Since April 2013, I have been blogging continuously for 116 months consecutively at least one blog post per month. And that’s around 183 blog posts in total. I have been doing this religiously despite difficulties and challenges. I even vividly remember writing and publishing one on the day of my wedding reception. But that long streak ends here.
One of the main reasons for this decision is that, At times, I find myself churning up some content just for the sake of publishing one for that month and not enjoying the writing process. If you know me personally, I totally hate to do things for namesake. At times, I get hit by writer’s block and have nothing much on my head to write about, and it becomes quite stressful. And, most of all, no one reads my blog posts these days (except a very few).
It doesn’t mean I am going to discontinue blogging forever. It’s something I love. So, will definitely write one when I really feel like writing one and have something exciting to share. And, just that it’s not going to be as frequent as before.
It’s already been a couple of months since I wrote the Part 1 post on this trip, and it’s high time to complete this series before this year ends. My mind voice be like, isn’t it too much to term a couple of blog posts as a series and all. But who cares.
Despite a tiring day, long night, and a ton of food last night, we woke up a bit early for the day. Undoubtedly, the primary motivation for this was also food only. As planned, we started around 6.30 am and traveled all the way to Succendarabad to taste the Kheema Roti at the 68-year-old Main Branch of the most famous Paradise Hotel. The Kheema Rotti was super yummy, and just one portion was sumptuous for breakfast. How could we miss having some Irani Tea after such a heavy meal? So, we headed to the bakery on the other side of the hotel and sipped some hot and comforting Irani Chai. After our Breakfast and Tea, Sashi decided to head home to freshen up, and we decided to roam around in the meanwhile.
Our first stop was one of the most iconic places in Hyderabad. In fact, it’s one of the places that symbolize Hyderabad. I was a bit excited, cos I missed visiting there on my previous two trips to the City of Nizams. After driving through narrow streets, we finally reached the bank of the most famous landmark, the Hussain Sagar Lake, AKA The Tank Bund. Just next to the spot where we parked our car, we saw a flock of Pigeons occupying the nearby trees. While Rocket and Kavi were busy feeding them with grains sold at a nearby shop, I was busy going behind them clicking pictures. Of course, that’s something I can’t afford to miss.
From there, we took a long walk to Lumbini Park, a small park that’s adjacent to the lake, and from where they operate ferries to the Budha Statue, located right in the middle of the lake. It seems we were there quite early and had to wait a bit longer. Meanwhile, we played on the swings there (after ages) and literally felt like a bunch of kids. Finally, the long wait was over, and we boarded the ferry that would take us to the statue and back. As we neared the platform, I was awed and speechless, looking at the gigantic statue. The 18 meters tall Budha Monolyth looked splendid and sculptured out of solid white granite rock. Luckily, there weren’t many people. So, I enjoyed clicking pics of the statue and us. After spending a few mins, the ferry returned us to Lumbini Park. Once out of there, Kavi’s friend from Hyderabad dropped by to catch up with her. In the meanwhile, Rocket and I went searching for a carwash nearby.
After meeting her friend, Kavi joined us back at the car wash place. With nothing much to do till the evening, we quickly discussed with Sashi over the phone and decided to hit the theatres to watch the recently released Shang-Chi. And, the Marvel fan in me couldn’t be any happier. At the same time, our stomachs started growling out of hunger, and to comfort it, we planned to finish our lunch at the same mall where the theatre is. Then, something funny happened. Due to some communication gap and not paying enough attention to the tickets shared, we drove to the wrong mall while Shashi was waiting for us in the right one. Luckily, the one we were supposed to go to is not too far from the one we ended up in. As Shashi reached earlier, he narrowed down Taco Bell amongst the other options available at the mall. Though it was my first time there, I instantly fell in love with their’s Naked Chicken Tacco and the Firey Hot Sauce. And, the movie was also quite funny and entertaining. From there, we headed straight to our room to freshen up and get ready for one fun-filled evening.
Again, it was Shashi who chose the spot for the evening. It was Bar Stock Exchange, a pub that wasn’t that far away from our place. To Rocket’s delight, it was Bollywood night as well that day. As a typical me, I settled over a mocktail and snacks, whereas the rest of the gang rejoiced on some good drinks. And, of course, we danced all night crazily to the fast phases songs that the DJ played. The best part of the night was celebrating Sashi’s birthday at the stroke of midnight with a cake and special wishes from the DJ.
Think, we all thought that the night was still young and unanimously decided to walk to the room instead of taking a cab. And that was definitely one of the best decisions, and our conversations and random singing made the walk worthwhile. The craziness didn’t stop there. Instead of going to our rooms and dozing off, we sat outside the homestay and discussed life and philosophy over the Breezers that we bought yesterday. It was not just that. We even ordered and had Falooda at 2 am sitting inside Rocket’s car. Believe me, that was one hell of an experience. It was past 2 am when we hit the bed, and that’s how one awesome day came to an end.
Day 4 – 12th Sep 2021
We checked out the room early in the morning, intending to reach Chennai before the night. As Kavi planned to meet her friends for breakfast, Rocket and I headed to Shashi’s place in Secundrabad to drop him. As usual, Shashi suggested one nice place near his home where we had some yummy Idli and Vada for breakfast. After dropping Sashi, we picked up Kavi at her friend’s place and said Bid Adieu to the city of pearls, Hyderabad.
Though the roads leading to the highways were narrow and congested, the scene totally changed when connected to the Highways. The route looked totally scenic, complemented with pleasant weather. We even stopped in the middle for a few clicks.
Then, we halted for lunch at a restaurant on the highway that served spicy Rayalaseema-style food, for lunch. Considering the long journey ahead, we limited our food to some Biriyani, Naan, and Curry.
To our surprise, we had some issues with the FastTag and made us stop at countless tool booths and pay by cash. Luckily, one tool booth on the way helped us replace the faulty FastTag with a new one. Not just that, somewhere near Tirupathi, we got stuck in traffic for more than a couple of hours, and that made our plan to reach Chennai before night far from reality.
It was already past 9 when we reached Nagari, a town on the Tamil Nadu – Andra border. Luckily, we spotted a small cafe there. To our surprise, they served some really yummy food.
From there, we headed straight to Chennai, and it was well past midnight when Rocket dropped me at my home. And that’s how an awesome trip came to an end.
I was supposed to write you this on the 27th of this month, i.e., on your birthday. But Appa became busy and somehow managed to write it now. I have permanently dedicated the August month blog posts for your mom and us. Likewise, the November month one would be yours forever. If wondering why I am writing this, kindly refer to last year’s birthday post and the one I shortly wrote after you were born.
You just turned two a couple of days ago, and your mom and I are soo happy. It’s not just you who is growing up fast, but also us who are evolving as parents. Last birthday you were just a toothless fairy who was crawling. But now, you have become one little angel who has tooth grown up and started walking too. At times it’s hard to cope up with you, your nimble activities, and your overwhelming love, but we somehow manage to catch up. And, you have this superpower of makeup for it with your cute smile.
P.S. People say you smile more or less like me, and it makes me quite happy every time I hear it.
Just like me, you also love and enjoy music. Just that, your taste for songs is more like your mom than mine. The following are some of your current favorites, and you wouldn’t even eat without listening to them. I am sure your taste in music would have changed by now, but give these songs a chance. Who knows, you might even start liking them again.
Also, earlier you would only sleep when your mom rocks you. But, lately, you only sleep when I sing to you. Probably you are the only person in this world who likes me singing. If you think you drowse to lullabies, you are absolutely wrong. The below are your fav bedtime songs. I know you would probably be hating me now for singing them horribly. But, all you wanted to know was, Appa tried his best :D.
Your key highlights this year are
You started walking
You started eating on your own (selected foods)
You went to the movie theatre for the very 1st time (Annatha)
Attended a wedding reception for the 1st time (Brags Mama and Ashwini Mami’s)
Most importantly, you started calling me “Appa.”. I used to be a bit jealous of your mom cos, “Amma” was the only word that came out of your mouth for a while.
Iniyaal said "Appa" for the very first time 😍 . Me the happy. Can't wait for her to grow up and call me "Dei Thagappa" .
Now let’s come to your 2nd birthday. It was raining cats and dogs (don’t take it literally) on the week of your Birthday in Chennai. But, luckily, though there was a forecast, there was no rain, and the weather was pleasant in the morning. So, just like your last birthday, we went to the same 1000+ years old temple as suggested by your mom. As usual, you enjoyed going out and the temple atmosphere.
Later in the eve, despite the rain, we went to Sindhu Aunty’s Daughter, Ahanaa’s 1st birthday party. Appa was never good with clothes and fashion. But, Appa chose the one you dressed for the evening, and you were looking absolutely adorable, like one cute doll only. You seemed to enjoy the party, especially around here and there.
To my surprise, your Aunts and Uncles gave you amazing gifts. I am giving you all except for the present from Deepu Mama, the green Dinosaur. Really sorry Iniyaal, kindly forgive me for the same. Also, your Raji Aunty has left you an important note written on a unique postcard along with the set of colorful children’s books that she got for you. I am preserving it for sure. But, just in case if I have lost it, please read it from below.
Like I have said in the two previous letters, love and respect your mom, cos she loves you more than anything else and spends a lot of time and energy taking care of you.
As I promised in the last blog post, this blog post is about another best thing that happened this September, apart from the Hyderabad trip. Also, as I mentioned, I am writing this after completing a significant milestone, and it’s something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I hear you screaming, “Enough of the build-up,” especially if you are one of my friends whom I spammed enough.
So, here we go.
I rode a Hercules Ryders Neo, a hybrid, for 8+ years and decided to upgrade to a road bike. After a lot of thought, searching, saving up, and long waiting, I finally got myself one. It’s a Polygon Bikes Strattos S3 2021, and It definitely felt like a dream come true for me.
Some goodbyes are hard to say. Neo, you have been an awesome companion for 8+ years. pic.twitter.com/GEZykKpsTe
There were too many challenges. The road bikes were in huge demand due to the COVID19 situation. The cost also went a bit up, compared to what I have saved. Most importantly, approval from relevant stakeholders :D. But, somehow, I managed it all. I was supposed to take the cycle delivery on 10th September. However, due to the sudden Hyderabad trip plan, I got it delivered on 9th September itself. I remember feeling quite happy about it while riding the new Rodie home from the cycle store.
Now to the “Significant Milestone” part. I wish I could give a detailed account. But, I am physically and mentally exhausted to do the same. So, I am keeping it really brief. Also, it’s not just an achievement for me, but one of my dreams for quite a long time.
I know you might have guessed it easily from the title itself. But, if you are someone who doesn’t follow cycling and thought I went on a typical tour to Pondicherry, you are wrong, and let me explain quickly. I named the ride similar to the “Tour de France,” the most sought-after professional bicycle race in the world. In a nutshell, I rode my cycle to Pondicherry and back.
Yaay, Mission accomplished. ~150 km ride to Pondicherry. Finally, time to stike this one off the bucket list and it's been there for a long time. pic.twitter.com/osSNQhkZFe
It was a group ride with my awesome fellow INCG (Idhu Namba Cycling Group) riders. That includes 7th and 11th Grade school students (I can’t even call them Kids after seeing them ride). The onward ride was very much manageable except for the last 40 km due to heat and elevation. I can’t really express my joy in words after reaching the Pondicherry entrance.
However, the return ride was not that eventful. In addition to the fatigue from last day’s ride, Right from the beginning, heavy headwinds and elevation were giving us a tough time. In the later part of the ride, rain joined the team to make it even worse. Despite these snags, as a team, we motivated each other, and with some determination, we somehow managed to complete the ride.
Two hell of a ride. Thanks to rain and headwinds. Literally was crawling in to my home 😭 But feeling soo good. I am calling this Tour De Pondy. Until next time #Pondicherrypic.twitter.com/MdCs9Sgfcm
This “Significant Milestone” is one such rare instance where I feel proud of myself. And, of course, I celebrated this with a bottle of my favorite Breezers, as usual. Now all I need is some rest for a couple of days 😀
This month turned out to be quite an awesome one for me. A couple of great things happened, and this blog post is strictly about one of them. Of course, I have reserved a dedicated blog for the second one. I think it would be only apt to post about it after crossing some significant milestone (just a lane excuse, sorry lame excuse for being lazy). But, pinky promise.
How it started
September 9th, 2021, turned out to be one of the memorable days in my life for a couple of reasons, and this trip is definitely one of them. It was KavinNila’s (Kavi) birthday that day, so Remya (aka Rocket) and I got into a WhatsApp video call to wish her. And, of course, and as usual, Sashi was busy to join the call. I am sure you remember these friends from our Delhi-Amritsar-Agra trip. A couple of months ago, in a similar video call, we were actually discussing making a trip to Hyderabad to get a break and meet Sashi. Unfortunately, that didn’t materialize, courtesy of the COVID second wave. So, while on the call, it hit us that it was a long weekend ahead, and in the spur of the moment, we decided to go on a road trip to Hyderabad and start that day evening itself. Indeed, it was so kind of respective family members to give permission (“Ekkedavauthu Po”) for the trip on such short notice. Especially my supportive and understanding wife Bansky.
That Iconic Video Call – Look at our smiley faces 😀
How It Went
Day 1 – 9th Sep 2021
As we were all traveling in Remya’s Car, as planned, she went all the way to Pondicherry to pick up Kavi first. Meanwhile, I was also trying to complete a significant task (which also made the day memorable) in advance that I intended for the next day. So, I got ready after minimal packing, including cleaning my dirty shoes with baby wipes (makeshift madness), and finally got picked up by both of them around 8 pm.
Once we started, I realized that Remya was having a hectic day with one of her projects going live and was on continuous calls since departing from Pondy. It was astonishing max to see her handle both driving and client calls at the same time. At times we paused in the Bypass for her calls to get completed, and unfortunately, her calls kept on extending and finally concluded only around 11 pm when we reached Red Hills. By that time, we were all hungry and stopped at Doni Ka Daba along the highway for a quick dinner.
Remya – WHF (Working from Highway)
Chicken Mughalai
Rotti and Mhugalai Chicken for Dinner
Quickly after dinner, we stopped by the nearest petrol bunk (gas station) to fill the tank to sustain us till our destination. The night ride was pure fun; conversations along with AR Rahman and Ilayaraja hits kept us awake most of the time. Only around midnight, while crossing Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh border, we realized that we were yet to book our stay. Thanks to aggregation apps, we quickly coordinated with Sashi and booked our stay around Madhapur. One of the memorable moments that night was, Remya stopping the car suddenly in the middle of the highway, got out, and started dancing for a beat song. Being an early sleeper, I tried my max to stay awake and sparsely napping in between. However, I completely dozed off around 2 am when Remya stopped the car for a short nap.
Day 2 – 10th Sep 2021
I woke up around 5.30 am when Remya stopped at a Petrol Bunk for refueling. I thought she also got dozed off, but to my surprise, she seemed to have pulled off an all-nighter. Around 6.30 am, we reached Andra Pradesh – Telangana border and stoped by a bridge over the Krishna River for some fresh air and some awesome pics. As we were all hungry, we were looking for eateries around. Luckily not too far, we found one run by 2 sisters serving hot Idlis, Pooris, Crispy Bonda & Vada with an out-of-the-world green chili chutney. After our yummy breakfast, around 7.30 am, we resumed our non-stop journey towards Hyderabad and checked in to our stay at Hyderabad around 10 am.
The Krishna River
That Mandatory Selfie
Our Ride
Wallpaper Worthy Clouds
Bonda & Vada with super Yummy Green Chilli Chutney
Source of Heat
Being sleep-deprived and tired after a night-long ride, I happily assumed that we gonna rest till eve. But, to my surprise, Shashi called us around noon and informed us that we were going out for lunch and he would meet us at the restaurant. The coordinates he shared led us to Teluguneese, an Authentic Regional Cuisine Restaurant. The day being Ganesh Chaturthi, the restaurant offered us one yummy Puliyodarai/Puliyogare as complimentary, and for the same reason, Shashi and Kavi opted for Veg that day. Whereas, Remya and I started with some soup, then yummy Kodi Veppudu (Chicken Fry) for staters, and Ragi Sangati with one mouth-watering Kodi Pulusu (Chicken Curry) for the main course. We finally finished the meal with some HOT Gulabjamun for the dessert.
Puliyodarai
Kodi Rasam (Soup)
Kodi Veppudu
Ragi Sangati & Kodi Pulusu
After quite a heavy meal, we decided to take a walk around that area, and it ended up as a walk down the memory lane for Kavi. Yes, she is an alumnus of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Hyderabad, and her college was nearby. She took us to her favorite Ratnadeep Supermarket, then to a Balaji Temple around the corner from the Supermarket, which she claims to serve amazing Pongal on Saturdays. Finally, to the gates of the NIFT campus and shared a few of her college time stories with us.
Ratnadeep
Balaji Temple
NIFT Campus
All Of Us
After completing the walk, we decided to go back to the room. But, a conversation between Sashi and Kavi led us to the Durgam Cheruvu Lake. To our surprise, the lake features an 800-year-old Bonsai in the entrance. Again we took a quick walk around the lake before returning back to our stay.
After getting freshened up, we booked a cab and headed straight to Zero40, one of the sought-after Microbreweries in Hyderabad. While Sashi and Remya ordered the Beer tasters to start and eventually agreed to get a pint of Old Timer, a craft beer. Whereas Kavi and I decided to go with mocktails as usual. OMG, that place also served lip-smacking starters, especially the Hyderabadi style Chicken 65. Of course, their Stuffed Mushroom and Salad tasted great too.
I also planned to meet my Chennai Blogging Club (CBC) friend Sindhu during this trip. I visited Hyderabad for the 1st time for her wedding. And, also had an awesome time going around the old Hyderabad and trying out a lot of yummy local flavors during my 2nd visit to the city. Luckily, her house was only walking distance from the Brewery. So, instead of traveling all the way back the next day, I requested guys to spare me a few minutes and decided to pay a quick visit to her. I was delighted to meet her and her husband Kiran after a long time and her Little One Aahana for the very first time.
Returning to the Brewery, I ordered one more portion of Chicken 65, continued our conversation, and belatedly celebrated Kavi’s Birthday with a yummy Cheese Cake. We had such an awesome time, and the smile on the pics would say it all.
This is Us
After having such a marvelous time filled with food, nostalgia, and conversation, it was already around midnight when we returned to the stay. Though we were dead tired after such a long and eventful day, we weren’t ready to call it a day. Shashi ordered some flavorsome Biriyani and Egg starters from his favorite Shag Ghouse, and we continued our conversation over it for a couple of more hours before heading to bed. And that’s how an awesome day came to an end.
Before two years, I decided to permanently dedicate the August month’s blog post for my Significant Other, Banupriya (aka) Bansky. If you have been regularly following my blog, you must have already guessed the occasion by now. Yes, it’s her birthday and our anniversary today (30th August).
With my sincere efforts to gift her something priceless, I have put in my precious time (“Sir Romba Busy”) and all of my creativity to pen this one. (Or) It might just be my way of making up for not gifting her anything significant. I leave it to her to decide.
As one of my friends recently mentioned, she is one of the best things that happened to me ever. How true. For this anniversary, she gifted me Veerayuga Nayagan Velpari, a book that I wanted to read for a while. She even said no to anything expensive as I can save up and get something I am passionate about. 😭😭😭 “Emotion Ah Kora.., Emotion Ah Kora..” (Stop getting emotional).
We had a wonderful day with wishes from loved ones and a lovely lunch date at one of her favorite places. We ate so much that we were in a food coma most of our time way back. Despite 4 hours of travel each way, we had quite a relaxed dining out after a long time and that felt really good. Seriously missing our “Us Time” since Iniyaal was born and parenting keeping us busy all the time. Finally, some short escape from the daily chaos by the mercy of my In-Laws. Totally a great day to remember.
Dear Bansky,
As usual, I am short of words to convey my love and gratitude.
All I can say is, thanks for being a great support. It would have been really tough for me to get over the tough times without you. It’s as much truth as much as it sounds cliche.
Cheers to many more awesome years of togetherness ahead.
If procrastination is an Olympic sport, I am sure I would have bagged a medal for my country and make people proud. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I think it’s better to stop discussing my chances of representing India in the Olympics and dive straight into the topic.
With just a couple of hours left for the month to end, I was still contemplating the topic. Somehow, my mind magically recollected my below reply to my friend Raji’s tweet early this month and decided to write something along those lines.
I feel over hyping and creating expectations is the sole reason for many recent movies not doing well . Feel like writing a short blog post on this
Kindly don’t presume and mistake me for a movie buff. Quite like the majority, I watch movies for the sake of entertainment. Just that, I don’t restrict myself to any particular genre or language. Also, when it comes to a cinema, I usually don’t have a lot of expectations. I generally have no clue about the nuances and technicalities. I am happy when the movie engages and entertains me, and watching one that I can connect and relate to is definitely blissful. It’s not just for films and holds good for other art forms as well, be it music or literature. All I do is enjoy them to the liking of my thoughts and perception.
When I was young, even until my early college days, it was only one new movie per year, and that too my parents took us to the theatre only on their wedding anniversaries. Also, till my sister completed her higher secondary schooling, we didn’t have a satellite (cable) TV connection at home, and the movies broadcasted in DD Podhigai were old and repetitive. The worst part was my parents seldom allowed us to watch TV, and I grew up listening to the radio predominantly. So, the day they take us to the movie theatre would be the most expected and exciting day of the year. The theatre-going excitement pivoted around the experience of watching something on a big screen and the softy & the popcorn during the interval. I don’t even remotely remember being curious about the movie itself. For this, the Maharani Theatre would always be evergreen in my memories, followed by MSM and Bharath Theatre.
Things started to change once I entered the college. With a cable TV connection at home, we started watching more recent movies. Also, as a family, we began to go to the theatre more frequently than before. And, when it comes to the movie choice, the prominent decisive factor is Suresh Kumar, the person who presents the “Top 10 Movies”, a movie review and countdown show that aired once a week on Sun TV. His reviewing style is precise and expressed in very few words. Then came the computer at home. Sincere thanks to Praveen, my college friend who diligently downloaded aXXo prints (700 MB DVD rips) even with his dial-up connection and Prakash Anna for his DVD collection, I started watching English movies. I also fondly remember cutting the college and watching First Day First Show (FDFS) of Avatar at Satyam Theatre Main Screen that too the “A” Row. And, that’s the only FDFS so far.
Those days, the prime factor that kindled a lot of interest in an upcoming movie was its songs. Typically songs were released as a whole album (no singles) like a couple of months before the movie release, and it didn’t require much marketing, except for the posters. Along with the Hero factor, more hit the songs more expectations on the movie. Even the trailers were played only at theatres at the beginning of a film or at the interval.
But, with an increase in internet penetration that gave rise to Social Media, YouTube and OTT platforms, the entertainment ecosystem has totally transformed now. I also think things have become overwhelming from both filmmakers and the audience end. Starting from Title launch, Announcement, First Look, Teaser, Audio Track List, Trailer, and Promo Campaigns, the list of activities before a movie release keeps going. Especially when the movie is from a famous production house and with a stellar cast, these activities build up a lot of excitement and expectations among the audience, which most times end up negatively for the film.
Kollywood: Title launch, announcement, first look, teaser, song promo, audio track list, teaser trailer, promo campaign
Malayalam movies: Bruh new movie releasing next week
Also, gone are the days when people only reviewed the movie. Things these days are totally crazy with people even reviewing the first look posters and what’s even worse is, publishing a review of a review. I have no idea where this analysis paralysis would lead us to. And, It’s highly frustrating for the people like me who watch a movie just for the sake of entertainment and nothing else.
Though I wish, the movie-watching experience for me can never be like before. Though the technology has drastically improved to provide better visuals and sounds on a much bigger screen, even watch the movie at home on the release date. But, I don’t think it would bring back the excitement I had as a kid.
Usually, I tend to publish my blog post at the last hour of the last day of the month. But, this time, being heavily inspired by the short essays of Bragadeesh Prasanna Anna and Karthik Pasupathi Ji, I decided to write one early, a short one from my childhood too.
I wonder how many of you have ever seen a Water Tankers. Most of you might have seen it as a part of movie scenes, where people fight for their pot of water. But, for people like me who grew up in North Chennai, Thanni Lorry (how we call it colloquially) is an integral part of our lives. Even when someone rash drives on the road, people typically swear, Nee Thanni Lorryla Adipattu Sagapora (You will get hit by a water tanker and die). Cos, these lorries had a track record of reckless driving and the root cause for many accidents. Never mind, Just North Chennai things.
Randomly thinking about Watter Lorries, a couple of memories flashed in my mind.
The first one was when I was a kid and trying to learn cycle. Those days, I used to be stout (imagine a cute chubby kid) and had immense difficulty learning to cycle. My area Annas (brothers) and my cousin took up the responsibility to somehow make me ride the bicycle. We also used to have this concept of Hour Cycle where cycle shops usually rent cycles on hourly rates. And, typically used these to rental Bicycles to learn. In one such instance, I lost my balance while riding and went straight under the front tires of a Water Tanker. Luckily, the driver tactfully applied the brake, and I escaped with minor bruises. Unfortunately, the cycle suffered some damage, and my parents had to pay the store owner.
The second one is much more personal than the first. I studied at the Broadway Don Bosco school from my LKG to 2nd Class. At the same time, my dad used to work as a Time Keeper at the Chennai Metrowater pumping station across the most famous Stanley Hospital. His main job is to schedule and allocate Water Lorries to different locations. The pumping station also got a filling point where the lorries fill water and then deliver it to its designated neighborhood. Earlier I used to go to school by school bus. But, later, for a brief period, my dad scheduled the morning lorries for my neighborhood to match my school timings. Yes, you guessed it right. You might have seen kids going to school by walk, bus, train, auto, and even by car, but yours awesomely went to the school in Water Tanker for a while. As my dad starts quite early in the morning and has to cycle all the way to his work, my mom would also pack his lunch and send it along with me in the lorry. From there, my dad would take me in his cycle and drop me at the school nearby. A few other things quite vivid in my memory are the ever-crowded Stanley Hospital railway crossing and a fruit salad shop near it.
After spamming friends with enough social media posts on Instagram and Twitter, I am still obliged to write about it here, cos no significant life events leave without going into my blog. If you could remember, my Jan post was all about how I restarted cycling and the lessons from the same. You shall consider this post just as a continuation to it and simply yet another cycling chronicle.
There are 100 years in a century, so as the 100 runs when it comes to cricket. 100 is the basis of percentages and the max score one could secure in almost all exams I wrote in my life. So, you see, 100 is one psychological number perceived as high in value as well as a state of accomplishment. Well, I could hear your mind voice scream impatiently scream “Ennatha dhan solla vara (what do you intending to communicate)” at me, loud and clear. I understand that I should be giving all this useless Gyan, Just cos I completed a 100 km ride on the cycle. But, how else would I annoy my dear readers?
So, before narrating the ride experience, let me tell you about my cycling group and how I met them. Roughly three weeks ago, I decided to ride to one of my favorite spots in Chennai, the N4 Beach, as I missed the place a lot since I moved to my current residence that’s ~40kms away. It’s a most favorite that I even wrote a blog post on it way back in 2009. After starting quite early in the morning, following a couple of hours of tiring ride, I finally reached the place. The view was scintillating with the sun rising over the horizon. But, what surprised me was a group of cyclists, all geared up and taking selfies. When I inquired out of curiosity, they introduced themselves as Idhu Namma Cycling Group and pointed me to Mr. Vimal. After hearing my enthusiasm about cycling, he mentioned that there is also a Chapter in Tambaram and connect me with them. To my surprise, he invited me to join the birthday celebrations of their fellow riders and shared a piece of cake too. A few hours later, he added me to the Tambaram Chapter’s Whatsapp group, and the rest is history.
After a long time, almost years, I went to my most favourite peace spot, the N4 beach. I used to cycle from my home at Thiruvottiyur and spend the weekend mornings there. Today I cycled there from my home at Tambaram, almost 80 km to and fro. #FeelingNostalgicpic.twitter.com/oK80yPSmlN
After getting connected, a couple of days later, I got a call from Vishnu from the group to join us for the ride the next day. Despite being an early riser, their ride time quite surprised me. The next day, we started around 4 am and comfortably completed a 50km ride on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), and it’s the most fav route for the group. It’s a super fun group consisting of wonderful and supportive people, coincidentally hardcore foodies just like me. So, when the team planned to go on a 100 km ride the following weekend, and with the confidence of already completing 80 km, I immediately decided to join without any second thought.
As planned, I started around 3.30 am and joined the group (Myself, Vishnu, Anand, and Sreekanth) by 4.00 am at Tambaram Hindu Mission Hospital (our usual rendezvous point). Then we were joined by the rest (Pravin, Abhinesh, Raja Sir, Bala Sir, and Sowmi Sir) at Vandalur and reached Kovalam via the Vandalur Kelambakkam Road. We had to halt for a few minutes at Kovalam due to unfortunate punctures.
There wasn’t any need to stop except the captivating view of sunrise from the Mutmuttukadu bridge, and our group wouldn’t miss such a photo opportunity. Thus, after a quick photo shoot, we resumed our ride.
From there, we went non-stop to Namba Chennai Selfie Point at Marina Beach. By that time, we have already completed almost 70km and a little tired and dehydrated. So we all unanimously decided to have our breakfast at the most popular Rathna Cafe of Triplicane. I was super excited as this place has been on my list for a very long time, and I finally get to eat there.
From there, it was a non-stop ride to Tambaram via The Mount Road. As expected, the challenging factor was the Chennai heat all over the ride. The app displayed 100km when I was nearing the Tambaram Sanitorium and was shamelessly shouting out of joy and cheering myself while the public on the road threw an odd, strange look at me. Finally, it was precisely 102 km when I reached back at our starting point. I badly want to click a selfie to cherish the moment, but unfortunately, my mobile got switched off due to overheating. It was almost 11.30 am when I reached home thoroughly tired but with a feeling of accomplishment. I also feared losing the complete ride data as the mobile switched off. However, I was super glad to see Strava automatically restore my ride.
I am someone who is never shy of celebrating my small successes. So, I ended the day by treating myself with my favorite Jamaican Passion Breezer, which I saved for the last four months, along with some yummy grilled chicken.
I must really thank the group for their motivation and support all along the ride. I am looking forward to many more such awesome rides with them. Cheers.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I decided to focus more on my physical and mental health this year. So, as baby steps, I somehow managed to ride 272 km this month. And, that consists of 3 long-distance rides (>55 km). I hope to be more regular and hope it can only get better from here. Cycling being one lonely activity for me, a lot of thoughts at times rush through my brain. It’s due to pain at times as it’s quite excruciating, especially during the long rides, and at times it’s the environment and its subject that induces the thoughts. Though most of it is usually random and useless, this particular one just kept resonating, and I thought to reflect on the same in this blog post.
I restarted cycling almost after a couple of years with comfortable rides just around my neighborhood for a couple of weeks. Then I gradually pushed myself towards the more distant beach and highway rides.
Typically excruciating, like any other journey in life, these long rides could be occasionally enlightening as well, and this was one such. It was a ride on the highway, on a route that I frequently drive through on my motorbike at my max speed, rejoicing the feel of the breeze caresses my face. However, the experience of riding the bicycle on the same turned out to be a complete contrast. During the course of the ride, while climbing an uphill with a steep gradient, it struck me that all this time, I have been enjoying the scene of the route while completely ignoring its steep slopes. Completely soaked in sweat and in terrible pain, my exhausted mind realized that though the path and the destination might be the same, the journey is totally different, and all along, I have been riding on a privilege.
Since then, whenever I am on the roads pedalling, I began noticing people from different walks of life cycling. One would be a tired construction worker wearing a helmet and a fluorescent green vest. The other would be a working teen pedalling hard to deliver goods. Then, an old man cycling really slow, cos of his age, and as he got no other option. Also, a girl with milk cans that’s suspended over the handlebars. And, a man cautiously riding with his wife sitting on the carrier and tightly holding the toddler. Seeing them, I feel like they scream loud, “I cycle for my livelihood and necessity, whereas you for recreation and leisure, and definitely WE ARE NOT THE SAME BRO, and you are riding on your privilege”.
Either earned or inherited, I think it’s essential to first acknowledge the privileges bestowed upon us and be grateful for the same. Likewise, It’s also equally important that we appreciate, empathize, help, and be kind to people who are on the same road towards the same destination and not privileged as you are.
On a closing note, If you are reading this, you are undoubtedly privileged 63.2% of the world population who got access to the internet.
Gokoulane Ravi 