Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sangam- Mekadatu Bike Trip
"It’s not the Destination that matters. It’s the Journey that does" - Anonymous
The Baxogens have rediscovered the meaning of this phrase when they have set to conquer the Kanakapura Highway., on the 11th of November 2006. What accompanied us on this trip were the two jazzy Bikes, which were raring to get out of the jammed roads of Bangalore. We managed to get out of the city by 10 O’clock and headed towards Kanakapura after having a light Breakfast in a Hotel by the road.
The road to Kanakapura was not the smoothest, but the speedometer constantly touched the 80 K mark whenever possible. The whiff of the air slashing across our faces as was refreshing as the view of the Gorgeous Suburbs of Bangalore. Mastan and I acted pillions to Ravi and Pradeep respectively. We have taken a few snaps in the green fields of the small hamlets that we passed across. The view of the mountains and the Coconut trees somehow brought the memories of our own Konaseema.
The clock ticked past 1O’Clock in the afternoon by the time we reached the Bustling town of Kanakapura. It was a small busy town with a lot of activity happening even in the afternoon. Our destination was still separated by 35 Km on a not-so-good-road, which meant that we still had to travel a good 1 hour on the bikes. We picked up the speed, not paying any heed to our senses which were warning about the dangers of traveling at higher speeds on a bad road. The road from Kanakapura to Sangama was a tortuous stretch of dilapidated Bituminous Road, probably laid about 10 years ago. The road almost had every that a RTA Test Driving center would have probably loved to have. The Hair-Pin bends, the U turns, the ‘S’ curves and what not. It was at one such Hair Pin bends that we happened to see something that our premonition has already warned us. The Unicorn that Ravi and Masti were riding went out of control and headed towards the rock-strewn flank that shouldered the road, had it not been the last minute adjustment of Ravi, to veer the Bike from ramming into the rocks. The Bike crashed into the hard ground with a thumping noise, as Pradeep and I watched that happen, in utter disbelief and horror. We quickly rushed to the spot and helped them to get out from underneath the bike. Miraculously, nobody was hurt. The Bike too was in good shape even after the mishap. This incident brought us to back to sanity again. We drove with utmost caution for the rest of the road and we eventually reached Sangama at about 2 O’clock in the afternoon.
Sangam is actually the confluence of Rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arkavathi. Water is not so deep at Sangam, which lets people to cross it on foot. We can even take a small boat to cross the river, but we preferred to take the option of crossing the river on foot. The water at any point, was not deeper that our chests. We packed our luggage into the bags and carried them along with us to the other side of the river. We then had some very good amusement time in the river. There were a considerable number of people holidaying at that spot and that added to the fun of being there. Although the water was not so deep, Mastan has some problems for keeping himself afloat, for obvious reasons..:P. It was very hard for us to get out of the river and to go further, but we had to go at last.
Mekadatu is a place where the River Cauvery flows through a very narrow and deep Gorge, which makes it to rampage along the Rocky valley. The Gorge is very deep but the width is as small as 10 feet at some points. The name “Mekadatu” has its roots from the Kannada Words “Meke”- Goat, and “Datu”-Leap. It means that even goats can leap over the gorges at that place. We have to go by a State Run Special Bus through a 4 Km Jeep track in the Cauvery wild Life Reserve. The area is fully covered by thick flora and hills, though it is rather unlikely to spot any fauna. We reached Mekadatu at about 4 O’clock in the evening. There were strange rock formations due to the ravaging Cauvery all over the place. The rocks bore holes and other shapes due to the torrential water lash. The flow of water through the Gorge created a bizarre noise which echoed deep into the mountains. The Rock formations provided us a good opportunity for Rock Climbing, Trekking and a few other Mountain terrain activities. We engaged ourselves into some hard core “Do-The-Dew” kind of actions on the rocky banks of the Cauvery. We had a sumptuous photo session, with some Directorial flamboyance that is possible only to the Mani Rathnams and Farhan Akhtars (Remember Lakshya??). After the heavy duty activity, we returned to the point where the bus will pick us back to Sangam. We reached the Inner bank of Cauvery at 6:30 PM.meaning that we had to cross the river in the dark, which made the walk through the river all the more dangerous. Do not ask us if there were no boats available. They were available, but you can blame it on the Baxogens Ideology of “Do it, when you think that you can’t”.
We repacked our luggage into respective bags and got onto the Bikes at 6:45. The road back to Kanakpura was doubly dangerous not just due to the fact that it was very very dark, but also due to the fact that travelers get robbed on the highways by dacoits. Our first aim was to get to Kanakapura as soon as possible and think about the Plan of action from there on. Pradeep and Ravi drove the bikes very carefully, swerving dexterously to avoid the pot holes. In spite of the neon head lamps of the Bikes, there was a lingering feeling of eeriness in the scheme of things, which looked rather Gloomy. The same roads which looked beautiful in the afternoon looked eccentric in the night. But the most important thing is that we had actually enjoyed every bit of the thrill, which only a traveler can experience.
The street lights of the Kanakapura town blinked from in between the branches of the trees welcoming us back into its threshold. After the day long amusement and traveling, we badly needed an early dinner (Or should we call it a late Lunch??). We asked for a few directions to the best Dhaba around the Town and got into one very soon. We had a lavish (Not quality, but quantity wise) dinner and then decided not to travel anymore in the night. We booked a Hotel room in the town and quickly settled into the bed. We had the usual Cream batch chatting session before we got into a deep slumber.
We got up in the morning and started back to Bangalore with not just the Luggage we carried but also the fond memories of Sangam and Mekadatu.
The Baxogens have rediscovered the meaning of this phrase when they have set to conquer the Kanakapura Highway., on the 11th of November 2006. What accompanied us on this trip were the two jazzy Bikes, which were raring to get out of the jammed roads of Bangalore. We managed to get out of the city by 10 O’clock and headed towards Kanakapura after having a light Breakfast in a Hotel by the road.
The road to Kanakapura was not the smoothest, but the speedometer constantly touched the 80 K mark whenever possible. The whiff of the air slashing across our faces as was refreshing as the view of the Gorgeous Suburbs of Bangalore. Mastan and I acted pillions to Ravi and Pradeep respectively. We have taken a few snaps in the green fields of the small hamlets that we passed across. The view of the mountains and the Coconut trees somehow brought the memories of our own Konaseema.
The clock ticked past 1O’Clock in the afternoon by the time we reached the Bustling town of Kanakapura. It was a small busy town with a lot of activity happening even in the afternoon. Our destination was still separated by 35 Km on a not-so-good-road, which meant that we still had to travel a good 1 hour on the bikes. We picked up the speed, not paying any heed to our senses which were warning about the dangers of traveling at higher speeds on a bad road. The road from Kanakapura to Sangama was a tortuous stretch of dilapidated Bituminous Road, probably laid about 10 years ago. The road almost had every that a RTA Test Driving center would have probably loved to have. The Hair-Pin bends, the U turns, the ‘S’ curves and what not. It was at one such Hair Pin bends that we happened to see something that our premonition has already warned us. The Unicorn that Ravi and Masti were riding went out of control and headed towards the rock-strewn flank that shouldered the road, had it not been the last minute adjustment of Ravi, to veer the Bike from ramming into the rocks. The Bike crashed into the hard ground with a thumping noise, as Pradeep and I watched that happen, in utter disbelief and horror. We quickly rushed to the spot and helped them to get out from underneath the bike. Miraculously, nobody was hurt. The Bike too was in good shape even after the mishap. This incident brought us to back to sanity again. We drove with utmost caution for the rest of the road and we eventually reached Sangama at about 2 O’clock in the afternoon.
Sangam is actually the confluence of Rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arkavathi. Water is not so deep at Sangam, which lets people to cross it on foot. We can even take a small boat to cross the river, but we preferred to take the option of crossing the river on foot. The water at any point, was not deeper that our chests. We packed our luggage into the bags and carried them along with us to the other side of the river. We then had some very good amusement time in the river. There were a considerable number of people holidaying at that spot and that added to the fun of being there. Although the water was not so deep, Mastan has some problems for keeping himself afloat, for obvious reasons..:P. It was very hard for us to get out of the river and to go further, but we had to go at last.
Mekadatu is a place where the River Cauvery flows through a very narrow and deep Gorge, which makes it to rampage along the Rocky valley. The Gorge is very deep but the width is as small as 10 feet at some points. The name “Mekadatu” has its roots from the Kannada Words “Meke”- Goat, and “Datu”-Leap. It means that even goats can leap over the gorges at that place. We have to go by a State Run Special Bus through a 4 Km Jeep track in the Cauvery wild Life Reserve. The area is fully covered by thick flora and hills, though it is rather unlikely to spot any fauna. We reached Mekadatu at about 4 O’clock in the evening. There were strange rock formations due to the ravaging Cauvery all over the place. The rocks bore holes and other shapes due to the torrential water lash. The flow of water through the Gorge created a bizarre noise which echoed deep into the mountains. The Rock formations provided us a good opportunity for Rock Climbing, Trekking and a few other Mountain terrain activities. We engaged ourselves into some hard core “Do-The-Dew” kind of actions on the rocky banks of the Cauvery. We had a sumptuous photo session, with some Directorial flamboyance that is possible only to the Mani Rathnams and Farhan Akhtars (Remember Lakshya??). After the heavy duty activity, we returned to the point where the bus will pick us back to Sangam. We reached the Inner bank of Cauvery at 6:30 PM.meaning that we had to cross the river in the dark, which made the walk through the river all the more dangerous. Do not ask us if there were no boats available. They were available, but you can blame it on the Baxogens Ideology of “Do it, when you think that you can’t”.
We repacked our luggage into respective bags and got onto the Bikes at 6:45. The road back to Kanakpura was doubly dangerous not just due to the fact that it was very very dark, but also due to the fact that travelers get robbed on the highways by dacoits. Our first aim was to get to Kanakapura as soon as possible and think about the Plan of action from there on. Pradeep and Ravi drove the bikes very carefully, swerving dexterously to avoid the pot holes. In spite of the neon head lamps of the Bikes, there was a lingering feeling of eeriness in the scheme of things, which looked rather Gloomy. The same roads which looked beautiful in the afternoon looked eccentric in the night. But the most important thing is that we had actually enjoyed every bit of the thrill, which only a traveler can experience.
The street lights of the Kanakapura town blinked from in between the branches of the trees welcoming us back into its threshold. After the day long amusement and traveling, we badly needed an early dinner (Or should we call it a late Lunch??). We asked for a few directions to the best Dhaba around the Town and got into one very soon. We had a lavish (Not quality, but quantity wise) dinner and then decided not to travel anymore in the night. We booked a Hotel room in the town and quickly settled into the bed. We had the usual Cream batch chatting session before we got into a deep slumber.
We got up in the morning and started back to Bangalore with not just the Luggage we carried but also the fond memories of Sangam and Mekadatu.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
JNTU Student
Today, I went to the college to collect my TC, Bona-fide certificate. The infrastructural changes in the College campus are quite obvious and needs no mention here, but the most striking aspect of the college even today, are its students.7years have passed by since we first entered the campus but amazingly the mental makeup of the JNTU student is still the same!!!
You can still find the Smiling Archanas, the bubbly Sriharshas, and the studious Madhavis all over the campus. You can still find the Chirpy Muralis, the Sturdy Rajasekhars and Little Nitins across the corridors. You can still find the Chubby Arunas, the Gentle Farhas, the charming Srilakshmis and the shy Rajanis on the way to the Girls Hostels. You can never miss the Geeky Praveens, the naughty Chandus, and the Stylish Nagapavans, eating their lunch boxes in the classroom. Neither can you miss the energetic Nagaiahs, the diligent Mastans and the Intelligent Phanis with Stick-file lab reports in their hands, in front of the tronix labs.
You move along the corridor and you could see the Cheerful Samatas, the elegant Swathis and the suave Sireeshas discussing the last mid’s question paper. You go to the library and you can see the Gentlemanly Rajasekhars, the Humble Hem Prasads and the Wise Venkata ramanas deeply immersed in some reading.
You come out of the library and you can see the reserved Kishores, the lackadaisical Mohan raos, the unassuming Mahis, the lovable Premnaths, the laid back Prabhus and the comical GVs returning to the college after the Lunch. You go to the Academic section and you would find the simple Gaythris, the bold Sravanthis, the serene Krishnapriyas and the Silent Madhuris waiting for the LDC Veeraiah to return.You go to the Ecorner and you can see the prankster Pradeeps, the Cool Ravi Kirans and the authoritarian Chaitanyas chatting about their last prank.. You come to the first floor and you can see the composed Ranjits, the hilarious Rama raos and the Jovial Shika Praveens laughing heartily over the last joke cracked. You come out of the college and you can meet on the way, the intellectual Ramdoots, the Vivacious Sureshs and the merry Srinaths hurrying to the HOD’s all important class. At about 4 O Clock in the afternoon, you can see the self-effacing Sudhas, the soft-spoken Pavanis and the down-to-earth Srujanas ambling towards the bus stop.
There is so much change externally, but deep down, the JNTU Student is still the same and who knows, they may still remain the same in the years to come and somebody might write a similar blog 7 years down the line…..
You can still find the Smiling Archanas, the bubbly Sriharshas, and the studious Madhavis all over the campus. You can still find the Chirpy Muralis, the Sturdy Rajasekhars and Little Nitins across the corridors. You can still find the Chubby Arunas, the Gentle Farhas, the charming Srilakshmis and the shy Rajanis on the way to the Girls Hostels. You can never miss the Geeky Praveens, the naughty Chandus, and the Stylish Nagapavans, eating their lunch boxes in the classroom. Neither can you miss the energetic Nagaiahs, the diligent Mastans and the Intelligent Phanis with Stick-file lab reports in their hands, in front of the tronix labs.
You move along the corridor and you could see the Cheerful Samatas, the elegant Swathis and the suave Sireeshas discussing the last mid’s question paper. You go to the library and you can see the Gentlemanly Rajasekhars, the Humble Hem Prasads and the Wise Venkata ramanas deeply immersed in some reading.
You come out of the library and you can see the reserved Kishores, the lackadaisical Mohan raos, the unassuming Mahis, the lovable Premnaths, the laid back Prabhus and the comical GVs returning to the college after the Lunch. You go to the Academic section and you would find the simple Gaythris, the bold Sravanthis, the serene Krishnapriyas and the Silent Madhuris waiting for the LDC Veeraiah to return.You go to the Ecorner and you can see the prankster Pradeeps, the Cool Ravi Kirans and the authoritarian Chaitanyas chatting about their last prank.. You come to the first floor and you can see the composed Ranjits, the hilarious Rama raos and the Jovial Shika Praveens laughing heartily over the last joke cracked. You come out of the college and you can meet on the way, the intellectual Ramdoots, the Vivacious Sureshs and the merry Srinaths hurrying to the HOD’s all important class. At about 4 O Clock in the afternoon, you can see the self-effacing Sudhas, the soft-spoken Pavanis and the down-to-earth Srujanas ambling towards the bus stop.
There is so much change externally, but deep down, the JNTU Student is still the same and who knows, they may still remain the same in the years to come and somebody might write a similar blog 7 years down the line…..
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