Solo Bike Ride - Lavasa!!!

After a prolonged monsoon, thanks to our negligent attitude towards the threats of climate change, I was rearing to make a long ride (So many donkeys left their machines switched on and left for diwali vacations). This diwali long weekend seemed to be the ideal time to move out with my cruiser. As usual, after fighting a battle against my sleep, I finally woke up at 7.30 AM in the morning. It was a tough call considering that I had terrible nausea the night before due to excess of sweets. The only motivator was the line “Abhi nahi to kabhi nahi”(Now or never) which kept coming to my mind every now and then. I finally got done with my ablutions and left at 9 AM, still unsure whether I would ride all the way up to Lavasa, after eating a complete delicious apple as breakfast ( An apple a day , keeps the doctor away … remember? ).

After going through the calm city traffic , I arrived at Chandni Chowk and the first signboard to Lavasa greeted me, LAVASA – 42kms straight. I liked the sight of it and there was no turning back now. If there was one word to describe the ride, it would be twisty. I encountered the various ghats like Piranghut, Mutha and Dasve with twisting curves. The stretch between Lavasa dam and the Lavasa entry gate had real ‘U’ curves, the kind I never encountered before. The weather was pleasant and I took many halts to capture the beautiful scenery on my humble cell phone camera. Tourists travelling with their families in the hired cars envied me and my freedom on wheels. I loved the attention they paid to my cruiser bike and allowed them to pose with my babe (bikeJ) for pics.

I was pleasantly surprised when the security personnel at the future city entry gate checked my number plate and allowed me to enter the township. I had read in blogs and heard from friends that bikes were not allowed inside but this was a welcome development. After Dasve road, I reached the lake town and found myself very hungry. I decided to have a sub, a decision I regretted dearly. Salad and bread, you call that food?! ..Sick! After the so-called lunch, I decided to stroll and enjoy the view around the lake.I felt I was roaming in a European city. The ride back home was speedier and I decided to stay high on the throttle. It was a pleasure to speed through the villages – herds of goats, sheep and cattle made me brake. It was welcome, the countryside belongs to them. I was amazed at the extent to which we urban folks are detached from our country’s rural reality. There seems to be no going back once we are stuck in this collective and deceptive great urban Indian dream.

I am looking forward to many such long (and even longer) rides. Till then, stay tuned!

Brutally Frank

 

Please note that the following is not intended to be a book review...

The last time I visited ‘Crossword’ book store, a very flashy title caught my eye – ‘Think Big and Kick ***** in business and life’. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the cover picture. It belonged to none other than Donald Trump, American real estate magnate and TV celebrity (‘The Apprentice’ fame). One of the review comments mentioned on the paperback was “Trump’s version of the Secret”. I was gifted with a revelation when I browsed the contents. Only a Donald Trump can be so brutally frank and realistic while writing a book meant to inspire and motivate. Jaggi Vasudev once said that a true Guru is the one who shakes up a person and drags him out of his comfort zone. This is exactly what Trump dishes out, practical wisdom and an aggressive approach to achieve one’s big dreams. ‘Attack is the best form of defense’… This seems to be Trump’s approach and he has very frankly illustrated by citing instances from his own life. These instances are about how he tasted victory in defeat and defeat in victory, how he was down but never out.

After reading the above para, many folks will surely google out info by copy pasting ‘Donald Trump’. They are sure to come across the fact that Trump is the son of a wealthy real estate developer. Upon encountering this, many a person would feel that Donald Trump had it easy. Most people have this false perception that the second and third generation business tycoons have it easy and get everything on the platter, so to say. I beg to differ, personally, even if I had to inherit a billion dollar business, I would still find it very much a pain to learn on the job from my dad. I am very certain that taking over the reins is a daunting task and not just a joyride in a Mercedes with a laptop. Vijay Mallya could capture the imagination of an entire generation and the generations to come by daring to revive a very old Kingfisher brand of beer. The brand no longer represents only a brew but an entire lifestyle which includes a domestic airline (I swear by the service). The Ambani brothers have gone ahead and truly made Reliance a very popular and recognizable brand. Innovation and not inheritance is the name of the game when it comes to these successful gen-nex tycoons.

Donald Trump admits to having his share of the limelight and fun. The following is short excerpt which I leave you with….

“People always ask me, “How did you get so rich?” The way I do things has allowed me to succeed financially far beyond what I had expected. I have had a lot of fun, and I have made a lot of money. I have known many celebrities, billionaire businesspeople, and superstar sports figures. It is not easy to explain in a couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, persistence, and passion, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers. “

 

 

The Beloved

Very wonderful words .. sure to make you fall in love all over again.

"The truth -- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.

I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment."--Viktor Frankl

In anticipation of the unpredictable..

For some people, its a daunting task to clear their mind.. to break free from the constant processing of their brain, while some manage to exercise control over it just as easily.
What i am about to say might just sound like a load of gibberish, then i guess,my gray cells are processing a load of crap..

There is always an influx of questions in my head !One among these is how come I live in anticipation of melancholy to come knocking even wen I am surrounded by the most happiest of moments. Whether it be the satisfaction in my dad's voice to hear i'm going to start out a new venture, or it be the magical words uttered by my beau, sadly, my brain keeps prodding me as to when all of this would vanish!

Seeing people around me who seem to be hassle-free or else unperturbed by any worries is mere frustrating.Call me a sadist,but thats just how i feel.
Makes me wonder, does happiness exist.. or is it a figment of our imagination..if it does exist, then why doesn't it last? Why does it keep distancing itself from me !! :-(
I am faced with multifarious issues everyday.. Some give me satisfaction..some immense pleasure.. but mostly, I am just left with a feeling of emptiness..Is it just my stupid over-working brain that generates these emotions??

Anway, what i have come to realise is that being happy isn’t quite as simple as clearing your papers or getting a job, (both of which i have achieved only after a lot of perseverance) despite what the elders may tell you. We need to dig past the superficiality and realise the true meaning of happiness.
The question as to how to achieve it still gnaws me endlessly, and
I shall leave u with this thought a certain classmate shared with me: "Happiness is like a butterfly, If u run after it, it keeps flying away, but if u stand still, it comes and sits on your shoulder".. Funny pun, isn't it !