road trip, getting there

i love vacations!
i love to drive/ride and get to the destination too!!!


now, our friend, mr. patel was getting married in pune on the 6th of december. since we four friends(thakur, jariya, rane and me) were to go to pune for the wedding, we decided to pre-pone the trip and also extend it, to accommodate a small vacation in goa into our itinerary!! :D why not!! our one-way trip distance of 619kms was increasing by just a measly 486kms more, incurring an additional 125hrs in our planned 45hr pune trip. 
(google calculated the distance from indore, madhya pradesh to calangute, goa as 1049kms)

i had a lot of work/back logs to finish off before the trip. who wants to get repeated calls and the need to find time to slog on the laptop on a vacation (for the record though, during previous vacations i have always carried my laptop along but never once switched it on for the purpose of work!!). so the week before departure was loaded with extra hours at the office, the impending vacations helped finish backlogs, and time flew in a jiffy. not before long it was the 1st of december. here follows a log of getting to calangute beach from indore. we drove the diesel suzuki swift.


01dec2011
1600hrs: finally left indore and on the city bypass which is being converted from 4-lane to 6-lane.
1628hrs: cross pithampur, industrial town near indore. the four lane roads are super smooth to ride on.
1700hrs: a broken down factory building with only a huge gable end wall left standing. RS written on a banner on the wall. reminds of rohit who would in all probability been with us on the trip, alas.
1715hrs: zero discipline on the toll booth. we are far away from being a civil society. all the lane breaking and arguing ends up taking double the time.
1735hrs: more chaos on the road, not that we are not used to it. am thinking we need a revolution of sorts. a movement that reminds that we are not just individuals but a 1.2billion society. our general attitude it 'bas main nikal jaun, baaki apna dekh lenge' (let me get through, other's will manage). a bit more feeling for the communal and our lives will be lot more easier.
1807hrs: driving now. we need to rotate ourselves on the wheel, we plan to check into our hotel by noon tomorrow. rane will not be given the steering, we are less confident in his driving. thakur isn't feeling well. he has been asked to try and sleep in the rear so that he can take over sometime tomorrow early morning.
2057hrs: fatal accident on the other side of the median. a young couple on a bike dead. we must have reached the scene 2-3mins after the accident as there are only 3 vehicles ahead of us. the local villagers have blocked both sides of the road. soon around 80ppl have gathered. traffic starts piling up behind us. a long delay is anticipated. to our surprise two ambulances manage to reach the spot within 7-8mins of our getting there. and cops arrive 5mins later. i am definitely impressed. the road is cleared, the mob quietened, the ambulances depart and we are back on the move within 25mins of reaching the spot. now all this surely would not have been possible in say 2006.
2116hrs: i am off the drivers seat. jariya back in action. we don't plan to stop for dinner, to save time we have methi parathas and chutney already packed from jariya's home. the chutney turns out to be fantastic!!
2322hrs: 468kms on the odometer. on the two-lane section of the pune-nashik highway now. oncoming traffic slows us down. overtaking in the full beam lights also a hindrance(the truck do give us the dipper, its the buses and cars that are a problem).
02dec2011
1250hrs: back to driving now. rane had been sleeping along with thakur but jariya too is falling asleep. during childhood it was imperative i sleep 7-8hrs a day, just couldn't stay awake. 5 years doing bachelors in architecture changed all that... i move into my own thoughts. on the road, even as we keep eating up the distance, midst the rushed motion there is a stillness within. the open road not just calls me forward to explore but opens my mind to various thoughts, thoughts hidden in the otherwise routine of life...
0257hrs: 685kms on the odometer. just paid the toll ahead of pune on the pune-banglore highway. google maps got us quickly out of the sleeping city roads, though we did have to ask a few autowallah's for direction once. technology helps but i still like to rely on my own keen sense of direction! ;)
0315hrs: finally thakur takes the wheel. he is all rested and feeling better now. i will try leave him to deal with the open road, let him do the talking. i will try catch some sleep.
0526hrs: was sleeping on the front seat, and i get a rude awakening. thakur wakes me up by saying 'baba kuch nahi dikh raha' (i can't see anything). i open my eyes and am shocked to see only white through the wind screen. in my mind we are going at 120kms an hour. i think frost has accumulated inside the windscreen and immediately turn on the defogger. panic. thakur laughs, there is massive fog outside, we are moving at 30kms per hour, slowly the surface marking paint and the fog lamps come into my vision. nice way to break my one and half hours of sleep! the fog clears and kolhapur city is close by.
0600hrs: just gobbled up a mcspicy chichen burger. the mc'd outlet at kolhapur highway is open 24x7. a dhaba meal is more rewarding but not possible at this hour. global fast food chain to the rescue. wonder why i tried to go to the loo here, possibly because of the cleanliness? can never make it in a public place. behind a bush on the highway might have been doable.
0631hrs: the fog descends once again, the sun tries to peep out of it. nobody needs to sleep now. the previous bits and pieces of sleep will last till goa. soon we have to leave the highway. its all country road from there onward. the best parts of the road trip. can't wait to bid goodbye to the many trailers, large freight trucks and our 'tata and leyland' trucks that have been really populating the highways these recent years.
0705hrs: jariya is driving. its so much of a pleasure driving on the narrow roads. much more rewarding to the driving enthusiast within. gotta take the wheel soon.
0911hrs: just finished driving a long downhill stretch through the western ghats. i like to believe i am a good driver. tried take the best line in and out of the curves. blind turns were duly slowed down upon. gear shifting and braking was precise. bet my friends had some heart in mouth moments! now am smiling from ear to ear. finally rane is going to take the driving seat.
1019hrs: third diesel stop of the trip. as more experienced highway drivers we all get into rane for missed over-takings and error's in judgement. the anxiety of getting to goa is building, the silly jokes are laughed at, the fatigue non-existent.
1038hrs: the familiar 'back lanes' of north goa beaches. lush agricultural fields surrounded by lots of palm trees. 1094kms on the odometer. check-in is at twelve. we have time to kill. good and solid driving coming to an end.
1132hrs: have left the car finally and are walking towards the sea. here it comes. we find a beach shack, order for beer. i sit and take out my shoes, the sand feels heavenly to my feet. the gentle waves of the winter sea are inviting us. the open road has turned into an endless horizon!

1105kms and 19hrs and 45mins later i am filled with peace.


like vegas; what happens in goa, stays in goa.
kothari who came from mumbai to join us for the vacation will second that! will write a blog about the best thing that happened on the trip though!!! :)

eyewash!?!

we know real-estate has been sluggish lately, fdi and investors(without black money) are not coming on board as earlier...

this mall project in indore restarted their construction after work was on hold for quiet some time.

the sign board though isn't fooling anybody!?! :)

places

lonely planet asked people to nominate their 'life changing destinations'. this pictorial graph shows the response... mumbai, ladakh, taj mahal and delhi also made to the list.

diversity, beauty, old architecture, culture, extremes in landscape and economics, food are few of the compelling reasons... but also peace and serenity of the indian.

the end

death... life's final event!
consciousness never to be found again.
all actions, thoughts, ideas, mistakes unchangeable.
the end.

rohit singh, 24 years of age, crossed the point of no return yesterday.
he described himself on facebook as: tHe OnlY "LIFE" AmOnG The "DEAD". 
it punches me in the face now.

it must be said about him...
an honest soul. a knowledgeable mind. fantastic sense of humour. an amazing mimic. completely passionate about sport. a bit too much of comfort. a heart of gold. a friend that always made you smile.

i will always cherish our discussions on cricket...

he is now the fourth close friend i have lost, after shameek, manish and madhur.
all four never got to do their best.
such is life's fickleness.

crossing

a soul that drifted upon my shore,
a laugh the sound of miracle,
a friend exchanged for the comfort of love,
a lover forgets in the starry lonesome nights.

the high tides can't wash the footprints away,
the wind murmurs amidst the tall grass,
the rocks stand to greet the crashing waves,
and the friend was lost while the lover bled...

switched-off

it's began as another morning of purpose.
follow ups to start/finish things in the ultimate goal of finishing my house.

called up the plumber to make chambers at the rear of the house. this chap was coming on 21-09. both mobiles of santosh bhaiya are switched-off since then.
called up the painter who left his putty at site on 20-09 to start work, ajay ji's phone switched off since yesterday, when 4 calls at different times of the day were left unanswered.
called up the waterproofing guy(he takes the cake). both numbers switched off. ashfaque bhai has started work since more than a month. has done 10% of it in 2 days. he has met me 3 times at site, spoken to thakur and me umpteen times, promised work in sudden appearences after a gap of a week at least twice. but the jigsaw remains unfinished.
the electrician, shakir bhai, is expected to reach site at 1030.
fabrication for pergolas, railings and grills is a complete standstill. the developer at the colony has under performed and i have to get electricity at site courtesy a 300mtr cable from the nearest MPEB pole. voltage drop is such that the welding machine refuses to melt metal. a cost effective solution is still awaited. very easy for the developer to say, wait for a couple of months (have been hearing the same since atleast 8 months).
the flooring guy has visited the site, but waits for the primer coat and water proofing and also me finalising the tiles!
i ahve almost given up on mr thakur (just that i won't). his priorities and wants are known to none.
the carpenter remains a distant dream of follow-ups.
i can fairly say, no project will give me greater reward than when i finish this one. house number h-31.

come to think of it, over the past week, i must have let 7-8 calls go unanswered. but as the week comes to a close, i have replied to everyone of them. and loads of professional commitments are through and done with. a week of heavy working leaves me satisfied, maybe that's why i get to ponder upon the unfinished...

wait to see the sunrise from my new house!

work!!!

a new energy has been infused within... with so many works to begin, it feels good that some effort leads to even more greater efforts!!! :) just need to prioritize and attack everything systematically.

first seen at a hostel room wall

To see a world in a grain of sand
and a heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand 
and eternity in an hour.

                          
                                    ~ William Blake

heading into town

mumbai infuses motion in the mind >> coming from my native city to this behemoth during vacations at school, i experienced the 'local train' first hand. standing at the door of a moderately occupied coach as the rhythmic clatter of the wheels filled my ears and the evening sea breeze permeated the humid sun, i dwelt upon the 'greater purpose' of life. the pursuit of man for mere survival stood along side the pursuit of glory.

the giant city has immense movement patterns >> not that the grid doesn't lock up, in fact it comes to a standstill with amazing swiss like precision. the patterns collide at will and stagnate. on the expressways, the potholes and bottlenecks add no more to the rush hour than the lane changing and unpredictable driving. alas we indians carry on cursing each other and always wondering why the other lanes are moving fast.

was in mumbai recently and was heading into town. the skyline visible from reclamation on the western expressway is quiet breathtaking, and i agree with my cousin that it definitely is better than the famed skyline at marine drive. the bandra-worli sea link was a pleasure and so were the traffic cops checking for speeding on the link even on a sunday. but the fate of the original plan for the link remains in the balance, possibly forever. it was conceived to go further than the bottleneck at worli all the way to marine drive. with unprecedented cost escalations for getting up till worli, only time will tell if exemplary dedication and motivation(?) can get it any further in the near future. mumbai trans harbour link better watch out!

the delay(if i may call it) did help in refreshing landmarks, albeit with stunning new additions. a worli sea face penthouse would be a pleasure to own. a bright yellow ducati gleamed inside its showroom, haji ali dargah was seen at high and low tide. then came the big daddy of new landmarks. was on dr gopal rao deshmukh marg (a.k.a pedder road) and my vision is filled by a monstrosity. antilia, home for 6, as high as a 60 floor tower but having only 27, believed to have cost 1 to 2 billion US dollars(as if there ain't much of a difference there), 4 lakh sqft of living space, assaulted my view. you can see glimpses from the sea link itself and it is a sight to behold closer up. we can debate on the capitalism/socialism aspect forever, as we can about the building being an eyesore/marvel, the fact is that it stands there alright. maybe capitalism is the best way out, but it should be coupled with some moral initiatives. they have to come from within. i work for myself and i earn money for myself, who am i to question mukesh for what he does with his money. how much will i need to earn before i start helping others i cant really say at this age and time. 

a little further stands kanchanjunga towers, a charles correa masterpiece. completed in the eighties the tower, a personal favorite of mine, houses 28 luxury apartments. there are a variety of units and the sectional changes within the apartments are a delight to study. the garden verandahs among other features sheild the tower from mumbai's relentless weather very effectively. i have heard that owners of the apartments have a hard time selling their much loved homes and moving somewhere else. why was this correa's only high rise project in the city? why did others not try and continue/evolve the design? because everywhere else in the city, the template for new residential high rises remains more or less the same, with maximum exploitation of space the foremost priority, glorified facades the norm and sustainable design being irrelevant.

has the contemporary(antilia) gone downhill after the modern(kanchanjunga)?

getting into hardcore 'town' is an automatic mood up-lifter. nostalgia, the colonial charm, the skyscrapers, marine drive, the maidans, the bullet hole still preserved at cafe leopold from 26/11, kala ghoda and everything else makes it a memorable experience. not to forget the gleaming black porsche 911 carrera that had heads turning. was at the garware club house for lunch with family, the same compound as the refurbished wankhede stadium and i couldn't help feel immense pride. not long ago at this very place mr dhoni hit a smashing six to deliver the world cup to india.

i live to work... i'll like to believe so!!

somebody said a long time ago that i ought to start blogging! well here goes nothing...
was feeling a little weird today, sitting in office with loads of tasks at hand and here i am trying to make my blog?!?