Travel thoughts!!!

Traveling from Mumbai to Vadodara on board the 2951 Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani Express was an amazing experience, not because it was my first tryst with the hallowed train, but due to the sense of realization that it gave me. Work life is associated with traveling. Right from childhood we have witnessed our parents taking off on business tours to places far and wide. As children we have marveled at this fact and possibly wished that in our careers we get such opportunities as well. Then there is the other facet of travel where in the place of work is close to home, but not close enough for daily commute. In such cases there is a weekly commute on the weekend.

Such a situation has befallen me as I have joined Larsen and Toubro, Power in Vadodara. Vadodara is a city in the state of Gujarat which is about 400kms from Mumbai or in other words 5 hrs travel time. We get the 2nd and 4th Saturday’s off, government style, which provides me with an opportunity to go home for two days and socialize with all those who are dear to me. Thank god for leaving me with this option. Otherwise I might have been sent to some obscure location in India which would’ve been days away from home. (Might still happen when I’m sent on site work but for now it’s cool). To cater to this requirement I frequent the IRCTC website to check for availability of tickets. This has resulted in me learning by-heart most of the trains that frequent the metal rails of the Mumbai New Delhi route. I could possibly dole out advice to people who want to travel this path!

Anyways, the feeling of commuting every fortnight to Mumbai (Thane) is almost surreal. It heightens the sense of growing up. The feeling is like, “Oh my God! I am going to Work!” or “I am going home after a fortnight’s toil”. Gone are the days when you went to school or college and had no worries besides the academics or relationships (in college mostly). It’s the coming of age in the true sense of the term. Paying for stuff with your hard earned dough, actually taking stock of where the moolah has gone, being responsible for every action of yours, blah-blah, you get the drift. I don’t want to shake those who wish to live in denial! Some of us are already seasoned practitioners of the above philosophies, the very people that others called misers. For us the transition isn’t too difficult but for those who have spent their time on their parent’s cash, exercising little thrift, correction no thrift whatsoever this may be a near herculean task. Suddenly all the luxury that you had has gone whoosh in a moment.

The earning of life’s first wage is an emotion worth experiencing. For us it was empty because we got paid for doing nothing except resting our respective buttocks on chairs in the auditorium and listening to lectures delivered in the name of training. Not that I am complaining because I do realize that what we learn in our engineering courses is largely bogus and that we are incapable of starting work as soon as we join. Yet hard earned money is HARD EARNED MONEY at the end of the day.

[There are a few more things to be mentioned, will do so when I gather them.]

The One Minute Applause!

The following article will shake the very foundation of traditional India and believe me when I say it that when it comes to tradition there's no other country like India in terms of following it.

Death or passing away of an individual is always an occasion of great sadness, sorrow and grief. A person that you have been close to for a sufficient period of time has left you and naturally you are going to feel the pain due to loss of companionship but therein lies the irony. The selfishness of mankind can be observed in such grave circumstances as well. We grieve not because someone has lost their life but because we have lost something be it a friend, family member, relative, etc. There are few people who'll think about the soul that has departed whereas the major focus rests on the bereaved. What will happen to them is the primary question on people's minds. We have all seen it in films as well. The dialogue that is screamed out by the mourning character, especially the wife, will be, "Aap kyun chale gaye, ab mera kya hoga?" See the selfishness!

The old practice of having a minute's silence to mourn the loss of an individual is tradition and we have all seen it in person or on TV, in case some leader or sportsperson passes away. All we ever talk about is what we have lost not what the deceased has gained. Maybe the deceased was suffering like hell and that maybe death was a blessing to him/her, it might have put them out of their misery but there are few who think like that. We want that person to suffer so that we can enjoy their company for a few more years.

A few years ago I witnessed something monumental on the football pitch while watching the English Premier League. Don't quite remember the match or the ground where I witnessed it but the story was something like this. A young child who was a fan of the home team tragically lost his life. The grieving parents were there at the match where a jersey was presented to them by the club. The mother, weeping profusely, and the father had requested the club to not call for a minute's silence but rather a minute's applause to celebrate the child's life. So at the referee's whistle the entire crowd started clapping and continued to do so for an entire minute in remembrance of the young boy. It was an amazing atmosphere and I was forever hooked on to that idea. Since then it has been a regular practice in the world of football, at least, to commemorate the passing of legends and spectators alike rather than to mourn.

It is but obvious that the human being, being gifted the blessing of emotions, experiences them at such times, natural to feel aggrieved and sad, but the gist is that the focus must be on the deceased and no one else. Just like when the child is born the focus remains the infant, despite the joys that it brings to the parents and close family, so must it be in death. Think about it people and maybe someday there shall be no more periods of silence to mourn but periods of rapturous applause to celebrate the contributions of the individual, who's soul has been liberated from its terrestrial existence, the world over.

The Hunger of Mankind!

Having just watched the Kabir Khan (no not Shahrukh's alias from Chak de India) directed flick, New York, I am tempted to write on a topic that has forever plagued my mind.

Mankind or lets say Homo sapiens, the only 'thinking' species to have inhabited Planet Earth so far, has always had an insatiable appetite. Be it for knowledge or for power. Having evolved from animals at some point of time the 'animal instinct' has never escaped the human race and still prevails to date. In the times of Australopithecus, Neanderthal man and all our early ancestors the fight used to be for survival, to garner food, and continue the existence of man. So it was natural for hierarchies to form, for men to fight amongst each other and for some individual to become the head of the troop. The troop has always had a figure-head in the animal world as well as the human world. His/her (yes, there were matriarchal societies as well) role was to look after the well being of the members of the troop and protect them from any dangers that might be lurking. Basically a certain form of governance which we also have. Power corrupts, we say, well it does. The head used to be the most well fed being, had all the luxuries, enjoyed his domination and tried to snub any competition at the beginning itself. Much as it is done today. Troops or herds had territories so as to be able to attain food easily and without much competition. Yet there were the select rebellious few who used to venture out of their territories in order to challenge the respective authority and to dominate more and more land. This could be termed as the modern day war.

The word co-existence just does not ring a bell in today's world, the Kaliyug as we call it today, it's more of the Darwinian survival of the fittest theory as the strong become stronger and the weak... well I do not need to finish that do I. The Earth was divided into countries and further into states/territories for the purpose of governance but it has ended up completely wrong with Man's lust for power. Man has fought over these so called nations/empires, which he himself made, to show his strength since time immemorial. It has resulted in holocausts, blood-baths, destruction of countries, crippled trade, economies, destroyed tribes, ethnicity's, you name it, it's been achieved. Hell... we even fight over natural resources which are actually the property of all mankind as well as living being. All to satiate the insatiable lust for power, riches that has plagued mankind for millenia. In the infancy of humanity, strong individuals were supposed to be genetically better as well, so it was natural for them to show off their "talents" to attract the opposite gender and enable successful procreation plus there was the larger likelihood that the stronger man would provide for the family much better. The practice continues even today although the gene pool is very much mixed and there is no guarantee that what one appears to be is what one really is. Yet the apparently strong get the benefit of attention and the weak go unnoticed even though they may be better. Now, they say, species are supposed to evolve as time goes by yet most of our behaviour is dictated by our primal instincts.

The issue that I really am hinting at is that of a peaceful society, actually an Ideal society, where people really do treat each other as equals and not just throw the word equality around as jargon. Man with his supreme intelligence is very much capable of co-existing with other humans and nature itself. Yet we choose to rape Mother Nature of her beauty and kill, maim, cripple all living beings, ourselves included in an ego-maniacal fashion, almost canibalistically. We build machines of war, spend millions of dollars, rupees and other worldly currencies on updating weaponry, technology that will be used to harm our own brethren. The term that we use is 'Defence'. How ironic that we should defend ourselves from our own kind? These same dollars could be invested in things to make our lives better, to ensure that no one is left behind and that no or very little harm is done to the world so that the species after us could still have something worth living on. Those who have watched the Michael Bay directed movie Transformers will remember this dialogue by Optimus Prime, "Humans are a primitive species,..., they have much to learn." , I am afraid the script writer was right, we do have a lot to learn.

[There's a bit more that I have to say... I shall phrase it properly and shall add it later. Meanwhile let us debate whatever I have posted here. Awaiting your comments.]

Tour de France 2009

It's that time of the year again, yes you guessed it, July is here and with the first week of the month comes the most awaited cycling event of the world the Tour de France (TDF). 20 teams of 9 riders each take to the roads of France and some neighboring countries to compete in this 23 day long slug-fest of 'pedal to the tarmac' action. The highlight this year is undoubtedly the return of the prodigal son Lance Armstrong to the world of cycling. The 7 times TDF champion makes his come back, after 3 years, to ride for his cancer foundation and also perhaps to make more history. The Astana team is back, with Alberto Contador as the leader, having put all the doping allegations behind them. Carlos Sastre will be defending his title this time around but with much stiffer competition. Big names return to the circuit in the form of former runner-up Ivan Basso, Contador (2007 winner), Armstrong, Leipheimer, amongst others.

The 20 teams that will take to the roads in this year's edition
AG2R - La Mondiale
Agritubel
Astana
BBox Bouygues Telecom
Caisse D'Epargne
Cervelo Test Team
Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Francaise Des Jeux
Garmin - Slipstream
Lampre - N.G.C
Liquigas
Quick Step
Rabobank Cycling Team
Silence - Lotto
Skil - Shimano
Team Columbia - High Road
Team Katusha
Team Milram
Team Saxo Bank

This edition marks the return of the Prologue Time Trial and the Team Time Trial to the format and will have the riders go along the traditional "Pyrenees first Alps second" route of the country. The race starts in Monaco this year with the Prologue to be held there on the 4th of July. The race then heads along the south coast of France and then crosses the border into Spain at Gerone. Barcelona is the next stop before the race moves northwards towards the Pyrenees for three gruelling days in those mountain passes. The race touches Andorra with a night spent in the capital, Andorra-La-Vieille. The Team Time Trial will be run on the 7th of July in Montpellier. The race leaves the Pyrenees on the 12th to finish at the town of Tarbes with a rest day to follow at Limoges. The most important stage (from the French Perspective) on the 14th, Bastille Day, takes us from Limoges to Issoudun as the tour moves towards the north of France and the Alps. The stage from Pontarlier to Verbier marks the start of the Alpine leg of the race with the tour crossing over into Italy and ending in Switzerland at Verbier. A rest day follows before two more days of gruelling Alpine action. The race proceeds towards the Individual Time Trial at Annecy on the 23rd and then to the Provence region for an epic finish at the summit of the famous Mont Ventoux on the penultimate day of the race. The tour makes its customary finish in Paris on the 26th for what will be a stage of mere formality for the riders fighting it out in the General Classification.

[For those who are unfamiliar with the race, here's my previous article that explains the basics. http://pranavspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/tour-de-france.html]

The complete stage details are as follows:

1	Individual time-trial	Saturday 4 July	Monaco > Monaco	15.5 km
2	Plain	Sunday 5 July	Monaco > Brignoles	187 km
3	Plain	Monday 6 July	Marseille > La Grande-Motte	196.5 km
4	Team TT	Tuesday 7 July	Montpellier > Montpellier	39 km
5	Plain	Wednesday 8 July	Le Cap d’Agde > Perpignan	196.5 km
6	Plain	Thursday 9 July	Gérone > Barcelone	181.5 km
7	High Mountains	Friday 10 July	Barcelone > Andorre Arcalis	224 km
8	High Mountains	Saturday 11 July	Andorre-la-Vieille > Saint-Girons	176.5 km
9	High Mountains	Sunday 12 July	Saint-Gaudens > Tarbes	160.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 13 July	Limoges
10	Plain	Tuesday 14 July	Limoges > Issoudun	194.5 km
11	Plain	Wednesday 15 July	Vatan > Saint-Fargeau	192 km
12	Plain	Thursday 16 July	Tonnerre > Vittel	211.5 km
13	Medium mountains	Friday 17 July	Vittel > Colmar	200 km
14	Plain	Saturday 18 July	Colmar > Besançon	199 km
15	High Mountains	Sunday 19 July	Pontarlier > Verbier	207.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 20 July	Verbier
16	High Mountains	Tuesday 21 July	Martigny > Bourg-Saint-Maurice	159 km
17	High Mountains	Wednesday 22 July	Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Le Grand-Bornand	169.5 km
18	Individual time-trial	Thursday 23 July	Annecy > Annecy	40.5 km
19	Plain	Friday 24 July	Bourgoin-Jallieu > Aubenas	178 km
20	High Mountains	Saturday 25 July	Montélimar > Mont Ventoux	167 km
21	Plain	Sunday 26 July	Montereau-Fault-Yonne > Paris Champs-Élysées	164 km

The Time Trials this time around are a bit shorter than previous editions, by about 10 kms, which should make things very interesting.

The Tour hits the Pyrenees in Stage 7 (at 224 km the longest stage of the Tour) on the way from Barcelona to Andorra. The riders vying for the King of the Mountain classification will start their race in earnest as the first of the higher category climbs make their appearance. This stage has 5 climbs, 2 category 3, 1 category 4, 1 category 1 and the first of the Hors category climbs on its schedule. The category 1 climb is that of the Col de Serra-Seca (7.7 km climb to 7.1 %, 127 km from the start) and may, just may, be a test for some of the top riders to see their level of preparation. The final climb of the day is the stage finish at the ski resort in Andorra, Andorre Arcalis (10.6 km climb to 7.1 %), with double points on offer and the fact that it is the Hors category climb, some riders will surely go for glory.

Stage 8 (176.5 km) begins from the capital of Andorra, Andorra-La-Vieille and ends in the town of Saint Girons. The second day in the Pyrenees may have some of the big guns getting their domestiques out for a trial by fire to check out their competition. This stage as three climbs, 2 category 1 and a category 2 climb. The first of the Cat-1 climbs, Port d'Envalira (23.2 km climb to 5.1 %, 23.5 km from the start) could be a possible breakaway opportunity for some very ambitious rider since it comes very early in the stage. The famous Col de Port (11.4 km climb to 5.5 %, 102 km from the start) is the category 2 climb as the riders make their way towards familiar land on their approach to the Tourmalet. The other Cat-1 climb of Col d'Agnes ( 12.4 km climb to 6 %, 132.5 km) will be an opportune time to demoralize the opposition with Stage 9 promising to be a killer. The stage has a flat finish into the town of Saint Girons.

Stage 9 (160.5 km) will be run from the town of Saint Gaudens to Tarbes and marks the end of the high mountains for a week and will prove to very important tactically as the rest day follows this stage before the Bastille day showdown. Nestled in the Pyrenees this stage comprises only two climbs but what climbs they are. The first is the Cat-1 climb of the Col d'Aspin (12.3 km climb to 6.4 %, 60.5 km from the start) is a beast by itself but coupled with the climb to follow the stage promises to be historic. Yes, next up is the Col du Tourmalet (17.1 km climb to 7.4 % ,90 km from the start) and with Armstrong in the pack this time around this climb is a must watch. The most famous summit of the Pyrenees alongside the Hautacam used to be Lance's favourite and it would be amazing to see him finish first on this climb. The route makes it's way out of the Pyrenees onto the flats for the finish in Tarbes. The party will fly out to Limoges for the first rest day to follow on the next day, 13th July.

Stage 15 marks the beginning of the Alpine tryst for this edition of the Tour. The stage begins in the town of Pontarlier and after traversing through two countries, France and Italy, and covering 207.5 km the stage finishes in the ski-resort town of Verbier in Switzerland. Verbier lies in the foot-hills of the famous Mont Blanc. This stage comprises of 6 climbs, 4 category 3, and one Cat-2 and Cat-1 climb each. The first of the summits comes at just 8 kms from the start. This stage will be more like a warm-up with two big days to follow after a rest day. The category 2 climb of Col des Mosses (13.8 km climb to 4 %, 135 km) and the category 1 climb to the finish at Verbier (8.8 km climb to 7.5 %) will be possible King of the Mountain battles with double points on offer for the stage finish.

Stage 16, following the rest day, from Martigny to Bourg-Saint-Maurice which runs for 159 km could be where the real hustle-bustle for the General Classification will begin. With two horrific climbs to negotiate on this stage the big guns sure will start eliminating those whom the fear most. At 16.1 km into the stage the riders will begin the arduous climb to the Summit of Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, a Hors category climb ( 24.4 km climb to 6.2 %), and then they drop into the Alpine Valley before the ride towards the heavens once again. This happens at 105.4 km into the stage as they begin their vertical journey up to the summit of the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, a category 1 climb (22.6 km climb to 5.1 %), and then again drop down slightly to the finish. The race will be far from finished though with two more mountain stages and the Individual Time Trial still to go. (This is what makes the Tour most exciting!)

Stage 17 marks the end of the Alps with the stage from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand- Bornand that runs for 169.5 km. Sadly the L'Alpe D'Huez and the Col d'Aubisque miss out from the tour this time but there are some decent climbs on show. A killer stage in prospect, the Cormet de Roselend is the first to rear its head at the riders and that too right from the start. The summit of the climb lies at 18 km and it is climb to an average gradient of 5.7%, a Cat-1. Three more Cat-1 climbs follow along with a Cat-2 climb which is what makes the stage a real 'toughie'. The Col des Saisies (15.1 km climb to 6 %, 56 km from the start) is the next Cat-1 climb followed by Côte d'Araches (6.3 km climb to 7 %, Category 2), Col de Romme (8.8 km climb to 8.9 %,) Category 1 and the famous Col de la Colombière (7.5 km climb to 8.5 %, Category 1, 154.5 km from the start) to finish the Alps with.

Stage 18 is the Individual Time Trial in the town of Annecy at the base of the Alps. Yet the pecking order may not be finalized with another mountain stage to come. A first for many years.

Stage 20 will most likely be the decider of this year's Tour as the riders travel through the Provence region and summit the Mont Ventoux to effectively end the race. The stage begins in Montelimar and covers 167 km. The highlight is of course the Hors category climb to the summit of the Ventoux, highest point in the region, (21.1 km climb to 7.6 %) where the winner of the race will be decided and so will be the King of the Mountain champion.

So that is it, the stage is set for United States Independence day when the cycling begins!

A Week To Remember!!! (Part -7)

Day 7, 8th January, lack of punctuality wasn't exactly an option on this day for our getting home depended on following the schedule down to the T. Luckily people did achieve the impossible and got ready for departure on time, of course through yours truly's pestering. The surprise element was the fact that our transport wasn't ready, which was amazing since our driver was the consummate professional. We checked out of the hotel at around 7 in the morning but not without complications. Having already made full payment for the rooms and extra beds I was shocked to know that we had to pay money for anything other than the food and sundry items. On further probing I found out that the voucher in the receptionist's hand wasn't ours at all. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and discovered that the hotel rates had been revised since our booking and in fact the rates had fallen. Yippee! We received some money back but with the food bill added we had to pay some measly amount. We picked up our luggage, boarded the bus and began our return journey winding all the way down from Ooty to Bengaluru.

It was nice and cold in the morning with the mercury having touched zero overnight once again. The hills looked wonderful in the early sunshine and they seemed to be rushing by us. They actually were as the driver was descending pretty quickly (no, not recklessly) but that caused a few people some measure of discomfort (I hope you get the drift). We had to make a stop for everybody to feel well again and the band wagon continued. Most of the gang dozed off pretty much the norm by now. The journey was like a flash back shown in films wherein time is shown to reverse and everything just goes backwards. We were passing the same areas that we had encountered on our forward journey, thus, it was akin to us unwinding the past few days. We dropped down the hills, covering the hairpins, crossed Bandipur National Park, caught a few glimpses of the animals road-side, and proceeded towards Mysore. We had a breakfast stop at around 10:30 at a place where some monkeys were reigning chaos. Another tourist bus was parked and its windows were open. The monkeys were simply jumping in and out of the bus making all the people go crazy and a bit scared. Trust me messing with the monkeys is not a good idea! All of us had some dosas, bought some drinks (soft), gum, snacks, etc. The most hilarious sight was that all the tourists Indian and others just kept staring at our bus such was its grandeur thinking that, "How did these kids get hold of it?". Three members of the posse decided to take a hike and disappeared (don't quite remember who it was) so we had to wait for them for a few minutes.

As I have already said in earlier parts, playing cards was the single pastime in the bus. Bluff and another game (the name eludes me) were the games that we played and we literally played for hours. Listening to music was another side activity, be it Bollywood or Kannada, the gang even persuaded the driver to play a movie on the screen. Yes, our bus had a video player as well! Sadly the movie collection wasn't anything to write home about and people ended up watching Chalte Chalte , the SRK flick. We bypassed Mysore town and joined the highway to Bengaluru. The driver was taking no stops and was burning up the road as the Bengaluru traffic is pretty bad and so sufficient time reserves had to be left. We stopped for lunch at Maddur. Some of us went to the restaurant and had thali's for lunch, well... insatiable appetites require such meals, while some who had bit more money to spend went to Cafe Coffee Day. Imagine that! That too for lunch! After having our refueled ourselves and the bus the journey resumed as we hurtled towards Bengaluru. It was around 2 in the afternoon that we left Maddur and we still had 60 kms to travel. The train was scheduled to depart at 20:10. We reached the city by around 4:45 and we asked the driver if there was a possibility to go to M.G. Road for some last minute shopping. He started complaining about the traffic and the lack of parking space but he agreed to go there saying that the police could be coaxed into allowing the bus to be parked near the Chinnaswamy Stadium! He dropped us outside Holy Trinity Church and asked us to be back there by 5:45 so that he would pick us up. The rabble was offloaded and the group dispersed to do their things. I made a quick call to my friends and asked if I could drop by. So I walked all the way down from one end of M.G.Road to Ulsoor Lake in 18 minutes flat, spent 20 minutes there and sped back towards the Church. On the way back I encountered members of our gang who were also returning. Chinmay was going the other way though since he had to make a cash withdrawal. More delays. We made it to the bus in time and got in. Now the funda with the traffic in the city is simple, if you are lucky you reach in no time, if you aren't you reach after a lot of time! In our case we were the former and so reached with some serious time to spare. (The final para will come shortly)

A Brilliant Speech... By Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca... excerpt from Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.

To the Illuminati and to those of science, let me say this, you have won the war. The wheels have been in motion for a long time, your victory has been inevitable. Never before has it been as obvious as it is at this moment. Science is the new God.

Medicine, electronic communications, space travel, genetic manipulation... these are the miracles about which we now tell our children. These are the miracles we herald as proof that science will bring us the answers. The ancient immaculate conceptions, burning ashes, and parting seas are no longer relevant. God has become obsolete. Science has won the battle. We concede.

But Science's victory has cost every one of us. And it has cost us deeply. Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic accident. Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold anything sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn foetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters God's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning... and all it finds is more questions.

The ancient war between science and religion is over. You have won. But you have not won fairly. You have not won by providing answers. You have won by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus. Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure scientific progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void. We cry out for meaning. And believe me, we do cry out. We see UFO's, engage in channeling, spirit contact, out-of- body experiences, mindquests- all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology.

Science, you say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species... moving down a path of destruction.

Who is this God science? Who is the God who offers his people power but no moral framework to tell you how to use that power? What kind of God gives a child fire but does not warn the child of its dangers? The language of science comes with no signposts about good or bad. Science textbooks tell us how to create a nuclear reaction, and yet they contain no chapter asking us if it is a good or a bad idea.

To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from being your signposts. Our resources are drying up from our campaign to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. We ask not why you will not govern yourselves, but how can you? Your world moves so fast that if you stop even for an instant to consider the implications of your actions, someone more efficient will whip past you in a blur. So you move on. You proliferate weapons of mass destruction, but it is the Pope who travels the world beseeching leaders to use restraint. You clone living creatures, but it is the church reminding us to consider the implications of our actions. You encourage people to interact on phones, video screens, and computers, but it the church who opens its doors and reminds us to commune in person as we were meant to do. You even murder unborn babies in the name of research that will save lives. Again, it is the church who points out the fallacy of this reasoning.

And all the while, you proclaim the church is ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power? The church is reaching out to you. Reaching out to everyone. And yet the more we reach, the more you push us away. Show me proof that there is a God you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God! You ask what God looks like. I say, where did that question come from? The answers are one and the same. Do you not see God in your science? How can you miss Him! You proclaim that even the slightest change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would have rendered our universe a lifeless mist rather than our magnificent sea of heavenly bodies, and yet you fail to see God's hand in this? Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right deck from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?

Whether or not you believe in God, you must believe this. When we as a species abandon our trust in the power greater than us, we abandon our sense of accountability. Faith... all faiths... are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable... With faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do... looking beyond the ritual of these walls... they would see a modern miracle... a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control.

Are we obsolete? Are these men dinosaurs? Am I? Does the world really need a voice for the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the unborn child? Do we really need souls like these who , though imperfect, spend their lives imploring each of us to read the signposts of morality and not lose our way?

P.S :- Well... people's points of view may and will be different, I just chose to post this as food for thought. As they say the power is yours.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-6)

Day 6, 7th January, effectively the last day of our trip since the next two days would basically involve winding down back to Bengaluru and subsequently to Mumbai. Yet this thought barely crossed any of our minds as the euphoria of the vacation had us gripped. As I mentioned earlier my early morning wake-up calls were now a rage... actually they caused rage to everyone! Despite my frantic banging on the doors and shouting people's names the gang just refused to wake up and when they finally did the aforementioned water problem hindered everybody's plans so it was bye bye to the morning toy train plan. That left me slightly enraged since my roomies and I had gotten up sufficiently early and were ready for departure but the climate was great and so was the day so my fury calmed down pretty quickly. So the schedule of the day was revamped to going to the Botanical Gardens in the morning followed by an afternoon trip to Coonoor and try and catch the train from Coonoor to Ooty instead.

We left for the Botanical Gardens around 9:30, I think, after having some decent breakfast and reached the place. It was a really great place with an array of trees and shrubs native to our country and to other nations as well. The nursery/greenhouse where the ferns and flowering plants were kept was amazing with the bees buzzing around and feeding on pollen. Great photo-op but yet people chose to have their own photos taken in front of these beauties of nature rather than focus on those beauties! Yet there were a sane few who chose nature over man and shot the right stuff. I'll show you some samples.




After gazing at god's creations. We proceeded out of the nursery and just roamed around. When I say roamed around I actually mean that the group splintered. This happened by virtue of two facts. One, some were totally obsessed with photo session and two, some of us were just chatting and looking around too busy to notice that the rest were preoccupied. The result, Prabhat, Kundan, and myself (Group 1) were split from the group and subsequently Archana and Viraat (Group 2) also split. Now the layout of the place is such that splintering equates to people being spread over acres of greenery so basically very little chance of people locating each other. So 17 of us were split into 3 or 4 groups and were spread all over the place. Thanks for the invention that is the cell phone which helps in bridging the largest of communication gaps! Thus, locating each other was that bit easier. Anyways, the serenity of the place cannot be described in words it is just so peaceful. Standing amidst the huge trees makes you realize that you are but a mere cog in the machine that is the world, important yes, but yet not irreplaceable. A truly humbling experience. Group 1 was roaming the entire area gazing at the plethora of vegetation laid out before us which in a city like Mumbai is found few and far between. All the levels of the garden were explored thoroughly by us. On the way back we caught up with group 2 who were having their pictures taken! So the two groups combined and re-explored the flats of plants. Somewhere along the line we got a call that Pushpendra had fallen ill so we hurried out to the place where the rest of the gang had assembled. With significant difficulty in understanding the directions given by Eldrich, despite me standing in his plain sight, we managed to locate the rabble! The gang was sprawled on the lawn and the cameras were out again as Pushpendra rested.







It is here that I got a whiff of what the rest had indulged in. Here are the highlights! They had been up to the cannon antics, again, had been competing in games such as rolling down the sloped lawns and seeing who wins. The result being Jobin getting a foot in the head and the sight not being pretty at all. Yet it seemed real fun. They had barely progressed past half the gardens but then again I don't think that was their primary objective either. They had succeeded in the primary objective having unadulterated fun!






After the respite provided by this brief interval we proceeded out of the Gardens and back to the parking lot where our transport was parked. Some had to shop and so they went along their merry way with the rendezvous time fixed at 12 or 12:30 at the bus. Needless to say that the time came and went without the gang reporting and once again we were delayed. Next stop was lunch and the gang chose "Dhabba Express", yes, that is how the owners had named their eatery rather than "Dhaba Express" as it should have been. Yet the food was not a dhabba on Punjabi food. It was truly great and I'd recommend the place to anybody. The Gobi is fantastic. After having that fantastic meal we were on our way to the Tea Gardens at Coonoor.

A new activity was started on the bus en route Coonoor and that was named as "DJ Pranav" by me! Basically it was me playing music on my cellular phone for the benefit of my fellow "backbencher's" and the others doing a karaoke. Eldrich, Siddharth, Rahul, Parth, Archana, Simranjit and me were the primary beneficiaries of this activity. The rest were either busy chatting or sleeping. There are few things that give greater pleasure than driving down valley roads and listening to good music. Heaven for both the eyes and ears! It was onwards and downwards to Coonoor about one and a half hour from Udhagamandalam. The destination was the tea garden. Tea gardens are generally acres of greenery about waist high interspersed with orchards of larger trees used to prevent soil erosion due to slope used for growing tea. There was no one from the company (who run the plantation) to explain the processes involved in tea making so we ventured around the area and people started clicking photos. The photos were such that they are not worth explaining but some managed to capture some birds that were flying around. Just as we were about to leave we caught sight of a tea picking lady and some of us went up to her and asked her to explain the picking process. (Having people conversant in the local language helped obviously!) Before that Oto had taken a class n picking tea leaves himself.
So as some were busy listening to the lady the others went to the local tea shop to savour the various flavours. There were three varieties on sale the unique one being the chocolate tea! The rest of the gang joined up and finished their shopping spree, some purchased eucalyptus oil as well.





We boarded the bus as we had to catch the train from Coonoor station at 4:30 and we had about half an hour to reach there. On the way I had to stop at the ATM to withdraw cash which is why I was in panic mode. We reached the ATM and my worst fears came true, it was already occupied and to top it there was a novice operating the machine which cost me precious seconds. I got in made the withdrawal and came out literally ran up to the bus and got it in Mumbai BEST style. We made it to the station just in time but discovered that the train was full. That was it no toy train journey for us. So we called the bus and boarded it, disappointed, and resumed with DJ Pranav. Plans were made for the evening wherein the shopaholics would go do their thing and the rest of us would go and play pool and then we would meet for dinner.

The pool session went great but fortune still seemed to desert me and we played for almost two hours because we received no call from the shopping brigade. A new issue reared its ugly head. The gang met up at the pool place and it was decided that we would have dinner at a nearby place. Parth, Rahul and I went back to the hotel to take care of some packing and we were to join the rest at the eatery. The restaurants in Ooty closed down at 9 or 9:30 for some or the other reason. With no dinner plans made at our hotel there was a distinct likelihood that we would have to go hungry. My fury knew no bounds. The rest of the incident seems to be a blur to me but the bottom line is we made it to Thendral Restaurant just in time as they said they'd keep the place open for us. I owe a lot of gratitude to them for being so kind. The only issue was we had a fixed menu since their kitchen had been closed and we were left with 8 plates of Hakka noodles and 8 plates of fried rice just perfect for 16 people. Oh and there were some idlis which we used as starters. We bought some sweets and hogged on the food. This wasn't the birthday treat that I had in mind but that is what it was. With our hearts and our stomachs content for the time being we forayed back to the hotel. The night progressed as usual with us ganging up in a room and reviewing the days activities. Yet this night was different since it was the last in a hotel, the next would be on the train and the one after that in our homes. People packed up and hit the sack around midnight as we had to leave at 7 in the morning to be able to make it to Bengaluru in time for our train.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-5)

Day 5, 6th January 2009, we pack up from Mysore and depart for Udhagamandalam aka Ooty Tamil Nadu our third destination for the trip. On the way is the newly scheduled stop at Bandipur National Park. We reach there around 6 am just in time to grab the first safari trip available from the State tourism office. The weather was the major entertainer of the day. The temperature must've been around 8 - 10 degrees and some of us who had never ventured outside Mumbai felt the effects, out came the sweaters, jackets, monkey caps and other winter wear, for me it was one windcheater. As they say that not all things can go according to plan and this is the first and last time that our plan failed. The jeeps were not available, which I feared in any case, but it was on account of the permits not being renewed imagine that for a government subsidiary! Anyways we were stuck with the alternative I dreaded the most a 25 seater bus for the purpose of wildlife spotting. Somebody come and kill me! Anyways since this was the debut safari for almost everyone I decided to be a good sport and let them enjoy the experience rather than whine. Well I don't know how to describe the safari but we didn't see any predators or elephants. The regular fare was available in terms of peacocks, deer (Sambhar and Spotted), monkeys, kingfishers, etc. The Bandipur forest is divided by the State Highway and hence, these animals are generally seen close to the road as well. The others seemed to enjoy their first foray into the wilderness so I was pleased as well. We finished our trip and came back to our bus. On the way to Ooty we had some lame breakfast but then again I shall not crib here.






The route from Mysore to Ooty via Bandipur is one of the most picturesque routes that I have seen, even comparable with the mountain passes of the Shivaliks and Lower Himalayas and that's saying something. I wanted the gang to witness that which is why I had insisted on taking this route. The upward climb consists of some 32 hairpin bends that's turn near 180 degrees for those who don't understand racing terminology. Then again fate had some other plans since the night ordeal had a big impact on the crowd and all people did through the route was sleep. So much so for scenic beauty! Our first stop came at the so called 'Shooting Point', supposedly some film scene had been shot there. It was a brilliant vista with the Nilgiris in the background towering over the valley. The climb up to the peak was deadly since the slope was great and the bodies hadn't yet gotten adjusted to the altitude. We spent some 25 minutes over there just taking in the fresh air and savouring the true beauty of nature. After that we left for the hotel and checked in there a little later than noon. YWCA Anandagiri was our designated hotel. It's a nice place but there are some administrative issues which I feel are petty to discuss since they are not competing with other professional hotels. The kitchen is a bit sluggish and we felt the brunt of it since most of us were hungry and it was getting late for lunch as well. We had our lunch which was pretty tasty but the quantity ordered was a bit less.






Now came the major issue. Very few of us had had our baths that morning for obvious reasons. The water was trickling through the tap and there was no sign of warm water. We were faced with the prospect of bathing in near freezing water, on account of the temperature having been zero the previous night! I had to have a bath so I braved the elements and had a bath. It was exhilarating to say the least. The first mug of cold cold water hitting your body is a feeling of its own. You know that there are a lot of nerves in your body and they are sensitive! Many others also braved the elements and enjoyed their cold baths. Afternoon tea followed and a trip to the lake ensued.

The purpose of going to the lake was to enjoy some boating so we rented four paddle boats and the 16 of us packed ourselves into a boat each. Eldrich stayed back supposedly to catch up on lost sleep, Oh how stupid I was! for I should've guessed the true reason. But more on that later. The boating was amazing, Rahul, Siddharth, Prabhat and me occupied one boat, Pushpendra, Jobin, Pramit and Archana another and it was our boats that were competing against each other, the other boats either could not be navigated (Parth's) or were out on recce mission (Kundan aka Kasab's)! Pushpendra managed to guide his boat to victory in the end, kudos to them. The plan for the next day was hatched alongwith our driver and assistant. It was to visit the Botanical Gardens and to go to Coonoor. We also wished to board the toy train from Ooty to Coonoor which was another ambitious morning plan. We returned to the hotel after boating and headed out to play pool at a local joint that had been scouted by some members of our gang, I think it was Simranjit. The pool experience was surreal as well with a lot of first timers. It was amazing and some guys picked up the game really quickly, I on the other hand had lousy luck, well but anyways no excuses.



Dinner had already been arranged for and the arrangements for a bonfire had also been made with enough wood for a couple of hours. The bonfire was started around 10 o'clock and it provided great respite against the cold. Yet nothing could've prepared me for the events that were to enfold after a couple of hours. It was to be one of the better nights of my life. Eldrich had been conspicuous by his absence but then again I was not in the mood to sniff out conspiracies being hatched. Archana left the bonfire around 11:30 on the pretext of checking on Eldrich. Around 11:45 the two of them arrived with some packages in their hands. That's when realization dawned that a surprise had been planned without I getting a whiff of it. Yes, you might've guessed it, 7th January is my birthday and I was about to celebrate it after 10 years. There were two cakes which I would cut subsequently and it was a moment worth savouring. I shall never forget that night when I truly came to know what some people thought of me and I shall forever remain thankful for their presence in my life and for the affection that they have for me. It was extremely emotional for me then again my emotions ain't what they used to be. Another surprise was in store back at the room when they gifted me a photo, bearing the signatures of some 12 people from our class, of our group.



We had a few more festivities including the Jolly drink-a-thon before we turned in for the night.