Night trips to Chamundi !!!

Chamundi Hills, the jewel of the Mysore tourism board. I was lucky enough to study in a college, SDM-IMD, right at the base of these hills. The roads leading to the temple at the top of the hill is wonderful and well maintained. The jet black tarmac is properly marked with bright yellow shoulder lines and a pure white divider. Every time i go up the hill, i found it really tough to go easy on the throttle.

I have always wondered, how these roads would look - MINUS THE DAYLIGHT. But thought, it would be very tough to get out of college after the permitted time. Plus i also believed that no one would accompany me to fulfill my crazy dream. (I have to admit, i was a bit scared to go alone). But, pretty soon all was about to change, when Manjunath came to the rescue.

One fine evening, after a long day packed with boring lectures, when i was almost about to crash on to the bed, Manja came to my room asking me if i was interested in joining him on a night trip to Chamundi. I couldn't conceal my excitement which found its way to Manja too. The next obvious choice was Mohit.

After dinner, the three of us met in front of the mess and decided that we will head for the hills at 11.30pm sharp. The odd timing itself gave me a weird and eerie feeling. (Lots of rumors float around the college about weird and bizarre incidents happening in Chamundi, especially during night time). But i was game !

It was a cold, and i mean really cold December night. The 3 of us were ready with our Sweatshirts, Jackets, Bikes and Helmets. It was around 11.25pm. The was nothing to stop us now, or so we thought. As we reached the main gate the watch man blew out a shrill whistle indicating us to stop. It was at this moment when i realized how influential Manja was among the college Staff. All I saw was Manja laughing and chatting with the watchman and the next minute the gates flew open and he was more than pleased to do so. He even passed on a salute to us when we passed through the gates. God only knows what Manja said, but i was impressed.

The open gates were symbolically representing the freedom we got from the busy schedule at college, or so i felt. Soon i could see both Manja and Mohit rev up their engines and vanish into the darkness. It hardly took a few seconds for the racer in me to take control of the bike. It was the best night rides i have ever had in my life.

The winds were chilly. My whole body was shivering uncontrollably beneath the sweatshirt and the jacket. But the best part was that, it was only the three of us on road that night. It felt as though we owned the roads. The roads were well light, and no not with street lamps (There ain't any). It was a full moon and we could see the moon light reflecting off the shiny white paint, which divided the broad road into two halves. That's when i saw Manja turn off the headlights of his bike and race ahead. Mohit followed suit. Though i thought, it was unsafe at first, i too gave in to the temptation and turned off the lights and flew by to catch up with them. The only thing guiding through the pitch dark road was the white divider. I could feel the adrenaline rush when i saw the speedo cross 80km/hr in complete darkness. Yeah, u may think its stupid but it gave the ultimate head rush for a Motorhead like me.

The view point which usually takes around 20min on any normal day, was reached in 7min flat. The pin drop silence of the forests was shattered by the screeching noise of 3 bikes which finally came to a halt. The three of us climbed on top of guard rail. The breeze was strong and painfully cold. The experience was awesome. We spent the next half hour on the view point chatting about the rough days and the tight schedule ahead of us, totally unaware of the fact that we are in the middle of Chamundi forest on a cold winter night.

By around 1.00am we decided to head back to the college. But we took the Nandi temple road. Trust me, this road is scary even during day time, so just imagine how it would be late in the night.... Phew..... This winding road is extremely narrow and is covered with thick bushes on either side of the road and the slightest mistake could push you off the road, deep into the forests, Man its scary !!!

There is a straight stretch of almost 2kms, downhill. The road is at a 45 degree angle. If a vehicle is left idle and allowed to free fall, it could easily cross speeds of 60km/hr. But me not being the 'Regular Guy',could not do the usual things. I just hit the gas
and the speed was mindblowing.The bike soon touched 110km/hr, a forbidden figure even on a levelled road, imagine how it would be at a 45 degree slope! It was as though, Gravity had let me off for a while. There was nothing to hold me back. And to top it all, the road ended with a small hump which acted like a ramp, which threw my bike off the road. For the first time in my life, my bike was airborne. Though i was on air for hardly 2-3 seconds, the experience still manages to send a shiver of excitement through my body.

The fun was not over yet. Both me and Manja decided to drag at the base of the hills. This was the ultimate test of our machines. With a 2km straight stretch as our playground and Mohit as our referee, we set off ! The fun cannot be expressed in words. It was fun to see manja struggling with the gear shifting. He was a rookie u see... he he and i took full advantage of that. His inexperience cost him his victory and won me the title of the hottest rider. :-)

Some things that you do at a particular stage/situation may seem foolish at a later point in time. I have realised that by riding with the lights off and racing, you are not only causing danger to your self but also others. So i have never done that again. But i also believe in living my life to the fullest. There was a part of me which wanted to do it, so i did it.... It was indeed a very good stress buster plus i had one of the best rides of my life. We also got a lot of other interested guys willing to explore the Chamundi @ night.... We showed them the way with pleasure... :-)

LIV 2 RIDE, RIDE 2 LIV !!!

Me and My ride!!!

Well everybody, speed has always thrilled me. Right from the time i was a kid, i was excited about cars, bikes or for that matter, anything on wheels!!! I never used to get off my bike when i was a kid. I used to do all sorts of stuff on that. I have had some really nasty and bad falls, but weren't just enough to keep me home... I had one of my closest friends, Jerin, who used to join me for long biking rides, the stunts we attempted etc.

I was in my 7th std when dad got a transfer to Delhi. Though i was excited about leaving to a new place, I was really upset at the idea of leaving my BSA back at my grandparents place. Finally when we moved to Delhi, i was without my ride. It took some time for me to find some real good friends in a new place. Aftr a while i started liking the place a lot. I started liking the place even better, when one fine morning, Dad surprised me with a Herecules 5 speed shimano geared Bicycle... It was one of the most wonderful moments in my life. Just like Jerin i had friends here in Delhi too who loved biking. Well, it was always me, Ankur and Rahul who used to go biking into the Green Park (a famous hangout in South Delhi). I used to find those biking trips very exciting.

When I reached tenth standard, we moved back to TVM. I had brought along my bike to TVM and always loved to show it off amongst my new friends. By the end of my tenth std dad had purchased a Hero Winner for my sister. When i entered into Plus two, my interests in bicycles gradually began to die out. I had set my eyes on non geared vehicles. Probably the influence of my friends was also there. And finally, after nagging my parents and my sister for a long time, they finally handed over the keys to me in the 12th std. My gang included Gautam, Shaman, Sajith, Ajin, Dinesh,Unni. All of us used to roam around in our puny little 60cc scooterettes thinking that that was all we needed... he he... But it was all about to change, and that too pretty soon.

Gautam was the first one to graduate from a two wheeler to a Bike. He purchased a Hero Honda Splendour by the end of twelfth std. It was a shocker. The next in line was Unni, who went ahead and purchased a second hand Yezdi. Shaman too moved on by passing his pathetic Spirit to his sister and got his elder brother's Yamaha YBX. Soon i felt that i was the only guy who was stuck with a non gear vehicle. The vehicle that once made me the dude among my friends was no longer exciting. So typical, Ain't it????

Well as i graduated to the college, i found it even more difficult to roam around in my Hero Winner. I used to hitch a ride to the college with Gautam, rather than take my vehicle to the college. Once again the nagging started, but this time it was even more annoying than the one before.. (Of course, it had to be that way, coz wen u think from ma point of view, it was a life and death situation 4 me u know!!!!) Finally all the nagging paid off when i purchased my very first Bike, the Hero Honda CBZ! I can never ever forget the day i purchased my Bike. This was one of the meanest looking bikes of that time and always found its way on top of my 10 best things one should have... Even though the Bajaj Pulsar was available in the market, I never wanted to go for it as CBZ has always been my all time favorite.

This bike had changed my life altogather. The bike brought out the true rider in me. I never used to let myself free before, but now i love doing that. Still miss those days when i used to rip all the way to the college and reach the college way before time... he he... The bike has been through a lot. After some time my bike started to look a little dull to me, i felt the need to spice it up. That when i decided to get it an engine guard, A two piece handle bar and an awesome road hugging rear tyre. Though these fittings were done in installments, with long breaks in between (Well, these things cost a fortune u see, atleast 4 a college goer..). But finally when all was put togather, it was aweosme. It made my bike stand out in the crowd and i loved it. :-).

Along with the good times, my ride has had some real bad times too. It was like a curse on us.. One by one my friends were gettin involved in bizzare accidents. First it was Ajin who crashed his ride on our way to Kovalam. Then it was Shaman, who ran over a street dog only to break his arm. The next one in line was Gautam, one of my closest buddies. He literally gatecrashed into a house severely damaging his bike and his Knee. And guess who was next, Yours truly Ashwin.

But the way it happened still manages to make me laugh. I was on my way to the college when i decided that i should check up on Gautam, as his house was close to mine. I went to his place, spent some time with him, asked him to take care and call me if he needed anyhelp and all the usual stuff and finally left for college. I must have been only a few kilometres from his house, when my bike skidded off the road and crashed into a milestone. I was lucky enough to get out with a pretty bad scratch on ma right knee, but my bike wasn't lucky enough. The damage was more than what the bike could take. In the afternoon i called up Gautam and asked if he wanted to go to the Doctor, as i was on my way there any way.. he he... This was my very first accident and it actually brought me to my senses, well atleast for a few weeks. he he...

For my PG when i moved to Mysore, I took my bike along with me. It was the lifeline for me in SDM. I loved riding ma machine through the less crowded and well managed Mysore city roads. Bikes were one common point between me, Maja and Mohit. We used to go to chamundi hills late at night, after 11.30pm and rip all the way to the top, Some times with the lights off, just to get the adrenaline rush... I know it is foolish but what the heck.... Its because of them that my bike has gone places. During the entire 2 years, with the busy schedule and all we used to some how find time time for biking and we loved it the most.

Now that my course is over and i am Stuck in Mumbai, I am Missing ma ride badly. But i am sure about one thing, this bike is gonna be with me 4 long and is yet to see an even more excitng life along with me. Coz as they say, u can never keep a rider down... can ya?? ;-)

Kerethannoor !

Kerethannoor lake. One of the most scenic places close to Mysore. This place is around 45km from my college (Read below for details). The best part is the roads that take you to this wonderful place. Almost three fourths of the distance is the Mysore - Bangalore Highway itself. The rest one fourths is through well maintained village pathways. One can actually test his vehicle's limit on these roads (especially the initial 3/4ths) as all u can see for miles is the long winding, broad tarmac, truly a bikers' heaven.

I have heard a lot about this place from my friends right from the first term but could never manage to go there. It finally happened in the very last and final term, when all of us planned a trip to the LAKE PLACID. There were around 16 guys on 8 bikes. It was an awesome ride to the lake. The route also has some real adventure packed roads as u reach the lake. One can find the broad roads narrowing down to walkways in a sugarcane farm.Also the smooth tarmac gradually morphs itself into boulders and i feel only experienced bikers can cross this section. After crossing this small hurdle the road finally leads you to the lake. As soon as you reach the lake one cannot help noticing the hills that surround the entire lake. The view is just amazing.

The first thing i did as soon as i reached the spot was take out my camera and click as many photos as i could. We reached thee by around 3.15pm. All my friends were eager to rush towards the waters for a quick dip, but there was nothing that could distract me from my photo sessions... By 3.30pm everybody was in water having fun. The loud noise and the splashing of water finally caught my attention and i immediately put my camera away and jumped into the water. The water was freezing. The first few seconds felt as though i was being pricked by a thousand needles all over, but it got better after some time.

All the guys and girls who knew swimming were the ones who had fun to the max. I was not so lucky. I tried my level best to stay afloat in water, but failed. But that didnt stop me from having my share of fun. I too enjoyed a lot.

All of us were in water till 5.45pm. The sun began to set gradually behind us. Thats when we decided that it was time to leave. The view of the sun setting into the lake is mindblowing. Even though none of us were in a mood to leave the place, we had to as we had girls along with us. So by 6.30pm we were all set to leave.

We left the place with loads of wonderful memories in our minds very well aware of the fact that we may never get a chance like this again. The ride back to college was exciting. As soon as we reached the Banglore - Mysore highway we just opened the throttles. It was a straight strech ahead of us. On the way we all took a break at the Mangalore Fishland, one of our most famous hangouts.

By around 9.15pm we were back at our college. This will be one of the best trips we had and will always be cherished by me!!!

The Watch Tower...

I joined SDM-IMD on June 4th 2005. It is an architectural marvel right under the base of Chamundi Hills, the torch bearer of Mysore tourism. From our college campus we gt an amazing view of the eastern side of the hills. Especially the early morning view with the hill covered in mist is breath taking. It was only after a few days of my stay in the college that i happened to notice a small watch tower on top of the hills. It was used by the forest guards in the early years, only to be abandoned after a few years. I always felt that i should try and get to the top of the tower, trekking.

It took a long time of almost six months for that dream to materialize. It was some time in the second term end that we decided to to trek to the watch tower. yeah.. We, Me Mohit and Manjunath. :-) Winter season was just about to begin when we made our plans. On a lazy sunday morning, the three of us set off to conquer the watch tower at sharp 6.15am. From our campus the watch tower was a tiny speck and i was already having doubts about my stamina. But I didnt say a word fearing the comments passed by to other two.

We started the ascend by around 6.30am. It was a route filled with thick bushes and shrubs. The route was tricky and confusing. We were not sure as to weather we were moving in the right direction. But the gut feeling took us or rather dragged us all the way up.

We had let off hopes of seeing walkable or trekkable paths as the route was becomin tougher and tougher. Mohit, the most flexible and energetic among the three would go first and find an easy way up both me and Manja. I could still manage but it was Manja , with is out of shape build, who was a tough time. It was recentle that i had purchased my Samsung Mobile phone, and i was pretty excited about taking pics with it. The view from the hill side towards the city is just mind blowing. We even had the a chance to see some of the rarest species of Spiders. (Mohit is an expert with reptiles, Spiders and other creepy stuff... ). It was a demanding task. After almost an hor and half, we reached the watch tower, or that what we though!!! We had actually reached a place from where we could see the watch tower, but could not climb it, as it was surrounded bu thick thorny bushes from all the sides. I think it was deliberately done soon after it was abandoned, so that no body uses it for any other purpose. The three of us had put in a lot of effort to reach till here and were not ready to give up so easily.

We then decided to take a round about way to reach the opposite side, though we knew it would cost us atleast another 45 min. But we still went ahead with it. This was the most toughest part for the three of us. The path was covered with thorny bushes, slippery rocks. To add to our worries we had even seen 3 to 4 snakes making their way through the bushes. But some how we managed to reach the other end. But it was not over yet. Though we had found our way to the top of the watch tower, the entire way was covered by bushes. We had committed ourselves a bit too much to give up now. Mohit, taking advantage of his lean built, found his way by jumping on directly to the ladder. But both me and Manja had to crawl ourselves to the stairs.

Once we were on top, the feeling was totally different. None of us were feeling tired. The was a sense of accomplishment. We had done something that no SDMite would have dreamt to do. We trekked for 3hrs continuous;y to reach the watch tower. The view from atop the tower is just mindblowing. The entire Chamundi hills could be seen at a glance. We could also see our beautiful college campus from up there. It was so windy up there that we had to hold on real tight to the railings. Both me and Manja were worried about Mohit.. He he...

As soon as i got network on my cell i franctically called a few of my friends to let them know that by the time they were up in bed, I was up the watch tower!!! Manja then engraved our names on the door of the tower. We decided to take a small nap after all the hard work and trust me the experience is one of a kind. I took off my jacket,shoes and just closed my eyes. I could feel the winds rushing by my side. It was amazing.

After spending almost an hour on the tower, we decided to head bak to the college. I must admit that the old and rickety stairs scared the hell out of me. Some how i managed to fumble my way down.

Now comes the best part. All three of us forgot the way down!!! A little bit of confusion took us to the wrong direction. But we never gave up. We some how struggled, crawled our way through the forest and after nearly an hour we reached the road, almost at the top of the hill. The entire experience is beyond what words can convey. We started to walk. All of us were dead tired, but we never revealed our weakness. Finally to our luck a bus was coming our way and we hitched our way down.

This is one experience that i will never ever forget in my entire life. Plus this episode had also made the three of us the latest adventure heroes in college who conquered the watch tower!!!

GSB!!!

It was a cold Tuesday morning on August 15th 2006. There was an annual sports event being conducted in our college. It was a holiday that we longed for-- Myself Ashwin, Manjunath and Mohit!!! The three of us decided the previous night that we would set off to the one and only Gopal Swamy Betta.(Kannada for hills). The most beautiful hill station i have ever seen in my life. It was 5.45 in the morning when Mohit came and woke me up. By 6.15am the three f us were ready with our Bikes, Helmets and Jackets. The three machines were a Hero Honda CBZ 150cc, a Honda Unicorn 150cc and a Bajaj Caliber 110cc.

We left the college premises by 6.30am when most of the students were lost in their dream world. The very first pit stop was a Fuel pump. Each of us filled fuel for Rs.250. By 6.50am we were off!!!

The best part was that the roads were excellent. Though it was full of fantastic twists and turns, it was also covered with a smooth layer of tarmac. It was a treat for my eyes and for our bikes. Both me and Manja (thats how i call him) were well ahead in our powerful bikes, but poor Mohit had a lot of catching up to do in his Caliber. But he did a pretty good job. The total distance to Gopal swamy Betta was around 86kms. The three of us maintained a steady speed of 70km/hr. It was very tough to control the irresistible urge of just letting the throttle loose as all i could see was wonderful black tarmac inviting me to hit the gas. And inevitably, there were times when i purposefully gave in to the temptation. It was an opportunity to check my bike's limits. I could actually feel the rush when i saw the speedometer touching 105km/hr. All i could hear inside my helmet was the soft humming of the bike's engine and all i could see through the vicor was the blurred images of trees and cars and other vehicles that passed me by.

It was not me alone who fell for the temptation. I could also see Manja trying to catch up with me on his Unicorn. It was fun leading the way and then being lead. At around 7.15am we stopped 4 a small break. We decided that the next stop would directly be a GSB. At 7.25am sharp, we were off again. This time there was No stopping, No turning back, No slowing down.

The three of us ripped out bikes till we reached the GSB Entrance at around 8.15am. We paid the small entrance fee and we were on our way uphill. The total distance from the foothill to the top was around 7km of steep ghat section. I had to lower the gear to 3rd to climb the hill at a comfortable pace. At times even 2nd gear wasn't enough. I can imagine how tough it must have been for Mohit. One funny thing observed was that at the base of the hill it was very warm, bright and sunny. But as we reached towards the top we could actually feel the difference. The roads ahead of us started disappearing coz of the mist. It also started raining lightly. The three of us couldn't help but stop our bikes to enjoy the climate... It was amazing.... This was when i decided to take off my helmet so that i could feel the air. It was getting cold as we moved higher. Thats when i see Manja taking off his leather jacket.. Can you believe that!!!! Me and Mohit didnt wanna act foolish and were tucked inside our jackets.

As we reached the top, all three of us were spellbound. It was terrifyingly windy, Al the roads were wet, It was still raining and the mist made it difficult to see more than a few feet. This was what excited us. While most sane people would find it wise to just visit the temple and go back, we decided to go trekking!!! Yeah u heard it right. GSB is famous for its elephant inhabited forests around the temple. We just wanted to have fun and loads of it... We trekked deep into the hills with almost zero visibility and with rain goddess showering her blessings on us. I was truly one of the most amazing experiences i have ever had! All we had with us to record this wonderful experience was a puny little camera. A 1.3 MP cam which was integrated in my Samsung E880 mobile phone. But it was doing a decent job. Missed a digi cam though...

After enjoying the climate and ofcourse the trekking we decided to head back to the college. It was 12.15pm in the afternoon and the hills were still covered in thick mist. We never wanted to leave the place, but had to. We had plenty of assignments to be completed for tomorrow.

The way back was even more fun. As we reached towards the base we could see the mist fade off and the bright shiny sun smiling at us. It was almost like two different worlds out there. The experience is beyond words. I for the first time in my life entered into a sunflower garden. With the sun shining at them, it was truly a wonderful sight to see all the flowers bloomed to their fullest.

This trip will always occupy the first row in my memory banks. And i am sure it would be the same for both Manja and Mohit. This was a wonderful experience and i would request all the people in and around Mysore to visit this place atleast one, Coz its worth it!!!