My journey to the podium via the hair pins

It was “THE KING OF THE CLOUDS” (Hill Climb Race), where I got onto the podium for the first time. My YAMAHA RD350 clocked winning timing twice both 1^st and 2nd in the 2 Stroke 251-350 class. I have participated in the Nandi Hills race event thrice earlier. During my first experience I was not exposed to Hill Climb racing so I couldn’t clock any position. During the second time the weather was not in our favour and it was pouring heavily. We just slipped making it to the podium by a couple of seconds and clocked 4^th. But this time I knew I did not want to keep repeating the same mistake as earlier, as the weather was superb.

We had to struggle a lot to get the bikes to perform as there were a lot of technical stuff to be checked when it comes to the racing engines. I own 3 deadly bikes which pander to my craze. One Drag Race setup Yamaha RD350, one daily street use well used Yamaha RD350 and the last 225cc Karizma blown up to approximately 300cc. We took all the bikes for this event. It was a real challenge to get the engines tuned to perfection as in 2-stroke blown engines according to the climate we have to keep changing the tuning, if it is warm there is a different set of tuning and whenever it is cold there is a different set of tuning. We were working in the garage till 3 am, getting our bikes ready. Still to the last moment we were not happy with the way the Drag Setup RD350 was performing and we decided, if the same is not performing up the hill, we will drop that RD and race only with my street RD and Karizma.

We left Bangalore by six am in the morning and reached the venue by 8am. All our bikes were loaded on to a mini truck. And after reaching it was worse there as there was no time to rest and finish the tune up of the engines. We started tuning up our bikes by 10am and it went on till 2:30pm in the afternoon and still the Drag RD350 wasn’t performing. Finally we decided to drop that bike and carry on with other 2. It really is disheartening after blowing so much time, money, blood, sweat etc and raising our expectations to the highest point. Finally if the engines don’t perform in a race, one really get psyched. Every race, we  blow almost 10k on each machine and therefore have lot of hope on winning.

Being a student it is very difficult to organise approximately 30k for 3 bikes for each race and we race 3 to 4 times a year.

    It was extremely tiring as we didn’t sleep the entire night  working on the engines. And the track is 1.7 kms with 7 sharp hairpin bends. A small miss and you could either go straight to heaven or at hell. Therefore it is not at all advisable to be stressed at the start of your participation, which I definitely will not repeat

The race started, our names were called, and we rode to the starting line, where the countdown starts. I let my mind keep things within my control and thought of taking all the corners as safely as possible but the moment you are on the wheels the scene is totally different. On the fourth hairpin bend which is a lefthander, I almost scrapped the rocky hill through my right shoulder but still managed to keep the wheels on grip. My luckiest escape was on the 6^th corner which was again a lefthander where I almost went to the edge of the track, as my front brakes were totally worn out and I was on zero front brakes. Unfortunately my rear tyres were not in a good condition, so every time I killed the engine it used to keep spinning and fishtail. Even while I was doing the test run, the rear tyre was so bad that I almost climbed the rocky hills about 3 to 4 feet as the bike wasn’t gripping at all.

Overall after all these difficulties, we managed to clock great timings and climb the podium twice on the same red RD350. On the other side, the Karizma clocked in 4^th place which upset me as I slipped the gears 3-4 times. If I had avoided that error I could have easily reached the podium yet another time.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: We race only dressed in proper riding gear and leathers on a given track. HELMET wearing is compulsory, including the entire riding suit as I personally saw 2 major accidents in this event where neither rider was wearing any  safety measures. Today one of them is struggling for his life and the other with a major vehicle loss.

KALYAN

[ZAM Motors Club, Bangalore]

The Time Has Come.

When I was young your touch used to make me feel secure. You held my fingers and taught me how to walk. Whenever I use to fall it was you who used to get hurt more than me. You understood what I meant even with my unspoken words.
You have supported me in my hard times and taught me how to overcome them. Whenever I was dejected and needed someone you were there always and acted on behalf of my friends. You did everything possible to make me happy and fulfil all my dreams.

 You gave me the first human tenet on how to behave with others because of which I am able to muddle through life and society. You made my toughest challenge into a modest situation and made me strong in order to face the world. You showed me the world in different and beautiful ways.
 Now as I have grown up and can feel how much you have done for me, whatever I do for you will never be sufficient. Your love is above all and has no comparison.

The time has come where I must hold your hand and never let you down. I know you will never reveal how much you have done for me. But as I have grown to adult hood and can realise all your love and sacrifices done for me, it is my opportunity to give you happiness and fulfil all your dreams. I too want to do something for you. Love you Mom and Dad. Thank you for everything.

(Dedicated especially to my parents and parents all over the world and to those people who do not have time for their parents.)

SHAISTA KHATUN

musings of an active student

Got on one of those colourful buses a couple of days back to travel to college. When I say colourful I mean exploding with almost every shade of every color in the rainbow. Now these are not to be confused with the official city transportation buses rather they are privately owned buses that technically should not be plying commuters to various locations. Leaving ethics aside, these buses beat the regular old official public transportation hands down. This is because they have televisions inside playing popular south Indian cinema.

Pic source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/85325384@N00/3245865880/

At the same time, the movie on the go concept is seriously flawed! The day I got into the bus, they were playing a Telugu movie with Chiranjeevi, a hyperactive female lead trying her best to be cute, one sardarji kid (and yup he spoke impeccable Telugu) and one girl who did not have hands. So from what I saw, Chiranjeevi played the role of your typical altruistic but mischievous (supposedly) young man who the girls just love! His altruism was established in the scenes where he helped a blind girl and the other girl with no hands write their exams. 


Then one day both of them had exams on the same day and he decided to help the blind girl out as the other girl had asked her uncle to help. In typical Indian film twists, her uncle is not able to come as he meets with an accident. The worst part is Chiranjeevi is in the exam hall with the blind girl so she cannot call him out. She runs frantically asking everyone on the street if they would write her exams but they turn her down.


The next scene is Chiranjeevi coming out of the exam hall to find a large group of people gathered near the college building. He looks up and sees the girl with no arms standing at the edge threatening to take her life. He runs up with full on heroic splendor and .... well my stop approaches so I got off! I never really knew if she took a dived at the pavement below or if she came to her senses and went away. The whole day in college was wasted as I could not concentrate on a single word the teachers were saying in class. I kept thinking about how the scene would have gone down. Maybe she did jump or maybe Chiranjeevi was so moved that he chopped of his own hands and gave it to her. If she did jump maybe Chiranjeevi went insane and killed the principal and her uncle. Or maybe Chiranjeevi went too close to the wall, trying to convince her not to jump that he lost his balance in the process and fell to his death.


Guess I will never truly know.... I shall always be lost... lost hopelessly

Crazy fans of Natural Ice-cream

An interesting topic, to write is about for this blog is - ice-cream, ice-cream and ice-cream. Till now, I have eaten almost all the flavours and visited most of the ice-cream parlours in Bangalore except for Lakeview.


The recent fascination for me is the taste of Natural ice-cream. Hmmmm…. as I think of it, my mouth waters in rememberance. I got to know about this from a friend. She said, “You must taste this, it has got this natural taste of fruit in it.” I felt she was exaggerating about this,but anyway I thought let me give it a try. Finally, one evening when I was bored, I went to the nearest outlet in Basaveshwarnagar along with my friend.


As I entered, the parlour was full; people were pouncing on each other to buy their coupon. It is a small place but the demand for the ice-cream was large. People were crazy about it. In one corner, I could one whole family hogging all sorts of flavours, right from the kids to the elder ones.


For the first time, I was baffled as to which flavor to buy. Later, the person in charge gave me different flavours to try. Trust me; most of the flavours were really yummy. Especially, the tender coconut and musk melon were out of the world. I just loved the taste because there is the natural flavour of the fruit with ice-cream in it.


In India, it is very hard to find such natural ice-creams. I assure you if you try it just once you will be hooked!


Pavithra

Die another day…

I stood there; my breath swirling mist in the cold; my throat dry with fear; the bristles at the back of my neck standing up; my skin sweating despite the chill coolness of the night that cast its dark shadows around me. The darkness loomed menacingly as its freezing grip held me tighter even as I shuddered at the form in front of me.


He stood there; his appearance dimly outlined by the faint glow of the moonless sky; his shoulders hunched and ready to charge at my slightest movement; His hoarse breath echoed through the thick woods enclosing the path I was on. 


He stood, unflinching yet threatening in his stance as his shadow reached for me like the skeletal arms of the reaper. He stood firm with his feet steady and unmoving yet the air sparked with the dark energy his appearance exuded. I trembled under my clothes which vainly seemed to protect me from his overpowering evil and the icy mist around us.

We faced each other; my nemesis and I. My bones rattled with pure horror as the shape stepped from the wispy fog and advanced towards me. I stood rooted to the ground, my teeth chattering with absolute terror and breaking the deadly silence between us. Each step he took felt like a noose tightening around my neck. My heart pounded like a hammer and felt like it would explode any minute. 

The distance closed between us and though I still couldn’t make out his face, his growing image radiated an intensity that revealed pure malice. The shadowy figure was nearly upon me when my adrenaline kicked in and my limbs found a life of their own. I spun on my heels and bolted like the wind. He broke into pursuit and thundered after me. My legs barely touched the ground as they carried me blindly through the winding path.


Crashing through branches, tripping over stones, sliding down a rock wall and leaping over a fallen tree-trunk, I ran like a man possessed; running wildly to escape the demon behind me. But he chased relentlessly. I could feel him closing in on me. His steps pounded behind me, his breath heavy on my back; I could sense him right behind me. His throat growled with a deep growl as if in anticipation of hunting down his prey.


I tumbled over an extended root and fell headlong into the thickets that scratched my face as I went through them.  I fumbled and tried to get back on my feet. Turning around as I stood up, I looked at death straight in the eye and I froze. My predator leapt and we went crashing into the bushes again.


He stood on top of me pinning me down; his breath heavy and hot, his teeth bared inches from my face, a bloodcurdling growl emanated from him while his eyes glowed with an ethereal evil. I closed my eyes and waited for the kill.


But instead of feeling the teeth sink into me I felt wetness slide across my face. He was licking me! He licked me with his tongue and his muzzle gently cuddled at my face. I was dumbstruck with my heart in my mouth. The menacing hound that had chased me down was the neighbour’s dog! And though I had forgotten the tiny little pup that I had played with five years ago before I left to my studies abroad, he had not forgotten me.

Gosh! He had grown! And boy was he heavy. Getting up I dusted myself even as he bounded around me with excitement. Whew! I could breathe again. What a relief! And so we walked as dawn approached. Homeward bound, my friend and I; while I lived to die another day…


Allan Moses R.
(living life... one heartbeat at a time)

Dreams

India’s first Rubik’s Cube champion. Ah what a feeling. Instant fame. Suddenly I am the media’s blue eyed boy. Everybody wants a sound bite. I am the one they want to talk to. Channels fight with each other just for getting an interview. Everywhere I go, I am instantly recognised.

So, Mr Tanmay, more than $1billion in prize money. How do you plan to celebrate?

“I would like to give back to society for what it has done for me. I want to donate a part of my winnings as charity. I would like to build a school and coaching centre for all Rubik’s cube enthusiasts of the world. You see the Rubik’s cube is becoming a dying art. I think the media should highlight such sports more. I wish to do something for the cause of global warming as well. Environment is definitely one of my first and foremost priorities.”

NOT!!

I would like to own swanky house right next to Forum. Acropolis. The penthouse right on top please. One Bentley Arnage because I’d like to arrive in style. Make that four. Customised dashboard for me as well. Just like Paris Hilton would have it. I am no less now after all. Only, mine would be a lot more masculine in colour. A personal chef, masseur, and a trainer. All available round the clock. Special access to the most happening clubs in Bangalore. And New York and Vegas.  

I just want to be rich. Rich is all I ever want to be. I can do without the media attention. No wait. Maybe the media is important. I keep hearing about it every now and then.

I also love not having to hurry all the time. I can just sit in my massive balcony, look at the open sky and dream. Just dream…

I guess being a billionaire has its advantages.

Sometimes I think I like my alternative existence better. That is one sweet thing about dreams. What a way to escape reality. Talking about reality, where was I again? Ah… topic for the class blog. Hmm….

Angels with Whiskers !!

It has happened yet again. Three little ones are added to the family of bliss (pet family). With just two weeks in the world, they have become darling of every soul in the house, including my paranoid hygiene conscious dad! Their adorable faces and mannerisms have the ability to win you over and make you love them.

This is the forth time that my visiting cat has littered with adorable kittens. These little ones (who have just opened their eyes) are completely unthreatened by my dog and walk around exploring their new home. They are the size of a palm but that doesn’t stop these toothless fur balls from roaring at a fully grown dog.

Apart from the occasional aggression from both sides, the kittens manage to ignore the sniffing and staring of the curious mutt. It is impossible to ignore kittens, even for a dog!

                                                                                        

"Love Sick"

Why doesn't love come with a sign that says: CAUTION, may cause stupidity? By a certain divine intervention (ummm ok...maybe not so divine actually!)i realized that love is essentially nothing but a fantasy, and us intelligent human beings 'fall in love' only because we always find it so much easier to believe in fantasy rather than reality.


A few days ago my life was interrupted by a soap-opera moment of tragedy, AND that is what motivated me to share my views on this SIGNIFICANT topic, in such a public forum. This tragedy came in the shape of a friend of mine, whom we shall refer to as X (you see all those classes that we've had on respecting the privacy of others has impacted me greatly!)


So X had broken up with her boyfriend, whom she had been dating since like... forever. She spoke to me on that day, full of theatrical self-pity! What set this break-up apart from the others was X's reasoning. Here's what she had to say to me, "Why did I break up with him? Well ,it's like, once I sat down and looked at the situation, all the pieces lying on the floor, it just wasn't a puzzle anymore. None of the pieces fit together. And even if I tried really hard, the pieces, well they were two different puzzles. That's why I did it, and he needs to understand that..."


And i just stared at her, with absolutely nothing to say for the first time in life! After listening to her dramatic monologue for what seemed like forever, the only conclusion that i could draw from this entire escapade was-
'Love is nothing but science fiction, and should most definitely come with a sign that says: CAUTION, Will cause immense stupidity!'


Veda Kalro

"ThE maKiNg oF a gEntLeMAn"







For centuries grooming, looks and beauty were only concerned with the fairer sex. Men were essentially thought to be zombies with unkempt hairdos, untrimmed facial hair coupled with ill-fitting clothes and smelly socks. This stereotypical taboo still does exist in many societies. 

But with globalization and the evolution of popular culture, men have metamorphosed from being a nasty, mean looking creature to a trendy and stylish cosmopolitan. 

Men in multi-national companies and business world have a compulsion to look impeccable. For them, looks and success go hand-in-hand.



Not just for the big guys



Well, well, well!!! Grooming is not just for the big guys. It is neither a rocket science. 


After all, it doesn’t take much effort, money and time for men to get that ideal corporate look to climb the pinnacle of success. Ok Let’s face it.

Starting from the hair, a neatly combed hair makes a great style statement. If the hair is long, then it is advisable to evenly comb and tie it on the back of the head.                       





Corporate clothing sense is more serious than ever before





Messy and out-of-the bed hairdos, and using hair gels in the professional world signifies casualty and unprofessional. It may seem highly funky in the college but it doesn’t so in the corporate sector.



The mane event



Next, controlling the facial hair is a big challenge for many men. It requires everyday care, and investing quality time spent trimming them - be it beard, moustache, goatee or whatever. 

Unshaved beard and poorly maintained facial hair indicate laziness and disinterest and can lead in being overlooked for any available promotion.

And yes the outfits. OOPS!!! Mismatched shirts and pants can convey a different meaning to colleagues. Our choice of colours also send different message to people with whom we closely collaborate. Dull, wrinkled and ill-fitting clothes will not get people anywhere on the corporate ladder.  

Bright and hard-hitting ties, when not chosen carefully can lead to irreversible disaster or criticism. In summer, sweat stink or pungent aromatic fragrances can be a turn off.



Right attire and elegant attitude will hit the bulls eye



Also, I think wearing formals without a belt will spell havoc. It would have worked for SRK in ‘Rab ne Bana di Jodi’, but not for ordinary everyday men. 

 And yeah, the socks. Oh my God! White socks with black trousers might look cute on kiddies and toddlers but not on adults. It is crucial to always match the colour of the trouser and the socks.

And last but never the least; clean, sparkling shoes are of paramount importance. Because you see, after slogging so much and not projecting a perfectly polished shoes, can ruin the whole scene.



Cool killer



Remember, only 7% of communication is verbal and the rest 93 percentile is purely a rhythmic combination of body language through non-verbal channels. So always remember to dress for the occasion. You are what you wear.

- Raju G Prannoy

Vidhyarthi Bhavan, popular for Dosa

  

ಚಟ್ನಿ ಜೊತೆ ಮಸಾಲ ದೋಸೆ



 Bangalore: During the “Ground nut mela”  my friend and me were   hanging out   near  Gandhi bazaar in Basavangudi. My friend is a voracious eater. He knows most     of  the    restaurants in Bangalore right from the tiniest food stalls to the largest   food   courts. He took me to Vidyarthi Bhavan, a popular   eatery in that area and they serve amazing dosas there.

When  you  hear  people    admiring about this restaurant you will definitely have a big  picture in your mind before  you go there. But when you  go there you will be  surprised  to see the environment with lot of people waiting in the queue for their turn.

After we reached there I did not like to eat, instead I became angry with him. It was a traditional restaurant and looked like overcrowded. If you are going for the first time to this  restaurant,  you need to  have lot of patience to get the seat. My friend forced me to wait there for at least half-an-hour and finally we embraced our chance.



Picture  perfect of Masala Dosa



 After getting the table I felt like as if I won a seat in the local elections. We tasted  three types of dosas,   Masala dosa,   Set dosa and the most popular Benne dosa (Butter dosa). Benne dosa was really tasty. It was simply superb. My nostrils could not resist the smell of butter. The masala gently melted in my buccal cavity like the hot lava.

Many people visit the restaurant mainly because of the quality service. We really got what we pay for. Some of the popular food items they serve are Masala dosa, benne dosa, vuddina vada, set dosa, idli and rice bath.     

Author: Raghunath S

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