Absconding Paranoid

I initially thought of writing this post as a generic one, but considering the extreme experiences, I felt that it would be better to limit this to my personal experiences. Old habits die hard. As with the previous brevets, ended up with not-so-fruitful plans to sleep sound the night before the big day – 5 th -September-2015, as the much awaited, dreaded event - Hyderabad 600 km brevet ride “Into the wild” kept eating up the brain cells with unwanted thoughts, excitement and what not! The ride not just lived up to the name, but went way beyond it!! I rode to Raushan’s place at around 2:00 PM and we both started in his car after ensuring that all the mandatory items were in place. We reached the starting point -  St. Martin’s Engineering College at around 3:10 PM . After getting the bikes checked and going through the formalities, we greeted the fellow riders, well-wishers and volunteers and happily posed for all the photographers. Just before we started, we were

After a few stretching sessions and photo shoots, the organizers flagged off the ride at 5:30 AM. I had to skip the mid-night movie in order to get some sleep. I started off later than I expected and after going 1-2 km, I figured out that I forgot my reflective vest, which was one of the mandatory items for the ride. Had to go back and fetch it. Finally after arriving at the start point, HBC Bike Station, we greeted each other and joined the stretching sessions and all. After the ride started, we slowly headed to the next check point, which is almost 67 km from the start point. We rode as if it was a 100-120 km ride, giving it all, as we were a bit concerned about reaching the check-points in time. For any other ride, we would be going at our own pace. But for the brevets, we rode in small groups, with people who ride in similar pace. And the reason for pushing initially is, we had to tackle a lot of head wind and inclines. To add to our misery, even the sun was shining brighter. We a

Close to the city of Paithan, in a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak! But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari. 'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly. * * * She had enough with the voices in the back of her head shouting louder and louder. She was not just like any other girl since childhood. She did not want to follow the crowd and lead a mechanical life, dep

When do the most creative ideas and the most daring thoughts knock the door of the brain? Before sleep? Bathroom? Sitting idle? Am not gonna answer that! :P But I happened to experience a hair raising thought just a while back. Thinking about how I ended up choosing to go for the dreamy distance of 300 km ride. All this while my legs are still begging for a bit of mercy as they got exhausted big time from the 200 km ride only a couple of days ago. The tan-lines are still fresh. My palms became rough and numb. No wonder though, as the ride itself is labelled ‘Heaven and Hell’ officially! But my mind still feels happy that I am a randonneur now. My mind is now racing to find all the memories and stick them together… to tell the tale! It all started when casual commuting on bicycle (hereby referred as bike) came to a stand-still and re-entered my life, after the bike got back to me, in running condition! One fine day the words – “We can go for long rid

It's hard to see.... those who know the pain of being rejected but it makes them strong! for a part of them know, that stopping won't take them anywhere... and trying more will make a difference! It's hard to see.... those who get mocked at.... but it keeps them going... to see the world of destination... and it makes them realize the power of determination! It's hard to see... those who fail to smile even once... but they battle hard.. to win against the feeling of loneliness It's hard to see... those who get treated like a stranger... but they know best, the value of friendship It's hard to see... those who keep waiting for the loved ones... but they know best, the value of true company It's hard to see... those who walk with guilt.... but they can explain best, the happiness of being forgiven It's hard to see... those who long to experience a moment but they know best, how to pile up memories! It's h

Fresh air to breathe… Fresh sceneries to view.... Fresh activities to tone the body... Fresh music to occupy the mind and shake the head in sync with the tunes The emotional self is satisfied The physical self is gratified We sometimes get surprised by our ownselves... How we tackled a situation so awesomely! And we find ourselves a bit cool! :) How we realize that there's nothing more thrilling than taking full control of our own self!! Finding our new selves constantly in the quest of life, when we are lost in the chaos more often than not! We are the company of our past   and future selves. Instead of mourning the past, refresh the current self with new aspirations, and welcome the future self! Re-read the old scribblings… and prepare to be awed by the thoughts that kept lingering... that kept pushing... constantly to the new beginning with new perspectives! A smile is all we need to embrace the uncertainties!! :)