Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Kurukshetra Krunchies

This ride was hatched during our Historic Explorers Ride in Rakhigarhi when we had seen the Literature about the rich Historic Heritage at Kurukshetra and it being so close to Delhi forced us to plan this ride ASAP, also the fact that the dreaded summer is gonna hit us soon made us hurry up!!!

I started the routine activity of drafting a mail which was shared with our group, which also included non-BOP Members and then people started signing up for the ride…

The date was 22nd March 2009 and we had two meeting points this time – Gurgaon & Delhi accommodating our Delhi Buddies…the Gurgaon point was DT Mega Mall and the Delhi point was the legendary Landfill Site near the Delhi-Sonepat Border…in the morning it’s a painfully fragrant site and whatever sleep is trying to bring its head up goes out of the body in a hurry…if you haven’t experienced that fragrance its time you go there tomorrow and figure out the pleasure for yourself…I am sure you would come back a completely awake person!!!

The Kurukshetra Krunchies were:


1. Dips on his Black 4S Electra
2. Jagmeet on his Black 5S Electra
3. Saurabh Katar on his Red TB – BOP Rookie
4. Vihans on his Orange FZ-16
5. Saran on his Green Standard (Though this is not a bike!!!)
6. James on his Black Standard
7. Diwakar on his Black TB – BOP Rookie
8. Gyan on his Red Karizma
9. Ravi – The Pillion rider with Diwakar & James – BOP Rookie
10. Che on The Mighty One


As decided; me, Saran & Dips were supposed to meet at DT Mega Mall and start at sharp 6:30 AM but when I called up Saran at 6:25 he had just woken up, he got to hear the choicest of abuses from me the first thing in the morning which got his slumber smashed and then he reached at 6:50 AM forgetting his jacket due to my Fear!!! Dips helped him out by offering him his wind-cheater…and then we started…by this time everybody except Vihans had reached the Landfill site and were calling me frantically…I left Dips & Saran and zipped straight towards the Landfill site to join the rest of the bikers…I knew Saran rides at an easy pace and Dips had his Bike’s piston replaced due to which he was not supposed to ride at more than 60 kmph…so they had to reach late anyway… Vihans also joined and I was the happiest to see him as he is the only one who can match my Bakchodi skills and would be my heir-apparent in the Bakchodi Domain
I reached at 7:45 AM and Dips & Saran joined us at 8:30 so finally we were up and running after enjoying the hot & piping tea with some light snacks & smokes…

While we were riding towards Murthal, I saw Gyan in my rear-view mirror and was pleasantly surprised as he was planned to join us at Panipat…riding with Gyan is always a pleasure and it was my 3rd Ride with him…post that we rode along till our next stop…

The first stop was the world-famous Ahuja Dhaba at Murthal which serves one of the best tasting Paranthas in Murthal which is some 50 kms from the Delhi border and is a very popular joint for Tourists coming back or going out of Delhi…it being a lazy Sunday Morning the place was relatively empty and we created quite a scene when our Bullets entered the parking area…everybody’s eyes were transfixed on us for the next 60 minutes we were there…anyway we create quite a noise anywhere we go so the glares were simply unavoidable!!! we enjoyed the hot Paranthas with fresh white butter dripping all over the place, inspite of this extra butter was ordered…God bless the holy cows & buffaloes and also save BOP’s riders from suffering from high cholesterol levels as the amount of butter we consume is simply humongous!!! I also ordered for freshly-cooked Hot Kheer which was devoured within seconds and 2 extra portions were ordered after observing my gobbling speed…believe me nobody was disappointed…



After this heavy-duty breakfast we got back to Riding…before we left Jagmeet’s histrionics ensured that the next time we are at Ahuja we would be shooed away!!! He made some crazy noise with his new Amritsari Silencer…the sound was surely ear-shattering…I had to stop him midway so that we could spare people from wasting money on going to ENT Specialists in these trying recession-hit crimes…good sense prevailed and we left to rip the NH-1 on our bulls…the weather was pleasant…cool breeze was flowing…the traffic was relatively decent…all these factors provided me to rip my bike which was raring to go as due to the piston replacement it had to crawl in the last 2 rides…I was not going to miss this opportunity for anything!!! I reached speeds upto 120 kmph and then after 68 kms of riding and finally spotting a Theka we stopped to drink some much-needed beer and take rest…I also used this opportunity to go towards the bushes and crapping!!! The normal routine for me…I just cant avoid going out in the open relieving myself so close to the nature…it’s a heavenly feeling which I rarely miss during my bike rides…





All of us gathered at the Theka and we all enjoyed our liquid preferences namely Beer, Rum-Pepsi & Sprite…Diwakar & Saurabh had notoriously missed this Theka- for 2 reasons, A-They don’t drink & B-They were speeding like crazy…they had to come back some 20 kms to join the next BOP Beer-Bakchodi session as opportunities like this are not-to-be-missed!!! I am sure all BOP Riders would vouch for this…The Advertising at the Theka was world-class and was hilarious to say the least…Jagmeet even went inside to the Theka and clicked some pics…

Our next stop after this guzzling stop was Kurukshetra…More details about the Tourist Attractions here can be seen at http://www.kurukshetra.com/Contents/KurukshetraCity.aspx, we stopped to wait for Dips, Ravi & Saran who were riding easy…then we were off to the Brahm Sarover…en-route me, Dips & Vihans stopped to enjoy another kind of non-alcoholic fluid…Ganne-ka-Ras…my favourite drink outside of the big-bad Alcoholic World…I also saw a thela serving some food and wasted no time in ordering Dal-Rice…after the Bush-Crapping session my tummy was begging for some extra supplies…so needed re-enforcements badly…the rest of the riders were waiting for us & me-Vihans blamed the time-loss on Dips’ Piston!!!

We reached The Brahm Sarovar after losing our way once…let me tell you that whenever me & Dips are together reaching any place in the first try is next to impossible…there are some evil powers which work against us and we always tend to lose our way…we are planning a huge Daaru Party soon to ward off these evil spirits…everybody is invited…I would be sharing the details soon…

The sight after entering the pond was sick…as there were hundreds of beggars & tout pandits all over the place…playing cards, smoking Ganja and what not…we went straight towards a Bronze Sculpture…it depicts Lord Krishna delivering the message of righteous Karma to Arjuna…it is the largest Bronze Sculpture in India and it was next in the innumerable records which BOP has smashed…



We found a shady place and took refuge…some of us lying down…some of us just simply soaking in the place…Vihans & Saurabh were the only brave ones who decided to take a dip in the Sarovar…inspite of the warnings mentioning that it was 17 feet deep…this statistic was completely incorrect as our 4 feet rider-Vihans was comfortably placed on his feet…



They came out soon after the relaxing dip and then we left the Sarovar for our next Historic Tryst- Sheikh Chilli’s Tomb…I am sure many of us think that he was a fictional character but after visiting his tomb all such misconceptions were shattered…it was a magnificent monument…had a beautiful view from the Balcony and surprisingly no scribblings on the walls which is a routine feature at all historical monuments all over India…

There was also a museum portraying the excavation findings…it was surprising to find that Haryana is so rich in history as we seldom get to hear about the Historic side of Haryana…it was a pleasurable experience for sure…amidst all this Saran was attacked by Bees…it was a hilarious site as he was bombarded by them and none of the other were even touched…I guess the reason he had Rum-Pepsi running through his veins made him the most attractive prey!!!



We left the Tomb towards our next stop…the Haveli Complex at Karnal…me, Vihans,Gyan & Diwakar reached the place first and then there was an endless wait for the others to follow…I utilized this time to grace the clean & hygienic washroom of Haveli…how could I miss this opportunity…after all Dips has named me “Dumper” and I had to keep the tradition going strong!!!

After an anxious wait of almost 35-40 minutes the other riders appeared and then we clicked the Group Snap…which is a permanent part of every ride…me & Vihans were not stopping for Lunch as we had to rush to Delhi…the reason being that I had to attend my EOiD (Eating Out in Delhi – My Foodie Club) Meet at Chawri Bazaar at 7:30 PM…the time was 5:15 PM and we were still some 120 kms away from Old-Delhi…we bid the group good-bye and then ripped towards Delhi…stopping only once for a Sutta Break…we reached Vihans’ home at sharp 7:30 PM where we just got fresh and then moved straight for the EOiD Meet…



The ride was short & sweet just like our fellow rider Vihans and just like him had full of Bakchodi & Beer also filled with loads of fun…

We also had the great pleasure of riding for the first time with Saurabh, Ravi & James and I am sure in the future as well we would be riding to many more fun-filled destinations…the planning for the April 2009 ride has already started and we would be freezing on the destination by early next week…

Another great part of the ride was Saran’s Sher-o-Shaayari session at the Brahm Sarovar after which the sound of the BOP Laughter was heard within a radius of 100 kms…considering the creative knack this guy has got we are still to witness much more creative extravagance from him…

With this we completed our second ride to cover places of pre-historic & archaeological importance after the Rakhigarhi Ride…

Pics of the Ride can be seen at :
1. http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jha.nishant/TheKurukshetraKrunchies?feat=directlink (My Camera)
2. http://picasaweb.google.com/jagmeet.virdee/NewFolder3?authkey=Gv1sRgCMOw8NTTgJC5qwE&feat=directlink (Jagmeet’s Camera)
3. http://picasaweb.google.com/jagmeet.virdee/RAVI?authkey=Gv1sRgCMHi_cLF2MaqwgE&feat=directlink# (Ravi’s Camera)

Che would be back on the road again…

Till then ride safe & have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Monday, March 2, 2009

No Escape...

People are telling me these days that my Bike Rides are a way of escaping from the realities of Life…it was my Mother who first told me this, then 5-6 of my close buddies told me the same…I have been wondering about the same since this morning when my mother again talked to me about the same and then I have started raking up my mind like crazy over the same…its been long since 1 statement of somebody has made me think so much but I don’t know why but this Escape thing has got me going like crazy…



I have never been an escapist in my life and I can safely say this from the bottom of my heart…I have always faced challenges head-on…at times I have miserably failed and quite often I have come out as a winner…but the Escape Route was never an option for me and would never be an option in time to come…

I confess that my Bike Riding in March 2008 started as a way to get away from the hassles & tensions of my ongoing Divorce…but since then Riding is my foremost passion and I don’t see this passion going slow ever…it is one passion which makes me going, provides me the freedom, gives me the perfect opportunity to explore my magical country and also has given me so many close buddies for life…

I despise those people who run away from the realities or even worse…commit suicides as I firmly believe that no situation can be worse than Death…

So here I am…making it very clear that I am not escaping from the reality of life when I go for my Riding Trips…its just a way of breaking the monotony of Life & exploring our beautiful country…I would also talk to my mother in detail when I get back home tonight…

Till the next time we meet…lets all say Cheers to Life…