Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The BoP Abhaneri Ajgars


I went to India in March 2012 to participate in the CA Campus Hiring Program to hire fresh Chartered Accountants for my organization...It was supposed to be just a 2-days trip so I decided to take one leave and include a 1-day Motorcycle Ride with My Club Comrades as well…Visiting India and not going for a Bike Ride, well that can’t be a possibility with me! This was going to be another special ride for me…a special destination (one which we couldn’t conquer the last time) plus the first Bike Ride for me as a Married Man! ;)

But destiny had some other plans...

Cut to Year 2011...

I had planned a BoP Club Ride to Abhaneri (Rajasthan) in February 2011 during my India Trip then and that ride also didn’t get materialized as we got stuck on NH-8 due to very heavy fog...so we settled for a Bakar Session at the Neemrana Baoli instead...

The Bakar session at the Neemrana Baoli was one of the best in our Club's history nonetheless and all of us enjoyed like mad!!!We had named the ride as The BoP Abhaneri Ajgars and we settled for The BoP Neemrana Naags…

The Ajgars were forced to transform into Naags

This is me: Just after the ride started on the left and during the BBB Session on the right ;)



For the uninitiated; details about Abhaneri:
It has the deepest step well in the world - Chand Baori and that's why we chose this destination.

Information Links:

Location:

Cut to Year 2012...

I reached India on 23-March-12 morning, reached home, had my breakfast, started my bike and went straight to Zaheer Bhai's shop to get my bike serviced and make it ride-ready...I had ordered a Sans Goldstar Exhaust for my bike and was excited to finally enter the Sans World  and Zaheer installed it...

Saurabh Katar's SANS Goldstar Silencer

Reached home and spent time with my family and all excited for the Bike Ride the next day...

Clicked the customary 1st pic of the Speedometer which I always take before starting a ride at my home...and off I went to the Leisure Valley Park in Gurgaon which is our club's traditional starting point for all Rides to Rajasthan...

The Ajgars
 This was definitely going to be a big ride not for the distance but for the number of riders for sure! 11 riders signed up for this and 10 turned up as well! Zaheer had to unfortunately drop out at the last moment as his bike had a flat tyre & there was no way he could find a puncture repair shop open at 5 AM in the morning; it was extremely sad as I love riding with him plus he rarely gets opportunities to ride these days…then there were Himanshu Rawat & Ankit Gupta who was making his BoP Debut with this ride! Sanket Tomar aka KunwarJi was also back in India & got back to the roads with this ride! Last but not the least it was great to see Varun Doegar as well in his full biking gear! Once again Diptinder was sorely missed….

The Ajgars were:

  1. Himanshu Rawat on his TBTS 350
  2. Varun Doegar on his TB 350
  3. Aasish Francis on his near-vintage RE Standard 350
  4. Ankit Gupta on his RE Classic 350
  5. Rohan Kaushik on his RE Classic 500
  6. Sanket Tomar aka KunwarJi on his RE Electra 350
  7. Deepak Chauhan on his Pulsar 220
  8. Adit Sharda on his Pulsar 220
  9. Dhruv Malik on his Pulsar 220
  10. Vihas Gupta aka Jaanu (planned to join the ride in Abhaneri)
  11. Che on The Mighty One

I was meeting KunwarJi after a very long time as he was away in Ireland I asked him “Baal bade safed ho gaye tere”…pat came the reply in his signature nonchalant manner “Bachpan se hi aise hain”!!! And for a change & very rarely….I was lost for words…that’s what KunwarJi does to people without battling an eyelid!

After the welcoming, meeting-greeting, sutta sharing and the Rider Formation Pics, we started to conquer Abhaneri…hoping to be second time lucky!

Getting Ready!
 The Ride started at 6 AM and by 7 AM we were hungry already so we decided to stop for some Chai-Snakes-Naashta...

We started with Chai-Namkeen and then saw Fresh Aloo-Chhole Sabzi and Bread Pakodas getting ready; as expected we could resist that temptation so decided to wait till they got ready...the Bakar session started while our Breakfast was getting ready…we also encountered one of the dirtiest public toilets near this joint which was duly visited & commented by some of the Ajgars!

And the wait was worth it…They tasted superb and we gobbled up innumerable number of plates!!!

As expected, Deepak was the star of the show in this session! He gobbled up some 5-6 plates of Bread Pakodas and was always more than eager to help others finishing their plates too! As we all know “woh bahut kam khaataa hai” ;)


We left the Breakfast Joint towards the Tijara Road and me & one of my comrades overshot a right turn so one other comrade on his P220 came from behind and asked us to take a U-Turn and the IDIOT me didn't look in my rear-view mirror and tried taking a right and then it happened.........

One very smart & fast villager was coming on his Bajaj Platina at full blast speed of 80-90 kmph and he hit my bike on the right side of my handle with full velocity...he then slid towards the middle of the road for some 20-odd feet very systematically...keeping his head safe and sliding on his feet and then he hit the road on his right shoulder...And obviously he wasn't wearing any helmet and the way he slid he looked very experienced in such adventures! and even better; he had a shy smile on his face too…My right KTM Glove got torn but it saved me from any major injury to the hand....the mudguard came off and the right fork-arm also broke...I couldn't move my bike even an inch...as the front tyre got stuck...

Soon the rest of my comrades and a small crowd joined us...we removed that guy & his bike from the road and got him to the side too...he had one wound on his right arm and some minor bruises on his knees...2 of my comrades took him to a small hospital nearby, he got 3 stitches and also some other minor repair-work...

He told them that he doesn't want to go to the Police as he had no Bike Papers and yes no Driving License too! They also got a precautionary X-Ray done to assess any other major damage to his shoulder; luckily there was none...They paid his medical bills and then he left for his village with his friend...

All this while the rest of us were busy in our Bakchodi session and my ride had pretty much ended by then considering the damage done to my bike...2 comrades then went towards Dharuhera to get a Pick-Up to carry my bike back...Francis took the lead here & a big thanks to him for that gesture!


And then Deepak Chauhan blurted out the dialogue of the ride…he said “accha hua Jha Paaji jo pehle naashta kar liya aur fir accident hua warna badi dikkat ho jaati bhukh ki”…in normal circumstances any rider who just had a ride-ending accident would have mouthed some choicest abuses but then BoP Rides are not normal but very-very special…all I could do was to burst out laughing at Deepak’s candid honesty and his lack of apparent appetite! ;)

I also decided to go with the bike travelling in that pick-up and the rest of the comrades continued with their ride...it was a very sad moment for me as I was so excited & geared up for this ride and to conquer Abhaneri in my second attempt but then maybe it wasn’t in my destiny! Even worse was leaving my comrades and the Rajasthan Roads behind…this was the first bike ride which I couldn’t complete after starting it! Maybe I would be third-time Abhaneri lucky!


We stopped just before the Toll Plaza and then the driver went to get another pick-up for the bike to be loaded onto it as his pick-up was a Rajasthan vehicle and he did not have the necessary papers to get it through to Delhi; I waited for some 15 minutes, in the meantime a security guard came and requested me to lend my phone to him as he had to talk to his parents in Bihar and he did not have the talk time in his phone so I gave it to him and he had a nice & long conversation with his parents back home…I felt happy in connecting the family with my humble Mobile Phone!

Then the new pick-up came and we transferred the bike to it...I reached Rangpuri in Mahipalpur at Zaheer's shop and then unloaded the bike; he was very disappointed that my ride had to be abrupted like this...he repaired my bike in some 1-1.5 hours and then I left for home...

It was a sad day for me but I still enjoyed whatever time I spent on the road with my comrades....the breakfast was awesome and I was lucky that no major damage happened to me or that guy...so all is well that ends well…

But I had a wonderful time travelling in all kinds of vehicles in such a short period of time which was the highlight for me!!! And surely provided some consolation J

Here is the list:

22nd March Evening                 My friend's Chevrolet Tahoe in Kuwait (Home to Airport)
22nd March Night                    Airbus A330-300 (Kuwait to Doha)
23rd March Morning                Airbus A320-200 (Doha to New Delhi)
23rd March Morning                Tata Indigo (T3 to Gurgaon)
23rd March Morning                Royal Enfield Electra (Gurgaon to Mahipalpur)
23rd March Afternoon             DTC Tata Bus (Mahipalpur to IFFCO Chowk)
23rd March Afternoon             Ford Fiesta Classic (IFFCO Chowk to DLF Phase -1)
24th March Morning                Royal Enfield Electra (Gurgaon to Dharuhera)
24th March Afternoon             Mahindra Maximo (Dharuhera to Delhi Border)
24th March Afternoon             Tata Pick-Up (Delhi Border to Mahipalpur)
24th March Afternoon             Royal Enfield Electra (Mahipalpur to Gurgaon)

The ride started on a high & ended on a tragic note but I am sure the upcoming rides would not end on a similar note! And I would conquer Abhaneri soon…

Plus I could not meet Jaanu , that was another huge miss for me! This is what I missed too - BBB Sessions, watching the World Record breaking Baoli and the open roads! …



And this is what I faced while sitting in that pick-up… :D


The 5th BoP Anniversary Ride is right round the corner and hope it would be an equally brilliant ride as our previous Anniversary Rides!

Till the time we meet again…ride safe and have safe sex…

Che would be back on the road again…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Jai BoP!  

Friday, October 5, 2012

Sachin Kalbag's Choice ||| My Views

Sachin Kalbag and me share atleast 2 common passions - Food & Movies...for the uninitiated Sachin is an illustrious Media Person (Print Media is his forte) and he is currently the Executive Editor of Mid Day and prior to this he was working with Mail Today in Delhi...we know each other owing to our Eating Out in Delhi (EOiD) Association and have been on various food trips together in & outside Delhi too...

On 17th September we were nonchalantly chatting on GTalk and a discussion started on Movies and SachinJi (as I fondly call him) asked my "Top 3 Acting Performances" of Hollywood, but before that I asked his Top 3 and he came up with his eclectic list!


  • Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects
  • Edward Norton in Primal Fear
  • Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove


Fortunately or unfortunately I hadn't watched any of these 3 movies properly and decided to watch them ASAP...and finally finished watching all of them today...

And here are my brief reviews...(in my order of preference of liking)


Primal Fear




Brilliant movie this...Edward Norton is simply brilliant...though I have never liked him much but this movie would surely change my mind now on! a brilliant story well told...gripping, enthralling and has enough twists to keep the viewer glued all the time...I am a big fan of Laura Linney as well & she has done a real nice job too...and well Richard Gere - he looks a dapper as always...great acting by him too...our Bollywood also made a copy of this movie - Deewangee starring Ajay Devgun & that was nice too...this is definitely a must-watch for all lovers of the neo-noir genre...my rating 4/5...

The Usual Suspects




Shame on me for watching this so late! what a bloody awesome movie this is...a twisted plot made so gripping & entertaining by the Director and the superb acting of Kevin Spacey - what a brilliant performance - par excellence!!! the ending blows the viewer away and the entire story played back in my mind even after the movie ended! Definitely one of the best neo-noir Crime movies I have watched...it's definitely a must watch! my rating 4/5...

Dr Strangelove



I love watching satires and this one clearly gets to the top of the list! Petter Sellers in his triple role is simply brilliant in this movie...my favourite was his "Dr. Strangelove" performance for his uncontrollable hand Nazi gestures and his accent! Kubrick - the master director's repertoire is way too awesome - Horror, Drama and Comedies...what a man he was! the comic elements in this movie are subtle and needs understanding and are not obvious funny moments and that's what makes this movie different than others! I loved it and recommend it to all...my rating 4/5...


Hope you like my reviews SachinJi and a BIG THANKS to you for introducing me to these 3 movies...I am so glad I watched these 3 pieces of Cinematic Brilliance!

Cheers to Life...

Hasta la Victoria Siempre...

Che

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The BoP Bundi Bandidos


First things first…my sincere apologies for writing & posting this Blog Post so late…11 months after this ride got over…immense guilt feelings in my mind! Hope I don’t repeat this mistake ever again…and maybe that’s the reason I have written such an extensive travelogue; this by far is the most detailed Blog Post I have written for a 3/4/5 days ride and also have worked really hard on this one...going through all the Ride Mails, writing this in a 7-page long MS Word Document and making 24 Collages as there were far too many brilliant pics taken in this ride; I couldn't post all of them so thought of making collages so that I could cover the best ones! - this is the first time I have done this in a Travelogue! Hope all my effort is worth it...I apologize to my comrades for duping them by delaying this for so long & robbing them of reading through all the fun which happened in this special ride…read on with some patience!

India is a land of traditions as they say and Bulls on Parade (BoP) being a true-blue Indian Motorcycling Club tries to follow traditions in our own way! One such tradition is to ride to a Rajasthan-based Destination for our Anniversary Ride every November…Our club was founded in November 2007 and since then we have celebrated 3 Anniversary Rides – Pushkar, Ranthambore and Chittorgarh…come 2011 we decided to head towards Bundi – a non-descript & small but nonetheless a beautiful town tucked in Rajasthan some 450 kms away from Gurgaon…we decided to chose Bundi over host of other destinations just for a simple reason that it was one of those places where not many people pay a visit and as a club we have always tried our best to cover remote locations rather than the “touristy” locations!

The Ride Invite mail was floated by me in September 2011, 2 months before the actual ride so that maximum riders could join in but sadly in the end only 3 riders signed up – Ajit, Vikas and me…and for the first time Diptinder missed our Anniversary Ride as he went to UK to do his MBA…It felt very said as he is a close friend, a dear comrade and most importantly one of the founding members of BoP but as they say “life goes on” and we got to do what we got do so we went ahead with just 5 comrades signed up…but there was a last minute surprise waiting for us…our dearest non-BoP Comrade Vihans Gupta aka Jaanu, Cheenu and Chunnu was planning to buy a RE CL350 Bike but that sadly got delayed due to non-availability so I decided to take him along as my pillion for this special ride; even though I always tend to avoid pillions but for my Jaanu I can do anything…just about anything!  Francis had to drop out to some personal reasons few days before the ride & Rohan ditched us at the last moment without even bothering to inform us that he won’t be joining the ride!

This was going to be a very special ride for me for another reason! As this was my last bike ride as a Bachelor! I was getting married on 18-November-2011, the excitement was palpable and was accentuated by this upcoming ride…you know us motorcyclists…always yearning for Bike Rides on the open roads and that camaraderie with our comrades…some people told me and questioned my decision “what if you meet with an accident, the ride is so close to your wedding?” and I calmly answered them back “If an accident has to happen, it would happen even if I am in Gurgaon”…the die-hard Optimist that I am, this fear never crossed my mind!

I landed in India on 4-Nov-11 and got my bike ready for the ride…as always Zaheer Bhai did a stellar job and I was all set…finally the day arrived…Friday 11-11-11…yeah you read that date correctly! Special date for a special ride!

The BoP Bundi Bandidos were:

  1. Vikas Garg on his Black-Maroon Modified RE Standard 350
  2. Ajit Singh Bhullar on his Chrome RE Machismo 500
  3. Vihans Gupta aka Jaanu on his “Dhui”
  4. Che on “The Mighty One”



Ajit & Jaanu stayed over at my home overnight and we 3 got ready by 5 AM and left for our customary Rajasthan-Ride Starting Point at Leisure Valley Park, Gurgaon where Vikas also joined us by 5:15 AM & after clicking the regular bike formation pics we started the ride at 5:30 AM amidst the loud chants of “Jai BoP”…

The roads were relatively empty and I was back on the road! What an awesome feeling that was – can’t be defined in words……The only disappointment was that the weather wasn’t as chilly as I was expecting, it was quite warm for early November and I was sure that there would be not much respite from the Heat! We stopped exactly an hour and 70 kms later to enjoy some Bakchodi and have a Sutta break…started again after some 10-15 minutes and the engine just died, I checked it & found out that the Battery Wiring was giving some issue as it was getting short, opened the cover, made some minor modifications to the wiring and started again…it was a big relief indeed…also clicked some Sunrise pics with The Mighty One!



 Rode for another 70-odd kms and then stopped at our Traditional NH-8 Breakfast Joint – Prem Pavitra Restaurant – we have enjoyed 2 previous breakfasts during “Ranthambore Rapiers” and “Chittorgarh Cavaliers” Rides and following traditions is our forte as all of you know and we followed suit this time as well! The PPR Owner recognized as well – after all it’s hard to forget us, isn’t it? ;) Had a sumptuous meal of Hot & Fresh Aloo-Gobhi-Pyaaz-Paneer Paranthas laced with Butter & piping-hot Tea and got ready for the ride ahead…


We stopped at the Manoharpur Toll Plaza for a Bum-Break and got into the "Posing" Mood while Jaanu got busy with his Blackberry!


After riding for 280-odd kms, we reached Chaksu and had 165 more kms to go for Bundi… the time got apt for a BBB Break and it was well-deserved one as well; we had covered the distance we had intended and definitely needed some Child Bear with Snakes & Sutta…I did the honours of finding a road-side Theka and then waited for others to join…there was an Egg Joint right next to the Theka and Snakes were ordered and a long Bakchodi session started filled with Beer, Egg concoctions, loads of laughter and yeah Red Bull – I had carried 4 cans with me! It could have gone on for hours & hours but at times we get sensible too and decided to get on the road again and stop only for a Lunch Break…


It was really hot & humid and the riding jacket was making matters worse…we finally decided to stop at 2 PM for lunch…the Paranthas & Eggs had been long digested and we were really hungry…got freshened up after a long process of removing our Motorcycling Gear and got ready for a long lunch in an Air-Conditioned RTDC Restaurant on the highway – yeah even we enjoy such luxuries at times when on Bike Rides ;) maybe it’s the NRI Effect :D The lunch was lovely too…Gatte ki Sabzi, Dal Tadka, Malai Kofta, Zeera Rice and Tawa Rotis…as always I overate! We then went towards the lush-green lawns of the Restaurant and enjoyed some much-deserved rest…There was a superb incident which happened here….we spotted an error in the Menu and when we showed it to the waiter he replied "Haan sir mujhe pata hai yeh gandi cheez hoti hai"...all of us burst out laughing !!!


Rode for another 3 more hours before reaching 5 kms short of Bundi after taking some short Sutta breaks in the middle…I decided to stop and wait for the others to join so that we could reach Bundi together…the scenes were magnificent…the highway road, the milestone slab, my bike and the setting Sun…perfect combination for some memorable pics & I did the needful! All this while Jaanu was busy on his phone finishing some of his ever-so-routine like business deals!


We reached the Bundi city after manoeuvring through some real heavy traffic as expected with the stares of the locals which we are now used to...checked for some Hotels online on Vikas’ GS2 Mobile Phone (more about that later!) and then finalized Hotel Kasera Heritage - got 2 Double Bed Rooms for 1100 INR each. The rooms were quite cosy, clean & spacious...relaxed for some bit, had a hot water bath and then went to the Rooftop to enjoy the scene around...was amazed to see that we could get a magnificent view of the Bundi Fort from the rooftop...it looked magnificent...all of us took a much-needed bath and got ready for the fun times ahead!


 Our Hotel Caretaker was named “Aslam” and he was a bit of a “Gay Party” and his mannerisms were funny if put mildly; both me & Jaanu decided to get playful with him and started a bit of friendly banter with him (if one could call that)…when we asked him for a matchbox we got a lighter and he famously said “yeh subah waapas kar dena, haaaaaan” and we blew up! And he was duly named “Aslam Bhen”….

Time was ripe for a night BBB Session and we duly followed suit! The Mehfil was arranged in our Room as there was some Rooftop Party being organized on the Terrace; we were disappointed but it was quickly washed away in the Pegs and the drinks! Jaanu was as always in a playful mood and out of nowhere the famous words came out “Menu laao behenchodon ka” while he was finding some options to make a special mix of you know what ;)… these words were full of angst for no rhyme & reason but then that’s Jaanu for you!

After the 2-hours long session we went for Dinner at a Cafe located on a rooftop and aptly named “Rooftop Cafe”…the service was pretty pathetic and the food below average…so we quickly finished our meal and left towards our Hotel Rooms for a much deserved sleep…covered exactly 444 kms and were on the road for almost 12 hours after starting from Gurgaon…

Day 2 ||| Saturday 12-11-11 ||| A relaxed day in Bundi

The day started at 6 AM for the 2 Photographer Bandidos – Vikas & Ajit who went Bandook-Shooting through the streets of Bundi and clicked some real wonderful images of the city waking up to a lovely morning; while me & Jaanu were oblivious to any such shooting incidents happening so close to us…we woke up royally at 8:30 AM and joined the 2 Bandookdhaaris at 9:30 AM after enjoying some Hot Tea and Parle-G Dose! This was the perfect starter for the lovely breakfast which was waiting us…delicious & lip-smacking! Fresh & Hot Samose, Kachodi and Poha…we couldn’t have dreamt of a better start to the day than this! Roamed around the streets of Bundi for a while before heading towards the Hotel but not before enjoying another cup of Tea…surely one of the best cup of Teas I have had in my life!


I must say that Bundi is a beautiful town and the street scenes were simply too beautiful and unexpected too…in spite of the hustle & bustle the city had a unique charm to it and we got soaked! The kids going to school, the shops getting opened, the honks & bells of the traffic, people gingerly waking up and the Sun getting ready to blaze! Plus the spellings or rather the mis-spellings all over the city were so entertaining and we laughed our guts out!


The POA for the day was plain & simple…exploring Bundi – The Taragarh Fort, Rani Ji ki Baori, 84 Chhatri and the famous Jait Sagar Lake with some delicious food and Bakchodi on the way!

We started with the Fort which houses the beautiful & relatively well preserved “Garh Palace” and the “Chitrashala” within its precincts…the Fort is well maintained but surprisingly there were'nt many visitors apart from 4 or 5 foreigners...we didn’t want to hire any Guide but we got engrossed when one of the Fort Guides was explaining things to a Foreign Tourist Couple and his English diction skills were par-excellence! Nothing short of being extraordinary…his “Takia-Kalaam” was “Very-Very” and he never failed to use this phrase in every sentence he spoke! We somehow controlled our laugh & tried to pay 100% attention to what he said as what he was blabbering was surely very entertaining & interesting! I even made a video of it ;) Plus all those hand-made paintings were beautiful too and very well-preserved even after all those years behind them…Vikas was specially engrossed in the Mirror Work and played with it through his camera and came out with some brilliant images! And they were incredible as those mirrors were installed way back in the Year 1761!


After the fun times in the Chitrashala we paid a handsome tip to our guide which was well-deserved too! Then we moved to the courtyard to click the signature pic of this ride!


And then the Trekker inside us woke up from his deep slumber & we decided to trek towards the Fort-Top, it was really hot and the Sun was shining in its full glory but we didn’t flinch at all – our determination was in the right place after some 45-odd minutes of huffing, sweating & puffing we reached the top and were treated to the brilliant view of the Bundi City! It was definitely worth the effort we made…we even made a German friend during our Trek as he has shit scared of monkeys & we happily obliged…he was a solo-traveller on his India Trip and was fun to talk to as well, it’s always great to talk to such travellers – and I always ask one question to such global travellers – “How many countries you have visited so far?” –his answer was 5, but it was great nonetheless as he was just 21 years old! Just want to mention about one such answer I got…I met a Canadian Traveller – Logan Essu, I met him during our Game-Fishing Trip at Havelock Islands in November 2011, Andaman and his answer was a mind-boggling 43! And he was just 31 years old then! So we can’t even imagine when he would end with what count!


We also encountered the biggest possible water playground for monkeys on the way down! Those simians were having a whale of a time…lucky buggers! And then we were “Monkey-Menaced”! we reached a gate which was swarmed by some really angry & protective female monkeys who were not budging even an inch to let us go out…their canines were all out in the open and they were some real scary 20-30 minutes where we had no other option than to wait & let those monkeys move away but they were in no mood to budge so we decided to shout for help and VOILA, it worked! The Fort attendants came rushing up and helped us to get out…and all of us were mightily relieved!

After those scary simian moments passed us by we reached the base of the Fort & enjoyed some Child Lemon Soda to hydrate us after the hot & dreary trek…we bid goodbye to our German Friend & wished him best of luck for his travels ahead…

The Bandidos were really hungry & decided to have an early lunch…it was decent lunch and we got what we wanted – delicious food and some respite from the heat!

We went back to the hotel, picked up the Bike Keys and then it was time for some dessert! After some enquiring from the locals we were recommended to visit “Jai Mahavir Kulfi Centre”, we reached there and enjoyed some lip-smacking Kulfi and refreshing Badam Milk Shake & fresh Pineapple Juice!


And then the legendary word of this Ride came out from Jaanu’s vocal chords – “CHALEIN?” and it continued to be used by us all afterwards quite regularly!

Went to see "Raani Jee ki Baoli" - it’s the biggest Baoli in Bundi but unfortunately they close it at sharp 4:30 PM and we reached at 4:45 PM...So close but yet so far...so we relaxed in the lush-green lawns to enjoy some Sutta & Bakchodi whereas Ajit & Vikas went towards the market to click some candid shots…when they came back Jaanu said ““CHALEIN?”


So off we went to the "Nawal Sagar Lake" and once we reached there it was another disappointment as the lake was nothing much except a big ocean of Algae & some lotus thrown in for some good measure!!! But it gave us an opportunity to click some real nice pics & we also spotted some birds too...I switched on my Mobile's Music Player and listened to some soothing music while reminiscing about my life gone by...Che got philosophical !!! After spending a real good time there, Jaanu again said ““CHALEIN?”


Off we went to see the Chauraasi Chaatri or Chaatri of 84 Pillars but sadly it was pitch dark and some preparations were going on for the upcoming Bundi Festival...me & Jaanu could not stop our excitement out of sheer frustration after facing 3 disappointments, straight after the other and started to laugh like mad & do our Jigs…all this while the 2 photographers amongst us were busy what they do best – clicking some amazing pics! Luckily some of the bulbs came to life in some time and we could enjoy the views somewhat...and then Jaanu once again said ““CHALEIN?”


This time the focus moved from “sightseeing” to “Pet-Pooja”! It was all about Street Food afterwards...one more time...and this time we enjoyed both Sweets and Chat Items!!! Everything we tasted was superb and was also enjoyed as "Snakes" during the upcoming last drinks session of Bundi...First up was Rabri & Halwa at a roadside “Mishthan Bhandaar” followed by another first-time experience -  Golgappe made of "Urad ki Dal" which were simply superb & those wonderful conversations with the owner of that Thela…then we went to another Thela making some fresh Moong-Dal Pakoras; we tasted some and got the rest of them packed for the next BBB Session which was organized on the Roof-Top, yeah this time we were not going to miss that experience! What a scene it was…BBB Session on the roof looking at the beautifully-lit Taragarh Fort….straight out of a movie scene! a BoP Movie that is ;)


We reached the Hotel and me & Jaanu had some “Jhoola Masti” as well! Fun moments those were! Later we headed straight towards the Rooftop and started the BBB Session…we had to finish sharp at 12 Midnight as the next day we had to wake up early & start the return ride back home! The Snake-Drinks-Sutta Settings were made and the traditional pics were clicked!


And then the Mobile Gaming Competition started…me & Jaanu were competing against each other (for a change) and this was all for a fun game named “Fruit Slice”…I was elading by a big margin but then somehow Jaanu made a big score and beat me by a huge margin & then his happiness knew no bounds…he started to dance like a maniac! A winning maniac that is ;) those were hilarious & unforgettable scenes! It beat the shit out of all possible winning celebrations you have ever seen in your life! And I can bet on this! :D


After the fun-filled BBB Session we headed towards our dinner – the last meal in Bundi…this time our choice was a restaurant named “Tom & Jerry Rooftop Restaurant”! as they say the kid in you should always be alive! And we remained true to that saying by selecting that restaurant! Had our dinner and came back towards our Hotel…enroute we were stopped by a man who was surprised to see 4 Indian Travellers in his town! We started to talk & got to know that he was part of the most famous political Family of Bundi! He is a lawyer in the Supreme Court in New Delhi and sis Mother is Mrs. Mamta Sharma who is the MLA of Bundi and the current Chairperson of National Commission of Women (NCW)…he told us about the issues Bundi is facing & what he was doing for the development of this city…it was an interesting & informative discussion which we thoroughly enjoyed…and also gave our inputs and some introduction about BoP & why we chose Bundi over other Rajasthan Destinations, hearing which he was pleasantly surprised! He even gave us a shortcut route via Sawai Madhopur! We reached our hotel & slept with our alarms on! Had planned to start by 6:30 AM which we all knew was going to be tough for us but then there is no harm in trying! Isn’t it? ;)

Day 3 ||| Sunday 13-11-11 ||| Bundi - Sawai Madhopur- Lalsot – Dausa – Manoharpur – Dharuhera – Gurgaon

As planned, we finished all our tasks…woke up, got ready, packed our stuff, loaded our bikes, settled the hotel bill, checked out of the Hotel, filled our Petrol Tanks and started at sharp 6:30 AM from the Petrol Pump! Beat that for efficiency!!! I love riding through Village Roads of Rajasthan and this time as well we didn’t take the main highway but rather a village road and the scenes were superb...mountains or hill rather on one side and lush green fields on the other...and the weather made the setting perfect...little bits of sunshine hitting us !!!It was a beautiful morning; cool & clear weather, smooth Rajasthan State Highway Road to ride on and my Bike! Life set! As always I rode at full blast speed and had to wait for the others to join in! Used this time to click some pics of “The Mighty One” on the road…


The others joined us and we decided to stop for a small tea break at a very small village...and then the fun times began...The tea stall owner was so overwhelmed to see 4 Motorcyclists all the way from Delhi at his small shop!!!He sent one guy to fetch fresh milk for our tea as he thought that serving us Tea made from one day old Milk would be an utter disrespect to us!!! We tried our best convincing him but he was in no mood to listen anything like that!!! This obviously delayed us as I am sure even the cows & buffaloes had not woken up so we decided to sit back & relax and enjoy the Rajasthani Hospitality...Jaanu also did some Chillum Fun while biding his time! And we had amazing fun clicking the kids at the shop and then the tea came...and out came our Parle G Biscuits as well!!! After a memorable time at the shop we bid goodbye to the shop-owner and thanked him for his kind gestures and started the next leg of the ride...


We spotted an abandoned fort as well…didn’t stop there….left it for some other day! We reached a Railway Crossing & encountered the stares once again of the bewildered Rajasthan Villagers – they were shocked to see 4 aliens on Motorcycles wearing some clothes which I am sure majority of them won’t have seen ever!


We stopped for our very-late Breakfast at 11 AM close to Sawai Madhopur; this ride was real good fun as we had also rode on the same roads during our 2008 Anniversary Ride – The Ranthambore Rapiers! And then it happened! My first Open-Air Dump of the ride…amidst some shrubs on the Highway…what a glorious feeling that is! And can be experienced only when you actually do it yourself…I have been privileged to have experienced in the Mountains, Forests, Sea Side, Desert, Road Side and what not! Hope to keep experiencing this magic on some other terrains as well as life progresses! After I emptied my bowels all I needed was a heavy dose of Paranthas and Tea & God was once again kind on me…I enjoyed what I had asked for!


The ride after this pit-stop was full of misery for all of us! We encountered some real messy roads, full of dust & pebbles and to make matters worse the weather was getting hotter & hotter with each passing minute…but we trudged on as Brave Motorcycle Warriors and din’t flinch much! But after 2 hours our body was in mood to go on without some rest so we decided to take a break and give some respite to our exhausted bodies! Enjoyed some rest loaded with Sutta & Bakar! We also made a “Jaljeera” drink to replenish us on the road! The innovative Bandidos! :D The female “manning” the shot was full of attitude and had rustic & beautiful looks…thanks to her we all got relieved and the exhaustion went away in no time! She even gave us an expired bottle of Frooti but we didn’t mind that at all either ;)


We made a lunch stop and also some Sutta Breaks before hitting NH-8 at 5:30 PM! Perfectly as per the plan…took a short break at the Manoharpur Toll Plaza before hitting the road again for the last leg of the ride! The gasket cover of the head-cylinder of my bike started to leak & I could not go beyond 80 kmph which surely was a big relief for my Bike & Jaanu! And the moment we hit NH-8, it was the regular mayhem-filled scenes of honking & jamming! Tourists coming back to NCR after the weekend and making the traffic messy…but nonetheless it gave me ample opportunities to criss-cross my way through the traffic, even climbing footpaths to get through! My previous riding experience in the Delhi traffic for so many years always come handy during such situations and I love riding this way…but Jaanu was no way amused; he was jumping & pumping in the pillion seat & using his choicest profanities…I remember one such sentence very vividly! Once I climbed a footpath and he said “Paaji, BAKHAAUL mat machaao aap, aaraam se chalaao”…I laughed for some 2-3 minutes before commencing my Footpath tryst again ;)

So finally after all these Traffic Adventures the Ride ended....it was a great ride; we celebrated our Club's 4th Anniversary in true BoP Style with loads of BBB Magic...even though we were just 4 & would have loved to have a much bigger group but nonetheless I couldn’t have asked for more…I signed off my Bachelorhood Riding days with a super-amazing ride! Had to get back to my Wedding Preparations straightaway & this ride provided me all the vigour & rigour I needed!


965 kms of pure Rajasthan magic...4 comrades...yes the Bandidos did it in style!!!


All the pics from the ride:

My Camera: http://goo.gl/TNvRf

Vikas' Camera: http://goo.gl/ey12p

Ajit's Camera: http://goo.gl/aDmYf


I missed Diptinder a lot as I chanted our customary “Jai BoP” all-alone this time at the “Jai BoP” point in Gurgaon but I am sure he was present there in spirit when I shouted it in my loudest possible voice! Hope we can ride together very soon……

The 5th BoP Anniversary Ride is right round the corner and hope it would be an equally brilliant ride as the Bandidos Ride!

Till the time we meet again…ride safe and have safe sex…and cheers to life!

Che would be back on the road again…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Jai BoP! 

Monday, August 13, 2012

My take on London 2012 Olympics


My first memory of the Olympics spectacle date back to the 1988 Seoul Olympics when Ben Johnson of Canada won the 100 metres race beating the favourite and reigning champion Carl Lewis of USA and set a new world record and for the first time an athlete had broken the 10 seconds barrier in the Olympics 100 metres race and that photograph of Johnson pointing his fingers towards the sky became a signature photograph; rest is as they say is history; Johnson tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was stripped of the WR and the Gold Medal; Carl Lewis retained his Olympic Title and set a new WR as well!!


And the Love Affair with Olympics started…it continued during Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008)…I used to follow all the games on Newspapers and on the Internet in the recent years but have never before followed any Sporting Event more closely than the London 2012 Olympics and I enjoyed my virtual participation ;) and discussing the games with my friends offline and majorly on FB!!!

London was announced as the venue for the 2012 Olympics on 6 July 2005 and it was a tragic & infamous start as the London Tube Bombings happened less than 24 hours after the announcement. But London had seven years to prepare and they did a great job indeed…



The Opening Ceremony was held on 27 July and was called "Isles of Wonder". Danny Boyle was the director and as expected he did a marvelous job but IMHO it was a shade lower than the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony which was technically and visually far more superior…I loved the Daniel Craig act and my favourite part was the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron which was described as "one of the best-kept secrets of the opening ceremony" – everybody including me was expecting the routine process; one athlete running and then lighting the cauldron with a torch but Danny Boyle blew everybody with his rendition! Taken from Wikipedia: Each young athlete was greeted by their nominating Olympian, and each presented with their own torches, which were lit from the Olympic flame. The young athletes then jogged through a passageway formed between the assembled athletes to the centre of the stadium, where the 205 copper petals (each inscribed with the name of the team it had accompanied) were now seen attached to long pipes in a circular formation (the petals will accompany each team home after the Games). The seven young athletes lit some of the petals, and when the flame had spread to all of them, they slowly rose to converge and form the Olympic cauldron.






And how can controversy stay behind especially wrt India ;) One female named Madhura Nagendra walked along our Flag-Bearer Sushil Kumar smiling her way to glory…and she was not supposed to be there! There have been various spoofs relating her infamous walk to other entry stunts as well! By far she was the most unforgettable non-athlete for Indians in these Olympics!

So on 28th July 2012 the London 2012 Olympics finally started with around 10,500 athletes representing 204 countries and across 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. For the first time there was a female participation amongst all the representing countries (yes, even Saudi Arabia had a female athlete) and it was a big step going forward! Another conservative country – Qatar also made history as a female athlete was their flag bearer in the OC!





16 days of sporting action…302 events…962 medals to be won…and many more records to be broken…The first Gold Medal was won by Italy in the men's team final event of Archery defeating USA…and the last was won by Laura AsadauskaitÄ— of Lithuania in the Women's Modern pentathlon Event just hours before the start of the closing ceremony…

32 World Records were broken and set in these Olympics…USA topped the Medal standings with a total of 104 medals (46 G, 29 S and 29 B) followed by China in the Number 2 position – 87 medals (38 G, 27 S and 22 B) and the host nation Great Britain in the Number 3 position – 65 medals (29 G, 17 S and 19 B)…the others in the Top 10 (in order) were: Russia, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and Australia. 85 countries out of the 204 participating countries won atleast a medal! 54 won at least one gold medal. Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala, and Montenegro each won its first Olympic medal ever, with Grenada's being gold. Even Kuwait won a Bronze Medal! Their second medal ever…won by their Shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani who got the medal in the Men's Trap Shooting Event…and he is the one who won the first-ever Medal for Kuwait in the 2000 Sydney Olympics too – a bronze!



The most exciting events of any Olympics are in the Athletics Stream and this time it was no different either! Usain Bolt the star winning 3 Gold Medals and repeating his hat-trick from Beijing Olympics….I am sure nobody can deny the fact that he is a legend! What a performance from the tall Jamaican…and his showman skills….I haven’t seen a more confident sportsperson ever in my life…helmets off to Usain Bolt!


IMHO the second biggest star of these Olympics was the American Michael Phelps who was competing in his last Olympics and being the legend he is, he had to bid farewell in the grandest possible style! He became the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals and also breaking the record for winning the most number of 18 gold medals; in London, Phelps won four golds and two silver medals…just read this for a data point: if Michael Phelps were a country then he would have been at a position of "47" in the all-time Olympic Medals List!!!


 And the third biggest star was Oscar Pistorius the South African athlete also known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs"… in London, he became the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics when he entered the men's 400 metres race and was part of South Africa's 4 × 400 metres relay team! One of the biggest examples of dogged determination and a true sports champion! He didn’t win any Medal in these Olympics but for me his achievement is nothing short of a gold medal!



The best and the most brilliant celebration of a medal was by far that of Robert Harting of Germany who won the Men’s Discuss Throw Gold Medal…this photograph would tell you why!





The quote of the Olympics:
"Basically, we are not human; we dropped from space like Mr Bean. Mr Bean is not a normal guy, he makes jokes. We are not normal guys. We are from space, I am from Mars." - Jamaica's Yohan Blake 




And then there was the Indian Olympic Contingent…competing for the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians…it was our biggest Olympic contingent ever - 83 athletes to compete in 13 sports… India finally won 6 medals - 2 silver and 4 bronze which is by far the best performance by India in terms of number of medals won at any single Olympic games. – the next best was 3 in the preceding 2008 Beijing Olympics…The biggest shame was the Indian Hockey Team which failed to win a single group match and finished last amongst the 12 participating teams – their worst-ever performance; a bit better than Beijing though where they even failed to qualify! The first Indian Medallist was Shooter Gagan Narang who won a Bronze Medal in the Men's 10 m air rifle event on 30 July and the last but not the least and infact  by winning his second individual Olympic medal was our Wrestler Sushil Kumar who won the Silver in the Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling category on the last day of these games on 12 August…Our boxer Mary Kom created history by winning the first-ever medal of the Women’s Boxing Category in the History of Olympics! And our biggest medal hope Saina Nehwal had to settle with a Bronze Medal who won her match as her Chinese opponent retired due to a knee injury…but that medal winning photograph where she is standing with the 2 Chinese is one of my favorite ones signifying the Indian Challenge to the Chinese Domination in Women’s Badminton!


The biggest surprise was the shooter Vijay Kumar’s Silver Medal as he wasn’t expected to win but it surely made us very happy indeed! For me the best win was of Yogeshwar Dutt who won 3 tough wrestling bouts consecutively in the Repechage bouts to earn the Bronze Medal!

The final tally:

Medal         Name                        Sport                         Event                                          
Silver          Vijay Kumar              Shooting                    Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol    
Silver          Sushil Kumar            Wrestling                   Men's 66kg Freestyle                
Bronze       Gagan Narang           Shooting                    Men's 10 m air rifle                      
Bronze        Saina Nehwal           Badminton                Women's singles                          
Bronze        Mary Kom               Boxing                      Women's flyweight                        
Bronze        Yogeshwar Duttt      Wrestling                  Men's 60kg Freestyle                       


Hope these 6 medallists can inspire millions of other Indian Athletes and we can hit the magical double figure in the 2016 Rio Olympics!

Amidst all my Olympics hyper-excitement I started a specific page on Facebook named Nishant Jha's Olympics 2012 Updates as I thought I was spamming all of my friend’s FB News Feed by bombarding them with Olympic Updates….and luckily (some say it was a good omen) just moments after making this page Vijay Kumar won our first Silver Medal of these Olympics! It was great fun posting all those updates, interacting with all my friends on that page and wishing our Olympians the best of luck before each of their contests! I was following these Olympics on 3 TV channels – DD Sports, ESPN and Star Sports in addition to following the official website of the London Olympics and at times following the NDTV Live Feed as well.

But the best news broadcaster for the Indian Participation was a FB Page named India at London Olympics 2012 which was by far the most popular news feed for Indians on FB atleast!

Yesterday I followed the last Olympic Event -Women's Modern pentathlon Event and then got ready to watch the Closing Ceremony which was another fun event and was a musical blast with host of British Musicians participating and the biggest surprise was a Bhangra Show with our Punjabi Music and Bhangra Dance portrayed! An amazing moment it was…




So finally the London 2012 Olympics ended and on a big high indeed! And I am sure the next Olympics – Rio 2016 would be equally brilliant and fantastic!


Here’s wishing Great Britain & London a big thanks and Brazil & Rio the very best of luck and hope I would be able to catch all the action in the same way as I did during these Olympics!

Big thanks to my wife Bandita for being such a great partner during the Olympics...she was always there to discuss the matches, medals, wins, losses and all those mindless comments which I make! plus she also tolerated my 100% attention on updating the latest action on FB! Plus thanks to Ramadan here in Middle East and the curtailed office timings & work-load that I could follow this mega-event religiously for all these days!!!