Two-Wheeler chronicles

Whats that one amazing possession at an age of 19-20 yrs? For kids of these days it those flashy gizmo's, your apple iPhone, iTouch, you touch and what not !!! I know I'm sounding old, just making it sound so ;). Not very long ago for us it used to be graduation from a bicycle to a two wheeler. Looking back at the first time I ever rode on a two wheeler which was a TVS 50 brought by a painter while on work at our house. That day i remember riding like a prince with the air gently caressing my face, with all daughters of my neighborhood aunties overlooking. I must have been 4th or 5th, but that was when I felt the essence of growing up.

Sis started early on the 'Enfield-Explorer'

My dad was a proud owner of a suave looking Enfield explorer since 1985 which he had until 2003, and apart from sitting on it when dad used to ferry all the four of us around and fantasy riding it, naming it 'Sanjuna' hadn't done much with it. This was until 7th standard, when i had this fetish to sit on it sans the key and push the bike around. Thanks to Bangalore's roads, burnt a lot of calories pushing it back up to balance it on the road downwards. Then one day dad forgot the key and that day it happened. I pushed it around like always and then suddenly saw the ignition key. And the rest like you can imagine, i kick started and set the explorer in motion on the first gear, and it remained in first gear that day to be honest. That was the moment which turned the schoolboy into a dreamy youth.


Next three years of our stay in Dandeli gave me some of the amazing memories that I could only dream of in Bangalore. An accessibility to the jungles anytime i wished, a town with no traffic police and fewer main roads, could i ask for anything else?? It was time to zoom. 49.5 cc seemed awesome in those days. Soon, it was time for us to shift back to Bangalore and the city that is made us realize we'd suddenly grown up now to be too big for the explorer that once ferried four of us. What a bike it was! I think for the India then, which was more into Bajaj Chetak, this bike was an affordable option. And then one fine day as i grew older, so did it and just like that, it was gone.


Talking about Bajaj Chetak, during 12th my uncle's scooter came to me because he moved out of the country. Cant recollect the no. of times I've made it lie down on the road when there was no fuel and then that one quick kick start to get it going. "Welcome to college days"", I'd said to myself and before i could realize, the passion of possessing a bike again, proved too much pressure for my dad to withstand. That was when he got me a TVS Victor. Nothing beats the freedom you have with a bike at your disposal. Freedom and all by the way is secondary. More important then were the reasons like the daily trips to the dhaba, national park or the coffee shop around the corner. OK, alright! I agree the most important of all was to impress the girls. Can't remember how many firsts it was with my Victor.


While I am usually not very emotional, somehow the feeling was a little confusing. No feeling of loss though, while signing the handover forms, I was blank. All i could muster asking the new buyer was, "Can i take her for a last ride"?


Thinking about it, isn't it actually like breaking up with somebody for no reason? Only, make sure you have a reason as good as mine.

Royal Enfield!!!

Human Chemistry

Dear Blog,

How have you been? I know I haven't written to you in a while. In these days word and excel documents seem to take everything out of me, and I am left high and dry even for words, let alone a few sentences.

Recently blog, I read 'Dork' by Sidin Vadukut and I am impressed by his easy-on-the-eyes style of writing and lucid storytelling. So don't be surprised if you find the style of this prose to be a little unnatural here, atleast i can imitate the style of writing :)

During last September/October, a close friend suddenly shocked us with the news that he was going to go to a completely different profession altogether. Though the news came with a certain shock value, it was a very pleasant shock and we were all really happy for him, almost all. I say almost all because each one of us construed the situation differently. Now my point of bringing this here blog, is to ponder on the fact that no matter how close a group of friends are, and for however long the duration be, it is the chemistry amongst all of them that makes the group work(group dynamics). And this is not something you'd see often, such behavior comes out in exceptional situations. 

For instance a friend took it too seriously got miffed and took a little time to come to terms with the facts, his whole contention was that such a thing need not have been kept a secret from us which this friend had done. But then, I have one thing to say to both, there will be times when you should share a bit of one's life, because who better to have than a friend who even though might mock, but will hear you with utmost seriousness ultimately. And there will be times, when not much of everything can be shared, need to respect and appreciate the situation.This blog, i call sensing the sensitivity in a situation.

Guess it also just human behavior to keep something very discrete which is very close to heart. This blog, I shall not talk about since I am not too good at it and sometimes, I consider myself a hopeless romantic when it comes the matters of heart. I have a heart and mind that opens out at every given opportunity like it just did now. Our group formed, normed, performed and will continue performing forever.


We don't often acknowledge the fact, but the best of who we are is largely determined by our friends. Proud to have such company.

Trusting in Chemistry, Amen !!!

Good Times .... brought to you by Christmas !!!

I somehow feel comfortable recounting experiences. Wonder if my posts reflect this too? Whatever be it may, here is my post reflecting some memorable Christmas times I've had.

Pan back to 10 years, Christmas was more of neighbor sharing the much talked about plum cake among other savories. Quintessentially, it would be an occasion to enjoy that one day off school. That was pretty much it unlike, todays festive cheer it manages to bring all round.

Some 6 years hence the meaning of Christmas completely changed as if to redefine to me what the real Christmas meant. Most of it had to do with my workplace sporting the festive spirit and moreover the anticipation of the week long forced vacations we always had to take unless someone was in a critical project and hence would be part of the skeletal support team. That year a few of us friends took time off to celebrate the Christmas weekend along with the New year's eve at Hogenekkal. 

By the way, talking about new year's eves, this post talks about how I've rated them all.Sometimes I wonder how i got the time to write such posts.

Experience, Siddhu says "is a comb that life gives man when he turns bald". Fortunately I made early use of it, by using it to celebrate the next Christmas at workplace in a novel way. 

But my most memorable Christmas date till day has been 25-Dec-2008, when I organized an outing to WonderLa with full of unsure trip(class) mates. But then thinking about it, I'm sure all my friends from section G, Sem 2 will agree with me when I say, that it was one of the most well spent working Christmas weeks that we've spent in our MBA days. Be it the most ridiculous tasks each one had to do, as part of their dares or some of the most amazing acts a few Saurabhs put up. ( Read the table dance and KSG mock acts) and many more. 

Memories come rushing to my mind de-syncing the words with thoughts while i try to articulate. This is where images help to convey the sense that words seem to have lost track of. 

This small collage I've put together is a testimonial of good times I've had in IBS-B with some beautiful people. By the way, no picture can ever be complete, as someone or something is always waiting to add to it. So is the case with this one.

Putting this in context, Christmas although might seem purely incidental to some good times, it was in many ways directly consequential.

Merry X'mas & a Jolly Good New Year.

Cheers

Sanjay