Bull Fight
The cow is of bovine ilk,
one end is moo, the other end milk.
- Ogden Nash
One of the reasons I write posts about my bike rides is that I have a terrible memory. Not only do I forget the details, sometimes I forget even the broad contexts. My typical explanation for this is that all the upper deck is occupied by a large multi-processor, so there is no place for a data bank on the rack, but you and I know that this is just a lot of horse-s**t -- the Aaj Tak news variety, not even NDTV.
This is therefore an attempt also to keep a track of some of the most memorable and yet un-remembered incidents that I hope to narrate to 3G (third generation from now). One such incident is when Alok had a tete-a-tete with a cow, the four-legged variety with bovine ilk.
What happened was this -
Alok and I have been planning a longish trip to cover Ajanta and Ellora. We call this 'the Dream ride'. Now this is a joke, since all riders know that when you are planning a ride, it is a dream ride. When you are back from this dream ride, some other destination suddenly becomes the dream. Pretty slippery, this dreaming business.
So we plan out a 5-day program. The route planned is like this:
Day 1: Mumbai – Thane Bhiwandi Bypass – Kalyan phata – Bapsai – Malshej – Junnar – [Ozar (Lenyadri)] – Ale phata– take left – Sangamner – right – Loni Baneshwar – Srirampur – Shani Shingnapur phata – Prawara Sangam – Left – Aurangabad <40km>
Stay at Aurangabad
Day 2: Aurangabad: Ellora, Daulatabad, Bibi ka Makbara, Aurangabad Caves, Ghrushneshwar Temple, Mhaismal Caves and hill station [40km from AU, highly recommended], AU – Sillod - Ajanta
Stay at Ajantagaon
Day 3: Ajanta – Buldhana – Chikhli – Mehekar [Fort] – Lonar Lake
Stay at Lonar
Day 4: Lonar – Sindkhed raja – Deulgaon raja – Jalna – [Paithan on the way, check for Jaikwadi Dam] – Nagar – Pune
Day 5: Pune - Mumbai via NH4
It is worthwhile to note that this is a very ambitious plan, especially in the month of February when the Sun is at its best especially in those parts (which is when we did this route) and we ended up skipping some of the places mentioned above -- like Mhaismal, Mehekar, and Paithan. Maybe if we had done this in the winters, we could have managed to cover these too. We end up changing the whole plan as we ride along.
We leave from Mumbai, take the longer but more scenic route through Malshej Ghat to go to Aurangabad. There is a strange noise coming from the head of my bike's engine, so I am worried and drive slower than normal. The route through Malshej is absolutely fabulous. We take more time than expected, so end up reaching Aurangabad in the night.
Foodie's note: From the time you cross Ale Phata, you are on the 'pilgrimage' route - Shirdi, Nashik etc. etc. - and so there is no way you can get meat. We spend the night in Aurangabad in a dingy place, and find some eatery that can give us decent butter chicken and rotis.
There is more than one reason for reaching late to A'bad. ... By the time we are close to Nevase, my bike gives up. I am ripping at 80kmph, and the engine just dies away. I am so surprised, that I almost hit the car in the front. The first thing that crosses my mind (after the 'Oh f**k'), is that the engine is seized. The bike moves with the momentum for a while, and then comes to a stand-still at one side. Alok comes by. We look at the bike, play with the fuel nozzle, kick its butt, and get increasingly worried. Alok says he will go ahead to Nevase (3 km) to see if there is a mechanic, and also get a rope to drag the bike. I cross the road and order some chai for myself.
When Alok returns, he has a green nylon rope with him and a news that there is a garage called Mama-Bhanje Garage nearby. He pulls out the rope and ties the two bikes. I am very sad that my Saki has to go through this shameful ordeal. I say to Alok that let's try for one last time, and viola, there it happens ... Saki responds! ... Praise the lord! ... I hit the saddle and rush to the town, with Alok following me. By the time I see Mama-Bhanje Garage and turn the bike towards them, the engine dies again.
An entire village gathers to see two idiots from a city, braving the western ghats. Unfortunately, neither Mama nor Bhanje can help, since their experience in bullets, esp 500cc, is marginal. They tell us to go to Nevase Phata, which is about 15km from there, where we can get some expert advise.
After a haf hour's cooling down, and some more anxious chai consumption, I try our luck once again, and once again the machine responds positively. We jump the guns and rush to Nevase Phata. I am almost sitting on the edge of the seat, expecting the engine to konk off any time. But Saki holds the fort. I am worried all the time that the engine is seized and the thought is giving me a chill.
We find a mechanic in this next place, who has good knowledge of bullets. He immediately diagnoses that the engine is NOT seized ... Phew! ... but the carburator is screwed. He does not have a fresh piece. Now what to do? He says he will try and clean the carb, we can maybe buy one once we reach Aurangabad. So we spend some time with him, while he tries to clean the carb. This takes a good half hour, and it is now pitch dark.
[ It should be noted that there is an authorised RE workshop and showroom in A'bad. But it is soooo sad, they don't even have some of the tools, forget the carburator. Thankfully, Saki holds on for the rest of the ride, and the carburator is repaired only after we are back in Mumbai. The good fellow in that small town did a splendid job of cleaning the carb, may he live in peace! ]
Once the bike is ready, we start for Aurangabad again. The bike is much better now, although it is still a risk. We ride nevertheless, and so reach Aurangabad much later, around 10pm. We find a place with some effort, and with the help of a local guy.
We spend the next morning at Ellora caves - about 25km away from the main city. This is a must-see - especially the Kailash temple. The entire temple is carved out of one huge boulder. It is just beyond words. There are a lot of cave complexes - hindu, jain, buddhists and we try to cover a majority of them by noon. We return to Aurangabad, where I have a meeting planned in the afternoon.
After the meeting, we head back to the fort of Daulatabad, which is en route Ellora caves. This is yet another place beyond words, and I intent to devote an entire post on Daulatabad some day. It usually takes a lot of time to cover the place. We completed the tour in 45 mins - to return by 6:00pm else the doors of the fort are closed.
The 3rd day we start for Ajanta early. Reach Ajantagaon, find a place of stay and then head down to Ajanta caves. All this is worth penning down, but we are drifting away from the Cow Incident, which is the subject of the post. So I will post these separately.
Next day we leave for Lonar in Buldhana region. The Lonar lake - formed by a crater created due to a meteor strike - is elusive. You keep having the feeling that it is close, but it keeps moving further.
Now the cow incident, finally.
Before Lonar, some 10km earlier, I am riding at 80-90 kmph. I can see Alok in the rearview mirror. I see a herd of cows on the right side, deciding whether the grass is actually greener on the other side or it just seems that way. I pass by. The cows come to a consensus to make an idiom out of the phrase once and for all, and start crossing the road. By this time Alok has reached the spot. Now I am not sure whether the particular cow was indecisive or if Alok's brakes did not function at the right time, but in a flash the bullet and the cow meet.
I see the meeting in my rearview mirror, and brake hard. By this time, Alok is on the ground, and so is the cow. I turn and ride back to the spot. By the time I reach, the cow gets up and finds its bearings. It has a few bruises, and is probably hit in the head. It takes stock of the situation, asserts the directions and continues its course of crossing the road. Alok seems fine, apart from a few bruises on his arm and elbows. There is a green walled dhaba just a few feet away on the right side of the road. So Alok walks to the place - mainly to sit in the shade, and I push the two machines to one side under a tree.
Thankfully both the rider and the machine are fine. One of the leg guard is bent, the handle is slightly turned, an indicator lamp is broken and the bags tied behind have patches of fresh dirt. Alok's arm is sprained, with some minor bruises, which are treated with some cold water from the dhaba. There is no electricity in the dhaba at that time, so they have very little cold water. Alok's leg is bruised and swollen. So he draws the entire refrigerator forward and puts his leg inside. It is quite an amusing sight. The locals keep watching in dire shock.
We spend a good half hour at the dhaba, with Alok's leg in the freezer, the bikes in the shade, his bags strapped on top of mine on my bike, and me walking to and fro like a wounded tiger, wondering what next.
We are only worried about these things - related to us - when it dawns to us that the cows must belong to some cowherd and that someone may create trouble saying we roughed his prized possession. We ask the dhaba owner. He is a kind middle-aged Muslim, and tells us not to worry and he will help in case things take a nasty turn like that. We are happy to see that nothing of that sort occurs and that our fears are unfounded.
About half an hour of getting refreshed and finding our bearings, we are both back on the bullets, happy that a situation capable of a lot of nuisance just passed by as an amusing incident, and would be one of those little snippets about which one of us will write about some years later.
The only indicator of the incident left behind are a few pink cuts on Alok's elbow and a strap of muddy brown Cow Hair stuck in his hand brake lever ... and of course, a kaleidoscope of memories!
- Shreekant
03 June 2007
one end is moo, the other end milk.
- Ogden Nash
One of the reasons I write posts about my bike rides is that I have a terrible memory. Not only do I forget the details, sometimes I forget even the broad contexts. My typical explanation for this is that all the upper deck is occupied by a large multi-processor, so there is no place for a data bank on the rack, but you and I know that this is just a lot of horse-s**t -- the Aaj Tak news variety, not even NDTV.
This is therefore an attempt also to keep a track of some of the most memorable and yet un-remembered incidents that I hope to narrate to 3G (third generation from now). One such incident is when Alok had a tete-a-tete with a cow, the four-legged variety with bovine ilk.
What happened was this -
Alok and I have been planning a longish trip to cover Ajanta and Ellora. We call this 'the Dream ride'. Now this is a joke, since all riders know that when you are planning a ride, it is a dream ride. When you are back from this dream ride, some other destination suddenly becomes the dream. Pretty slippery, this dreaming business.
So we plan out a 5-day program. The route planned is like this:
Day 1: Mumbai – Thane Bhiwandi Bypass – Kalyan phata – Bapsai – Malshej – Junnar – [Ozar (Lenyadri)] – Ale phata
Stay at Aurangabad
Day 2: Aurangabad: Ellora, Daulatabad, Bibi ka Makbara, Aurangabad Caves, Ghrushneshwar Temple, Mhaismal Caves and hill station [40km from AU, highly recommended], AU – Sillod - Ajanta
Stay at Ajantagaon
Day 3: Ajanta – Buldhana – Chikhli – Mehekar [Fort] – Lonar Lake
Stay at Lonar
Day 4: Lonar – Sindkhed raja – Deulgaon raja – Jalna – [Paithan on the way, check for Jaikwadi Dam] – Nagar – Pune
Day 5: Pune - Mumbai via NH4
It is worthwhile to note that this is a very ambitious plan, especially in the month of February when the Sun is at its best especially in those parts (which is when we did this route) and we ended up skipping some of the places mentioned above -- like Mhaismal, Mehekar, and Paithan. Maybe if we had done this in the winters, we could have managed to cover these too. We end up changing the whole plan as we ride along.
We leave from Mumbai, take the longer but more scenic route through Malshej Ghat to go to Aurangabad. There is a strange noise coming from the head of my bike's engine, so I am worried and drive slower than normal. The route through Malshej is absolutely fabulous. We take more time than expected, so end up reaching Aurangabad in the night.
Foodie's note: From the time you cross Ale Phata, you are on the 'pilgrimage' route - Shirdi, Nashik etc. etc. - and so there is no way you can get meat. We spend the night in Aurangabad in a dingy place, and find some eatery that can give us decent butter chicken and rotis.
There is more than one reason for reaching late to A'bad. ... By the time we are close to Nevase, my bike gives up. I am ripping at 80kmph, and the engine just dies away. I am so surprised, that I almost hit the car in the front. The first thing that crosses my mind (after the 'Oh f**k'), is that the engine is seized. The bike moves with the momentum for a while, and then comes to a stand-still at one side. Alok comes by. We look at the bike, play with the fuel nozzle, kick its butt, and get increasingly worried. Alok says he will go ahead to Nevase (3 km) to see if there is a mechanic, and also get a rope to drag the bike. I cross the road and order some chai for myself.
When Alok returns, he has a green nylon rope with him and a news that there is a garage called Mama-Bhanje Garage nearby. He pulls out the rope and ties the two bikes. I am very sad that my Saki has to go through this shameful ordeal. I say to Alok that let's try for one last time, and viola, there it happens ... Saki responds! ... Praise the lord! ... I hit the saddle and rush to the town, with Alok following me. By the time I see Mama-Bhanje Garage and turn the bike towards them, the engine dies again.
An entire village gathers to see two idiots from a city, braving the western ghats. Unfortunately, neither Mama nor Bhanje can help, since their experience in bullets, esp 500cc, is marginal. They tell us to go to Nevase Phata, which is about 15km from there, where we can get some expert advise.
After a haf hour's cooling down, and some more anxious chai consumption, I try our luck once again, and once again the machine responds positively. We jump the guns and rush to Nevase Phata. I am almost sitting on the edge of the seat, expecting the engine to konk off any time. But Saki holds the fort. I am worried all the time that the engine is seized and the thought is giving me a chill.
We find a mechanic in this next place, who has good knowledge of bullets. He immediately diagnoses that the engine is NOT seized ... Phew! ... but the carburator is screwed. He does not have a fresh piece. Now what to do? He says he will try and clean the carb, we can maybe buy one once we reach Aurangabad. So we spend some time with him, while he tries to clean the carb. This takes a good half hour, and it is now pitch dark.
[ It should be noted that there is an authorised RE workshop and showroom in A'bad. But it is soooo sad, they don't even have some of the tools, forget the carburator. Thankfully, Saki holds on for the rest of the ride, and the carburator is repaired only after we are back in Mumbai. The good fellow in that small town did a splendid job of cleaning the carb, may he live in peace! ]
Once the bike is ready, we start for Aurangabad again. The bike is much better now, although it is still a risk. We ride nevertheless, and so reach Aurangabad much later, around 10pm. We find a place with some effort, and with the help of a local guy.
We spend the next morning at Ellora caves - about 25km away from the main city. This is a must-see - especially the Kailash temple. The entire temple is carved out of one huge boulder. It is just beyond words. There are a lot of cave complexes - hindu, jain, buddhists and we try to cover a majority of them by noon. We return to Aurangabad, where I have a meeting planned in the afternoon.
After the meeting, we head back to the fort of Daulatabad, which is en route Ellora caves. This is yet another place beyond words, and I intent to devote an entire post on Daulatabad some day. It usually takes a lot of time to cover the place. We completed the tour in 45 mins - to return by 6:00pm else the doors of the fort are closed.
The 3rd day we start for Ajanta early. Reach Ajantagaon, find a place of stay and then head down to Ajanta caves. All this is worth penning down, but we are drifting away from the Cow Incident, which is the subject of the post. So I will post these separately.
Next day we leave for Lonar in Buldhana region. The Lonar lake - formed by a crater created due to a meteor strike - is elusive. You keep having the feeling that it is close, but it keeps moving further.
Now the cow incident, finally.
Before Lonar, some 10km earlier, I am riding at 80-90 kmph. I can see Alok in the rearview mirror. I see a herd of cows on the right side, deciding whether the grass is actually greener on the other side or it just seems that way. I pass by. The cows come to a consensus to make an idiom out of the phrase once and for all, and start crossing the road. By this time Alok has reached the spot. Now I am not sure whether the particular cow was indecisive or if Alok's brakes did not function at the right time, but in a flash the bullet and the cow meet.
I see the meeting in my rearview mirror, and brake hard. By this time, Alok is on the ground, and so is the cow. I turn and ride back to the spot. By the time I reach, the cow gets up and finds its bearings. It has a few bruises, and is probably hit in the head. It takes stock of the situation, asserts the directions and continues its course of crossing the road. Alok seems fine, apart from a few bruises on his arm and elbows. There is a green walled dhaba just a few feet away on the right side of the road. So Alok walks to the place - mainly to sit in the shade, and I push the two machines to one side under a tree.
Thankfully both the rider and the machine are fine. One of the leg guard is bent, the handle is slightly turned, an indicator lamp is broken and the bags tied behind have patches of fresh dirt. Alok's arm is sprained, with some minor bruises, which are treated with some cold water from the dhaba. There is no electricity in the dhaba at that time, so they have very little cold water. Alok's leg is bruised and swollen. So he draws the entire refrigerator forward and puts his leg inside. It is quite an amusing sight. The locals keep watching in dire shock.
We spend a good half hour at the dhaba, with Alok's leg in the freezer, the bikes in the shade, his bags strapped on top of mine on my bike, and me walking to and fro like a wounded tiger, wondering what next.
We are only worried about these things - related to us - when it dawns to us that the cows must belong to some cowherd and that someone may create trouble saying we roughed his prized possession. We ask the dhaba owner. He is a kind middle-aged Muslim, and tells us not to worry and he will help in case things take a nasty turn like that. We are happy to see that nothing of that sort occurs and that our fears are unfounded.
About half an hour of getting refreshed and finding our bearings, we are both back on the bullets, happy that a situation capable of a lot of nuisance just passed by as an amusing incident, and would be one of those little snippets about which one of us will write about some years later.
The only indicator of the incident left behind are a few pink cuts on Alok's elbow and a strap of muddy brown Cow Hair stuck in his hand brake lever ... and of course, a kaleidoscope of memories!
- Shreekant
03 June 2007
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