T-shirts for Make Your Trip

Sagaro & myself had a small discussion sitting at CCD in Adyar on what do we need to do next for Make Your Trip. How else could we gain publicity, of course with t-shirts. So, then started some brain storming & we decided on how it should look. With India map & the stamp on the front and at a back Team Name with a cartoon strip and some caption below…
This trip seems to be proceeding completely like an un-conference (where there is not much planning & everybody chips in with their contribution) unlike other un-conferences which are slowly turning out to become conferences!!!
We are also planning to make a promo video.. Would try to get something done soon..
Whoever wants to have caps, can just chip in!!

Tags: Make Your Trip, Travel, India

Cricket & Professionalism

If anybody said that cricket is just a sport lets enjoy it, you are wrong. Just see the way Australia but their pure professional approach to the game have enjoyed successwhich no other team has in past few years. In 2003 World Cup finals they slaughtered Indians and made them look like hunted animals and this year it was turn of SriLankans. It was Ponting then and Gilchirst now.

By this professional approach they ensure that if the innings is set to a pace no one coming later ontributes to reducing this pace. Its maintained.
Till yesterday if somebody is a non-performer, when it matters he just turns around. Gilly did not score in the 10 odd games played in the World Cup but in the finals he just smashed the Lankans all over the ground.
Another instance is Mathew Hayden, he was dropped for few matches before the start of World Cup but out here he performed. Ever reliable Glenn McGrath, it would be sad to miss him but he knew where to pitch the ball and that it where it was every time and never deviated much.

There are lot more which can be talked about. Now it is upto other cricket playing countries to adapt new changes to be successfull and beat Australia in years to come.
Such is the dominance though for in last three World Cup’s there has never been any other clear winner. Congrats to dominant Australians.

Tags: Australia, Cricket, World Cup

Life is tough – 38

If you don’t know the correct facts either put in effort to know or just keep your mouth shut.

Overheard a conversation in a bus. A Bengali girl was telling few Kannadiga’s if you want some cold drink buy it in Bangalore itself, they are not available in Kerala. Soft drinks (like Cola, pepsi) are available easily in the North everywhere. These people were travelling towards Kerala for weekend.
If this same girl is to guide a foreigner what is the impression he would get??
How many places has she travelled to get to know these facts??
What was all the more surprising was others did not try to correct her.
For your information madam,

Stockholm

Its been long long time since I wrote about my travel in Stockholm.
The city Stockholm in general is not big enough that you ned to take public transport or taxi for travelling within the city. Everywhere you turn there are shops and shopping is a big industry here. After the first day where I had to get used to surroundings, I never took the tram or bus. From the place I was staying I walked about close to 7kms to visit Skansen. Skansen is a museum which has been modelled in a large space to showcase old age technique of making furniture, metal objects, glass. This also depicts the models of home in those times, windmills, bank. There also lot of scandanavian animals. Among the animals is also cows!!
There are lot more musuems, one for war times, one for art. Depending on your interest you can visit museum of your choice.
Nothing comes for free, so all museums charge a entry fee.

The most tourist spot in Stockholm is Gama Stan. GamaStan is old town and buildings inside this section have not changed with time. There is also a German church with a bit of history. And its also pleasant to take a long walk along the river.
Of course there is no need to fear of being mugged the city is always full of life. Yes, walking down the remote areas one can feel afraid with no one around but within another 5mins you can be at the one of the cross roads and there are lot of vehicles and people.
I walked more than 20 odd kms in Stockholm and of course if you are feeling tired sit down on benches provided in public places. This is one good thing to have benches to park yourself!!
Nightlife is very much there like any other city in Europe. In nightclub’s smoking is not allowed inside and if you are smoker you need to go to the road and if its cold at night you can be shaking. Probably this is a way to discourage smoking also and its good for non-smokers inside the club. Of course there are cops everywhere and no need to fear walking in the night. But as always be careful.
Stockholm is definitely a nice city to visit and for no reasons it is called best Capital city of the world.

Tags: Stockholm, Sweden

Leave them alone

If a Periyar statue is damaged what have Brahmins got to do with it. Why is it not possible that other communities might have damaged it. For this cutting the sacred thread (Poonal) of Temple priests and attacking other Brahmins, where is the security for them. As such Brahmins are the real minority section in TamilNadu and on top of it there is no security for them. Why is not possible that people who attacked Brahmins damaged Periyar statue??
While I strongly condemn the act of vandalism on a statue, I more strongly condemn the attacks on poor Brahmins.
What about the bird CROW which also takes its part in damaging statue of almost everyone with its droppings? Why not catch the crows and slaughter it??

Tags: Periyar, Brahmin, TamilNadu, India

Ranganthitu Bird Sanctuary

It was more like a lazy ride to Ranganthitu Bird Sanctuary. After the night rains people came in late to the Royal Enfield outlet at Jayanagar in Bangalore. The trip was organised by Rajesh of RE. We started off after distribution of water bottles & t-shirts at 8:00am. This was definitely quite a late start to the trip. We stopped lot of times for re-grouping. Many in the group were doing their first ride as a group and out of city limits that also adds to the frequent stoppages.

The point (who leads the group and who is not supposed to be overtaken) disappeared few times especially when others were supposed to take a diversion to the NICE higway. Yeah, this was also a learning for others. And the point did learn, later in the ride while taking a diversion to the Sanctuary he did stand on the highway to direct other riders.

This is something which I have been noticing in the past few rides where there are few new riders. Riding a Royal Enfield bullet does not mean the whole highway is for you. RE is not equivalent to Harley or other sports bikes that you can zoom to a speed of 140km/hr+. In a group ride the maximum speed is 80-85km/hr only so leave space for others, especially cars. All cars including Maruthi 800 can go at faster speed and blocking the highway could lead to accidents. More than two times I noticed 4 bikers blocking the highway. There is a pattern in which bikers should ride when on highway. Do read this post where RE mechanic explained the patter in my first ever ride on RE bike (Check out the photo in the post). We werein all 30 people on 17 bikes which was pretty good number.

The total distance from the RE outlet is about 150kms only off the highway towards Mysore. There is an entrance fee of Rs.15/- person and Rs.30/- for parking the bike. There needs a special mention of two foreign girls on a Haiku Honda Activa who barged into the queue and wanted the tickets. The person at the counter was right in asking them to go and sit in their vehicle. Complaining for this was just outrageous. Would you do this in your country??

We were not in a state to take the boat ride since it was pretty hot at around 1:00pm so tried to capture few birds from a distance under the shades of trees. There were so many trees that it was pretty cool as long as you were standing under them. Once you move out of the shade the heat almost kills you. There were just birds and birds everywhere.

Its definitely a place for retreat on weekend. Don’t worry about food or snacks or coffee or tea, its available inside. After eating please dont throw waste or paper around, do use the dustbins.

More photos click on the My Picasa Album, the link provided on the right side.

Tags: Ranganthitu, Bangalore, India

Bangalore & Traffic woes

Few months back I had written a post on vehicles riding in the wrong side of the road at good speed and causing accidents thereby at Whitefield road. Today morning also there was a very bad accident opposite GE office while going towards DELL office. A TATA Sumo (some office cab) had rammed into a parked truck and the entire front portion was damaged. It looked like probably the TATA Sumo was overtaking another vehicle and did not see the parked truck. Hopefully there were no one injured in the incident.

In road which is only about 15-20ft wide I do not understand how vehicles as big as these trucks can be allowed to park. The entire stretch one can find parked trucks/office cabs/auto’s parked on both sides of the road. This not only causes inconvinience to other vehicle drivers but also lead to accidents like these which follows with a traffic jam.

The speed of the vehicles are also not checked here and this also adds to the concern. The only solution the Bangalore Police or the Corporation comes up with Speed Breakers.

Read also my article on how employees cross the road leading to accidents.

(Photo did not come out well but what is important is the disturbances)
As if humans are not enough to cause accidents we got also animals into the act. Last night when going towards my home in my friends car there was a whole lot of buffaloes standig in the road without moving an inch to give way to passing car. How much ever honking did not help and I had to walk from there to my house hoping that there are no thieves around who want to rob me of my card and cash (which I did not have) and my mobile.
Rephrasing the song “Buffalo Soldier”

Buffalo Buffalo
This is not your shed
Give me some space
To reach my place

Tags: Traffic, Accident, Buffalo, Bangalore, India

Home Alone – 5

What better way can one spend time at home all alone. After a long time am spending the weekend at my home in Bangalore. And I did just what I should do, clean the house, cook lunch for myself and watch the movie series “Home Alone“.

Surprise Rain

Today evening rains started all of a sudden and took Bangloreans by surprise completely. What started off as a heavy downpour at around 6:30pm kept fluctuating after that between heavy & moderate rainfall accompanied by lightning & thunder.

The rains not only made me run for shelter after getting down from company bus but also made me change plans for the night and next 3 days to come!!

Ofcouse in Bangalore there can be no rains without flooding the roads. Near my house in Koramangala where I cant see any tar on the road but only stones everywhere, its clogged with water.

Also. a mention should be made of car drivers who think they can be the only one on the road and bully the walkers. Like for instance, when I was walking back home when the rains turned to drizzle a lady driving the car and coming behind me kept on honking while there was no space for me to give her way. It was just water everywhere. Can the drivers be more responsible and stop bullying poor walkers like me.
Can this be called Summer Showers?? I don’t think Bangloreans would complain this much needed rain which comes as respite from the terrible heat.

Tags: Rain, News, Bangalore, India

Life is tough – 37

The tendency to forget things is more when restart an activity after sometime. An activity which you are not used to doing regularly. For example, try cooking.