of people are not willing to accept it… They say, “You tell today there is no chance of infection through touch & after a big time research, you’ll say it can also be spread through touch… Where will we be left, then??”

Although, the numbers always suggested that so many millions are infected with the virus & some million more are suffering from AIDS, I dint realize the severity of the situation until I went to the hospital wards & OPD as part of my postings… More than 30 % of the patients I have seen are HIV positive!!! And in some of the hospitals, there is a separate “Retroviral section” for intensive care of these people, who come in with all sorts of opportunistic infections.

So, what can we do to improve the quality of life of these people, some of whom don’t have too much life left in front of them by the time they are diagnosed…?

The best way is to educate the masses about the disease as such & also about the ways by which they can & cannot be spread… For those who have already boarded the HIV train, the best we can try to do is to stop them from passing on this deadly virus to others… apart from the usual safe sex & sex with only one partner, it’ll be wise to advise them against having children who are bound to be born fighting against the virus only to be dead even before they know what they are suffering from…

Spread the message, not the virus.