Adieu 2013

Recently something new popped up on my fb page , I am sure  same happened to all of us who make sure to check fb at-least Once in a day( hour) and Never miss on such features . On the left hand side of the profile page a small tab was displayed that highlighted 2013 in BOLD and Read ''See your 2013 year in Review'' . Now I was curious and Damn I wanted to see my 2013 year in Review! A click and  there it was!! All the 12 months ,each with a photo or a status update ,it did get back the memories of all those events and a glimpse of kind of thoughts I had this entire year.

Funny isn't it, I remember myself cribbing how a certain month is not getting over and other times Cribbing as to how fast a month got over ,the only constant thing was Cribbing/complaining!!! And its Mid December already ,15 more days for another year to get over and another one to start. The funny thing is no matter how bad the year was we always wish for another good year , obviously we should do that, after all its HOPE we all live on.

I clearly remember 31st eve of 2012, the dress I wore to the party I attended , the dessert I relished my taste-buds with, the music to which I danced or the HOPEs I had from 2013, I even remember the resolution I made on 1st January 2013 while driving down with my flatmates!! And while I was trying to fulfill the resolution with utmost honesty  its already time to analyze if I did some justice and strain my brain for a new one!!

12 months or 365 days and now when I look back I cant even recall one complete hour forget a day or month. But the Moments. The people. The emotions . I clearly recall these.
Ever wonder how fast the time flies by??At-least the good time.I hope 2013 was eventful for most of us. Few might have got  a new job, few got their dream girl,  lots got married or engaged,  few had their first baby , traveled the place they wanted,  got their first job, lost someone, fell in love, had a breakup, won a lottery, started a hobby , lost 10 kgs or as simple made someone smile.  All of us had share of happy moments and  the sad ones, lots of ups and downs and memories to cherish .

Now

Its time to retrospect the year 2013 , learn from the mistakes , feel content of our achievements , relish the new friendships, remember the people who walked away and finally Bid adieu!!

Its also time to foster new hobbies ,make a new TO DO THINGS LIST , meet new people, Be happy , spread some happiness and Welcome 2014 with HOPE ,warm hugs and a Sonreír.

                                                         '' Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
                                                                   Whispering 'it will be happier'...''

GO GREEN GO CYCLE

Few months ago I went on my first cycling expedition, read it here 40 Something Cycling Trip and after a few months wait  GO GREEN GO CYCLE Vol 4 happened to mark Children's Day . This time in association with Buzzintown , Magnifique public school to support "One Tree by One Person" and
OM ASHRAM to promote Mehfil- E- Yaaran. Lots of associations I know!!!

The starting point was Madhavan Park  in Jayangar and destination was Magnifique Public school on Kanakpura road distanced at 18 kms which didn't look unrealistic this time! The cycling enthusiasts assembled almost on time , hopped on their rented , borrowed and owned( exceptions are everywhere) cycles and started off . Unlike last time I knew everyone , almost everyone , from good friends to volunteer friends to acquaintances . I actually did know most of them.

The journey to the destination was more or less same as we took the same route starting from Jayanagar via Kanakpura road , the difference this time was the company. With most of the people cycling after an average of 15 years ( last time when most of them have cycled was in 10th standard) we reached fairly on time without any casualties( Ameen!). Magnifique school is nestled on the Kanakpura road amid lots of greenery and lots of open space. We were welcomed by Mr. Moiunddin , loud music, drinks( Non- alcoholic) and light snacks .
As people in their late 20's and 30's and 40's were celebrating Children's day it was time to actually get back to school. The classes started with Nursery Rhymes and well ended with Nursery Rhymes, you see its not easy to deal with such people in such critical Age Group. We did have a class on JOKES , yes you read it right but kids our age hardly know good jokes so the reference was Wtsaap .
As the  kids started to get restless , the easiest way to keep a hold of them was to let them dance. And oh yes hell broke loose . Indians can dance anywhere  and on any kind of music till the time it is loud and got some random beats , lyrics don't matter , NO not for us.
Well all of us thoroughly enjoyed . Few enjoyed shaking the leg ,the rest enjoyed watching those legs and arse move .

It was time for drawing session. Most of them picked up their favorite crayon colors, pencils and white sheets and got down to real work to produce a master piece of art.The outcome was not at all bad and our own Pablo Picasso and Paul Czeanne did pretty well. Here is a glimpse!

 As part of One Tree by One Person initiative we planted lots of saplings and the major attraction for me was dirtying my hands in mud ( it always feels good, doesn't it??)

As we eagerly waited for lunch we discovered an old deflated football , what else do we need??? 2 teams of 8 each was formed , goal post was set and positions decided . We  ran all across shouting goal goal even when the ball was kicked some 10 meters away from the goal post, hardly followed the rules and left no chance to increase the score by multiples digits!! Though our team won by 3-1 ..just a fact!!

The game was called off as the lunch arrived , the hungry  exhausted kids were served with some delicious Indian food packed by Brown Bag.
 It was time to pose for some group photos , say our goodbyes and leave for few more arduous kms of cycling.

While coming it was downhill and we just sat and cruise through the roads. the real tough time started now. With sun at its peak, our stomachs full and to add Uphill ,within few minutes we were sweating  , puffing and stopping every 2 kms.
After 3 breaks ,  few tender coconut down we decided to load the cycles and ourselves in the truck. Total distance covered was 25 kms , we were satisfied. 7 of us squeezed in the truck with the cycles and ended the trip at CCD with coffee mugs in our hand over a round table discussion.

It was just another Awesome Weekend with Awesome People for an  Inspiring  Cause.

Are your weekends fun?? Like OURS!!

This Diwali

For the past 7 years I have never missed diwali celebrations at home , the festive spirit up there cannot be missed which comes with the added advantage of spending some time with Family ( which is not much these days!!). But this time  for various reasons it didn't seem viable to go home , thanks to my good friend for getting married few days before this festival and stupid company policy that would force me to take a vacation in December. I was apprehensive as to how it would be, no family, no close friends and no Rajasthan.  But it turned out to be the most memorable Diwali . Here is a little account of the celebrations!!!

27th October -  With Sambhav Kids

Well yeah, for me the celebration started a week in advance.3 organizers , 50+ volunteers and 50+ kids and staff came together to enjoy bunch of activities and share a meal together. My first event as an organizer with 2 more beautiful people took place on this fine day. With the love and support of so  many people the event was a true success and we achieved what we aimed for.The kids thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling , the magic show , the gifts and the delicious food cooked by all the volunteers..And we enjoyed the company of those kids , the energy they spread and the happiness they bestowed us with . Saturday couldn't get better then this.
It was a kick-start to the festive season!!!

Million dollar smile

1st Nov - Need Base India 

An old Government property where 60+ angels live. When I call them that trust me they are nothing less. It was my first visit here, I enter the premise and hear lots of chattering , I look for the room and here they are .
I am welcomed by the sweetest " Hi" from at-least 10 of them , as I approach few of them they blast me with all the innocent questions . I try to remember their names as they improve my broken kannada.
As more volunteers arrived they got hold each one of them and made sure to make them smile with their non stop chattering . We played games, did laxmi pooja , relished the snacks, lighted up the place with diyas, candles and love, burst crackers and got the warmest of hugs. While I put nail-paint on their little fingernails they surrounded me and blew me away with their charm.
These girls loved , hugged me so unconditionally that even for 1 moment I didn't feel I was meeting them for the first time .As i got ready to leave the place they made sure to give me a goodbye hug and in return asked  to come back soon.
You should come with me and meet these girls, they are the most beautiful creation of God.

3rd Nov - OMASHRAM

Well without a doubt I love this place and hence we decided to do our 2nd event here.Volunteers arrived on time and it was worth seeing their enthusiasm, Luru definitely got the most enthusiastic and committed volunteers. My few artist friends got down to work and made beautiful rangoli while I did my job of filling in the color the worst way( I am awful at it).... the rest decorated the room with ribbons , arranged stuff,clicked photographs ,  got the diyas ready and Me?? well , I just monitored and encouraged them :)

With the help of our donor friends we sponsored sweaters for the all elderly's :)
The evening was spent chatting with the ajjis, lighting the place with diyas , hogging on sweets and the most delicious set doasas with chatni , being responsible for the all the noise and sound pollution and having a gala time with the all awesome people . And oh yes, posing for the camera!!!After all we all got dressed in ethnic wear :)

This was definitely the most special Diwali I had till date with amazing people and for the most beautful people.
I learnt the meaning of true festive spirit and that  happiness doubles up if you share . You just need to take out some time and you will be showered with love ,laughter and more lOve.

"Meet the Volunteers"

 I bless the day I decided not to go home.

Mallu LAND - Munnared

3 friends and roommates for 2 years  packed  their bags and left for the much awaited trip to Munnar. The scheduled departure at 11.50pm was delayed by 3 hours to our dismay and the bus arrived only at 3 am leaving us irritated and much delayed .Journey from Bangalore to Cochin takes approximately 10 hours and from there we took a bus to Munnar , these are local buses and you can hop onto one every 30 minutes.
 They will take you through the rickety, broken roads that lead to one heaven on the earth , the ride howsoever bad is worth the potholes and random breaks every 2 minutes.
After approximate travel of 15 hours , damaged legs ,aching backbone we finally reached the destination, it was 5pm in the evening, we were suppose to reach by 2 pm!!

The Hotel though had the word Resort in its name was nowhere close to a resort and located in the main city area, the picture on cleartrip and otherwise showed no structure anywhere next to the" RESORT" but there was anything but hotels lined up, i was dejected but my 2 optimist friends liked it and we settled in with hot bhajjis, french fries and innumerable cups of various kinds of Tea.

Morning started with not so good breakfast and search of a Cab with a good driver obviously which lead us to Munanr town which was 10 minutes walk from the Hotel. the Town center is not so big with all the major shops for spices, tea ,chocolates located here, the bus, taxi and auto stand. They were celebrating Ayuda also known as Dushera in most of the parts of the country and to mark the occasion all the vehicles, the taxis and autos were decorated profoundly with leaves ,garlands and lots of loud music which was capable enough to blast off your ears and patience in minutes time.
Our search lead us to Mr. Simon , a very soft spoken ,helpful, generous person which we only discovered during the trip. He would wait for us for hours at few points and wont complain, would click pics , he even suggested us to watch kalari which we would have missed otherwise. A true gentleman in every sense who made us like Mallus( not that we didn't like them beforehand)!!

One  can visit  lots of places around Munnar and everywhere they would handle you a 2 page pamphlet which will give you the 3 alternate routes and options to spend your day . The major attractions and suggested places are Anamudi Peak, Top station ,Echo Point ,Kundala Lake .

There is a point know as  "Elephant arrival Point", Its like any other point but going litlle further we  discovered the most picturesque view . Lakeside amidst the mighty mountains and while we dipped our feet in the water relishing the sun playing hide and seek with the clouds in a no noisy tourist scenario we felt how blessed we are! Mr. Simon obliged and was patient to wait for us without any complains.
The next stop  was at a  street side market that was stretched for more then a km and catered to all the needs starting from food stalls, local wooden and other decorative stuff, coffee stall, local homemade chocolates . We filled our stomachs with plates of maggie, Mirchi bhajjia and hot tea!! What a filling meal it was .

As we moved further on the mountains and the height increased ,little droplets of water welcomed us with a spectacular view of the tea gardens , we have never seen so many shade of green altogether, wherever we looked it was either mountain slopes covered with tea plants or sky rocketing coconut tress, Mr. Simon en-lighted us with the fact that 75% of the estates are owned by Tata Group though not even one billboard of Tata  anywhere. Top Station is located at at 6,170 ft offers offers a panoramic view of the majestic Western Ghats and the valley of Theni district. , you cannot stop but gaze at the beauty , the beauty with which all the mountains are placed , the creator is surely one hell of an artist!! We found out that you can also camp near top station , I am surely returning to this place to camp for few nights. After spending good 45 minutes we still didn't feel like leaving but Elephant ride and Kalari awaited us!!

We bid goodbye to the mountains and hopped on the 15 year old Julie aka elephant who offered us 15 minutes adventurous ride , we treated her with pineapples!!

Next stop was Kalaripayattu show  which was awesome with dagger , aerial fights, jumping through flames , it did leave us in aww of the art and the artists. Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art from  Kerala and also one of the oldest in existence.  We said goodbye to our Cab driver Mr simon with heartfelt thanks.  Shopping at Krishna stores for homemade chocolates, lots of spices and dry fruits and the that  completed with dinner at Guru's supposingly a famous restaurant which didn't get famous with us!!
Don't waste time going to Hydel park ,just a name and sheer wastage of time !!

Good ,fun-filled 2 days were over and it was time to hop onto one of those Red buses and head to Cochin. With a heavy heart ,packed lunch and a refreshed mind we boarded the bus .  The trip concluded once we boarded the bus back to luru .

Key points to Note if you are planning a trip to Munnar:

1. I will suggest taking a local bus from Cochin - Munnar - Costs just Rs 70 , gives you an amazing view and you wont feel mountain sickness!!
2. If you want to relax, relish the mountains dont stay in the town area!!
3. Atleast plan a 3-4 day trip to Munnar
4. Dont miss Kathakali and kalari
5. Don't book Kallada tours and travels ..:(

Its one Place you shouldn't miss if you are in South India, its definitely Heaven!!

Bangalore - Where dreams are for REAL

Two and a half years back I arrived in this city with a lucrative offer letter, lots of suitcases and a hope to leave this city within Few months. The offer letter doesnt look lucrative anymore, suitcases have been unpacked and the stuff well settled in the big cupboards and the HOPE has been destroyed by the Love this city showered on me.
No , the start wasn't good, the first 6 months were tormenting , full of tears, Ill health and a strong Will to go back , I wonder what changed.

Few say its easy to love this city, few say you get accustomed to the city and dont want to move out of the comfort zone while others say I am mistaking comfort with Love.

The first few months I cursed the food they served here, it hampered my health and made me miss my oil filled north Indian food, I would hate the traffic, the potholes,the frequently changing weather ,Unfriendly people , The Auto rickshaw drivers ,People  who talked in Kannada and made me look like an Alien, The high cost of living , The 11 pm deadline and the fact that I was in SOUTH INDIA.
I would curse and crib Non- Stop . I know people who leave without trying , who still don't like it here and others who don't want to go back

What Changed for me??

I Tried .

I started trying all kind of south Indian food , became friends with lots of south Indians who are definitely not unfriendly,  tried learning Kannada so as to make some sense , Learnt the tricks of trade with Auto rickshaw drivers, fell in love with the weather , the beautiful Rains and finally accepted this CITY.
It gave me much and didn't ask anything in return. Delhi takes away your innocence,  Mumbai takes away your TIME. Bangalore just GIVES.

The reason you fall in love with this city is it gives you a lot  and hardly takes away anything.
 It gives you the freedom to relish your dreams, the freedom to wear anything and not feel out of place, the freedom to explore every opportunity you ever wanted to , freedom to live the interests you only thought off, the taste of independence and finally the freedom to be YOURSELF.
It gave me a well paid job , A Guru , helped me fulfill my little dreams ,A chance to challenge my limits ( refer to Running ) , Courage to Live life on my conditions. and gave back the lost innocence.

I have achieved a lot more than I thought , career wise everyone does some day , what matters is if you fulfill those little little dreams , if you live an effortless life , do things that comfort you.
 I have got wet in this city in the middle of no-where , talked to strangers and made them friends , Cycled on the worst possible roads , Ran till my lungs gave up , worked for causes close to my heart , traveled with friends and on my own ,  made few people smile , stayed in silence for few days ( Refer AOL) , Shopped for grocery in Pajamas , Excelled the art of eating Rasam-Rice with my hand without people giving me those weird looks.

Small- small things, aren't they?? But I remember these and not the rating my Boss gave me last year.
Its all not Rosy though, I still miss those people up in North who comfort me with just one hug  and their presence. Sometimes , it still makes me realize I don't belong here , but just sometimes.
Most of the time it embraces me with cool breeze , sumptous idlis and dosas , non interfering people and a hope that Dreams can be for real.

Its a beautiful beautiful city to live in , to cherish your freedom , to be Yourself.
So what are you waiting for?? Pack your bags , Me and my City will welcome you with a warm hug, cool breeze, hot Idlis and lots of HOPE.

On Getting Married

The day I told my parents I got a job, even before getting the location or the offer letter , after the congratulatory ritual the next statement they made was" Now you should get Married" . 2.5 years since that day , it has just got worse!!
This is a common well heard story of any youth in their mid twenties. "When are you Getting married" is the first question everyone asks these days, everyone, And I really mean Everyone here! The married friends even if not happy in their own marriage wont leave a chance to cultivate your mind with the seed of getting married , the Cousins who have lived through the entire phase and no matter how unhappy they are make sure to put a teaspoonfull of ghee in the otherwise sky roaring flame started by the parents , I dont even want to mention the Uncles and Aunties and the neighbors and all the random people we meet , they are beyond their limits!!

The hype has been so strong that few of my friends ( count me in) dont go to home for months to escape this torture , family ,friends just dont seem to understand. I hate that category of friends who just cant undertand the single reason we quote for not getting married, even if our age their shrunken mind cant interepret the arguments we make . What matter for them is to just convince us for the idea of getting married as if we are their kids and if we don't listen the society would murder them. I understand these guys are concerned but friends are meant to stand for what we want and not impose something they deem right, arent they? Something like getting married might be right for them just for simple reason  "they are different" but it is not be for us.

I fail to understand why cant people accept the simple rule of live and let live, When we never guided them as to when to get married , when to have a baby , when to shit , it amazes me why cant they shut their mouth and let us suffer ( for they feel we are lonely). I have always relished all the moments when my cousins/friends got married, it was their day and we were there to share their happiness but hey that doesnt mean that we should get married.

Marriage no matter how beautiful or how ugly is a major decision and every human has different priortes , marriage might not be top on the list . It is as simple as that. The society argues there is a certain age, the right age when you should tie the knot, who made these rules??? who??? And how many such rules we have been following?? On the contrary they say there is never a Right age and never a Right time!!

There are better things for us to do, few want to have a good career, few wants to travel, few are not ready yet , few don't believe in the constitution of Marriage , few are still waiting for the right person, and few just don't care . There is nothign wrong with any of this, nothing. And please dont argue with the statement that you can still do all of this after getting married, because you cant, you just cant, there is a change in the equation once you tie the knot.

It gets darn difficult to live in such a society that imposes such thoughts and listen to our heart , but hardly anyone understands this.So respect the choices  we make rather then making us feel miserable by asking that question hundred times because it wont help the cause, it might just  bring some distance and nothing good.There are so many ways people scare us, you wont get a good bloke, you would miss the right age to have kids, you will be lonely blah blah, . We are way above these factors or at least ignoring them as they don't seem to matter , so people keep all these warnings with yourself and save it for your kids.


For those who share the same thoughts it doesn't matter what society says, Marriage might be a good thing to consider as it gives you a companion to share the life with but its not compulsory , maybe not right now but after few years, when you deem right. We ll never be out of people to share our happiness , maybe the no. would decrease but there will always be enough. What matters is we are content with the decision we are making , we are listening to what our heart says because in the end what will matter is if we listened to our heart or the society.

The ByGone Era

In the past few years , lets say 8 years few things have gone extinct .Better technology or a better form of service has substituted them. Lets recollect all memories and go back in time.

1.The Antenna-  Remember that Silver rod with quite a few  aluminum rods arranged in a horizontal manner ,that would be put at the highest point on the terrace to get the best signal.Its been replaced by those good looking, sophisticated DTH antennas.We no more rush to the terrace to make adjustments to the position of the antenna to get the best signal and neither do we  reciprocate by a shout to the person monitoring the picture on the TV!

2. The Postman - Well I thoroughly miss this one person clad in khaki color uniform riding his hero cycle , and ringing the bell. Those summer afternoons when my mom would wait for a telegram from her father and I would wait for letters( yes, I had this ritual of writing letters to few people)  from few people and pen friends, did you have a pen-friend??? He has been replaced by courier boys who zip fast on their motorbikes . Few days back I saw a postman,same khaki uniform , and the very same hero cycle- how I wised he had a letter for me!

3. Walkman/Cassettes : I remember those days when we would collect audio cassettes of Enrique , Backstreet boys , Sonu Nigam and compare the collection with Our Cousins, friends. Walkman was the most handy thing and avidly shared while on trips and tournaments. The Ipods, MP3 players, Cds, memory card  have replaced them completely. I still have the machine though :)

4.The Radio : My grandfather's proud possession was a Black,ugly looking box that he would tune at set hours in a day, to hear the news mostly. Everyone would sit around and listen patiently to the news and later on the songs. The stores still have radio Sets but our phones are equipped with the same  facility making it more convenient. But given a chance would you still buy one??

5.Roll film Camera -  Remember that old camera with a film roll that would take 60 pictures and we would eagerly wait for the roll to finish and see the photographs. Unaware of the fact how the photo will turn out to be , the button would be clicked with a long wait for final photographs. The digital cameras have made it easier now and cost effective as well.There is no more waiting and no more disspointement over bad photgraphs which couldnt be undone earlier!

6.Comics: We all have read the Indian Comics titled Chacha choudhary, Nagraj, Billu, Champak etc and the English ones that of Tintin, Archies . " Graphic Novels" is what they call nowadays ,our old comics are nowhere in comparison but given a chance I would still choose Chacha Choudhry over the latest graphic Novel.

7. Video Games: Summers would be spent pleading our parents to buy the latest cassette, or renting out one , those afternoons playing Mario or Pacman with your sibling,cousin ,friend would make us forget the exams,the homework and even food.  We can still find those games but its more of PC games and Consoles!

8.The earthen Pot ( Matki) - Its available in the market but the Urban crowd prefers Aqua-guard and Filters, earthen pots were used to keep the water cold , the most cost effective and healthy way . Do you remember the taste of that water?? it was without a doubt better and satisfying then the filtered water!!

9.Mosquito nets: Every night  before going to bed the net would be opened ,checked for mosquito's and spread over to cover the bed , tucking it away in the morning was the first task to be ordered. More advanced ways of All-out and Goodnight that promise mosquito free nights are the means nowadays to fight those enemies.

The new and advanced technology has definitely made our lives comfortable , but the fact that we lived through that Era where alll these things were used is worth treasuring. We ll never remember the Ipods, Xbox, courier boys etc but we ll always treasure getting a letter from the Postman, a glass of water from the Matki and all those photographs with a negative, put together in  Photo albums now.

How many more things do You remember??? Don't forget to mention in the comment Box!

Chikmagalur - Where I Fell in Love

I am just back from a beautiful- relaxing  trip to chikmagalur. For those who don't know chikmagalur is a small town in Karnataka famous for its coffee plantation and Pepper. Chikmagalur got its name from "Chikkamagala Uru" which means Younger daughter's town, it was given away as dowry to the King Rukmangada younger daughter.
The booked place was Cochin -Munnar in Kerala but thanks to the landslides and monsoon all the routes were blocked and my belief of " Planning never works" got even more stronger. Chikmagalur has always been on the list but it never happened and when I didn't think of it ,I was en-route  this place. Here is  something I scribbled on a piece of paper I borrowed.

Its 10 pm in the night and as I sit on this swinging cane chair and try to locate some stars in the otherwise cloudy sky I am forced to compare my city Life Vs Life here.There is no network, that brings a big smile, no calls from dad/mom, office/ tele-callers etc hence the machine has been dumped away somewhere

We  are staying  in a Home-stay , the family has been warm and welcoming , Husband- Wife and their 2 son, the owner/Uncle of the home-stay tells me he owns a coffee estate,a nursery and now this home stay and he easily makes 20lakhs/Annum ,which is clearly a good amount for such a small town with no sky soaring cost of living expenses.
The landlady is a simple woman, a housewife and a doting hostess,she is always busy cooking, looking after the plants, talking to the people staying in the home-stay, though her mother tongue is kannada and I am just a beginner  I could still communicate with her .Out of curiosity I ask her if she ever visits Bangalore, in reply she says " Bangalore is crowded, I went there last year, I don't feel at home.
I like it here, this is home."
After we finish our dinner I ask her if she had food, she says" I am waiting for my husband and kids, we ll have it together",its no big deal but I don't get to  hear this
too often these days.
Its past 10 in the night and its pitch dark and extremely silent, I hear nothing except the sound of rain drops, the crickets and rustling of leaves.
The Kitchen light is still on and the helper "Lokesh" still seems to be working , he is the one who serves us the coffee and checks every few hours  if we need something ,his family stays an hour away , he only speaks kannada but somehow he tends to understand what we want and oblige each time we ask for something.

The day here typically starts with a knock on my door , few cups of hot steaming filter coffee( I dont drink tea or coffee so its a bigg Exception here ) , a mesmerizing view of the mullayanagiri range , Dosa and coconut chutney in breakfast and the fact that I Can just sit and gaze at all the shades of green.Its just 10 am and there is nothing to do, NOTHING( And I cant stop smiling )


 I am back to my favorite place which is a cane chair in the big balcony , I am in love with this chair,the view and the comfort it gives me.I eat, read, sleep in it and still cant get enough.
The knock is heard again and its time to relish the rasam, rice , parantha , beetroot and my favorite "the Greenest and freshest "cucumbers I have ever eaten!  My friend and me engage in long discussion on life, beliefs, relationships, future till the time we both exhaust and doze off.
The day is spent catching some sleep which my body has been deprived of from a long long time.

The sky has changed color from orange to red with shades of blue and its time for long walks in unknown territory, we just keep walking and don't care about the directions , there is a kind of satisfaction in walking without maps or a guide in an unknown town . The award for those long walks is waiting for us as Our hostess serves us with Hot Onion Bhajji and the smell makes me forget the effort I put in the gym when in Bangalore. We hog on a plate full of it without any guilt .
Even before we could digest the bhajji ( pakoda) we know its dinner time and no we don't skip the meal, the cucumbers are served again with Rasam-Rice and a Dry vegetable, we eat till the time we finish everything on the table . The banana leaves are thrown away and I have mastered the art of using my hand to eat Rice-Rasam Combination!! 
Its just 9.30 in the night  and I am back to my favorite spot with a book in my hand.
The day ends here.

Life here is simple and different. Even if we try we cant have such a life in the city , the place, the people ,the equation changes totally  that's why  we crave for such retreats. It gives back the hope, the zest and the time to retrospect our lives and ourselves.

If I ever want to own a piece of land and if I ever could afford ,it would be here. Away from chaos, in the middle of nothing and everything . I never was fond of mountains , but this time I fell in Love , with the hills and Myself.

+Manisha Ramsisaria - Without you this trip wouldn't have happened, I still miss the long conversations , the walks and Your presence.

All those Little things

A trip to kids section in one of the departmental stores brought back the childhood memories and world of colorful pencil box,  scented rubbers, sparkling colors, all kinds of pens and off-course the toys!!
When we were kids there were hardly any supermarkets , the shopping for all the necessary stationery was done from the small retail shops , the ones in the locality or the ones in dedicated market for books and stationery. There were routine visits to these shops as the stuff dad-mom got was never enough, we either lost the pens ,rubber etc or never got them back when they were borrowed.

Few times I got lucky and was handed over some money to make solo visits to these temple look alike and even with 70 rs or so I would feel I have acquired massive wealth and its time to splurge!!
It was such an effort and tough choice seeing all those interesting pen, pencil kept neatly n the shelf lurking me to buy as many as possible. 
Pens fascinated me the most and with all the new ones being introduced I sometimes spent more then half an hour choosing a Pen! Choosing between a writo-meter and ones with colorful covers was TOUGH!
 I made sure to have all of them even if I didn't use them. Did you do that?? Parker was a luxury then!!

Remember this?

I remember the most famous thing use to be one kind of Pencil Box , it had quite a few separate sections for different things like eraser, paper clip, sharpener  etc and respective button for these sections. We would derive joy pressing those button and seeing those sections pop-up with the desired item, the innocence amuses me.
The double Decker Lunch box with all the attractive colors  and the super delicious food cooked by a friends mom is still desired compared to cheese filled pizza.

The time after Summer break/ New session would be most crucial for all of us, we would flaunt whatever new we might have bought, be it a bag, a transparent water bottle( we didn't have Pokemon and Doremon , thank god for that) , new wooden pencil box or even a new handkerchief that had name of the day crocheted on it.
The first thing in morning even before the assembly was to share the new stuff that our foreign returned Uncles/Aunts might have got us and such was the innocence that even if  it  didn't belong to us it didn't kill the enthusiasm.

And though there were no efforts to hide the enthusiasm seeing a new kid getting all the new spunky stuff, there were constant harmless efforts to become friends with him/her!!
Lead pencil, clowned faced pencil covers, scented erasers , scented multicolor  refill pen, were the newly introduced items and we would make sure to have at least one of those in our collection.
Brands were unknown to us ( at least most of us) , was only in 11-12th I believe we were exposed to few brands.

Kismi bar, Parle- G orange round candy, boomer bubblegum,Eclairs were top in the list of things our taste bud relished and we wouldn't leave a chance to spare 1 rupee change and give some comfort to the senses, birthdays would bring the joy of getting these eateries for free and we would wish and cross fingers hoping  the birthday girl/boy choose us to go on a round of school and be the privileged one to get 1 more chocolate.

Its been more then 12 years since we stopped engaging in this kind of activity but I wonder the impression it made, I still seem to remember those times if not anything else.
I don't know how it is for the current generation , they probably cant cherish those little things neither can they relish the importance of one extra chocolate, scented paper , and colorful pencils as its been replaced by computer games and I don't know.!!

The time has gone , left us with loads of memories which seem to fade, even if we don't remember all this in few years time they will be with us for the lifetime making us smile now and then.
That was the age of innocence , purity and the first stage of becoming what we are NOW.

The 15 KM Run - SIMPLIRUN

                   “The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

On 1 fine Saturday few running enthusiast got up at 3.30 am in the morning to get ready for their longest ever run , while they still struggled with the droopy eyes ,lack of sleep and way too early start for a SATURDAY they all shared the same passion that of Running.
4 cars  full of people started from Bangalore at 5ish with loud music and some catching up to do so as to keep us awake until we reached base of the very famous NANDI hills , the drive was fun as the company was good and so the  intention.
SIMPLIRUN is a group of  wonderful running enthusiast  who run together on weekdays and weekends and currently training for KTM and Bangalore Ultra under the guidance of Jai. O let me introduce you to him ,without him we wouldn't have done this-NO Never , Jai or Jaikant Kumaran,A truly awesome Person, A born Runner, A Coach to  all of us and  the founder of this Group SIMPLIRUN .

So as we waited for the other cars to join us at the starting point we wondered if we will actually complete the run, the distance being 15 kms, 7.5 UPHILL-7.5 DOWNHILL and for most of us this being  the longest run and the first run on a HILL , we joked around how we might end up just doing the UPhill or probably return half way. It was time  to do some stretches , take few key instruction from Jai and start.

We( Read me and 2-3 people) started with lots of enthusiasm but little hope of actually making it back and finishing the 15 kms mark, while we started slow ( which is  our Pace!) few others who were few meters ahead paced up so fast that we actually couldn't see them, ( you can expect this out of them, they are good!

 4 of us were running together,Jayanthi, Harish, Ravi and Me and as we encouraged each other we also kept on looking for the milestones, it felt like we have already run half the distance but  to our dismay we have completed only 2.5 kms !!  The view was beautiful, as we ascended the visibility decreased because of heavy fog ,cold breeze seem to welcome us ,motor bikes and cars zipped up fast and lots of people stared at us in awe and pity both!

We were sweating profusely and the legs started to tremble , we were running at a height of approx. 1300 m above Sea level, by the time we realized its last 3 kms the motivation increased and so did the Uphill, it was soo steep that we couldn't help but walk it up .Last 2 kms were more of a walk then a run and while we still had more then a km to complete our fellow runners were already running back, told you they are fast runners! Me and Jayanthi couldn't control the happiness when we saw the Arch at the entry of Nandi Hills, you should have been there to see that, touched it to actually believe we have Done it and started our journey back!!

We were pumped up , it was downhill and the tough part was over , as me and Jayanthi shared our reasons for taking running as a hobby we also  admired the fact that we are the only 2 girls in a group of 21 people and  felt good ,really good!!! Both of us were exhilarated when we saw Jai after all he was the driving force for the entire group, downhill was comparatively easy ,fun and we seem to ignore the milestones.

In no time we reached where we started , 120 mins to complete 15 kms, I wont say its good but its neither bad for people who started running 3 months ago. We were welcomed by Chenthill, Pulak and Prabhakaran, these guys  completed within 90 minutes , they clapped and cheered us, what a moment it was . We all took some time to actually believe that we have done it, what  looked like unthinkable few hours ago has been accomplished  with no Casualties!!!

 15 kms was DONE, our longest RUN till date , we laughed about it, cracked jokes on each other and , re-hydrated our body with water and some healthy snacks. The SIMPLIRUN group achieved yet another Milestone ,following the breakfast it was Photo session time, we click to treasure all such moments to remind us what we are capable of.

By 9'o clock we have finished  the run, breakfast and a photo session , till the end we were congratulating each other for doing it. It was a major accomplishment for all of US. It was time to disperse and go back to our regular lives and start a Memorable weekend. 6 of us continued the trip and headed towards Nandi to have a gala time , enjoyed  the pleasant morning and laughed
our stomachs out , it was a perfect end to the perfect TRIP.

The Group

This wouldn't have been possible if I didn't stumble upon this group on FB , we started with 5 kms and we  have just completed 15 kms, the next target is Half Marathon!!

The experience has been marvelous , I never ever thought I can run more then a km and I have amazed myself , there have been times when the body wont comply but how long it can stay away from something like this.
Running is pure fun, it clears your mind, Boost up your confidence ,have lots of health benefits and if you are lucky enough you get the chance to meet beautiful people who will inspire you.

So what are you waiting for?? Join us now at https://www.facebook.com/simplirun

Dare to watch a movie alone???

The question for all of you today is have you ever watched a movie alone?? Let me make a guess , for most of you it would be a NO , I know quite a few people who have done this or like watching movies all by themselves and count me one among them. Now most of you would pity me and people like me and talk in hush voices " poor girl didn't have anyone to go with or something like this" how can she go alone, that's not how its done" .Well please don't pity , because such things don't deserve pity , I am for matter of fact proud that I can watch a movie alone , how many of you can do that???
 I don't do that or I ll speak for the people like me, we don't do that because we don't have company , this might be the case when genre is animation or horror for few but otherwise its a choice that we make.
It starts with that urge to experience how it feels like to sit in the Hall alone while everyone else  has come with someone or bunch of them.
SO this journey of watching a movie alone begins with this thought backed up by the circumstance or the choice ,few book online but you would always always get a seat, there is  always one seat somewhere in the middle or the corner of the hall waiting for people like US even when the movie is going houseful.
The person at ticket  counter will confirm twice " Madam, one ticket ? followed by a dieing ONLY, the people standing next to you raise their eyebrows trying to figure out if they heard it right , if you are able to ignore their expression and still feel good you have crossed the most dreaded part of doing this UNTHINKABLE thing.
The waiting Area is the 2nd battle ground which can be won by playing temple run on your phone or checking out - people,  arguing couples, irritated mums.  As soon you see the food counter  buy a big tub of Pup-corn or Nachos and its a bliss as no-one is there to dig their hands, spill it and disturb you , its always advisable to buy it in the beginning as you tend to get too comfortable and would feel lazy to get up during the interval and wait in the never ending  line.


If you are  late and if most of the people have settled in their seats , you ll  have a tough tough time , specially for a girl, yes even in a Movie hall ( Well its a tough world for us and people say its always easy for women without thinking twice ), Uncle and Aunties will look at you and whisper among themselves, couples generally ignore as they are too busy playing with each others hand , the guys hope that the vacant seat next to them and the no. on  your ticket match and you will hope for no baby on the Next seat!! Imagine so much happening in a movie hall !!

Once you have figured out the seat and got comfortable with the popcorn tub and no baby scenario its an END to the otherwise chosen AGONY. The movie starts and you  relish the pop corn and the fact no one is there to ask if she/he missed a dialogue, no one is there to dig hand in the tub, no one is there to pass a comment on some scene , its a total BLISS.
The intervals are irrelevant as people are busy taking turn to the washroom or buying snacks for the wailing kids. The 2 hours or more just fly away as you were engrossed in the movie and its time to leave , no nothing happens now, everyone is too busy talking about how bad or good the movie was and you are lost in your own world.
If you are scared of doing this even if you want to , then don't be, people wont eat you up , and you cant and wont feel lonely as its India , first time might be little awkward as we have the habit of going with some one or other but you will get over it and you ll enter the world of " watching movie alone".

Neither its compulsory to do this, we do it for the joy that comes along with the choice. Its fun , isn't it?? I know few argue that " why would you want to do something like this?" and I answer back there is no reason ,you just try something and you don't see any harm in it and thus you do that again and again. And this not at all mean we watch all movies alone, we enjoy going out with friends and family as much we enjoy doing it alone.
If you can watch a movie alone, you can do anything alone, you get that confidence , we are always in the need of company , hardly we believe that we can do something like this alone,  people fear being alone as its associated with loneliness and loneliness is actually under rated.

The worst that can happen to you is "" UMmm, you would never want to do it" yes, that's the worst and that's not worse then the fact that you always wanted to try it but couldn't.!
So, go out, get out of your comfort Zone and buy just  one ticket for yourself, its all about the experiences we have, ISNT IT??

Till then HAPPY WATCHING!!

Rainbow Home - Where they made Us feel Loved

Geeta Ji With kids

After the cycling trip I did a month ago this last weekend was the next one that would remain fresh in memory forever. As 3 great souls Rohit, Eshwari and Anamika decided to do a Mango tasting festival at Rainbow Home which as name suggest a  Home to 50+ beautiful kids.The invite popped on FB and I knew I have to be there.
Sunday came in no time and  we all were there at The rainbow home, I didn't know what to expect  but what I knew was I am gonna have a tough time talking to those kids ( my Kannada
 hasn't improved a bit and they also speak Tamil/Telugu). So I was welcomed by 50 cheering kids screaming Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Akka , except the iiiii was more stressed then this.
The atmosphere was lit up  with Geeta Ji in her most active mode doing activities with the girls.
Now let me give you give you a brief introduction about GEETA SHANKAR , when she is in the room there is this energy you cant ignore, she has that charisma , she would just connect to you and make you smile no matter how uninteresting person you are. She is one inspiration for all of us.

The Entire Happy group

So as she used her long acquired skills and kept those girls busy , around 12-13 volunteers got to work , few started to wash the mangoes by dipping them in bucket full of  water and splashing it on the fellow volunteers ( count me the only one doing that) , few were busy chattering with the girls and trying to keep pace with them , few clicking all of us so that all the moments are captured for us to remember.

And now was the time to finally eat mangoes, we would ask  their name in kannada " Neenu haseru yenu" and  tell ours and then give the mango ,few of us cut the rest and the girls served us with a gleaming smile. We celebrated one of the volunteers birthday and what a scene it was.
Once all the eating was done it was time to dance at few nos , quite a few loved it and actually showed me steps which I couldn't do , they were good, the little ones were shy and had to hold their hands and make them move a step or two, they giggled ,chattered among themselves and shied away.
There was quite a lot of dancing which was followed by girls singing few kannada songs ( don't ask me which ones), Mr Pankaj played few soulful songs on the flute and lots of photo clicking sessions. The kids weren't tired yet and nor were we ,then we played a game in which the girls made a circle and all the volunteers were inside and they have to hit us with a ball , whosoever gets hit is out , didn't understand?? let it be. The point is I was the winner!( Irrelevant I know)
After this it was tug of war  which was a flop show as most of us ended up laughing our hearts out instead of helping the respective teams.

With Geeta JI and the Angel

This sums up what we did but I haven't yet explained what we felt. I have probably never ever felt this loved , not even by my own family , the girls would just come and sit next to me and hold my hand, few would just hug me and then there was this  youngest sweetheart who was actually in my arms for an hour or so. I just didn't feel like letting her go ,her embrace put me to ease.
They were trying to explain me something, few chattered in Tamil and tried hard to make me understand , few in Telugu and I tried my best but they were still not disappointed , maybe they felt it doesn't matter if I didn't understand but what matters is I listened to them. All the volunteers felt the same , the girls were so warm, none of us felt that we were meeting them for the first time, they would ask when we''ll come next and I wanted to say wish I have the option not to leave.

It was overwhelming, we were loved thoroughly. We never take out time and do something as small as this, few of us don't know such thing exists, few of us don't have time and many other reasons but what we don't realize is if we go and meet them, talk to them we are not doing them a favor, they are , by making us feel loved and blessed , they ll embrace you in a way no one has ever  and its Unconditional.

Do it sometime. You will realize what you are missing on in life.

Anamika with the girls

P. S -Join this group if you are interested in being part of all the love https://www.facebook.com/groups/khushiyann/?fref=ts

Know your CHICA

I quite often hear Men/boys saying " I don't know what she wants"  Referring to their wife/Gf , but i never hear them saying " I tried finding what she wants but I am still not able to figure it out" which makes me wonder did they even try??? I understand and know females  are little complex compared to their counterpart Males but its not rocket science.

Men are simple , they don't care much about things , don't easily feel bad  as their expectations are always low, don't get affected with happenings around them and comparatively have better reactions !!
Females on the other hand care about every small thing , feel bad easily as they always expect more than they should , get affected even if a friend buys a Da Milano bag and she doesn't own one yet and fret over  lot of things.

No doubt there is a contrasting difference between these two species but that's what needs to be understood and  accepted.
Maybe you need to put in little extra effort in trying to decipher what is she saying , not just once but twice or maybe more than that til the time you actually start understanding and making sense of the few said , few unsaid words.
She puts in that effort, when you watch the test cricket match over the weekend and she orders in your favorite snack , when you don't know what to wear and she helps you finding the right tie for the meeting and it goes on.
So why cant you??
These are few basic characteristics every female has , you master these and you ll never have a complaining lady!

1. They are Sensitive : You cant blame them for this , its a gift!  But few men understand this. There are 2 kinds here:
a. The first one who is very strong and doesn't show it to the public/people around her , they wont accept it in the first go but ask them twice and they ll melt down. But don't be mistaken with their strong persona.
b. The 2nd type is Little extra feminine/ sensitive and doesn't mind hiding her emotions in public etc, you need to be nice to them at that weak moment and don't make them feel "what the hell are you doing"
Don't ever step on your lady's emotion . That's the thumb rule!

2.Talkative: Yes, they like talking their heart out. About anything ranging from what they shopped, or how excited they are about their friends wedding or when they are simply complaining . Just listen to them , don't hear and ignore, LISTEN, I am assuming you very well know the difference.
It comforts them, when you listen to they feel accepted , cared , loved.

3. Conscious: Women are very conscious, they want to look good.  They are concerned about their weight unlike men who actually like to flaunt their Bellies. So respect them for being conscious and help them make and attain a realistic target if they are in the process of weight loss.
When they ask you " how am i looking" which might happen like everyday, don't go overboard because they ll catch you. If you feel she is not looking good you can try using this " This is just ok , you look better in XYZ" . Don't forget to compliment them, they Love it but please don't go overboard and don't use cheesy lines !! Strictly NOO

4. Let them SHOP: If they love anything in this world after YOU , its shopping , let them do that. Its like a therapy for them. The way you feel  when you go out with you friends for a drink , they feel when they get your credit Card/ or their own salary and freedom to Shop.
If in-case she is a shopaholic you can say this " why don't you try saving for few months and buy some good Jewellery for yourself " She might RE think!

5.Pamper them: Owing to their very basic nature they love getting pampered/cared by their man. They even flaunt this, so in the end you are only getting good points from friends and family.
It need not be extravagant , get her flowers some time , plan a dinner and just ask her to dress her best ,
when she is sick get her a bowl of soup and a Cd of her favorite movie, take her out for a drive and play her favorite music.

Is this all rocket science?????

In Addition you can try not forgetting her birthday,your anniversary !!

All the time we feel we don't understand the person , its just because we miss on these few small things which form foundation of their very basic nature.
Work on these characteristics and your lady wont ever bother you ( I am not giving you any assurity but trust me things will become smoother and the relationship more stronger)

Though it requires Patience , little extra effort and lots of understanding its better than a Crying, shouting Lady!

And I don't think its too much of a effort  for the  woman you love the most.

To the 7 years of Togetherness

A conference call with my 2 very close girlfriends  after a gap of more than 2 months made me realize  how everything has changed in the past  4 years , I realized it a very long time ago but today I accepted it . There is a fine line between realization and acceptance , I was still living in the first stage.
But today was the Day to accept it.
The friendship dates back to 2006 , 7 + years now , then I didn't even imagine that someday the life would be what it is today, that we all will be in different cities with different circumstances and priorities , that  we wont meet everyday or lets get Little realistic once in few months, that we wont be able to talk everyday , that whatsapp will be the first mode of contact .
None of this was thought about , the set of expectations from our future were very different . We have thought of working in the same city , living the kind of life together that we couldn't while we were  in hostel  and this is not unrealistic neither hyped  nor does it look like we were trying to live a REEL life?? But still it didn't happen, why??  Maybe because  we didn't try hard enough to make it work or the circumstances didn't support us , Or did we know already that  this is not going to happen and we chose our own ways assuming that's how its meant to be

7 years ago our lives would be somewhat like this-
 Go to college, meet up in cafeteria ( yes, we hostelers were too close and wouldn't leave a chance to catch-up in the canteen even if we  shared the same room or corridor!) or in the mess for lunch ,go for our respective CA ,CAT coaching ,  evenings would be spent at  the nearest Chaat Corner checking out  Hot - brainless Delhi boys and their Super Hot cars , chat endlessly with a bowl of Maggie in the night and crib about the awful bf's we had or how broke we were , in addition we ll have  late night parties, movies, the much awaited Official  sociales with famous  Boys hostels  all across Delhi and  regular room-parties where the agenda was Gossip( wonder what  we talked about for nights together!)

The CHANGE:
After 3 years of graduation it changed to meeting up once in a month at least ,having a conference call whenever we couldn't decide on a party dress or what to gift our respective bf's along-with regular calls every 2 days to heal our otherwise tired souls, I knew it was changing but  life was moving at a fast pace and all of us were running fast to keep up with it.

At the end of 5th year  there was plethora of change , I moved to Banaglore, Mrigakshi moved to Hisar , Pankhuri kept on shuttling between Delhi and her hometown. There was too much disturbance, all of us trying hard to keep up with the situations we were put in, trying to make the best , moving too fast in a direction we didn't plan for us, but that's what we were told by the more experienced people which we didn't want to believe otherwise.
We  thought this is it, we are settled now , this is how it will be  from now on-wards , little aware that the major change was yet to come. How ignorant we can be.

Mirgakshi was the first one to get married, it changed the equation totally , took a lot of time for us( ME)
 to adjust , changes are not only  inevitable but Hard too.
We again tried to manage with the situation and tried keeping the bond intact , the no. of calls decreased as whatsapp came into picture ,the no. of meetings decreased as  the distance increased from few kms to few hundered kms ( I haven't yet met her, its been more than a year now)
Not that we didn't  try but the situations just didn't  let us and one person cant manage , it has to be mutual , think we missed that part.

Now our conference call goes like this-
The married one talks about how marriage  has changed her life for good or bad, what new she cooked and how she has started to feel her baby kick ( we gonna welcome our first nephew/niece)
The other one is going to get married in 2 months time and we plan her trousseau and what place she is going for the honeymoon and how happy she is ( God bless her)
And I am the last one to give updates with rather no Updates.
The difference is Palpable.

More Then a Year Ago

Now its time for a change again  and this one going to be a big one as  one of us will become a mother, the other a wife and 3rd pretty much the same.
Again there will be an effort to make the equation work and lots of adjustments in expectations , maybe our friendship will survive all this , yet again, or maybe not ( I will rather be optimistic).
I cant say if the bond got stronger or not , but what matter is its still there and I hope it stays .
That change is Inevitable and the sooner we accept the happier we would be , situations change , people change , your importance in their lives change but the time we  shared  is a treasure ,we cant live it again and that's the beauty of it and that's why we value  it so much.

In the end what matters is ,we still share our lives.

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.” 

+mrigakshi singal  - You are still the self Proclaimed Princess.
+pankhuri grover  - You are still the Babe.

Motorcycle Diaries

Bikes never fascinated me, the reason being all those 16 something guys riding the mean machine under the influence of adrenaline rush and blowing away the most irritating hooters you have ever heard of. So clearly as I never had a reason or compulsion of being a pillion I stayed away from them.

But Bangalore changed it all , most of the new  friends here owned a bike and after avoiding the rides for  few days I  had no option but to finally give up to this Machine. And as my friend dodged the bike in Banaglore's  infamous traffic my heart skipped a beat with every dodge, I prayed and hoped for a traffic signal that too a red one so that I can catch my breath!!!
 All of them being experienced riders ,over their 16 something phase  made sure not to cross speed of  50, gradually with the no. of rides , good rider friends and necessity  we both became friends ( the bike and me). 

We started liking each others company as she stopped scaring me and I stopped hating her.  I wouldn't scream when it was accelerated to 80 or 100 on the highway , my heart got used to all the dodging and I stopped praying for red traffic signals .

The next big  step in our friendship was a road  trip, 5 of us decided to go to Hoggenakal and back the same day , the day was beautiful with no sun and a well laid highway with minimal traffic, as we sped at 100km/hr  my heart craved for more, I could see the tress passing by, trucks being overtaken and feel the wind in my hair, with my favorite songs on the Ipod and a butter smooth ride I fell in love with her( IT).

The no. of bike trips increased followed by one to Nandi hills , many casual trips on  NICE road and  trip to Mysore, yes we rode to Mysore and  what a trip it was , our backs ached but  our spirits relished the journey.

And finally it was time to take this friendship to the very next level .
After taking the riders seat few times I backed out every single time. But one fine day or one fine late night when the traffic was minimal I took the plunge and finally started , my friend instructed in this sequence - press the clutch, change the gear to 1 ,release the clutch slowly and accelerate , it was too much information to process while trying to balance that 100 kg something Darling( the Bike) ,as soon I would accelerate it would turn off , finally after few trials it did listen to me and started off  and here I was on Bangalore's street driving a Motorcycle  for the very first time. For the first time I could feel why people love this Machine, why they worship their bikes.
I was Happy, very happy.
While I was relishing my first ride and making sure there was no heavy vehicle in vicinity of 200 mts I was asked to shift to  gear 2 which wasn't tough and I was elated ( So soon I was moving to 2nd gear)  but  but when I was asked to shift  from 2  to 1 it jolted and stopped ,here I was, on the main Road disappointed  by the fact that I couldn't shift the gear ( More disappointed then when I got to know my 10th result).
I switched on the engine again with the same enthusiasm I started for the first time, failed again and again  but how long Can she not love me back and I completed my very first ride of 10 kms.
After quite a few trips from kormangala to old madras road, few in Indiranagar , kaggdaspura, 1 on inner ring road , 2 on NICE road I stopped embarrassing everyone.
I was declared a Good rider.( It was not easy as it looks like)

In the end it was not  about conquering the machine but the experience, the thrill, the art , the ultimate freedom I felt.

A heartfelt thanks to 2 friends of mine who tolerated me with all their hearts +Mayank Tiwari  , +jagadish sahu who helped me Do the unthinkable.