The Petri-Dish

A blog by Ankit Jain.

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First 100KM+ Ride ! Bellandur to Janpad-Loka.

Date: 4/5/2014

Team: Ankit and Raj.

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Cycling to Turahalli.

Date: 29/03/2014

Team: Ankit, Santosh, Dhananjay and Ramya.

My Blog (As published in Bangalore-Hikers):

The last remaining forest in Bangalore, that is what it is called. When I saw the pictures of the forest, it felt exactly same as the woods described in the Robert Frost’s poems. Naturally, I was excited to go there. To further pump up my excitement was the fact that it was going to be my first off road trail.

Morning 5:30 when it was still dark, I left my place to reach Silk Board Junction by 6. There, I met Dhananjay and Santosh. Together, we left for Santosh’s place to pick up other folks. There only I came to know that only 4 persons would join, contrary to registered 6. At Santosh’s place we met Ramya (Rums). Just when we were starting, I came to know that Ramya hasn’t paddled since her schooldays. I was scared for her but in spite of that she completed the trip, Kudos to her. Anyways, we left Santosh’s place somewhere around 6:30. Santosh took us through internal roads where the traffic was less. Through the route you can actually watch the rising sun. We had our breakfast at a South-indian-dhaba. The Idlis were awesome and the milk was served in a large shot glass. Santosh informed that after that place we shall see some ‘scenic beauty’ but I couldn’t find anything worth calling beautiful. Only observable thing there was the snaky road which was so prominent hardly anyone can miss that. The uphills were there to test our mantle but it was morning we were fresh, we easily passed through the road.

Finally, we reached Turahalli forest. I was dumbstruck when I saw the terrain. I knew what it meant by ‘off road’ but a trail full of small rocks/stones was something I didn’t expect. It was really difficult to ride on that terrain and the hindi slogan “Nazar hatti durghatna ghati”, was keep on echoing in my mind. One has to hold the brakes all the time and be careful in steering your cycle through the right line. Lets say, you managed to navigate expertly without bumping on big stones, steep paths will be the next hurdle where if you stop, paddling again would be really difficult as the force required to break through the inertia will make you stumble on one of the stones and you will be knocked down there itself. So, at that moment one needs to get down of his bike and walk till he reaches a point from where he can start riding again.

The trail we were following had many diverging paths, the plan was to enter the forest from one side and come out by another. Many times, we started following some other trail and then, Santosh checked the GPS and we had to revert back. There was a point where one can spot numerous honey-bees perhaps some branch fall off over the honeyweb. I was frightened to go below it (nothing new) but after Santosh’s assurances I moved forward. The funny thing was that he himself got stung by the bee and no-one else got it. Finally came the point where the trail was full of big stones and we had to get down of your cycle to pass it (Only Santosh didn’t, Experts huh ! ;) ). After that we reached to the other-side of the forest. We covered something like 5kms inside the forest. I felt it was very less and wanted to retrace the path again but didn’t. Near the road, we rested for some time,  ate snickers and clicked numerous self timed photographs. After some 1 hour of resting we got back to our saddles and started moving back. After sometime, I realized that it is not the end of the journey but a beginning a very exhaustive trek. While coming back when the sun was glowing with all its might and the path we took was completely uphill. Many times I would cycle very fast and reach a location and rest there while waiting for others to catch up. Since, I donated blood some 2 days ago, I was feeling acute dehydration/exhaustion. I stopped at a shop purchased a bottle of water and drank bottoms up. I washed my face and was soon ready to face the sun again. In our way we had coconut water to recharge our bodies. We reached back to Santosh’s place at around <time>. Santosh prepared awesome “Jagery based Lassi” which was a bonus of the trip. Meanwhile, I convinced Ramya and Dhananjay to invite me in their weddings as I am fond of south indian food (well, basically I am a bhukkad; BTW I am writing this to remind you guys of the invitation). After that we took our vehicles and dispersed to our respective places.

Well, there are many things I would remember of this trip:

1. Off road trail

2. Lassi prepared by Santosh

3. Dhananjay and Ramya; Santosh-ji aap toh har samay hote hi ho :D

4. A blunt No from Ramya when I asked about forwarding my resume in her company. ;)

Now, some technical text: Turahalli, is an easy cycling trip. One can go there and come back in  4-5 hours. The place is only 17 kms for silk board and the roads are not very steep so reaching there is easy. One can explore the forest, but he is advised to reach there early in the morning to avoid the sun. There were many diverging paths, so he is advised to carry a GPS. There were many places where it is very hard to maintain the balance on the cycle, novices are advised to get down from there cycles at those points. In the end, it is more like a picnic spot and not a place where you can test your endurance.

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One day trek to Shivagange !

Date: 22/02/2014

Team: Ankit, Santosh and Ashay.

Thanks to Bangalore Hikers for few pictures. My blog can be found at http://www.bangalorehikers.com/2014/02/day-hiking-to-shivagange-february-22-2014.html

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We always cheer for the underdogs because we see ourselves in them.

Felt after the victory of AAP in Delhi.

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Just when I was thinking that I was not true to anyone, that I have a mask for everyone; These guys shattered the armor I was hiding inside and exposed me.

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Today, I realized every single day we face numerous unknowns and as a matter of fact we conquer almost all of them. BUT we are still afraid of the unknowns. This amuses me. PERIOD.

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There is a truth they never tell you, a secret you never see… we are all, ALL, waiting for something.

-Tyler Knott

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The Social Network of Fascination and Frustration

Fascination:

Richa updated her status.:"Some Random status update"

Richa changed her cover picture.

These are some of my notifications on a random day.

Subscribing to a girl whom I have never met, never talked to and in fact I know nothing about can raise some serious questions about my present mental status. Not only I have subscribed to her updates but I have also opted for "Get Notifications" in case of any status updates, a privilege even the closest to me doesn't have. I feel like I have steeped into a new world of Fascination which is basically based on the mysticness of the lady. Her posts include some brain storming quotes and self-designed posters. The more I read her updates, the more my desire grows. Is it the desire to want her ? nah, I don't think so. It is to know her, which book she reads, how she makes those awe-inspiring posters and her thoughts, while she clicks the most subtle photographs.

Whether I will meet her in person ever ? The answer is NO. I will be following her for the rest of my life without ever interacting with her just admiring the girl for the image I perceive of her. I know this because she is not the first girl I have liked this way.

This is the new age fascination.

Frustration:

Singapore, Russia, USA, every now and then people post pictures and stories of their trips and the experiences, they had. They seem to be doing everything you ever wanted to do. You go through their every picture and feels sorry for yourself. "Why am I here while they are enjoying the life best delicacies ? I have worked hard throughout my life and in the end what do I have, a comparatively low paying job that too with heavy work load." In short you get really frustrated BUT you can't do anything. Again after 1 hour you login into Facebook only to find out that these photos/updates are on top in your feed, being swarmed with people's comments. This again shoots up your frustration level.

Now the only thing which you are in power of doing is to block that person or perhaps unfriend them. (I will not lie. I did the same ! ) And the only reason for why they deserved this is because they  went to some XYZ country and posted their happy pictures, which made you really frustrated.

This is the new age frustration (actually only a small part of it). 

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If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve. Do what you love, and don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can, imagine immensities, don’t compromise, and don’t waste time. Start now. Not 20 years from now, not two weeks from now. Now.

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The murder of an Idea

"You can kill a person but you can't kill an Idea", this was the idea of a famous comic 'V for Vendetta' which later was filmed with the same title. The character V's popularity depicts the widespread acceptance of the very idea. I too fell for it.

Here is the truth: "Ideas are murdered everyday but its not others who commit the crime. Its you who is the murderer". Your fear is the reason behind it. You are sentenced for a life time suffering and a chaotic death because of this crime.

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Wayanad ! - How it Began.

"Hey, would you like to join me for a trip to Wayanad?", I asked him and soon confronted an expected answer "No". The cycle repeated with 3 different persons. So, again thoughts of abandoning the idea of a trip started rushing into my head. But this time I had different plans rather than cutting the plan short I decided to act.

I googled "Travel Alone" and came across a blog which described the exact same predicament I was in. The blogger very beautiful described How travelling alone can be fun and meanwhile a great source of learning. Then, I went through different webpages each highlighting the pros and cons. One thing that inspired me a lot was "a greater understanding of oneself" and one thing that frightened me most were the unknowns. Still, I decided whatever consequences may be I will try it this time.

The whole night I remember changing my mind every now and then. But, soon the excitement overpowered the fears and I could hardly sleep that night as I was imagining how it is going to be. In the morning, I woke up and left for a territory which is unknown to me both in terms of language and people.

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Sometimes some small sentences like "You can hug me", can change ones day.

It happened with me yesterday. I was smiling the whole night. :D

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We never love someone's identity, We love his/her quality or personality. Realize it. As one realizes this, it will be easier to love oneself.

Acquire the qualities that you love in others. This way you can love yourself.

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I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’. I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

-- Maya Angelou

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Is the world we live in, an Illusion ?

Illusion as wiki defines "A deceptive appearance or impression" can very aptly coined for the world we live in. No, I am not talking from Quantum Physics point of view but rather a Social point of view. Social means the way an individual interacts with the society.

Moving on, I would like to draw you attention towards some events which shape the world history. History that we read, we think as an absolute event as a matter of fact it is not. This History has always been a vessel of lies that people in top created to rule the mob. Today, there are numerous incidents in History which when viewed skeptically, raises serious questions about the world we live in. Be it, Christianity, Islam or any other religion, be it assassination of John F. Kennedy and other great leaders, be it recent events like 9/11 or Indo-China war or perhaps terrorism and its links with countries is always a subject of debate. 

The problem with an human-mind is that when he it experiences a lie many times it starts to experience it as an truth, this very phenomenon which is used in Hypnosis is what has made us accept the world as we experience it today. This is the way advertisements work and finally, this is the way that our society works today. When one starts to question about the very nature of our society either the leaders crush him or he kills himself because its nearly impossible to live in darkness when ones catches a glimpse of light.

But yeah, these are the dynamics of the society. It can never change as any change in it will cause a huge chaos or perhaps mass-destruction. And as we all know our Human Nature, more than it loves freedom, it hates change.

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The Cute little Belly Dancer. Effervescence MMXI, IIIT Allahabad.

This is the first time, I gave a thought about the minute details which most of the time we overlook. Although, there is not any change in the subject but yeah, removing the distractions enhances the beauty of the subject.