Monsoon fury: Bhandardara

Bhandardara is around 180Kms from Mumbai and boasts of one of the most pleasing views and monsoon experience in the state. The bunch of us set off and a hired Chevrolet Tavera & a Pulsar 200 were to serve us today. Wilson dam, Mount Kalsubai (highest peak of Maharashtra), Arthur Lake and Ratangad fort are some of the tourist attractions here. In the rain, we decided to skip the trek to Kalsubai and visited the dam, waterfall and the lake. Besides these ‘touristy’ spots, what we thoroughly enjoyed was the journey to the place. The experience of passing through clouds, chilly winds, innumerous waterfalls, endless greenery and the continuous precipitation is hard to describe in words.

We started around 6:20 am, passed Thane by 7:30 and were speeding on the Nashik highway. Speeds in excess of 100kmph were later brought down thanks to the rain. We had breakfast midway somewhere after Vasind. The first thrill was the Sayhadri ghats. The ghats offer a spectacular view of the valley but today the clouds engulfed us. Driving through the clouds was quite an experience in itself. Though there is a way from Asangaon, we stayed on the NH3 until the small town of Ghoti. Any roads off this highway are usually in a bad shape. The monsoon had definitely taken a toll and it took us more than an hour to cover the last 30Kms. Though there were some really bad patches of tarmac, we never complained as the lush green & wet surroundings were an absolute treat.

One phenomenon that surprises me here are the winds. There were a couple of times when the Chevy passed through a gap in the valley and swayed violently. I freaked out everytime I saw this and braced myself as I went through the gap moments later on the bike. No exaggerations here: ride with extreme caution for the winds will try their best to blow you away; whatever be your ride. I have to admit that I underestimated the power a couple of times. There were times when I bent more than 10 degrees to counter the wind on a straight path. It took me a while to figure out the boundary between thrill and stupidity but a couple of bad judgments and last moment braking have taught lessons that ought to be lifelong. So please, slow down.. We hit the village around 10:30. Upon reaching the waterfall, tea and pakodas were ordered at a small shanty of a place.

The winner amongst my stupidity for the day featured the biggest Rapta of ‘em all. (for the definition of rapta, click here) We had encountered countless raptas on the way thanks to the rain but I’ll call this one at Arthur lake the ‘Big Daddy’ . We parked our vehicles on one end of the road as the driver was against taking the Chevy through it. However, I saw a Splendor come through. Then a Discover came through revving hard and coughing. If these measly machines can, then why not the beast? With this thought I mounted my machine and drove off after instructing Nishant to take pics of the victorious me splashing around. As soon as I reached halfway, the engine started coughing. No sooner had it hauled me to safety and it died. My compatriots who had attempted similar feats were also subjected to the same fate (another Splendor). What had happened was that the level had risen (Yes! In a matter of minutes) by a couple of inches. The groaning of the engine meant that there was plenty of water in both the muffler as well as the spark plugs. We hauled the bike to a small shed (the only sign of habitation/human activity within a couple of Kms) and tried everything. We titled the bike on the rear wheel to flush out the silencer. Opened, Cleaned and dried both the spark plugs. When nothing worked, we decided to wait. Sure enough the engine came back to life after repeated attempts of the above mentioned steps in 40 minutes. This time I decided to cross the rapta off the bike. So Punit and I pushed the bike, fought the fury of the water which threatened to wash away the bike and the two of us and got it back to the other side. Thankfully, the engine roared and we headed to Arthur lake. The ladies were dreaming of boating all this while and were left aghast as soon as we reached the spot. For waves that would put the shores of Arabian sea to shame greeted us. Again, wind was the culprit. Boating had been suspended for the day and we decided to head out for food. Needless to say, every bone was shivering. Even the ones in the car wet after the previous excursions and the chilly winds can make life tough. When we finally reached the MTDC resort at around 2pm, I discovered that my hands and feet could very well be featured in the fairness cream advertisements sans the shrinkage lines that had developed. For white would have shied away from the skin made pale by the non-stop precipitation of the last 5 hours. The highlight of the process of eating was not the food but the fact that we remained in a dry place for about an hour.

We headed back at around 4pm and stopped for coffee at a CCD between the Sayhadri ghats and Vasind. A word of caution: it is very hard to find a decent place to eat here. There are 2-3 resorts which may or may not entertain you for food and hence MTDC is often the only option. It is not a bad idea to stuff as much food from home; especially if you wish to trek to Kalsubai.

Ways to get there:

1. Hire a cab from Mumbai: We struck a decent deal for a 6-seater which turned out to be around Rs. 650 per head

2. Via Igatpuri: Take a train/ bus to Igatpuri. From Igatpuri, you could hire a cab (Rs 500) or take the state transport corporation’s hourly bus. Economical but you lose time.

3. Drive/Ride: A great drive but do ensure that the vehicle has already earned your confidence. The terrain is quite treacherous and there are hardly any support center/workshops here. Figure out the math depending on the kind of fuel guzzler you plan to take.

Places to stay:

• - The MTDC resort is the only economical option but it can be difficult to get confirmed bookings on weekends. You may need to book weeks in advance.
• - There are a couple of budget hotels in the nearby town of Igatpuri (40Kms) as well

Places around:

You can try to cover a few more places in case you want to make a trip of more than 1 day:

- Nashik : The city with many prominent temples

- Shirdi: The Sai temple in Shirdi needs no introduction. The town also offers numerous places to stay depending on your budget.

- Malshejghat: A hill station with a panoramic view of mountains and valleys. Again, it is difficult to get a confirmed booking in the MTDC resort here.

Mysterious ways .. Fate??

On any other day, I would have laughed at it and brushed it away. Mysteriously, my patience seemed to have taken the day off and my temper was rising. The cause of of the mounting disgust was a jobless class where eminent personalities from the industry were shaping the future leaders. Or so they say. To cut it short, it was bullshit. The high fliers of the industry were telling tales of the do’s and don’ts in the business environment while the anxious post grad crowd listened intently. In time, the instructor proposed to introduce a role play to re-create a business case in the class. There were roles assigned to individuals who accepted their fictitious identities with great pride. Soon enough many metaphorsized into Business Analysts, technologists, high flying customers and what not..

Sounds impressive right? Should have been. The spoiler was the intellect; or should I say: the lack of it. The problem was ridiculously simple (PS: my new born nephew would able to resolve it as soon as he can start talking). Yet the energy was high and everyone had a thing or two to say. The wise have been great canvassers of silence; ie: in case you don't know something, it's smart to shut up. Yet out here, silence is not an option. Thou shall speak senselessly for there is no concern fir quality, just for attitude and speaking skills. Moreover, the evaluator is not necessarily smart enough to filter sensible stuff- he/she will reward those who are remembered for any reason:good or bad..

What happened for the rest of the hour was absolute filth. There were arguments, issues brought up and even a few digs at each other for that little screen time. The instructor applauded, rubbished and even suggested alterations for the performances.

I came out, took out the phone and was soon in conversation with a like minded friend. I could figure that I was being intrusive and the poor fellow had done nothing to bear the brunt of my anger. I disconnected and was suddenly overcome by loneliness. Loved ones were far away and the crowd around me was in the gear up for ‘high score tomorrow mode’. I was not in a mood to bother other friends and talking to family since in such a state it would invite the obvious ‘Comply, make most of your study opportunity’ talk. I was wondering what to do when a fierce looking canine came by. The eyes looked sad yet he reminded me of yesterday’s incident when one (his bro possibly?) had dug his teeth into my jeans for no reason as I was driving around town. We kept looking at each other: the beige dog and I and soon he came close and sat down near me. I patted his head and he instantly snuggled at my ankles. Now that he was regally settled in my lap, I stroked his head, back and neck. Soon I lost track of time, and everything around me..

This went on for a while until I wondered about the force which was observing me and decided to send a helping hand (or paw) to alleviate my mind. The endeavour only cost a thorough wash and that of my clothes but I was intrigued by what I had been rewarded with. For I hardly find love that is so easily reciprocated; and that’s all that dog did. As I looked into his eyes, I was reminded of something a professor said in a movie: “Do not pity the dead, (Harry). Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love"

Fear of the Dark

Nope, this post is not about Iron Maiden. Just a round up of dark literature..

When I say dark there are couple of books that pop up. If you talk violence then Mario Puzo is the winner. The Last Don, Sicilian, Godfather are incomparable. The plots of these books break away from the general perception of violence with lots of guns, blades, blood and gore. Astonishingly, the most violent situations arise from the silence. Yes silence! The silence and cold demeanor of several characters in these books manage to send a chill in your spine. In fact, Omerta (the Italian code of silence) forces the readers to think about violence in a different perspective rather than be lost in the primitive idea of bloody battles. The Dark Arena remains one of the most dark and depressing books I have ever read.

My other favorite author of this genre is Edgar Allan Poe. All the classics authored by him are a little difficult to start but gradually create a macabre atmosphere that . The psychology of individuals, dark romanticism, premature burial and stages of death are spread across his works and he ensures that the reader is in a disarray upon completion. I may be taking a wild guess, but the gameplay and environment of Wolf 3D, Doom may have been inspired by Poe’s descriptions.

I conclude with the scariest book I have read: 1984..

This is a visionary’s imagination of a future where power has gone unchecked and even the human mind is no longer free. The protagonist is a person very insignificant in the society. Just like you and me, he has a lot so say about the world around him and is cognizant of the fact that there is little he can actually do to change. Drunk on hatred for the authorities and as an inquisitive soul looking for answers, he turns a rebel in the most subtle way. He chooses to take a break from the schedule the authorities have prescribed to him, he chooses to explore and falls in love.

Though he understands the ‘how’ behind the mind control by creating mass public hysteria through wars, bombarding and falsification of news, the ‘why’ intrigues Winston. The book does hint at the author’s war against socialism. Animal Farm, his other creation employs humour but 1984 is a serious political fiction on oligarchic governance.

The thought police catches up and then begins a long exercise to break the mind. They manage to break his body, make him lie, betray his love. Yet deep within, that hatred for the system exists. After all, it seems impossible to stop hating the force that reduced you to such a state. The readers can connect with Winston’s suffering, his feelings for Julia perfectly. However, the last sentence of the book is shocking. The force had managed to root out everything from the mind concluding: “He loved Big Brother!”

George Orwell is probably the only author to have two of his creations in the top 30 of the modern library’s 100 best books list. (http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/)

Toyota Etios test drive..

No matter how hard I try, it is hard to keep the Logan out of my mind everytime I see the Etios on the road, in the paper or on TV. The lines, the wheel arches, the same cubic centimetres of the engine, the flat boot with a ‘in your face triangular rear lamps’ and the plain-jane front can't all be co-incidently same.

The Logan-ism is re-instated as I set my eyes on the sparkling new Etios at the Toyota showroom. The interiors are spacious. In fact, the boot claims to squeeze in more bags than the big-bro Corolla. The interiors are smart and simple. The peculiar Air-con vents and the instrumental panel at the centre of the dashboard reminds that something is new and ummm.. different. The quality is not all that great, but the plastics have been smartly used and make an agreeable sight.

Now the test drive started. The acceleration is good and there is ample torque at lower revs. The words ‘Smart and simple’ pop up yet again in my mind. The next thing that pops up is ‘Remembering the Logan, are we??’. The handling is fine and the steering is little too soft; something like the previous-gen Honda City ZX. The transmission is mated brilliantly and though there is no need for shifts at lower speeds, the power peaks at mid range. The low range torque set-up makes it a lovely city dweller. The vehicle is light and Toyota has removed anything and everything it thought was unnecessary. They even upgraded the brake casing to better it for the Indian roads where bouncing pebbles, stones are not uncommon.

As I step out, I feel peculiar as I am happy but not impressed. There is nothing missing here. It is a great deal which smartly packages the right elements to optimize comfort, power and space. Some will pay that price just for the Toyota emblem that comes along with it, because in India, hasn’t Toyota always been enjoyed only by the classes? I would love it some 10-15years later, when I need a nice sedan to haul a family and value proposition is paramount. But today, its different. I don’t want to be that sensible and no-nonsense fellow today. And this is where the Toyota lets me down. It has all the right elements; it maintains that perfect balance. The power is just enough to haul itself, there is ample space and the steering is very practical. However, most will agree that Practicality of the ideal good boy/girl has never impressed my generation. Even a fool can tell that the Etios will be a big hit, the 3 month waiting period post booking points in that direction. Yet the mean looking Fiesta, the street smart Swift and the gorgeous Linea will still attract the youth as the Toyota sadly might be too ‘nice’ for them.
The way Toyota has played with the price with the Etios has got all the competition on its toes. Suzuki is shortening it's Swift Dzire to get the tax advantage and slash its price, Hyundai &Ford are looking for replacements for their existing models. If Toyota manages to maintain similar pricing, God save the hatchback market once the Etios Liva is launched..

The Social Network.. (## friends hate this post)

The rise of 'Whatsup' relationships caught my attention and inspite of my efforts, my brain wandered thinking about what actually fostered such casual relationships. For there are some of us out there who detest this trend and still like friendship the old fashioned way. Not long ago, the universal definition of a friend had a couple of words such as dependable, harbinger of happiness, help in need, etc. While the words have stayed on and perhaps their usage has been accentuated, the real meaning remains lost somewhere.. Let me attempt to explain this with the help of examples:

Example 1:

Situation: I am suffering from some wretched infection and am bedridden for a couple of days.

Part (a): Friend in need

An unexpected visit from my dear friend: for no scientific reason at all. Of course everyone knows I’d be fine in a couple of days, so why did my friend bother? Reasons are beyond the realms of practicality and rationality. It is difficult to gauge the benefits with my loneliness evaporating, the reassurance, the small talk. Why, one can’t (neither my friend nor I) even advertise this fact to others. Precisely the reason why this old friendship has lost limelight.

Part (b): Now consider another form of friendship (my friends on FB)

My status message: Recovering from a bad infection.. Doc says I’ll live!!

Friend#3, Friend#43 and 12 others like this!

Friend 1: Oh dear, get well soon!! :O

Friend 32: Da virus’z all ovr the place man.. Life’s a bi**h.. Get well soon dude!

Friend#21: Haha! Hen in a coop.. Chicken pox :P tc..

Post comment [____________]

Short lived as it may be, but a few words of jest or expressing concern are a shot in the arm for me. I may be so consumed by the pride that I often forget that:

1. Friend#3 is a very very distant relative who I have never met and chances are: never will.

2. Fact: Friend#32 ain’t no African American. He’s just a guy from my old town who has taken great pains searching for some cool words/ slang over the net before construing that comment

3. Friend#43 is an acquaintance who’d be wishing that I were dead.

4. Friend #21 is actually a very dear friend but warmth of friendship will have to make way for words that will help him step up the ‘cool ladder’

Having said this, I wonder what all that effort of posting, tracking, re-commenting, liking is all about. Sure, the social networks help us get in touch with our near and dear ones, but if you ask me: If they really are near & dear- I’d like to keep them a notch above the rest. This is where fb doesn’t go very well with me. If they are indeed are that important, I don’t want our communication to be lost inthe public domain amongst theacquaintances and well wishers who may feature lower on the relationship scale. So I ought to take that extra effort: the trips, the calls and being there when it actually matters to build relationships.

It is seen that the word 'friend' has been somewhat corrupted by the social network later part throws light upon a more interesting aspect. We always complain that social networks are platforms where voyeurs can have a ball. After deep thought, I feel that the matter be turned around to see who’s lambasting the culprit. Astonishing as it may sound, the accuser is the culprit here. In the second case, the fact that my status message invites a number of responses from all over the world gives an instant high and satiates my ego with that little airtime and audience. So it may be safely assumed that in spite of whatever I tell the world about my indifference, actually I’m actually looking for people who will are concerned with my online image. Not necessarily voyeurs, but someone to watch me, exclaim or brood aboutme. And this; my dear friends is precisely what the game is all about. P.G. Wodehouse’s creation: Jeeves the Butler always doles out reasoning to such complex circumstances accompanied with the curt words: “It’s a game of Psychology, Sir.”

The Social network brilliantly capitalizes this aspect. Look at it:

1. It feeds your ego. Why, not everyone has a 1000+ friends on Orkut+ Facebook! And not everyone gets instant comments / likes on their pictures, comments etc. It is I…. 8 people like MY comment.. 2 people responded to MY status message update in 45 seconds.. My crush likes MY picture.. It is always I…. Hence Me is now ME the great..

2. Somewhere deep within we are all voyeurs ourselves and just love to know what is happening in someone else’s life. With facebook, Yes we can!

The obsession with one’s virtual image can sometimes be scary. Instead of chasing things we like, we often find ourselves living a life which will grab attention on facebook. For eg: some people might like quiet evenings, but go out to the club xyz just so that they can upload some pictures that are bound to invite comments. More astonishing is the fact that people have seriously started judging you based on your online profile. Kummooon!!

The painful thing is how the social networks have managed to fracture relationships. I maybe imagining things but I’ve sometimes felt that that casual commenting, on and off behavior creeps into our real life without our knowing: and becomes a habit. The phenomenal paradigm shift is apparent with the behavior of some I’ve seen in real life:

- Race to meet (& keep in touch with) as many as you can (quantity quantity & quantity)..

- Consumerism triggered by updates (or in the want of new ones!)
i. Yes we party tonight (Party=cool pics=comments from interesting click pics, post and await responses<- responses of others often becomes the key driver fuelling party plans)

ii. Yes we buy that new Gadgetizmo (and post a status update belittling frnd#345’s shopping status)

- The behavior in relationships. The flick Social Network features a dialogue by the creator of fb: “What do people mainly want to do? They want to hook up!!!And he immediately incorporates ‘relationship status’ in the first version. By making it public and providing a flirting platform, it has truly created an ocean of hope and dreams for many. The felicitation of the same has paced up things a . Why, many people think they are in love coz their virtual profiles hit off very well thanks to those smart comment-recomments. (Not kidding!! Contact me or look around for yourself if you want real life examples: there’r a lot of desperate souls out there) This is not me, but a lot of people I talked to think that fb is the one responsible for the casual relationships.

Definitely there are a lot of other changes in the environment and cultural shift responsible but social network is a powerful catalyst. The scary thing is that sometimes it is impossible to get my friends’ minds off facebook. Picture this: We are on a road trip and everybody’s drunk on the nature’s fresh air and dew. The photographer of the group clicks masterpieces of the dew drops on the leaves and the sun rising over the horizon. One friend rushes to a rock and starts posing: eager to create a new profile picture. Nothing wrong with that but we’re concerned as he is totally missing the present experience; being too concerned about his online image. It would be apt to say that the mind has never got disconnected from the internet.

Having said all this, I have to bow down before facebook. My concern is about the souls who have centered their lives and relationships around facebook. Deception might be a controversial word here but I’d like someone to debate on it. I salute the social network for the power it possesses. Keeping in touch, humour, sharing info n thoughts and of course killing time at work: FB does it all. And there’s one incident that changed my perception totally. It proved to be a champion of free thought when it hosted the view point of a few and led to a nation coming together against anarchy. Who knows it better than Hosni Mubarak and the people of Egypt J

PS:

Thought process initiated by Kartikay’s line: “And the disproportionate activity on a female’s so-so witty one-liner status message. “ Check out the master’s write up: http://mochachilo.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/the-facebook-de-addiction-project/#more-712