My biking trip to Chikkaballapur

I had decided to leave at 7.30 am this morning on a biking trip to Chikkaballapur, but like every time, I got delayed. This time I left at 10 am instead of my trade mark after 12 pm that I am known for. It was the first time I was taking my bike out for such a long distance. I had never attempted anything like this before. I hit the road and all I faced was frustration. There was a traffic jam even before I reached the ring road and even after that the traffic was not so smooth. I had resigned to fate that there was nothing that could be done about it.

Let me tell you in brief the route that I took to get to Chikkaballapur. Most buses start from majestic and go via the Mekhri circle, Hebbal flyover and then to Chikkaballapur. I don’t stay close to Majestic and in fact stay closer to Hebbal flyover. So my route generally is to take the Ring Road and reach the Hebbal flyover. Turning left from under the flyover takes me towards Chikkaballapur. That route is also famous because the Bangalore international airport falls en route. So my route was home –> Hebbal flyover, turn left –> cross BIAL –> Devannahalli –> Chikkaballapur.

My best experience starts after I turn left after the Hebbal flyover. The road is simply awesome! 3 lane road with 3 different speed limits! I was aware that there were interceptors (speed cameras) all along the way, but I was not sure where the cops would be standing with these speed cameras! So maintaining my composure, I first took the 60 kmph speed lane. I felt the traffic was moving pretty slow and more over there were trucks all along the way! So I jumped lanes and hit the 80 kmph lane. That was when my ecstasy started!

It felt like I owned the road! There was no stopping me! I hit back at the traffic with a vengeance and rode past the best of the vehicles at a top speed of 115 kmph! The sights that I saw en route were not any ordinary either! I never realized that Bangalore had progressed so fast and hard that now most of the construction contractors were using Volvo trucks and Ingersoll Rand and CAT earth movers! No wonder then that the roads were looking so sexy!!! The best part of the road was the line of grape vendors (I sure picked up some grapes and they were sweet) and the worst the pungent smell of tobacco near the ITC Factory! I wonder how the workers there at the factory survive! I could almost smell a stick for 2-3 kms at a stretch!

Anyways, I reached Chikkaballapur and had a sight that awaited me! The last time that I had been there, I could not pick up too many pics! I was travelling by a bus! But managed to pick up a few pics this time round! What I am about to write/say would make most of us who have studied at Presidency School and Bishop Cottons; both at Bangalore squirm! Check out the slideshow with care, or just jump over to my album at Picasa. There was “New Bishop Cottons School” and a “Presidency School” there! Worst, neither matched the standards that these schools sure do maintain! I wonder what kind of teaching must be happening there!

The main reason that I was at Chikkaballapur was a very old temple! I am not sure how old it is, but by the architecture and other detailing that I noticed there, it sure looked like a good 1000 years old! I am told that the temple is very special and houses the powerful deity Vishnu and his Consorts there! Let me put in a point here as you must be wondering where the pics of the temple are; I did not like to mar the sanctity of the place and so did not click any pictures. Yes, I had a chance, I could have clicked them, and there was no Poojari or Priest there! Yet…

I was there for around 20-30 mins and after that it was time to leave. What much can a 25 year old like me can do at a temple and how long! We are bound to get bored and fidgety! Picked up my bike and started making my way back home! Dad had told me that there was a Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir some where close to Nandi Hills. I also wanted to soak in some of the beauty of the place around. So… my way back I decided I would drive slowly!

Maintaining an ambient speed of about 50 kmph I hit the dirt again and started enjoying the people and places around. Let me tell you that Chikkaballapur is a small town and according to me it is a small and a sleepy town! Most of us Bangaloreans would definitely feel that! Guess what, the main road that leads back from/to the temple is also known as M.G. Road!

Half way through the route back home, there was a large truck making way for me in front of me when I caught site of this Shirdi Sai Baba Temple! It is a huge temple I must tell you! The place has been well made and sure does give you a good set of jitters that trickle down your spine! Searched for a parking place, did not find one, parked on the road, only to find that I could have as well parked inside the temple premises! I decided to let go and walked in to the temple! The place is made up of black Kadappa stone for the floor and the post noon sun sure had made it hot! I did not want to make a fool of myself so bore it and walked in to the temple decently. But the inside I wanted to hop skip and jump! It was just so unbearably hot! Made it to the temple just in time because the afternoon Aarti had just begun! Post these formalities, I was back to my bike! I saw that the road was absolutely empty and it was time to stake claim on it again!

I snapped up a few photographs and started the bike! Rolled down and then started hitting top speed again! This time however, I restricted myself to just about 102 kmph! Ooooooh! The road gave me such a royal treatment! I just did not want to come back to the city! But back in the city limits I was still cruising when my eye caught the sight of a cop asking to slowdown. My heart skipped a beat because right there was an interceptor with a speed gun! I left a sigh of relief when I realized he was not asking me to stop but some one on the other lane!

I was back home in about 4 hours, but the damage had been done! I find it difficult to be seated any longer now! Need to take your leave, my back hurts and my bottom is still sore from the ride!

Hope to catch up on a ride with my twitter friends to Mysore soon. Will let you know how that went in case it does happen. Until then, it’s take good care time for me! Buh Bye people!

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10 hot nights of Garba and Dandiya coming right up!

Oh Rang Rasiya… the tune still fresh in my mind! Dholida Dhol Dhimo Vagad Na… the regular one that can never be done away with! We Gujaratis also have a weird taste when it comes to music, especially when it concerns Navratri!

What starts of with lots of fanfare also goes on with equal pomp and show! every girl I know is decked in the best of her finery! Too bad most of these girls are taken! even otherwise, I have not attempted to patao one for the fear of getting beaten! The other day a friend was asking me if there would be any great looking girls around there. What could I tell him? I had not found one myself for the last so many years that I have been frequenting there!

I wonder sometimes, why does this have to be celebrated just once a year, but then I reminiscent, had it been more than once, would we ever have enjoyed it? Even otherwise, these days I hardly see the kind of gusto that I used to see as a kid! Somehow it all seems to have been getting lost and missing with every year that passes by!

Oh lets leave all this behind! We were talking about girls and music! The finery and the dance! Till date I still consider myself to be a novice at the Dandiya steps! And Garba? Forget it! I don’t even remember when was the last time I saw myself there! Freaks me out! This year it could go on to be even more pathetic for me! I have hardly had any kind of a physical activity at all! Earlier I at least used to walk up to the bus stop to take my bus to work!

Lets see if I meet the same set of faces this year! Man! I hate it when this set of chicks spoil the whole rhythm with their delicate looking difficult steps! So very puts me out of sync! Girls, you need to understand you embarrass me for having two left legs!

Chica, this year if I seez you doing dat, I saiz I will run awai!

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Woh Meethe Pal

I happened to find this abandoned cycle on my neighbor’s terrace the other day. It brought back memories that I cherished. I still remember those days when DD National channel played the serial “Street Hawk” on Sundays. Ecstasy! I used to consider myself as “The Street Hawk!” In fact, I even used to ape the serial by riding my then cycle, a white colored “BSA Champ”, in the most reckless style!

This recklessness never fetched me any thing is a different thing. The thrill, the speed, the air running fast through the hair! What else could a 10 year old ask for? This 10 year old in me is still alive, probably that’s the reason why I call my bike the night rider and drive as fast as possible!

However, these days I am seeing a negative trend setting in. there is  hardly a kid in my area who rides a bicycle! All that I see around me are kids as young as 13-14 burning the road with the 2-wheelers that their parents use. I share the wall of my building compound with another family. The children there, who are almost half my age, if not more, are double in waist size than me!

Ridiculous! Are we as the present generation, or parents, or friends, or siblings failing somewhere? I guess it is high time we opened our eyes and took a reality check.

I guess it’s high time we all hit the roads and exercised. After all, isn’t it true that a country is at its best when its inhabitants are at their healthiest best?

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Every balllon had this card attached to it’s string!

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Now this is what is written on the balloons!

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Kareena Kapoor!

Mauja hi mauja? Public ko gayab kar diya isne!

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Shahid Kapur got a companion

Bhidu ye kya kar rela hai?

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Program khatam paisa hazam

Wah kya program tha! Public ko hi bhaga diya! Hahahaha! LMAO!

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Khali stage!

Show khatam kya? Pata nahin in bachchon ne aage kya organise kiya hai!

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Zakir Hussain in the gali?

Man! I did not know that! Albeit he is no match to even a novice! Lol!

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