Sports crazy

The deluge of IPL-3 is all over me. Although I decided not to follow it this year, for a multitude of reasons that I will not delve into now, it is hard to be a pariah when it is the talk of the town. I at least wanted to be neutral and simply appreciate good cricket but alas that became another broken resolve. My proclivity to the Chennai Superkings could not be curtailed, specially now that it is doing well.

I was wondering what makes a sports crazy fan. Why does it become crazier when the team is doing well? I guess it is to do with success that comes along with it. The success of the team becomes the success of the fan for some reason. The fan feels a sense of tremendous achievement/accomplishment leading to a big surge in the feel good factor. Just my 2 cents.

Wildcats on a roll

The University of Kentucky men's basketball is one of the strongest basketball programs in America with over 2000 wins, the most by any college basketball team. It has a total of seven national championships and many a final four appearances.

In recent times it has been spiraling downwards with the nadir being unable to even qualify for the NCAA tournament. So come 2009-2010 season, it was not on my sports radar till Coach John Callipari was hired and he brought with him freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. The media was abuzz with John Wall and there were videos showcasing his skillful play all over the Internet. He is being touted as a #1 pick for the NBA draft this season. The team did live up to its expectations drawing all fans wild with a 31-2 winning run this season, winning the SEC tournament, SEC championship and earning a top seed for the NCAA tournament.

They have now won their first round of the NCAA tournament and proceed to the round of 32 where they will meet Wake Forest. My best wishes to the team that I am currently addicted to following.

Terror in Pune

We were on our way back from an extended stay at Crossword, Saurabh Hall driving through Bund Garden around 8:00 PM on Feb 13th. We had dinner plans at a Chinese restaurant in Koregaon Park and would have had to pass through German Bakery. As we went past Ruby Hall Clinic, we saw police personnel and ambulances. There was a lot of traffic on our side and we were driving bumper to bumper moving a few feet every few minutes. We then spotted police vehicles and an ambulance come on the opposite road. We presumed some VIP was being hospitalized. My friend Kishore called and informed us of the blast. We immediately called home and assured everyone that we were okay. We took a diversion through Nagar road and then reached home an hour later.

Today morning I was watching Chidambaram's press conference. I have tremendous respect for his work and I hope it is not because of the low standard set by the previous home minister. I however fail to agree with some of his statements. He mentioned: "There was intelligence on the Osho Ashram and the Chabad house being hard targets. There was adequate security provided and soft targets around were sensitised and asked to take necessary precautions. In this particular incident it is yet to determine the security at German Bakery."

I am not sure if it justifiable to place the onus of security on private establishments that are soft targets. What do they need to do? Install security scanners, CCTV, armed private guards? How much is needed and how much is overkill? An attempt can be made to counter specific threats but the scope of threats are infinite and it is not possible for every soft target to fortify themselves against all kind of attacks. I think security should be more collaborative with both the private establishment and the government agencies working together. Security here is security at the last line of defense. Important but not very effective. The real security lies in intelligence gathered much before. Chidambaram said that there was no intelligence failure but the fact that this even happened is a failure to gather specific intelligence.

Once the cat is let out of the bag it is hard to catch it even with a 1000 dogs.

Science and Faith

I recently attended Isha's "Inner Engineering" program and have started thinking about issues that are not proven scientifically but have been stated by the ancient gurus.

Today is a total solar eclipse and we have been advised to not eat food during this period. There is no scientific explanation but from history there have been many facts proven scientifically and corroborate the claims documented in ancient Hindu scriptures. When the ancient scriptures were written there was a lack of explanation as to why a conclusion was reached. Only facts were stated and they could have been through experience or logical deduction. These conclusions might be wrong too. It is also an altogether different issue that these scriptures were misinterpreted or twisted, on occasions, to generate fear and control in a community or these facts were relevant during those times and are inapplicable now. So what is the right course of action to follow when uncertain?

I recently had a discussion with my wife about some people that take the "be safe than sorry" approach. We were initially aghast at how someone with a modern outlook and a scientific mindset be this way. But would you rather wait another fifty years or more for the scientific community to backtrack and publish new findings/conclusions to realize that you could have lived your life better. Or would you arrive and follow a common agreement and a course of action that can be generated from science and faith?

I do not know.

Indian media patterns

Have you noticed that there is always a phase when a particular story and different variants of it garner constant attention by the media. For example, the supposed racial attacks in Australia. The first time it appeared on the media, it created a furor. Then there was repeated mention of fresh attacks almost everyday. Why the sudden spurt? The current media fad is on Jaswant Singh's book and subsequent expulsion from the party. The headlines these days scream Arun Shourie is next,Vasundara Raje after that. It is like riding the wave and garnering public interest till it lasts but it can also get very annoying. Why focus only on issues that appeal to the emotional quotient. I prefer reading BBC News these days!

Indian drought

Pune is having a water shortage. The monsoon has been erratic both in terms of timing and location. The major dams constructed around Pune have received minimal water in their catchment areas while the city has been inundated. 70% of the Indian population have an Agro based livelihood and are very dependent on seasonal monsoon rains. Crops are sowed during a time every year and Gods are expected to water them. So there is drought every year the monsoon fails. Apart from water and food shortage, there are also wide spread power cuts leading to loss of productivity and inflation. Horrible isn't it?!

There are many short term actions being taken such as:
1) Water and power cuts.
2) Educating people
3) Releasing water through pipelines and using water tankers for transportation instead of releasing water into open canals from the dams
etc.

All good, but there must be viable and time-oriented long terms approaches such as:
1) River-linking project
2) Desalination plants

Desalination plants are good but cost and fuel prohibitive in spite of increasing use of reverse osmosis technology over traditional thermal distillation techniques. A bigger problem is the transportation of water from these plants to the remote areas of our country that need them most. This is where the river linking project would be most useful. They would also help mitigate the floods in the Brahmaputra, Kosi and Ganga river basins, if planned properly. The environmentalists will be crying their hearts out but should we rather watch people die? If they have an alternative to solve the problem, there are people ready to listen. But the problem must be solved rather then delayed.

Responsibility

The 11 swine flu deaths in India is very unfortunate. There have also been a number of positive cases reported, majority of which are in Pune. There is only one testing center in Pune which is the National Institute of Virology(NIV) and some designated government and private hospitals that can collect swab samples that needs to be sent for testing. If tested positive, the patient is quarantined for at least a week and medication provided if symptoms become severe. Currently there is no specific medicine or vaccine for swine flu. There are a host of preventive measures one can take which include regularly washing hands, staying away from crowded areas, using masks etc.

There is pandemonium all around Pune. I see people wearing masks everywhere. Schools, colleges and other public institutions/businesses are shut. There is a wave of fear all over the place. The Indian media has gone all guns blazing screaming about daily counts of fresh cases, deaths, crowds flooding hospitals etc. When you read the paper or switch on the news channels, all you hear is this. The media is also spreading good awareness but fear is an easier way to get viewers hooked on. More the sensation, better the viewership.

With due respect and condolences to the families that have suffered because of Swine flu, there are deaths because of regular flu every year. Patients who develop other complications or whose immunity is weakened because of flu succumb. Majority of the affected recover by just taking rest for a week and getting treated for the symptoms that accompany flu. Pregnant women, children and people around them need to take extra precaution. But they should always be careful and not throw caution to the wind once they stop hearing about swine flu.

Be careful and do not panic. The words health practitioners and government use. I would add. Please behave responsibly. This is to both the callous who smirks around and to the individual/organization that creates unwarranted fear.

Rajakeeyam @ Kokum, Pune

Out here in Pune, South Indian restaurants are usually associated with snacks. Kokum recently opened at Viman Nagar is an exception. They cater to all the needs of your stomach. You get authentic and delicious South Indian food that includes beverages, starters, main course and dessert! A daily lunch buffet for Rs. 250/person is a good way to find out if the food is to your liking. If you do end up during other times you can order a la carte (a tad bit expensive) or go for their thali on a silver platter called Rajakeeyam. The veg costs Rs. 500 and the non veg Rs. 600.

I tried the non veg thali and it was a true royal feast. There are starters to nip your taste buds accompanied with coconut water with tulsi leaves. The main course includes a yummy assortment of chicken(dry and gravy), mutton, king prawns, fish(dry and gravy), duck roast, boiled egg fry and channa columbu. You can have them with an unlimited supply of appams, Kerala barotas, iddiyapams, idlis etc. If you are still hungry there is mouth watering chicken and mutton biryani. There is a variety of payasams to finish of. This is a meal not to be missed!

'The Day' is Tomorrow

Enduro3 2009 flags off from the Pune University sports ground at 9:30 AM tomorrow. I am taking part in the Amateur Mix category with the following discipline,

1) Cycling (~75Kms)
2) Trekking (~75 Kms)
3) Rowing/Paddling
4) River crossing
5) Rifle shooting

The trekking part involves a new discipline in orienteering using a map and a magnetic compass. Apart from endurance, one of the major part of the competition is to find your way through the jungle in the night without getting lost.

We have a reasonably fine team. Our practice involved long distance cycling and trekking the Sinhagad fort a couple of times. Ideally we should have done the long Katraj-Sinhagad trek and a few more long distance cycling rides such as the one to Neelkanteshwar. The organizers did throw a big surprise by informing that we need at least one female participant to form a team. We were lucky to find a good female athlete. Will spell out a detailed ride report after we are back from the race on Sunday.

Can the dumbest brain outsmart the smartest computer?

Sounds impossible, does not it? But this is what a bunch of CAPTCHA researchers are trying to solve. Image recognition software used by spam bots is helping solve the challenge. There needs to be something, either a visual or sound, that would be computaionally hard for a computer to decipher but easy for the dumbest brain out there. Users already have a tough time keeping up with their passwords. The last thing they would need is to solve a puzzle to sign up for an email account!

God's own country

We just returned from Kerala and boy was it a relaxing vacation. We spent a couple of days cruising the backwaters of Allappuzha (Alleppey) on a Kettuvallam (House boat) . We had delicious local food prepared by the on board cook. Pampered ourself to an Ayurvedic oil massage. Saw some exotic local and migratory birds. Checked out small channels branching off the backwaters in canoes. Caught amazing sunsets and the stars of the night sky was spectacular. A truly amazing experience!

Centralized intelligence gathering

I keep reading about a National Investigation Agency in the lines of America's FBI being setup in India. It will have sweeping powers over the jurisdiction of a State's administration and police force. Unlike the CBI which requires the state government's consent to investigate a case, the NIA will receive directives directly from the centre.

I do not understand why we need another investigative agency. Why cannot we make CBI efficient and elevate it with the powers of NIA? Though important in investigating an offense after it has been committed, it is a waste of our politician's sparse[sic] time discussing and tabling this in parliament.

We need an agency to prevent attacks from happening. We have two such national agencies in IB and RAW for domestic and foreign intelligence and a multitude of state agencies. What we need is something in the lines of America's Department of Homeland Security which coordinates the efforts of these intelligence organizations. It is the mother ship that collects and analyzes information from all its subsidiaries and constantly innovates to meet new threats.

Proactive research on terror

A biological terror attack is likely soon says an expert panel created by the US Congress.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/02/terror.report/index.html

What are our politicians doing on studying our current and future terror threats? We usually hear of commissions and investigations conducted AFTER a terror event has taken place. These investigations are slow and the event is long forgotten (pardoned?) before it is made public. To make things worse, the lax politicians do not take these reports seriously and go about their usual vote bank politics.

We need proactive research and willpower from our leaders to seriously follow through.

Dealing with the problem

The nightmarish events unfolding in Mumbai is almost apocalyptic. So far, the terror attacks in India have been serial bomb blasts targeting the general public. Overwhelmed India with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and fizzled in terms of public reaction with the Malegaon blasts.

The terrorists aim to distrupt normalcy and more the chaos the merrier for them. This may not end and things could only get worse. We definitely need better intelligence and sensible security.

Problems are dealt with at various levels and some problems do not have answers. We have problems managing our large and diverse population, securing our land mass which also includes porous borders, gathering foreign intelligence, etc. Research throws light and there is a constant endeavor to find answers. There is a need to better equip our country with such research institutions that not only help in our approach to tackle the issue but constantly adapt with trends.

Flight delay confusion

It is the Diwali break and we are at the Pune airport waiting to board our Kingfisher flight departing to Chennai at 3:15 PM. My flight which was scheduled to leave tomorrow got canceled and I had to reschedule it to today, a working day. I took half a day leave from office considering that we had to report 1.5 hours before departure. So here I was at the boarding gate waiting for the call to board the plane. Then comes the announcement of a delay of 1 hour 45 minutes due to the closure of the runway as it was being used by the Indian airforce. The airforce base is very close to the Loheghad airport and the runway is shared for civilian and military use. I found this fishy because such closures are scheduled well in advance and I suspected other reasons for the delay. To kill time, I go get myself a chicken sandwich, at the only counter selling any food, for a whooping Rs.80. A coffee costed Rs.40. Rip offs! Just when I finished my sandwich, I hear another announcement to collect snack boxes for Kingfisher passengers. Jeez, they could have announced earlier! To kill some more time, I go and get their snacks. Eating food to kill time is a dangerous leisure activity. Amateurs, do not even try! Then to my utter surprise, I see Indigo passengers proceeding to board their flight followed by a prompt announcement from Kingfisher. The flight is delayed by another hour and this time because it is stuck in Mumbai due to of ATC (Air Traffic Controller) reasons! I see a sudden rush of passengers towards the Kingfisher counters seeking answers. There are many who need to catch connecting flights from Chennai. The staff were totally in the blue and could not help them. It was almost 6:30 PM and after departures of two latter Kingfisher flights, we got our boarding call. Releived to be in the flight we hear the Captain apologizing for the delay. He attributed the delay to a tire burst on the Pune runway of some prior flight which led to the diversion of this flight to Mumbai. Three different stories and we were glad to be off the plane in Chennai.

Ride to Neelkanteshwar

October is almost like a second summer in Pune. The monsoon has just ended and the temperature hovers around the mid 30s C. I went shopping the previous night looking for a dry fit shirt and pant. I did not find a Nike dry-fit full arm shirt and so settled for a Adidas climacool for Rs. 1500 and a Nike dry-fit track pant for Rs. 1200 from Planet Sports, SGS Mall. I lost the buckle on my helmet and so went hunting for one but to no avail. I went to Prime Sports on MG Road, the shop I purchased my helmet from, and asked them if they had a replacement buckle or strap. The owner was terse in replies and wanted me to just buy a new helmet! I would not have expected them to have spares of products they distribute but at least could have been friendlier or have pointed me to someplace I could get one. I reached home at around 10:30 PM in the night to at least get some sleep but the electricity had just busted. It has become a common problem now in Pune with frequent power cuts at unusual times. I just pray that the nuclear deal starts producing results soon. So instead of sweating it out at home, we decided to celebrate with dessert :) It was not till 2:00 AM before I could sleep! These set of ad hoc events had serious repercussions on my ride.

It is 4:30 in the morning and I was frantically looking for my cycle pump. I had checked on my tires late last night and the tires were almost flat. Not been doing justice to cycling lately! I then remembered that I had given the pump to a friend during a previous ride. I could not get through his number though. It was also getting late. Our group from Magarpatta had to meet the Pune Cycle Pratishthan (PCP) group at Kothrud at 5:40 AM. It was already 5:15 AM and was desperately seeking solutions. Luckily a friend of mine had bought a LA Diesel yesterday. So I borrowed it and along with a couple of riders cycled furiously to catch up with the rest of the folks at Kothrud. The new bike needed adjustments to suit me. I could raise the seat easily but did not have the tools to raise the handle bar. I had to compromise on the seat height and raised it as much as my back would not hurt. My legs were never on full stretch and that was a big drain on my energy. We the latecomers reached Kothrud around 6:15 AM and the group was waiting patiently for us. This is a big lesson learn t for me. I should never have mixed up on priorities and ignored checking my bicycle the day before.

The group ranged from a young 10 year old to the young at heart senior citizens :) The wide variety of bikes around from Doodhwalas (Hero Jet / Atlas) to Trek 6 series were photo moments. There were first timers, regular office commuters, national and local racers and seasoned cross country veterans. I felt wonderful riding with such a group. We cycled from Kothrud to Shivne, crossed Peacock Bay before stopping for a break. The ride was scenic along the Khadakwasala dam's backwaters and the picturesque hills in the backdrop.

Vada pav break


Hill around Khadakwasala


Half laid road before Neelkanteshwar base

The support vehicle brought us vada pav and then we rode on towards Neelkanteshwar base. My mileage clocked around 50 Kms when we reached the base. The climb from the base of Neelkanteshwar was a steep trail filled with mud and stones of all sizes/shapes. The very look of the climb was discouraging but got inspiration from others who took it on. I tried too and was surprised to find how gears can simplify the efforts. Pardon the novice me but this is my first long distance ride on a geared cycle! I went along but it only got tougher with the worsening trail filled haphazardly with huge stones. Half way though, my thigh gave up and cramped when I was negotiating a climb over a rock. I went flat down and was reeling with pain. I remembered to stretch and drink water but the pain fudged my thinking and I stretched the wrong side! Yulas, the group leader, offered me tablets but I am usually averse to medication and so did not take it. I stretched again, this time right! Drank lots of water and rested for a while. I pushed the cycle rest of the way up till the point where the trek starts to reach the temple uphill. We were offered buttermilk and rested for a while.

The trek up went fine. Refreshed ourselves with the cool water in the temple, took some more rest and then climbed back down to where our cycles were parked.

View from Neelkanteshwar

Trek downhill

Now started the downhill ride on the stony trail. The bike and the body took a beating and my hands were all sore and bruised by the time we reached down. A stark reminder to wear gloves next time! We then crossed the backwaters on a boat. This boat ferried people across on a regular basis and had a very unique way of propelling. There is a rope tied between and the boatman pulls the rope and navigates the boat across.

Boat ferrying the cycles

View from the boat on Khadakwasala backwaters

After crossing over we had a pit stop to have lunch. Delicious poha with freshly grated coconut and coriander was served. There was also an abundant supply of bananas. This is where we introduced ourselves and was amazed to know the background of each and everyone in this group. I truly admire the enthusiasm and fitness levels of every individual in the group where age or skill drew no barriers.

We started cycling back towards Donje Phata, which is also the entry point to the famous Sinhagad fort. This route was unfamiliar to me and the very fact that I did not know what was coming drained me completely. I saw uphill climbs after every turn and this went on endlessly. We somehow made it after many puffs and pants. We were offered refreshments there and seeing our state of despair, Yulas was kind enough to offer us a ride on the support vehicle. However we felt that we had to give ourselves one final thrust and complete this. I would not get a good nights sleep otherwise. This is one route we had done many times before. Though circumstances were totally different now, we had to do it. So we rode and rode like zombies forgetting all about every nerve in the body that was complaining. We took a few breaks for water and to stretch. We saw some of the other riders breeze past us. I am in total admiration of their fitness levels. I had a bad experience with the Adidas Climacool Tshirt. I was sweating profusely inside and felt very uncomfortable. The Nike dry-fit pant worked wonders though.

We finally reached home after traveling 40/45 Kms back which gave us a feeling of tremendous satisfaction!

Mumbai Pune private Volvo buses

We had been to Mumbai over the weekend. My car's spare tire needed to be replaced and it was just the two of us traveling, so we decided to use public transport. We had a longer than usual wait at the MSRTC counter Saturday evening because our scheduled bus had a breakdown and we had to wait for the next bus to get ready. The train is a good option but our plan was adhoc and we could not have gotten train tickets. We were against private buses because of prior bad experiences.

So we reached Mumbai after a smooth ride and had a nice time there. Our trip back was a different experience. MSRTC buses ply from Dadar and have their ticketing counters there. Dadar was far and so we decided to give private buses from Chembur a chance.

We did get the tickets and got into a waiting bus fairly quickly but thats all the nicety we experienced. The bus was supposedly a Volvo but it had a suspension poorer than an auto
rickshaw. In spite of us sitting in the middle rows, we had to absorb all the shocks which probably also helped prevent the roof from flying off. The windows had no curtains and it was a night ride through the expressway. So figure the high beams staring at someone who is trying to sleep. The AC was hardly functioning inside the bus sealed like a nuclear reactor. We were gasping trying to breath through the minuscle vents above us that spat molecules of air which was absorbed by everything living and non living. The only positive we took from the ride was that it had less halts and did not even stop midway through the expressway. Unusual for private buses and good for the well prepared but pity others who were counting on the mid ride break to let go. We felt releived reaching Pune but felt heart fully for the others that got into the bus for a further 12 hour ride to Hyderabad!!

Crib

Last couple of weeks had been hectic with office work and working on the backstage of a play that my company was participating in. The backstage involved a lot of sets and properties managed pretty well by the backstage team. The play turned out well and exceeded our expectations. We expected a few prizes including one for backstage but was not to be to our disappointment. We could not introspect to find out the reason as we heard that the organizers of the event are not very forthcoming on their decisions. Overall left a bad taste on our mouths specially after all the hard work that was put in and watching the mediocre backstage of the other performances that got nominations.

World is not fair, yes, but it is hard to accept it.

LandLORD

I was passing through the pantry when I heard some new joiners referring to their flat owners as land lords.

I am not sure what is so Lord about them. We curse them more than we worship them. We convert our devoutness from one to another so very often. When our pockets are deep enough, we elevate ourselves to become one of them. Then we look around and feel so very common amongst the myriad Lords and crave to become an Overlord!

Jeez, can you please stop calling land/apartment owners Lords?

Around Ladakh

We spent a night at Ladakh's own valley of flowers named Nubra valley. It borders 100 Kms from Pakistan and also leads to the famous Siachen glacier.

To get to Nubra we had to cross Khardungla pass, the highest motorable road in the world
@ 18380 ft.

Wind me down

Sandunes of Nubra.

Off roadie commander

Smooth tarmac bisecting the desert.

We also visited Pangong Tso lake, the largest lake in Asia, 25% of which is in India and the remaining in China.

A spectacle with rain, mud, water, green, sunshine, mountains, snow, blue sky, clouds.

Snowfall at Changa La pass @ 17800 ft

Pangong Tso lake @ 10 Kms from China.

Our very affable Ladakhi driver Baldan told us that traders used to cross over this frozen lake onto China during the winter. There are talks going on between the governments to open up the border. Manasarowar lake and Mt. Kailash, the abode of Lord Siva are very close from here.