Pic Taken after the start.. only few left for the pic

On my way back.

Born in Kleinburg, near Breslau, Germany, was this young boy whom the world would remember as the fearing Red Barron - Manfred, Freiherr von Richtofen. The pilot who was the fear in skies. Such was the courage of this pilot that he painted his plane in red - telling everyone in the air, ground or water near him - here I am, come and get me. The red colour both acted as fear and target for him. For some pilots it was the most fearing thing while for others it was the target to kill. Richtofen is credited with 80 confirmed kills, the highest ever (till now, and should remain).

Richtofen initially joined the German cavalry unit which later served in the first world war. Disappointed as he was not able to do much in the war because the cavalary unit had became obsolete due to machine guns; Richtofen applied for the German flying service. Little did he knew that he would become the greatest combat pilot ever. After few years in service Richtofen joined the first fighter wing of the German air force where he met Oswald Boelcke.

Oswald Boelcke was the man who created Air Combat also known as "Dog Fighting". The same that you must have seen in movies like Top Gun, Iron Eagle, stealth or the likes. Though with time and technology the dog fighting has become rare, but even today most pilot say that if in dog fight you ignore the rules of Oswald Boelcke, then the chances are you won't come back alive unless the others do the same. Richtofen regarded Boelcke as the greatest, in his own words he says that "I am after all only a combat pilot, but Boelcke, he was a hero". Unfortunately for Germans Boelcke died in an air crash when one of his own squadron pilots hit him during an air combat.

Ricthtofen continued to server the country and his squaron called the "Flying Circus" became a pain to the allied forces. Non came close to this man who's kill grew more and more. Richtofen also succeded in shooting down a famous rival Lanoe Hawker a British ace once again proving his superiority.

With span of time, Richtofen grew emotionally weak. In a series that I watched on him few years back, one of relatives stated this - Richtofen was looking at a picture of him along other pilots, like the one we have of a batch. When his mothered asked about the pilots one by one, he kept nodding in a no about them ... at the end he said - "They are all dead". Over the years, the war had got into him. He was always under the pressure to lead and show by example. And this later paid dearly to him. Manfred von Richtofen was shot down on 21 April 1918. The death of the pilot had been a big controversy with various agencies seeking credit. Richtofen was shot down during pursuing (at very low altitude) a Sopwith Camel piloted by a novice Canadian pilot, Lieutenant Wilfrid "Wop" May of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force. In turn, the Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by a school friend (and flight Commander) of May, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown, who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground. Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May.

It was almost certainly during the last stage of this pursuit that Richthofen was hit by a single .303 bullet, that caused such severe damage to his heart and lungs that it must have produced a very speedy death. In the last seconds of his life, he managed to make a hasty but controlled landing in a field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme, in a sector controlled by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). His Fokker was not badly damaged by the landing, but it was speedily demolished by souvenir hunters. One witness, Gunner George Ridgway, stated that when he and other Australian soldiers reached the plane, Richthofen was still alive but died moments later.

I thought joining army was simply about valour, courage and duty. Many movie makers tried to showcase the dramatic tales of war and have come really close. Movies like "Saving private Ryan" were able to show that its not a simple game being an army man. NBut one movie changed the whole essense of being a soldier, that movie is "Black hawk down". I realised that pain is easy, its the knowledge that it's (pain) coming that makes you feel scared.

Black hawk down is based on actual events of 1993 in Mogadishu (Africa), where a civil war was going on. US Forces along with UN forces were trying to establish peace, along with supplying much needed food and medicine.

Here is the trailer of the movie:

The above video tells the story in short. You really have to see the movie to understand it better. The movie is mostly action based with no flying heros or super cool effects. The movie won the Oscar award for best sound category.

Here is the video from the movie.
Situation: Second black hawk has been shot down and two Delta Force commandos are asking permission to go in and secure a perimeter till the ground forces move in.
Word of note: The video is violent and not for kids. So don't watch it if you are a weak heart.

I was checking my blog when I saw the link to complete profile, as I went on to check it stated: Zodiac Year: Dog.

I searched on it and came to know its a part of Chinese Astronomy. Though I am firm believer of Indian culture which I think is superior to the Chinese (what ever china has, we had earlier and wasn't it the Chinese travelers who came visiting us to learn?) but one can't ignore the fact that while our culture went on to peace and simplicity of life, Chinese went for war and other things (this 'peace in India culture' also something about I would be writing shortly).

So I checked on the wikipedia and I found the following about my year, the year of the Dog.

Attributes

Like his animal namesake, he is Loyal with a capital "L". He is the one who people are most likely to turn to when they need help. The dog person will come through every time. That is because he/she is sensitive to others and empathizes with them, particularly if someone has suffered an injustice; he/she reacts quickly with the same feeling as though he/she had been personally offended. Friends know that they can rely upon their Dog friend to keep a promise or remain cool in a crisis.

Dog types are honest, intelligent and straightforward. They will take on any responsibility that is given to them and you can be sure that they will do their job well.

People born in this year tend to be difficult, upset and shocked more often than the other signs.

Dog types do not tolerate weakness. They will work to push the weakness or the whole person with weakness out of their lives (the pack) if the behavior continues.

The dog is loyal, unselfish, and idealistic. They can sometimes be worriers and overly critical. Dogs go best with tigers and horses. Their friends are other dogs and also rabbits. Dogs get along worst with Dragons, whom they perceive as arrogant and all flash with no substance.

Dogs ideal jobs: politician, actor/actress, teacher, writer, movie director

Traditional Dog attributes/associations

Attribute
Zodiac Location	11th
Ruling hours	7pm-9pm
Direction	West Northwest eastwest
Season and month	Autumn, October
Gemstone	Diamond
Color	Navy blue
Roughly equivalent western sign	Libra
Polarity	Yang
Positive Traits	Loyal, modest, dependable, generous, patient, intelligent, honest, well-meaning
Negative Traits	Nervous, quick-temper, restless, self-righteous, pessimistic, critcal, petty, accusing
Most Compatability	Horse, Tiger, Pig
Semi-Compatability	Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Rooster, Dog
Incompatability	Dragon, Monkey, Goat

So having read this I sure agree to the positive traits :D, but pessimistic , nahhh thats not me, atleast most of the times. And other thing is that I am just too plain moody. But in all I like what I read, perhaps you would want to try out you year try this link : http://www.gotohoroscope.com/chinese-astrology.html

You have been told some keys to success now and then by someone; add one more guy to the list:- Nalin Bakshi.
So why these fundas of life again. Well because I have realised these after making mistakes in my life and wouldn't want you to make some for yourself.

So here are some funda's.


Comfort, the very thing almost everyone seems to running after. It seems to rule our decisions, desires and habits. But the fact is that the Problems and Challenges are the fact of life. The more we run away from them, the more they seem to come after us. So what to do? Run after them and you would have comfort chasing you.

Confused? Hmm.... OK! What is that most beings desire? Its the comfort, right! But to get comfort what we do? Most of us tend to take the easy path out. But does it actually work? Well in short terms yes, but in long - highly unlikely. The only truth in life that you must focus on is problems and challenges, the more you run after them, the more simple and comfortable life would be. How? Let me further explain. Take the case of person who gets up early in the morning to go to gym, its a pain to get up, take time and go just to pump iron or for tuning the body. I mean first you need to take time out for that and then you have to go through more pain of doing the exercise. But the fact is that these people are fit, have fewer health issues, they don't get tired in parties - in fact they tend to enjoy them more, they don't have a problem of going to work the next day and then these people tend to live longer also.
Lets take another example: Lance Armstrong, a cyclist from USA who happens to be Seven time "Tour de France" winner. He went through all the physical, mental pain a person a person is likely to go through, but today despite cancer he is more fit than most of us, he has a big house, expensive ride, world wide fans etc. Lets take another example, Micheal Schumacher: This F1 Champ went through years of mental and physical pain (yes racing means fitness too), considered to be medically one of the fittest athlete. I am sure he would have been getting up early, running everyday, meeting technicians, practicing day in and out. But then look at him, he had an annual package of $35 million US more over he probably has to put in less effort than any of us to drive on a long trip. Success is after him, comfort is after him. He doesn't get tired, money is not an issue, world knows him, and if today he decides not to work , even then he would have better life than most of us middle class people. He has all the comfort in the world.

So, look around yourself and check out the successful people, all of them take on challenge, the one who seems to run after the most problems is probably the most successful person too (this also depends on what you see as success). Comfort seems to follow them, they didn't ask for it, they just got it.

Now look/think about the people who run away for comfort, he/she is probably the one who is nowhere. Living a life of comfort, everything to him/her seems a pain. Life also for the same seems to be a big pain.

No matter how hard you try to run from the problems/challenges in life, they will always be there unless you have someone who is always taking care of you. Which is either not likely to be there for ever, or it means that you are making someone else's life difficult, which would indirectly mean that you are useless. So stop whinnying about it and get ready to face the problem. Remember every problem is nothing but a challenge, its not necessary that you win every time but its necessary that you take it on. Conquer your problems and see the life getting better and exciting.

This is IMAX based movie clip of the Red Flag training exercise held by the USAF in Nevada. The video below is of a very good quality, so would take some time to load, but if you have a good connectivity with the web or you have the love for the flying, then I recommend that you check it out.

I was enjoying my sleep when an SMS woke me up, it was from Suyash a fellow nomad. It read - "Me at cc", CC => Chandni Chowk (A meet up place for fellow bikers). Small ride to lavasa had been planned by Capt Chitnis, but I was fickle minded about the trip as I had some work the same day. Suyash was first to reach, couple of messages later, I was all set to go. Only thing was that CC is 35KM from my place and by the time I would have got ready and reached I would have to do a good catch up. But I was betting on two facts, one that Praveen Sathaye would be late and then Nav would refuel his bike. I started from my place at 7:10 and then later had a brawl at the petrol pump where I had asked for fuel worth Rs 300/- but the guy poured in for Rs 246/- I got the rest of the fuel anyhow.

I was hoping to catch the group not before Mutha ghat, as I was on the road to Paud I saw a guy with a Black helmet and BN sticker. It was Suyash, I stopped next to him and asked where are the rest. He said nav is getting the fuel, Praveen sathaye is late and Capt has gone ahead. Soon the Capt came back with the Angona urf the reporter as stated by Suyash. The ride started of well, Capt Chitnis on his bike was fast for his age. I am impressed.

We stopped at the Lavasa dam. Where we took some pics and Capt Chitnis asked me if I would like to ride the bike, I was in hurry but I said to myself : what the hell". Very generous him to offer the ride.


Pulsar 220 Experience:

Having ridden the Pulsar 200 before, getting the feel of the bike was not a problem, but like with the karizma (zma), the front faring felt odd. Here I ride 3 bikes and all three of them have a faring which turns with the handle bar like most others, but on this bike the faring stays at its position independent of the angle of handle bar, so it took my brain few seconds to be ok with it.

Ignition and roll: As I switched on, the bike, it did a self diagnostic check like the RTR and 200. After that I switched on the main engine and turned the throttle, the grunts of the bike made me smile. The bike doesn't vibrate that much, but still grunts which I found pretty nice thing, unlike my old Pulsar which roars and vibrates.

Brakes: First thing I did after the initial start was try the brakes, the front was like any other pulsar but it was the rear that I was more interested in. The rear felt tight, I prefer a brake which is not too tight so that I have more control over degree of braking. Despite this the brake seemed very impressive. Later on, when on a turn, I over shot the braking point; the bike braked nicely and gave me a good control. (By this I don't mean that other bikes can't do the same but that this bike's brakes are very good). But then again I didn't get a situation to test them good.

Power and Speed: After a few turns it was time to rev the bike. I was going uphill on the Lavasa hill and power was very much evident. One good thing that I have seen Bajaj do is reduce the fast acceleration and deacceleration that was on the Pulsar 180. The sudden acceleration sometimes gave more power than needed and sudden deaccelerations felt more like braking, this might be of advantage to a pro but otherwise I feel it made the bike unstable.

The 220 has no such issues which was very much evident when i powered it up the hill, the bike started smoothly then picked the pace. I found the bike being able to go up the hill with curves pretty nicely. Fuel injection seemed to help as with increasing speed the acceleration was still maintained, which in most bikes would seem to die down. (Fuel Injection injects the fuel to the engine as required unlike the normal fuel flow which are tuned for either better mileage or power, FI enables better fuel flow at varying speeds.)

Handling: This was the fun part of the bike, going uphill I was able to turn the bike very aggressivly, it was like the bike wanted me to do that. It came to a point that I thought that my feet(paws) might touch the ground. Which didn't sound too good. I now remember Kedar saying at the Bajaj factory meet to the engineers that the main stand of the bike he was riding touched the road. Though he is heavier than me, I still wonder what could happen if one's feet touch the road.

In all the bike handled very well. I was confident on the bike

The design and features:
The design and features are cool. There is a lot to show off for a salesman. You can read more about the features at my older post on Pulsar 220 DTSFi

Overall feel:
The bike feels nice and powerful. The grunts are great with the vibrations low. The seat felt nice so did the gear and brakes. Light seems to be promising, but as it was day, I could only compare the bright light. Handle bar felt good too. The bike has a done a top speed of 131 KMPH, ridden by Praveen Shirali, I have still have to try my go at it ;)


(nav trying the bike)

Verdict:
I am not a pro, but since I have been riding the likes of CBZ, CBZ Xtreme, 200, 180, Avenger, Fiero, this 220 seem to be the best among these. So far no neagative points only positive.

Is it better than karizma?
Well I don't know. Pulsars have always handled well on good roads, the main difference I found between CBZ and Pulsar is that CBZ does good even on bad roads, unexpected bumps and all. CBZ also have been more stable over cross winds and any other air movement, like what one would feel while overtaking a fast moving truck, the pulsar, I feel lose the edge it while with CBZ its pretty convenient. According to me its how a bike handles on unexpected events that differentiates between good bike and great bike.

I rode 220 on great roads and no cross wind or any other air flow. Also there was no traffic. But with experience what ever I have I think the 220 should be good. But real comparison could be done with a bit longer ride one way on 220 and then back on zma. And if two bikers can do this and later discuss, a better judgment could be made. I hope to do the same once Vibhu comes to town and Capt Chitnis would volunteer either to participate in same or let me ride his bike.



Picture time: I asked Suyash to take few pics of mine on 220 before I could hurry back to the work I had. Suyash took some great pics in the very short time. And after that I left back in a hurry.
A good ride and thanks to Capt.. a great Pulsar ride.

Rules Of Combat.... pretty cool...read on..

• If the enemy is in range, so are you.
• Incoming fire has the right of way.
• Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire.
• There is always a way.
• The easy way is always mined.
• Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo.
• Professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are dangerous.
• The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions, when you're ready for them, and when you're not ready for them.
• Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at.
• If you can't remember, the claymore is pointed at you.
• The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main attack.
• A "sucking chest wound" is natures way of telling you to slow down.
• If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush.
• Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you.
• Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing.
• Make it tough enough for the enemy to get in and you won't be able to get out.
• Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.
• If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in a combat zone.
• When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.
• Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder.

Good evening Indians, we are the news ... in the next 30 minutes we will give you 5 minutes of relevant required information , 18 minutes of irrelevant information and 7 minutes of advertisement so that you can shave, shampoo better. And in next program we would showcase the same news with more ooohh, ahh effects.

This is what I think the news has come to. I had left watching news because, there was simply no news. But I was compelled by few people to watch it so yesterday I decided to give it a try. I hit few channels and this is what one channel said:-

• Which Dhoni look do you think is better, (a) the old straight, (b) the blond look (c) the sleek cut?

On one other channel here was some news:

• For the cricket and hockey crazy nation here is some news, India's ace driver Narayan Kartiken is going to be the first Indian driver to race in Formula 1 ........ he has been choosen for the next season and would be racing in 2005

Cool which year is this?

• Vishwanathan Anand Challenges Kasparov.

This is interesting I thought - Anand challenging Kasparov, what turned out later was that after repetitive questions by the interviewer Anand gave in and said that it would be great to challenge Kasparov.
Some way to re frame things.

• China sends satellite to moon.

China has send a satellite to moon which would reach moon by November................China is going to be in the distinguished league by putting the second man on moon.

Oh god! What happened to Buzz Aldrin who went along Neil Armstrong to moon? Is it the second man or the second country to put a man on moon?

• Trigger happy cops

I still didn't give up and continued watching and the news now talked about Delhi Connaught place shooting - Trigger happy Delhi Cops get jail, Neema Goyal the wife of the victim Pradeep goyal happy but not satisfied. This news has been up for a while but I wanted to know this fake encounter - how did it happen?
After surfing TV for more than an hour I didn't find the information I was looking for. I like to know what, how, when and why of the story to be more clear on things but to my dismay there was nothing much so I had to give up.

The morning news paper, Times Of India says the trigger happy cops get life term.... OK but how did the fake encounter happen. At the end no clue, Indian Express played neutral quoting fairly and Economic Times was silent.

Question: If it was a fake encounter, why did the Delhi policemen do it?
I mean were they doing target practice or they had some dispute (for which there is no evidence). One other theory was for promotion - which is so ridiculous, why would one kill someone for promotion when they know that postmortem is going to prove them wrong anyway? And why do it in CP? This came from CBI, now I wonder how they work with no logic.

So why did they shoot? One small line in the newspaper said that the policemen plead the case of mistaken identity. 34 Bullets fired, 10 men, a running car.. makes sense to me. I mean if you were told that there is one gangster in the car and you have to take him out how would you approach with your small pistol or a single bullet firing 303 rifle? Ask him to pull over with a nice smile... I don't think so. Practically thinking if I know there is a gangster in a car and I have to stop him I would be too cautious, because if you have seen a AK47 fire (or something similar), believe me you wouldn't want to be there, I have seen the fire so I know. And these gangster on the other hand won't smile and say - You got me, they would just pull out their guns and fire. And if you die not many would bother. But then I would say that there was lack of professionalism in the action, 34 bullets fired meant they were dead sure that the guys in the car were terrorist Yaseen and a partner. An id check wasn't done before taking the action. Although difficult, but some sort defensive action should have been taken. But I guess they were to charged up that only thing in their mind was to kill the guy. What ever the truth might be - all I want to say is that I don't have any information from any media.

My friend in Times Of India says otherwise. He says that this is what the public wants and this is what we are selling and its a business after all. Stating ahead he says that no matter what people say - they want only this which is very evident by the rise in share of Times Of India, even the smart one want to read it though they might complain otherwise, but they still read it. Good glamor and style and people are happy. I can't contest much with him as he is into brand marketing team of Times Of India (north).

So, at the end of the day I go back to the radio and tune in to "BBC" on All India Radio. After all this useless info and the kind of time I have, accuracy and knowledge is what I need.

Well growth they say is good but too much growth can be bad and thats what I came to know about cancer. I was reading the book - "Its not about the bike" by Lance Armstrong, the seven time Tour De France champ who achieved this despite having cancer. Luckily for me I met Dr Gurpreet, a young guy in his twenty's. A recent PhD in chemistry (Pharmacy) he has made a drug against cancer though he claims that its in the very early stages of development, but its one the first of its kind. Its very proud to know that an Indian has done this. As I talked to him, I came to know that cancer was actually because of access growth of cells. Instead of dying out, they just grow on and on causing problem. This was very contrary to my thoughts in which I had presummed that cancer was caused due to the cell malfunction. But then chemistry was never my strength.
So how to detect cancer? well I didn't get to ask much as we both were in a hurry but what he told me was that its simple growth of body. So was swelling a cause? Hmmm.... very intersting I would say. And I think that I need to study more about it.

The scene: Two rooms filled with unorganised stuff, shoes here and there, CD/DVDs everywhere, books .... somewhere. Dartboard but no darts, iPod but where are the head phones? clothes on bed most of the time and useless documents here and there. In simple words, it was as bad as a guy's room can be. But the big problem was that I have two rooms, so it was double the mess.

Objective: Organise things, decide which room for what purpose and set it like that.

Thoughts: I had to make one room my masti(fun) room. Now both the rooms are connected with a common bath room so I can easily move between the two rooms. In one room I would theme it as a gaming party room. A place to invite friends. The other room has to be a good guys room. Clean and simple.

The Operation: My rooms were a total mess and I didn't know where to start from. So I opened my almira and started sorting my clothes taking out all and throwing them on bed - a place from where I could start. First step was to take out the good party wears..... looking at them I could see how my social night life has plunged, I haven't worn most of them since long.... After piling up clothes and stuff I actually realise how many clothes I have. And thanks to my dhobi most of them look like rag - seems he hates clothes more than anything. So after agonising period of sorting and all I had my almira set, next in line were books. They are actually a great things when you don't have a good mentor(s) in life. This I realised late but none the less I did, so next few mins were spent adjusting them. Okey now what to do about these 300+ DVDs and CDs. Apart from the other organised ones, arranging them is a real pain so for now i just stocked them and put it in a cupboard. Next in line were these so many documents, papers, free this and that pages. I had actually more of raddi than i had thought. Once I was over with them I couldn't just sort which cable was for which. 5 Head phones.. I found the iPod head phone.. but this one was from the old one... oh no.. my sis took the new ones and left the old ones...damn... then what is this ok TV cable, this - another TV cable and this another TV cable now which one for which camera and which one for PSP , who cares either would fit.... and now what this cable for. I had a bad time sorting them.

After spending one good day I had actually set up my room. Now one room is my sleeping room and the other one is masti room.

Sleeping room: No gadgets in here. Just a double bed, dart board, study table, my laptop and my small 2.1 Speakers.
The masti room: I have my PC here, good sound system, one bed (just in case i get bored of the other room), my bean bag (I just love it), my second study, wardrobe, iPod, PSP, cameras. This is the room to get ur friends into. Soon its gonna be my small party room too.

I have to get more posters for my masti room, have to change the theme of it. Get new curtains and posters. For the other room I need more frames for family pics.

Objective Accomplished!

Five point something...
That is what i used to call this book written by Chaetan Bhagat - "five point someone", the title reading "What not to do at IIT". And its the mention of the letters *IIT which makes it a better market product. As I read the book, I found it more like what I had done in college, the bunking, masti, fights, practicals, the labs and the exam days. It was a book to go down the memory lane. In all I found the book average, but then as it progressed it came to the these chapters titled: "The longest day of my life I", then II, III.... VI. And it was from here the book changes into something very new. It for me took me back to days and echoed in my head "I should have dared things". The dares; somethings I should have done but had not, I just stopped myself from doing those things back then.

The book ended very well, for me it was like knowing the characters: Hari, Ryan, Alok, Neha, Prof Veera, Prof cherian ....The book at the end the gave me a thought what if I could go back in time and relive those years. Well probably everyone would want to, and just for the record I have no regrets, but there are a few mistakes which I have made and would to rectify them.

I don't forget things and people and I would certainly not forget Nityan, my good old friend, I have good memories with him. The days on the scooter, the messing up more like Ryan.... Great guy. But unfortunatly we had a big misunderstanding which ripped us apart. I miss that guy, I don't know why but I still hope that things would get normal for us. Not to mention my other friends - Bandhu (i have to shake his head right), Rajiv (the cute one), Mohit(family lawyer now), Vineet (the unique guy), Abhishek Bansal ( :)), Rohit Magazine (he is too smart and clever), Deepak Mittal, Salil John ( Phoneix) and the gals (well not to mention their name in public for some really strong reasons).

Five point something for me has been a charger.. Great work C.Bhagat!

*IIT:- Indian Institute of Technology. IIT is a premier engineerig institute in India, a place where probably every engineer would want to be from.

I was surfing the net when I came across this. I was impressed by what it said but the content is not 100% correct, more like 80 to 90%. But thats good enough.

Its almost 10 months since I crashed at Lonavala last year after diwali. I was riding fast and didn't react wisely as my bike went on the small stones kept to repair the rooted out pole. I was too fast and was doing extreme. My bike skidded off and I went the bike skidding on my own The bike went off the road which was couple of meters high while I just stopped in time. I went to the bike shaken, checking my self on the way, my arm and elbow were bleeding, i took out few sharp stones which had gone into my arm. My jeans had torn from the knee and it was red in my blood. I carried on and looked at my bike nodding in a no, thinking to myself - I won't be able to take this bike out in this shape. I felt weak so I sat on a big stone, still not able to regain the senses right. It was the first time ever in my life that something bad had happened and I had to sit down to relax, it was never this way. Thankfully I had no broken bones.

My dad came to pick me up and as I was on my way home, I thought to myself - is biking worth all this. All negative things were in my head. It was then that I decided that I would never bike again. The days that followed as I was in my bed I realised a lot of things. Where I am and where I could have been with the talents I have. I had put myself down as I have explained under the topic No, Its not OK. I was way too behind in my life. Perhaps my seek for a friend and adjustment therefore had left me down. I had lost the charm in life. But that was it, U had to change and go ahead and here I am, back on the bike, riding faster and stronger.

But before I could begin I had to fix a lot of psychological barriers, the world around me had changed and I had to change. I had to be better. But it took me 10months since to change my attitude, habits thoughts. The ladder to success was too steep due to the years I wasted yawning and the advantages I lost. But then I thought to myself, look at me I like to play a losing game, I also like to play a losing video game. The video game where my armor is broken, ammo is low and enemy strong. Its a different kick to do what people say is difficult. You have to think wisely, act maturely and not take too many risks, yes at those times you don't take risks you plan things out and take chances - not risks, because at that level, your attitude is so that risk is not the word. It totally disappears. Most of the guys would restart the game, but hey thats not me. Look at biking, I let the guys over take before I catch them, in sports too. So why not in life? Its difficult but what the hell! Lets do the same here.
So here I am ready to charge, ready to fight, ready for everything. My journey for perfection has begun.

World watch out, I am coming.

This was one of the chain mails in our biking group bikenomads. So here is my answer to that.

1. Money: Yes! It was money that restricted me to buy motorcycle. I wanted something faster, safer and attractive. But I was too short of few million USD which I needed to buy a harrier jump jet, so I had to choose the next best alternative, which was a motorcycle.

2. I can't bungie jump every day: Well had bungie jumping been an alternative, I would have choosen that. Also you can move only vertically not horizontally with that, else I would have used it to go to my office.

3. Insanity: Sometimes I do like to be insane, but instead of harming others;I bike. Sometimes doing 80KMPH on busy roads. Hope no one in my family reads this.

4. Feeling it: Ever saw the Bajaj Avenger advertisment, I feel like god ? Well thats what bikenomads do and that is what I like.

5. Andrenaline: Well I don't get the adrenaline pump as my bikes doesn't break the 150KMPH barrier, so ...... (This is just to increase the point count).

6. Ever wondered why dog pokes his face out of the window. Ask a biker :)

7. Rains: I love to get wet in rains. Thats why sometimes I just go without any rain gear to ride. Hell I was once on ride from 6:30 AM to 11:00PM in rain riding, though with the rain suit which was next to useless. One newbie got crazy looking at the hands. One crazy stuff.

8. Be a gang: There are bikers and then there are people like us. So we bikers at bikenomads have different style of living. Imagine going into a cafe with guys having some part of bike in there hands and discussing about it.

9. A different world: The long rides, the people and sense of belonging. Its a totally different world out of the normal and it relaxes me.

10. Its fun!

Old post but finally decided to post it as a new. Friend on mine had asked me to come on a speed gun session. But this time the speed gun was with us not the police guys (there are non here with Pune Police) so the guys tried on their machine to the paces. This was the result of it.

Most of the bikes were different models of Royal Enfield Bullets with one Yamaha RD 350, one Yamaha RX 135 5-Speed, one Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSFi and one Hero Honda CBZ. Baring the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSFi and Hero Honda CBZ all bikes were modified to extract extra performance, to different level (some modifications being as simple as a different air filter or different exhaust). The details of the modifications are best known to the owner of the bike or the mechanic/tuner who did those modifications.

Following were the fastest three bikes and their riders:
Sling on his Yamaha RD350 at 145km/hr. Video
Rahul on his Bullet Lightning 535 at 140km/hr. Video
Tinu on Doc’s Bullet 500 (Std) at 137km/hr. Video

Following are the other speeds achieved by the rider and bike combo (only the fastest of all their runs is listed down).
Doc on his Bullet 500 (Std) at 133km/hr. Video
Tinu on Adil’s Bullet Lightning 535 at 125km/hr. Video
Adil on his Bullet Lightning 535 at 124km/hr. Video
Rash on his Yamaha RX 135 5-Speed at 123km/hr. Video
Tinu on Amit’s Bullet Machismo 500 (AVL) at 120km/hr. Video
Adil on Thomas’s Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSFi at 120km/hr. Video
Thomas on his P220 Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSFi at 119km/hr. Video
Adil on his Bullet Thunderbird 350 (AVL) at 116km/hr.
Nauzar on his Bullet 350 (Std) at 110km/hr. Video
Nav in his Hero Honda CBZ at 108km/hr.

These are the other runs (video’s not uploaded but can be provided in case of any doubts about the speed).
Rahul on his Bullet Lightning 535 at 139km/hr.
Rahul on his Bullet Lightning 535 at 139km/hr.
Tinu on Doc’s Bullet 500 (Std) at 136km/hr.
Kunal on Rahul’s Bullet Lightning 535 at 135km/hr.
Kunal on Rahul’s Bullet Lightning 535 at 131km/hr.
Doc on his Bullet 500 (Std) at 131km/hr.
Amit on his Bullet Machismo 500 (AVL) at 115km/hr.
Adil on his Bullet Lightning 535 at 114km/hr.

Data Collected by Navendu Singh viz Nav(Fellow nomad).
The riders in the list belong to various groups viz bikenomads, Road Shakers, Rubber Smokin Angels, RD Dreams and some misc others.

I was getting bored with nothing to do, so I made this. Though I am more a bike freak but making car is easy and since the human part of the picture is not always required, it makes it very easy to sketch these.

Well I had to work around to get it this way. I like it, what do you say?

Recently I was out with a gal, a casual meet up not a date. It was going fine, then it turned too basic, nothing amazing. Then I thought to myself this is not right. What's wrong with me? I was never this boring. I mean, I have been at times been boring for others but that was my choice, but this time around I was genuinely a boring person. I was wondering whats wrong with me now?

After giving a thought to it, I realised that over the time I have not been out on some exciting dates or events; I have actually become a pretty boring guy. But this was never so, (well except it was there way back then). On giving some more thought to it I noticed that I was always saying to myself "It's OK!". Be it anything, I was always putting my guard down. And to be frank I was putting my guard down on everything just because I was not having the audience to show off my skill to. Just to be in tune with them I have actually become one of them, but also unlike them, I am going down while they are on their way up.

Today when I realise it, I look back at my academics, health, command over language, confidence .....everything, I have actually gone down instead of going up.

So what now?
Well now since I realise this, first thing I got to do is break this habit and fast. From now on its no more "Its OK!" thing for me. But as they say - better late then never. Besides, its a good way to show off now that I have to ;)

Getting me?

India was playing against England in there 20-20 World Cup quaterfinals when an argument started by Flintoff of English team resulted in a brawl against Yuvraj Singh Of India. Well as they say - let your actions do the talking, Yuvraj hit 6 sixes in six balls in the next over. Highest possible out of a normal over.

Here is a clip of the action:

I hug my friends on id and love to eat the savian, I love splash the water balloon on anyone who is in mood to play on Holi, I celebrate the Christmas and I also respect the bond of rakhi, the valour of Sikh past and the fundamentals of Jainism, the Buddhist monk in orange and his discipline for life and simplicity. I love to go to Gurudwara and have prashad of langar. I believe in Bhagwat gita and the nobles of all religions.

Who am I? I am the new Indian.

I have been for long been upto things. This I believed was the key to success, so I got into a lotta things. But lately I have realised that in mist of this performance, I am losing myself. I am actually trying to do things that would eventually make me good but then I would be losing the people I like the most.

BigAdda.com advertisment made me realise that after all said and done, I am going to be left with the few friends and those are gonna be the people who I would have. Distance is the biggest issue and this life of IT and all....

So I have decided to do things for those who care for me and for myself. So here are my new resolutions

1. Give time to myself: All said and done, at the end of the day I should have quality time for myself. Just to think about myself and know what I want.

2. Get back to my friends: I want to give time to my friends, call them to say hi or just an SMS, something to be in contact with. I missed on to too much, dont want to anymore now.

3. Gym: I have been not taking care of my physical self. Now no matter what, I am going to make it a daily activity.

4. Improve on my communication: One problem is I speak to fast, my mind runs faster than i talk and also I feel I talk at a level that seems to go beyond the scope of undertanding of the other guy. I really need to work on that.

5. Be thorough: I have this bad habit of not analysing things upto the mark. Being hasty and all, I need to check this on.

6. Work on my will power: Having written the funda and knowing the perks. I need to seriously put my head down and work on it. This is my life and my chance to get it. And I better not loose it.

7. Work on the opportunities: Another thing I have noticed is that I let opportunities fly by thinking that I am not ready. The truth is I would never be ready for things in the given time of youth and age.

But then I don't know why I forget this in the mist of it all. Someone please help!

1. Travel the world: I wanna travel the world see all its wonders, both man made and natural. I want to relax at thai beaches, go up north to see arora borealis, the pyramids of Egypt and China, the sculptures of easter islands, the mosque in Turkey..... the list goes on and on. And yes most importantly I want to go these places with someone special. Not to mention, I would want my family to come along for most (not all ;-) ) and some with the gang.

2. Own a Superbike: I want to ride to insane levels of speed some thing more than 200 KMPH and to know how it feels to be invincible (for that short span).I want an atleast 600CC monster to satisfy my hunger of speed.

3. Be a pilot: Well thats probably every one wants to do, fly like a bird. I want to go faster there too.

4. Para jumping: Yup! Get the parachute and jump. And hopefully it opens everytime before i touch the ground.

5. PETA: Do something for the animals. I am sadden almost every other day by the death of the stray animals. I would wanna do something for that.

6. Be a good son/brother and father: Too mature for the later part but then as Superman said: "From the father comes the son and from son ... the father."

7. Be known for something good: Money comes and goes but respect stays. Well you cannot have everyone's respect beacuse it may satisfy few but it may make other hate you. All said, I still would like to go down as a guy who inspires rather than just another guy.

This is one of my favourite advertisements. I fortunately got a hold of it and I bet you are gonna like it.

One of the shortest lyrics in the world, but this song is worth listening to. If you haven't, then give it a try.

Chorus: Oh lordy, trouble so hard
oh lordy, trouble so hard,
don't nobody know my troubles but God
don't nobody know my troubles but God
(sing 3x)

Went down the hill, other day
soul got happy and stayed all day
(sing 2x)
(Back to chorus sings 2x)

Went in the room, didn't stay long,
looked on the bed and brother was dead
(sing 2x)
(back to chorus 1 sings 5x)

What distinguishes a champion from the rest? What makes them come again and again, against all odds. What gives them that invisible power to conquer? It can't be mere hard work or some special talent in them..... there are so many people with such talents , but what makes these people special? What gives them this amazing zeal to perform?

It's just not there competition, its something else. Its there Will Power. The power which is unlike anything in the world. This power makes pain seem like a small stone on their journey to success. The power which has the ability to control the ultimate desire. Its the only thing which is capable of opening the immense power inside every soul that roams this planet.

Will power is a magic which transform a normal human being into something better. A man into a soldier who can fight at heights of Kargil, a racer into a master piece to compete against the best machines in the world, the emperor the challenge to win the world, the queen the courage to fight against the freedom of her kingdom, a cyclist to defy cancer, a man the ability to win freedom for his country through peace. These men/women had immense will power to shake the world.

The Indian soldiers who fought the Pakistani Army at the worlds toughest terrain, Micheal Schumacher to challenge the engineering marvel Of McLaren Mercedes car, Alexander the strength to win the world, Rani Laxami bai to fight the Britishers while she hung her young baby (tied to ) her while she charged her horse against the guns of British soldiers, armed only with a sword; Lance Armstrong to defy everything and become 'Tour de France' championship seven times and Mahatma Gandhi to win India the freedom from British rule. These are just few examples of what the power of will can do. To die for one's country needs more than just hard work and guns. These humans transformed from normal humans to super men/women with the power of will. But the question is that can you control your will? Do you have the control of your self. This is something you need to answer your self. Will has no limit, it can push you as much as you want it to. Its the battle of wills that at the end counts.

The first step towards anything is understanding its capabilities, which I hope you have been able to get from the above text. The next is to start by implementing it on any one task that you do every day or something that you want to do .By this I don't mean watching to TV or surfing the net for chat etc because these won't be very important /realistic targets. So start with something you want to improve upon, lets say studying. So next time when you are studying and after some good studying have decide to wrap it up, Don't. Sit there and continue. Continue to the point that you can't just resist the temptation of doing something else to take the break. And then sit for 5 minutes more. Fruitful or not the start has to be that way. I do agree that you might come to a point that there is no actual advantage of pushing to much but then the idea for now is not simply to have efficient out put, but preparing yourself for that. What you would be doing is that you would be expanding your mental ability. And when it expands, you would later be able to be efficient even after sitting continuously. Relate this example to anything else, Gym, jogging, singing, etc.

But as with everything, if there is an advantage of it, there sure is a disadvantage of it. The main disadvantage can be that if you are pushing too much, then you are likely to lose interest in it. So you might want to avoid it. If you think that you are reaching this point, then take a break from it. Do something else but do get back on it. And try again this time pushing the same or less, defiantly not more. Its a gradual process and will take time.

One good thing about will power is that, if you improve on it, then you would have overall gain and not just for a given situation. What this habit will actually do is that consciously or subconsciously give you more control of yourself.You would be able to do what you want to do. That is of course possible when you have goals/dreams and you are not confused.

Control your will, and you would control your life.

This is a line from the CBZ Xtreme video advertisement. It didn't make much sense to me till I met one gal who despite her talent was not able to do things the way she could have, only because she was thinking too much. "Thinking is a waste of time" when you know what you want to do. Thinking on how to do it is good but wasting time on thinking about the fact that I need to do this or not is a sheer waste of time. Instead of just wasting time realising this and hoping that the thinking would settle in the mood, one should go out and do it. Atleast that way you would know practically will it work or not.

For instance I would like to mention about one friend of mine who likes this gal in office, she is smart and have the eyes that a person is likely to admire her. So one fine day this gal went out for snacks as usual and my friend after her; hoping to talk to her and get her number out. So he goes boldly to her and just before he could say something, he starts to think I don't know what. The gal seemed to be in hurry so I asked my friend to talk and he still kept thinking. The window of opportunity was small and he let it go. And I was like "what the hell are you thinking man". I knew that he was nervous but thats not gonna help anyways. And too much planning is not gonna help either. Instead of thinking he should have gone there and said something. Whatever may be the result he would not have wasted time thinking atleast. He is repenting it anyways.


This is what I guess happens when you just think too much and this is also what makes the difference between the winner and the loser. While the loser thinks, the winner goes out with the trophy. Think about it- what would happen if James Bond started thinking instead of just doing it - won't the movie be too long and bore; not to mention that bond would be dead. I mean should he think or just jump shoot and run?

Thinking, its a waste of time. If you know the goal then don't wait, its like a football game where time is your opponent. If you stand for long, then the other player would take it away, even if you are moving it about a given area even then you are prone as more players will move in to take the ball. Best option is see the target and move. Evaluate in that small time and move back and forth. Pass it even, your objective is the goal not the ball. Don't waste time thinking about it.

Remember, "Thinking, its a waste of time." And remember James Bond :)

So ever wondered what your handwriting style can tell about you? Well it can tell more than your mastery of the language. I came across this article from net about this skill of reading handwriting and making a pen portrait of a person. I am putting it as it is. This is just minor tips, more for fun than anything else.

• If letters slant to the left: Indicates introspection and a lot of emotional control.
  
  
• If letter slant to the right: Reveals a person who's outgoing, friendly, impulsive, and emotionally open.
  
  
• If letters are straight up and down: The sign of someone who's ruled by the head, not the heart.
  
  
• Letters that slant in more than one direction: Indicates versatility and adaptability.
  
  
• An erratic slant: Usually means a lack of flexibility.
  
  
• Heavy pressure writing (like you can feel the rib made on the back of the paper): The writer is agitated.
  
  
• Moderate pressure (the writing is dark, but you can't feel the rib on the other side of the paper): Shows ability to deal with stress.
  
  
• Light pressure: Indicates someone who seems to take life in stride.
  
  
• Tiny letters: Indicate the writer is has somewhat low self esteem but is intelligent.
  
  
• Small letters: The hallmark of quiet, introspective types - they're generally detail-oriented and have good concentration.
  
  
• Large letters: Sign of a confident, easygoing individual.
  
  
• Huge letters: Indicate someone who's theatrical, usually loud, and needs to be the center of attention at all times.
  
  
• Wide letters (their width and height are about the same): The mark of someone who's open and friendly.
  
  
• Narrow letters: Show someone who's somewhat shy and inhibited but very self-disciplined.
  
  
• Letters that don't touch: Indicate an impulsive, artistic, sometimes impractical free thinker.
  
  
• Some letters connecting: Means the writer's personality blends logic and intuition.
  
  
• All letters making contact: The sign of someone who's highly cautious.
  
  
• A curved first mark: Shows a person who's traditional and plays by the rules.
  
  
• A straight beginning stroke: Reveals someone who's rigid and doesn't like being told what to do.
  
  
• A final stroke straight across: The writer is cautious.
  
  
• An end mark that curves up: Reveals generosity.
  
  
• Perfect penmanship: The hallmark of a communicative person.
  
  
• An indecipherable scrawl: Indicates a person who's secretive, closed-up and likes to keep his thoughts to himself.

Article copied from: http://ritemail.blogspot.com/2007/08/your-handwriting-means.html

Yesterday when I was on my way back home, I saw a woman lieing on the road, at a distance a bike and few meters ahead another bike, It was an accident. I stopped my bike on the left side and went straight to help the lady and then I saw another guy on the opposite side. In a few seconds time some other bikers also came to assist. Fortunatly there was no fatal injuries to both of them. I was glad to see so many people coming to assist. After being sure that things were under control I went to my bike. It was then that two guys came and ask that were the victims my friends or family member(s). When I asked why they said that, they said that I looked too concern. This is something that people have asked me before and in one incident people though that I was the one who had caused the accident which by the was scary with the mob all around.

After the small talk I kick started my bike and went on, wondering why is that when an animal dies no one bothers but when a human crashes, people just come running for help. Why such a huge difference? Is it that people can't see/feel the pain of the animals or is it that they feel that it counts for no appreciation or is it something else. Why is that a human cry is more heard than an animal cry?

I have been unfortunate to see two accidents in which two pups were run over. In both the cases I wanted to help but couldn't in time save. I know one of the fellows in one accident from above mentioned events. The guy was laughing while saying that the rider of whom he was pillion didn't have option. The other pup had actually come to see one more pup which was there and was run over. And these guys ran over the other. Do we feel no pain for them? And for those who do, why don't we do anything about it? Is our ability to feel things limited? I guess we as humans have not risen to the level we so hypothetically say we have, because at the end of the day we are doing what benifits us. Perhaps an elephant is a better social animal than we humans, humans who continue to live with the knowledge of our superior brain but forget that its least used for some noble cause.

One fine day I went to FC road here in Pune and parked my vehicle well with in the marks (which were laid down by probably Britishers for parking). FC road is one area where Traffic Police is very vigilant about parking rules.

So after parking the CBZ and making sure that I am well with in the line a whole 2 feet. I went with my sis and jiju for a movie in their car. And when I returned back to collect my bike it wasn't there. For a second I thought that it was stolen. But then again I had my confidence in traffic police too. So I went down to the "chowki" and saw the bike parked. Happy to know that it was not stolen but then how the hell did it land here? So I went ahead and asked the constable why my bike was here. He replied in a typical Pune police wala style stating that my bike was parked outside the marked area. And to prove that what he was saying was true he showed me the pic of the bike parked a meter off the line. And I was like wow! How did the damn guys do that. I was like so pissed off.... These damn guys had pushed my bike off the line and taken the pics..

Thankfully I could use some influence to get off the hook but considering an average puneite, its a nightmare. Can I trust the cops?

Well well... I finally got my hands on a Honda Sports bike, that too gifted to me by a fellow BN friend Praveen. And it has the markings similar to the 500CC Honda used by Rossi (46). Well as you would have guessed by now, this is actually a scale model of the bike. And I like it a lot.

An MBA and an Engineer go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep.
Some hours later, the Engineer wakes his MBA friend.

"Look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
The MBA replies, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?"
The MBA ponders for a minute....

"Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo.
Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three.
Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.
Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
Economically there are mass scales of stars in the sky.

So "Economy of Scale " would be the ideal strategy in that market. Strategically such market would be a volume driven market
Financially it would be a low margin market.
From HR point of view we would require huge manpower


What does it tell you?"
The Engineer is silent for a moment, then speaks.

"Practically"

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Chak de India - the new movie about Indian women hockey team staring Shah Rukh Khan. The day I saw the poster I thought to myself - "so finally they made a copy of Miracle". It was obvious as most of the times in India a movie which is something different, has its idea based on some foreign movie.Miracle is a movie based on the 1980 Olympics starring Kurt Russell who plays the role of the team coach on whom the story of the movie revolves. The movie is worth a watch. And I was very sure that chak de would be based on that.


So this sunday, I went for the movie with mom. As the movie started, there was some text on the screen saying the usual "any person or event in this movie is purely coincidental .... blah blah blah" and 2 mins into the movie I was already saying to my self this would happen and that. In short this movie was based on Miracle. With ofcourse director trying out something new. But theme in the end was same. I always believe if you are copying - then more than half your work is done.

But the director did keep it in mind that the movie was based on Indian women and the actors were well chosen for the job. Actors were from different region and much of their style and attitude did seem to be like from the region. Shah Rukh Khan acted good and so did most of the cast. Shots were well taken and as I know it - it was with help of foreign experts that these shots were taken.

The gals in the movie are not the usual hot figure women who don't fit the role. Most of them look very original. Thankfully the stress was more on originality than item numbers and legs. Practice shots in the movie are good although not too much stress is given and in the length of the film its not required too. Ending is good also, with suspense able to grip a lotta people.


In all a good movie and worth a watch. If you haven't seen miracle then I recommend that too. The song at the end - "Dream On" is worth listening too.

Independence Day Ride !!

"Article by Praveen Sathay, a friend on the same ride."

Independence Day Ride
15th August 2007

Today we celebrate our independence day!! The independence which we credit to the efforts of our Leaders and Warriors who helped us get this freedom and after 1947 have continuously strived hard to maintain it. One of the most contributing members of this continuous fight to maintain freedom and prosperity are our soldiers. The men and women of the armed forces who have withstood harsh conditions and protected the country from evil eyes! This 15th August I along with a few Biker friends celebrated the occasion by riding out to the National Defense Academy, Khadagwasla. We left around 4ish in the afternoon from Baner and rode all the way via Chandni Chowk and NDA road to the Pashan Gate of the Academy. After doing the necessary formalities at the gate we found out that despite it being a national holiday it was still a working day for the cadets and hence we may not be able to actually get to move around freely.

A couple of rules were clearly laid for us before we started off. Captain would be leading the entire group on his P220, followed by Self on the P180Dittsy, then Nalin on the CBZ, Suyash on his Avvy, Priyank on his Libero, and 2 more guys in their Zen! We started off in a nice formation from the Gate and rode down towards the Airfield. This airfield used to have a dirt airstrip sometime back but with the introduction of powered flight training at NDA, they constructed a Tarmac airstrip and jazzed it up. There was a Mystere Aircraft on display there. A quick “U” turn got us back on to the Main road and gunning towards Gol market. Since it was a working day we additionally got instructions to watch out for cadets on the road who had the ‘Right Of Way’ on this particular day and we would either have to slow down till they gave us the space to move ahead. We did run into a group of cadets running on the road and it did feel rather awkward to actually not blow horn but wait patiently for the pedestrian to move out of the way. Captain has immense discipline in these things as he frantically waved us down every time he saw something on the road which was essential to notice and act accordingly.

A small detour took as via the Salaria square and Sudan Block on to the Parade ground and down towards Peacock bay. It was here that we also saw some monkeys darting across the road and a signboard warning motorists of being aware of wildlife crossing the road. I could assume jackals, foxes, and other animals also skittering across the road in night. After crossing peacock bay we came out of the Khadagwasla gate and rode towards the Kudje village. The road was wet with constant drizzling and Captain was at his street biking best negotiating curves and hairpins with ease. We had lost the other riders someplace in the distance as just three of us rode in close formation. This was perhaps the 2nd time we had to slow down to accommodate the slowpokes!! We turned around as soon as we realized we had come too far and then headed back towards NDA. After entering again we rode straight to the junction where we have the Commandant’s office and from there got off the main road on to a smaller tar strip. This incidentally was the outer perimeter road which went all the way round NDA on the outermost edge of the North-East boundary. This road was a narrow patch of tarmac with vast grasslands on both sides. As we rode further we came across the polo ground, football ground and fathomed the sheer vastness of the campus. It was here that we also came across two cadets running around the outer perimeter. Physical training is one aspect at NDA which is given immense importance and is used to inculcate discipline in the cadets. Even while punishing cadets for any misbehavior, the punishment is often just extended physical training – More running, more push-ups etc. From what I have heard most cadets do not consider going around the outer perimeter a very pleasant experience. It looked like Captain too had not been around the entire perimeter even during his two stints of 3 years each at the NDA, as a cadet and as the Squadron Commander. We also ran into some patches where an overflowing stream had caused some water logging and we waded through with our bikes and also did some semi-off-roading where slush and gravel were predominant on the road. Overall this ride was a very smooth and enjoyable patch as we were perhaps the only people on the road and were riding absolutely neck to neck at a comfortable speed of 40 – 50 KMPH. We came out at the Army Training Team area and reached the main gate once again. From here we turned back into Gol Market and finally stopped for a break.

The MiG 25 R mounted next to the Gol market caught my attention and while the rest of the gang went into one café for snacks and refreshments Nalin and I went up to the mighty bird and went trigger happy (read: Shutter Happy) on the fastest FIGHTER aircraft in the world. The MiG 25 is perhaps the only aircraft which is capable of short bursts from its cannon even while flying at speeds of Mach 2 and above. In other aircraft the speed of the projectile or rounds/bullets is slower than that of the aircraft hence they cannot actually FIGHT at that high speeds. There was a lot of interesting information about the MiG 25 and I had also heard a lot about how this aircraft found its way into NDA.

Read the MiG 25 Story here

Post the chai n snacks we again rode off towards the parade ground where we took a break and took some more photos. It was here at the FINAL STEP quarterdeck (Naval terminology), that I remembered some of my hay days at the Naval Academy. The Parade ground is impressive. So are the surroundings. The Parade ground has on display Tanks, Guns, a Sea Hawk, a MiG 21 FL, a model of INS Delhi, the Type 15 Destroyer we have. We rode off from the Parade ground and rode back to the Pashan gate, stopping en-route to click some more snaps. After moving out of NDA we came back to Captain’s place and then after bidding the customary good-byes rode towards our destinations. Nalin accompanied me home and we ended the fantastic evening by savoring some laddoos and watching a documentary on the Indian Air Force and nurturing the Patriotic spirit awakened in us after the visit to NDA.


An amazing experience it was visiting the academy where the brave officers of our nation are trained and sculpted, where men are crafted out of young boys, the alma mater of courage and discipline. I always have held the defense forces and academies in high respect despite not having a very pleasant experience myself. But then nothing makes my heart thump louder than the sight of our weaponry, our men in uniform and the spirit of patriotism.

JAI HIND!!

Catch Photos of the Ride here: