UK: Visit to Whitby Abbey

The summer was just setting in. It was the last weekend in April, just after our short trip to India. We did not have much to do that weekend. We wondered, if it would be nice to start seeing new places to escape the boredom that winter months had brought in. One of the first places we visited was Whitby Abbey. As always we packed in a sumptuous packed lunch of home cooked food - lentils and rice (lauki dal and rice), carried over from Friday night.

Whitby Abbey is a ruined Benedictine abbey overlooking the North Sea on the East Cliff above Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the UK. It was first setup in 657AD, so from a time period perspective, it is very dated! Further history can be found at Wikipedia.

Bram Stoker was inspired by Whitby Abbey’s gothic splendour when writing Dracula.

This is one of the most atmospheric visitor attractions on the Yorkshire coast.

Though Whitby has an entrance fee, there is a very well preserved and unique visitor interactive center with dramatic digital reconstructions. If you have an ear for tuning into history, you can listen to the audio tour as you wander around the ancient ruins and enjoy the stunning views. We decided to soak it all in by ourselves over using the audio tour.Some of these ruins had so much of history and stories within them. Wish they could talk and take us through those olden days to narrate their stories as is – just like in the movies!

 The Whitby Abbey also has a very nice view of the North Sea, since it is at the North Western tip of UK.

The North Sea separates UK from Norway and other Nordic countries. The other side of this North Sea, where we were from 2009-11!

The weekend (April 28th – 29th) also happened to be the Whitby Gothic Weekend. Founded by one – Jo Hampshire in 1994, the WGW has grown into one of the world’s premier goth events bringing thousands of people to the town. The WGW's official line is to provide musical entertainment with bands and DJs, although the culture of the WGW has far outgrown that simple agenda. Whitby Goth Weekend now has something for everyone with an interest in goth and all things alternative. It's a celebration of the non-conformity, diversity and freedom of expression the scene embodies. We did see a lot of visiting tourists dressed in a very different way, which perhaps was the freedom of expression they sought. We decided not to invade their privacy and take pictures, though they were happily clicking pictures amongst themselves.

We spent about 2 hours insidethe Abbey, taking a walk along the green grass. Once we were done with adoring its beauty, appreciating its eeriness and learning all that we wanted to from the interactive visitor center, we had our quick lunch right inside the car and drove back to Leeds. A day well spent!

If you are a sucker for old monuments or run down heritage structures, Whitby Abbey should definitely be right on top of your lists!



A memorable drive to Whitby Abbey

 

You cant miss Whitby Abbey, once in Whitby town!



View of scenic Whitby town from the Abbey

 

The Parting Shot: Bye Bye Whitby Abbey!

Green Grass

You say, the grass is always greener on the other side. The grass on your side is greener as well! Just look around to your left, right, behind or front. Wipe those tears of self pity you have accumulated for yourself, blaming the world for giving you the wrong end of the stick. Wipe your tears, straighten your spine and spirit and surge ahead and greenery (symbolizing victory) shall be yours!

About this pic:

1. This pic was taken in Sept 2012 when Meenakshi and I had been to the Lake District National Park in UK with another couple. We were in Windermere and driving towards Troutbeck through one of UK’s scenic routes A592, when this pic was taken.

2. I was at the non driver’s seat, handling the camera while my friend Anurag donned the steering wheel. This capture was just after a drizzle, before the windscreen wipers went out to clear them off. Love the effect of the water droplets on the windscreen...giving it a teary eyed feeling!

Sept 30 2012: A decade of commencing my professional carrier

Not long ago a boy – doing a little above average in his academic life during his growing up years was funnelled into the world of an “engineering degree” through family and societal pressure based on the northwards movement of marks on his school scorecard. Once he finished his engineering degree, the job market was not as welcoming – thanks to the dot com burst of the 2000`s which was still lingering till 2002. Out of college and literally jobless, the next 3-4 months post May 2002 were the most eventful in his life for multiple reasons. To cut a long story short, thanks to the prayers and blessings of the almighty, his parents and sister , he made it to Infosys and began his professional career working as a full time employee from 30th September 2002. Today, he completes 10 years of commencing his professional career. It is 10 years since he turned from a boy into a man earning his own “bread”, (or “rice” to be more precise!). Time flies, doesn’t it?

My first job at Infosys has taught me a lot. Upon introspection, it has taught me:

1. To Take Up Challenges and follow unconventional paths: Being an electronics engineer, software was not my cup of tea since i was more into networks, servers and protocols. The job at Infosys made me take up that challenge of learning coding (which was always my weak spot during my limited exposure in engineering) and how there is life beyond coding through other roles in SDLC etc. In fact it was the putty that has moulded my career today to different facets of this industry.

2. To Fend For Myself: Since i had stayed home and breezed past school, college and my undergraduate – engineering course, i had never got an exposure to staying in a hostel or with room-mates. The job with Infosys took me to the Mecca of Indian IT Industry – Bengaluru (then Bangalore). The exposure of staying outside of your house makes you value some of the things you take for granted, while at home. In a span of one year from 2002, i could easily negotiate with real estate agents/ house owner for rent, setup a house right from scratch and also stay in unison with people from different parts of India and backgrounds. I could steer around tricky situations without losing any confidence that i may not be able to handle it.

3. Overcome professional obstacles and your own inhibitions: A self admitted underachiever with low confidence, i always felt i could never code. However thanks to the training at Infosys, which took a heavy toll on my own free spirit and will to stay employed, i cleared it all finally and overcame my own mental obstacles in doing the required roles in a software industry. I shed my own inhibitions and in some gawky way, continued getting exposure to projects, front ends, back ends, customer deliverables. Having played a variety of roles (gosh..i sound like an actor from a movie who has played a hero, villain, comedian – all at the same time!) – developer, tester, production support, business analyst, associate project manager, onsite co-ordinator, i finally started getting the maturity of being in this IT industry – a little later than other “computer engineers” or other peers who had an aptitude for software development. Most of my peers can any day still do a better job than me in any of these, hands down – but i can roll up my sleeves and give a decent try. Thanks to my current role in the industry – thankfully i don’t need to mingle myself with the technical nitty gritty`s ! I have seen umpteen circumstances in my short professional life of 10 years since 2002 which almost threatened me to quit it all and try something else, but i have somehow learnt to survive. Yes – there is a god and he has been kind to me in making me mentally tougher and survive through rough times.

4. Global Outlook: Exposure to multiple cultures, people and places: Had it not been for my job in the IT industry and the opportunities to travel that come with it, i wouldn’t have had the cross cultural sensitivities and skills to survive abroad, that i have today. I still remember the first official trip to the US (which was also my first trip outside India) in 2004. I was sent because i had a valid H1B visa and not that i was anything out of the pack/ exceptional in what i did. But i think back then, i was over awed by Infosys for blindly believing in my credentials to face a customer and deliver projects for them on behalf of Infosys. I had nothing to lose and gave it all – in spite of my lack of skills in some areas, tough customer political situations. In a span of 3.5 years with the customer, i was able to survive all this, tide over the initial hiccups which we all undergo and left a lasting impression with a lot of my client managers once i moved back to India (which was also incidentally for pursuing higher studies – MBA rather than switching employers). Many wanted me back post MBA, and i am glad at the effort i put in and the recognition from them in the form of goodwill to have me back. The exposure to staying in the US and understanding the customer and demand side of the IT Industry has been very valuable. Even within India, i have had an exposure to working out of our Bangalore and Pune offices and though both are cities in their own right, the difference in culture was mind boggling.

5. Anything else, which i cannot bullet it further here, but has benefited my career and professional and personal well being today. A small ode to Infosys, to summarize all this:

“Thank you Infosys - for believing in me, when no other companies did, way back in 2002.”
“Thank you Infosys – for giving such a solid launch pad to my professional career.”
“Thank you Infosys – for all the learning`s that have helped me make choices and make it to different roles in different organizations successfully”.
Hope you do well for years to come, as you can turn “Boys” into “Men” in this professional jungle!

It is only a decade of beginning my professional career, but it sure is a significant milestone and transition over to the next decade. I hope i continue to remember some of the above learning’s from my first job and continue to apply it for the next decade and improvise further.

UK:Malham Cove: Yorkshire Dales National Park

The UK is home to some of the most beautiful National Parks and countrysides across the world. There are over 13 national parks spread over England and Wales. In the Northern part of England, we have at least four national parks – Moors National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Peak District and Lake District National Park. All of these parks are not farther than about two hours from Leeds, making Leeds one of the "most wanted” places to live in - if you love nature, countryside and beautiful landscapes.

The nature of my job and my inherent laziness makes it difficult for us to plan vacations in advance. Thanks to the convenience of being in Leeds, it helps me escape tantrums from my wife for my awful planning by having an option to go for these last-minute-impromptuously-planned-short-day trips! Thanks to Guy Bradshaw – a dear friend, colleague and Meenakshi’s manager, we get all the right local advises to the “must see” and “offbeat” locations to visit around Leeds. The “offbeat” refers to my choices – which primarily include countryside, scenic locales and rural settings. One of the first recommendations from Guy was to visit the “Malham Cove” in Yorkshire Dales National Park for the April 2012 bank holiday weekend. We planned a day trip accordingly - one of our first few day trips in the UK outside of London.

We packed some leftover food from the previous night for lunch and set off from Leeds, after configuring our Sat Nav (American term – GPS) to drive down to the village of Malham. We drove through light city traffic across Bradford, to pass through Skipton and then enter Yorkshire Dales National Park. We were in for a treat, to sight huge farms, neatly terraced with stones. The sight of sheeps tirelessly grazing on green grass was a visual treat. Each sheep appeared to be a tiny spec of cotton, carefully planted by god to make the vast greenery unbelievingly mesmerizing to visitors.

After enjoying the drive through narrow farm roads and hairpin bends, we made it to the visitors centre at the village of Malham.

Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top. The cove has consistently been ranked as "must visit places in UK" in travel documentaries. It is also one of the places where the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was shot. I am not a Harry Potter fan, but thanks to Wiki - got this insight.

Armed with a map and having refreshed ourselves, we parked our car in a private car park across the field (Just £3 pounds for the day) we set off in the direction of the Malham Cove. It was a neat walk through the village and then onto the gravel footpath leading upto the Cove.

Malham village was probably founded in the 7th or 8th century by Anglo-Saxons, who would have created the terraced fields that we see today. With the rapid urbanisation and lack of sustainable income from farms, a lot of farmers from Malham village have migrated to cities. However those who were still addicted to nature and to farms, were still continue to lead their lives living off farm income, renting their houses for “Bed & Breakfasts” or by having “Tea Rooms” welcoming tourists.

The Malham Cove hill top was about 0.5 miles or 800 metres uphill from the foothills. The cove was created by Glaciers about 13,000 years ago. We steered through the gravel footpath, passing through avid bird watchers from a local club. The club members were keenly trying to spot some bird species atop the Malham Cove. There was a properly laid stone path leading upto the cove, though it was broken at some places. Hikers – young and old were energetically ascending and descending the path, with kids or pet dogs in tow.

We puffed and panted and finally reached the top – thanks to all those indulgences into food without any thought for keeping ourselves fit through regular work out. Surprisingly, we reached the top in around 40 minutes – not bad as per our standards! We did take enough breaks in between to take photographs or give way to other swift hikers.

Once we were atop, we saw the vast stretch of limestone pavement, laid out like nature’s carpet donning the hills. This pavement was formed over 12,000 years due to the bare scrapping by ice. Since then slightly acidic rainwater has dissolved the rocks away along faults and cracks. The deep gyrkes as they are known, now shelter a wonderful variety of plants, protected from overgrazing in their deep fissures. Some of these plants are Baneberry, Dog’s mercury, Hart’s-tongue fern. We did what most tourists do – walk on the limestone pavements.

It was a nice experience, and not one for the light hearted. As we played a game of chess – by carefully choosing which limestone boulder we place our foot on, we finally made calculated moves for 10-14 mins after which we got off the pavements and set off towards the nearby peak. The sun was suddenly out now and was tempting all tourists to have lunch and relax, enjoying the view from atop. Like the other fellow hikers, we obliged, found our corner and enjoying a splendid view of the mountains and the horizon with deep valleys and had our lunch.

Post lunch, we sat dawn calmly to spot the park till our eyes could tirelessly see and appreciate the beauty of Yorkshire Dales National Park. After sometime, we had to reluctantly make up our minds to set down and avoid climbing further up to the Malham tarn.

After climbing down the hill, we walked back into the Malham village, passing through old barn’s and farm's.

Once back in the Malham village, we decided to visit our first Tea-room cum farmhouse food cafe - "The Old Barn Cafe". A pot of English tea, hot cross bun and homemade scones, jam gave us a feel of the local produce and food. The farmhouse cum cafe also served as a Bread & Breakfast and also had the owners (who operated the cafe) in another portion of the house. Post the sumptuous evening snack, we finally left the place in the evening.

Other sightseeing places around Malham village – like Janet Foss waterfalls, Malham tarn will be parked till our next trip!

 

 

UK: Lake District: Fun Quad Biking

Breaks are always welcome. Especially if they are with the right group to the right place with the right weather and all have the right spirit – to enjoy! Meenakshi and I went for a weekend vacation with another friendly couple – Anurag & Aditi. It is our first ever with friends. Some good fun we had these folks @ Lake District National Park in the UK. We had stayed in a static caravan @ Windermere and had done a host of activities - motor boating, quad biking, trekking and also enjoying the pleasures that the scenic parks and lakes have to offer. One of these activities we did was Quad Biking. I had never heard about it before, but thanks to Anurag, got to experience this.

A Quad bike is recognised by UK law as a vehicle with four wheels and a mass of less than 550 kg.To drive a quad bike on a public road, in the UK, requires a B1 licence as well as tax, insurance and registration. However, in a controlled environment, with an instructor – you can do this activity for a limited time by strictly following the instructions and following him.

Horse Stable at Rookin House Farm

Safety has been a major issue with quad-bikes due to the high number of deaths and injuries associated with them and the negligible protection offered by the machine, hence all the instruction manuals we read before taking the plunge to drive highlighted this explicitly till the point of scaring us. But the collectiveness – all four of us injected some kind of a sensibility and bravery between me and Meenakshi as well to take this up.

We drove up to Rookin House Farm house at Troutbeck along one of the most scenic drives in the Lake District and probably UK – route A592, interlacing through mountains, deep valleys, rivers. The rain gods tried their best to dampen our spirits, but we were on fire - cruising up and down altitudes at 30 miles/hour on our rented car to Rookin House Farm in flat 45 minutes. Rookin House Farmhouse is host to a world of adventure activities – Air Rifles, Archery, Assault Course, Blind Fold Driving, Paintballing, Adult Quads, Horse Riding, Go Karts
and others.

Raring to go!

We had booked the Quads in advance over the internet – around GBP 18 pounds (approx $ 35) per person for 20 minutes.

After having done the signing forms and declared we were adults and responsible for ourselves, we were given pants, jackets, shower cap to wear on top of our cloths and helmets for protection. The girls quietly complained about the mud stains and dirt on the pants and jackets, but we guys just got the kick needed. The kick from the quick flashback reminding us all of the dirty days during school and college with muddy clothes after a bout of football, cricket or cycling.

Once we had put on our driving gear, our LANTRA qualified instructor gave us a short lesson on how to use the controls on the bike to operate the quad safely for maximum enjoyment.. Its pretty much similar to that of any motorbike one would have driven, barring minor changes – you got 4 wheels instead of two and you need to tie some string on your left hand to ensure you have control of the vehicle and bring it to stop in case of emergency. Our bikes were 360cc Kawasaki machines, very powerful. I felt at times I was sitting on a tractor closer to ground than on a bike! I was not sure if my wife would be able to drive it – as she has had no experience in driving two wheelers with engines – but I was in for a pleasant surprise.

Jet, Set, Go!!

I happened to be the first one to follow our instructor. He wanted us to follow him maintaining a safe distance. If any of us had other plans to go on our own – we would have been kicked out of the experience! So much for adventure! The trails and hurdles through which we were led weren’t too easy or too tough. It began on smooth slushy roads and then moved us through some nice gradients and obstacles, including driving through cleverly placed cartwheels. At times, the experience did make your heart skip a beat, but since the speed was slow and the wheels were four, with your hand on the breaks.it wasn’t risky at all. With us, there were also two Chinese guys, who suddenly decided to do their own thing and were then cornered for sometime by the instructor. He did take them out again later though. We spent about 30 minutes rushing through obstacles, driving the bike, revving up the engine.

New age Jai-Viru??

One of the most adventurous and fun activities I have been a part of so far! It’s up there with White water River rafting, cross country ski-ing done earlier in US and Norway.

 Wouldn’t mind doing a longer stint with Quad Biking!

Frozen..but undeterred

At times, life throws challenges at you that overwhelm you so much that you are shaken and in dire shock..almost frozen with inaction. During such phases, the least you can do is not let yourself down. Keep your calm and carry on. This too shall pass.

About this pic:

1. This pic was taken in Niagara Falls, United States of Amercia (USA) in September 2005.

2. The pic depicts frozen Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls was frozen probably once in its entire lifetime. But nevertheless that too passed and it continued flowing...making it one of the most ferocious and equally beautifull waterfalls the world over.

Brooding over the past..don’t repent!

In hindsight, everything looks totally wrong or right to us - be it the decisions we made, the people we met and fought or loved or things we didn’t do but could have done. If we have the right foresight and give the best to our decisions, people, work, relationships day in and day out, we may never repent in hindsight. The travel down memory lane will then be a smooth ride than a bumpy one!

About this pic:

1. It was taken during our trip to Whitby Abbey, north of UK. While travelling back, we had decided to pass through the magnificent “City of York” – the 800 year old city in Yorkshire.

2. The Circle in the background – aptly called the “Wheel of York” gives you a splendid view of the historic city of York – including the York Minster, York City Walls, rivers, railway lines and other landscapes.

3. It is very difficult to visit York and yet not fall in love with it!

Do your thing

Continue doing “your thing” if you believe it is right, even if others are not watching.
Someday somewhere, the moment of truth would strike – for you or for them!

About this Pic:

1. This pic was taken during our trip to the City of Bath ,just outside Roman Baths - the most famous tourist attraction in this city. This city was inscribed as a World Heritage Sight in 1987.

2. The lady playing this instrument in this picture was looking very composed and confident of her capabilities. The sound was very pleasing to the ears amidst the tourists and the delicate carvings and architecture outside Bath Spa. The lady had also kept a CD of her music near her collection basket (used to attract small change from passerby's who like the music), which one could purchase for £5.

3. The city of Bath was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD43), although oral tradition suggests that Bath was known before then.They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs.Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973.Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone

Paths to Success

Overcoming your inner challenges in life, can be very much like this picture.

As you climb down the stairs of lethargy, laziness and your own inertia blocking your paths to success (symbolized by the gate), there are multiple pathways that life has in store for you to achieve success. Though these pathways can be in different directions – they will ultimately lead to one goal – a step forward in the right direction for your personal success!

About this pic:

This pic was taken during our short trek to “Malham Cove” at Yorkshire Dales National Park, UK. Me and my wife walked down these last few stairs during our descent to finally finish a well deserved trekking workout and lunch high up in the mountains!

Announcement: New Section/Label PicMotivate

Its high time i started getting active back on this blog. From today, i am introducing a new section under motivation. This would be “Pictures that motivate or PicMotivate”. These pictures have been handpicked from the collection of snaps i have created in the last few years – thanks to the places my job takes me to! The picture would typically be followed by a small paragraph on something related to motivation. Hope this helps us all in some small way to achieve the greater goals in life that we need to achieve.  Comments and Feedback appreciated!

London 2012 Olympics

The Olympic games are a testament to the human spirit of preparing, competing, participating, winning, loosing and learning. Each game is a journey through a multitude of emotions ranging from anxiety, nervousness, happiness, anger, disappointment to frustration. Though the end result is measured in the form of “Gold”, “Silver” or “Bronze”, the participation and experience of being through all of the above amongst the world’s best would be the biggest “high” from this event.

My interest in sports has always been biased towards cricket – all formats (Tests, One Day Internationals and T20’s). My addiction to cricket also happened pretty late – as compared to my friends and cousins. The cricket fever hit me when i was just about to turn 16 – during the 1996 cricket world cup. It was a memorable win for Sri Lanka and all the memorable for me as i was robbed of critical preparatory hours before my final examination for Grade 10 (one of the crucial exams in the Indian schooling years).

Though i have remotely tried to follow “Tennis”, “Badminton” and “Football” to some extent, i have never erred towards tracking Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling or Athletic sports like Discus, Long distance Running. I am sure this would be true for most of the Indian folks.

Cricket has overshadowed other sports in India due to the big money into the sport. The year-long hectic schedules across formats and countries makes it lucrative for global sponsorships, players and for supporting infrastructure like commentators, cricket grounds, media etc. The fact that the BCCI (regulating body for Cricket in India) is privatised, further helps to “isolate” it from government intervention. Unfortunately for most of the other sports listed above, there is no such “privatisation” – which can explain the lack of money, sponsorship or infrastructural support to groom sportsmen across different discipline.

Inspite of facing odd’s like modest facilities, non lucrative remuneration, very limited or lack of support from state & central government or private sector it is heartening to see the spirit, tenacity and determination of Indian sportsperson (the non cricketers). They are giving their best shot to overcome all odds to seek glory in sports and gain international recognition.

My heart and mind goes out to

Gagan Narang (B)
Vijay Kumar, (S)
MC Mary Kom, (B)
Saina Nehwal (B)
Yogeshwar Dutt (B)
Sushil Kumar (S)

for their Olympic medals, making it arguably the best Olympics for India. It would be highly unfair to not mention Geeta Phagot (Wrestling), Vikas Gowda (Discus Throw), Poonia (Discus Throw), Devendro Singh (Boxing),Abhinav Bindra (Shooting), Tintu Luka (Running).These folks were very close to winning a medal and indeed made a mark in all their games. While the patriot may argue that we received the wrong end of the decision from the judges quiet often, the sportsmen will not like to give excuses. With only 4 more years to go for the next Olympics in Brazil, i would be very eager to see these Indians and more such sportsperson eagerly prepare for further glory for Olympic Medals for India. One of the initiatives called “Olympics Gold Quest” led by former Indian sports people has indeed been a hit as it has given us 3 medals so far in London 2012 Olympics.I hope this initiative continues for the better and continues to groom more sportspeople to compete internationally and bring home the medal. Fingers crossed and i hope the government, sports ministry wake up and do the needful to bring the level of support up for these players.

In the end, for junta like us who love Cricket, let us not only follow cricket, but also keep following other sports and encourage them. I am sure once we do this, the advertisers, sponsorships and other money would flow into these sports.

Thanks to our entire contingent representing India for giving us our best Olympics participation and win till date!

Met Irrfan Pathan (IP) in Kolkata Airport!

We love meeting celebrities, don’t we? I happened to meet one today. I just landed about a couple of minutes back in Kolkata Airport – come here for a two day customer visit. I got off boarded from the plane and walked towards the conveyor to collect my luggage. Standing across on the other side of the conveyer was a man i thought i had seen before. I was sure he was an important guy as there was one of the ground staff at Kolkata airport, lurking around him - probably about to request for a pic with him. Other passengers around didn’t pay credence initially, but then realized it was a celebrity. I am bad in identifying celebrities in person – but this time i was bang on! It was Irrfan Pathan (IP) – the all rounder in the Indian team who has now slowly made sort of come back into the team. Irfan had a handsfree snaking around his neck and the other hand was twiddling with an electronic gadget – maybe his cell phone. I was initially hesitant to walk over and meet him as i just didn’t want to appear as JADCF (Just Another Desperate Celebrity Fan). He was gracious in signing autographs for hordes of people as he waited for his luggage.

The cricket fan in me however overcame my initial hesitation to meet him as a JADCF. I walked across to the other side of the conveyer, paying gay abandon to any luggage that was snaking across the tiny strip. A tap on the shoulders, shook his hands and here’s what transpired:

Me: Hi Irrfan. Nice to meet you.

IP: Thanks. Nice to meet you

Me: Its nice to see you in the team to Australia. Look forward to see you in further trips. Your tally of 160 odd wickets should hopefully touch 500. Fingers crossed.

IP: Thanks for the wishes. Inshallah!

Me: All the best!

Irrfan Pathan - Kolkata airport

After a few minutes, when his luggage was in place, he then headed off to the only place where women cannot enter – mens room! Probably the Kolkata Night Riders practise is commencing starting tomorrow, for the Indian Premier League (IPL)!

I then clicked his pic from the side. For some reason, had i been JADCF, i would have succumbed for a pic together or for his autograph.But nah..maybe some other day/ some other celebrity.

Signing off from my first fresh blog from Kolkata city airport – within 30 minutes of the occurrence of the event covered in this blog! But promise – this is a true story and “Ami Shotti Bolchi!” (meaning "I am saying the truth" in Bengali)

Enjoy Maximum City Mumbai with $8 (Rs. 400) in 6 hours



Top of VT Station / BMC Building



Mumbai is unarguably one of the fastest cities in the world. 24 hours is not enough to get things done in this city. There is always more to do. For a person working in this city, each moment is like a ticking time bomb. You never know how it went and what is in store the next minute. For any office goer in this city, Friday evenings are the happiest, Saturday is a real treat and Sunday gets depressing – especially from 3pm as one starts counting hours of enjoyment left before the next working week begins! In short, the weekend will come and swing by you – without making you realize how best you could have utilized it! In this fast paced city, at times it is important to take a break on one of these days and enjoy the feel of being a Mumbaikar! One of the coolest places to hang out in the city is to go to Victoria Terminus (VT) (now termed Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus) / Churchgate. This is the la Grand Central of New York or Oslo Central Station of Oslo. VT station is the part of Mumbai which the snobbish refer to as SoBo (South Bombay). The western, harbour and central lines run trains which terminate at VT / Churchgate – so access is always not an issue.

VT is Mumbai and Mumbai is VT. Point made! A walk across the city through the various by lanes can infuse an infectious enthusiasm to even the laziest of bums – like me! I love criss-crossing the footpaths, finding my space in between street peddlers – who sell everything from a “Shantaram” paperback for Rs. 50 (1 dollar) to things which I may not need, but end up buying for the sheer offer being made! There have been countless memories i have had since my growing up years – walking through every nook and corner of VT, especially through the dusty path through Azad Maidan – with the Bombay Gymkhana turf on one side and the sweaty “future Tendulkars” swinging their cricket bats on the other side. Azad Maidan is also a prominent platform for protestors from all over India, who vent their protests on any issue ranging from farmers suicide to Smriti Irani’s character assassination in “Kyun Ki Saas bhi Kabhi bahu thi”! I have spent donkeys hours striking a good bargain at “Fashion Street”, watching movies (before the Multiplex era) in New Excelsior, Regal, Sterling and other stations or travelling to the Bank of Tokyo office – to meet my sister. The tasty food at “Khao Galli” (Food Street) still makes my mouth water! The walk across Queens Necklace in Marine drive is always special –be it night or day. I also have fond memories of going to VT with my dad, looking for Famous Five and other novels and novelties during my summer breaks. Now as i write, i feel biased that the only memories i have of my growing up years is only about the time spent in VT and nowhere else!

Over the years the only thing I had always wanted to do was a tour of VT – on a shoestring budget – the way i used to when money was scarce, time was plenty and i was a student. Those were the days when a Rs. 100 ($2) would be enough for round trip travel, a can of pepsi, a lunch at khao galli, an English movie in Regal and a good bargain T-shirt at Fashion Street. Small change left was used to buy roasted peanuts. I had always talked of doing this shoestring budget trip often to my wife – to remember the good old times, but since i was out of Mumbai for most of the while, i never got a chance. Finally, the day came in Oct 2011. I was in India in 2011, in between assignments. I and Meenakshi decided to pay homage to VT and have varied experiences – a long pending thing for us one of the weekends.

Gateway of India

We took the local train from CBD Belapur to VT Station and then took a taxi from VT Station to Gateway of India. We resisted the temptation to walk as it was already late by the time we left from Belapur (sometime after 3pm) and we did not want to miss the sunset at Gateway of India. We had also narrowly missed the Double Decker BEST Bus, which we had so narrowly missed by a whisker! Once we reached Gateway of India, it was like any other tourist destination in India – tourists trying to capture the moment on cameras than with their eyes and heart, street vendors trying to make a quick buck selling roasted corn, ground nuts or sweets. Luckily the Sun was still lazy to go down the Arabian sea and the sky was still lit with light. We quickly captured the Gateway of India, Taj hotel on my Nokia E72 cell phone and then went back to enjoying the moment than clicking snaps. Taj Hotel - rose above the ashes around it after the 2008 terrorist seige, when it suffered damages due to gruesome act by terrorists. It is indeed a standing testimony to the "never say side" and "chale chalo" (keep going) spirit of Mumbai.

Taj - as seen from the belly of Gateway of India!

After seeing the Gateway of India and Taj hotel to our hearts content, we had some salted peanuts with onion and tomato – with a dash of lime on it, from one of the street vendors – a typically Mumbaikar’s delight. I can have this snack anytime / anywhere!

When the sky set, we had a look of the magnificient Taj, lit on against the backdrop of a dark sky. With horse chariots donning the city roads in the evening, we walked across and went to Leopold Cafe. Leopold Cafe is one of the most famous cafes – famous for food, beer and ofcourse “Shantaram” and the unfortunate event of gun fire during the terrorist siege in Mumbai in 2008. My hopes of sipping a beer crashed as it was a dry day – honouring Gandhiji’s birth anniversary – which was just a week before. We had some fries and other food and walked across the road to Marine Drive. It was a good walk and along the way – we treated ourselves to delicious pan and some bottled Bisleri water. By the

Marine Drive - Queen's Necklace

time we reached Churchgate station (just minutes before touching Marine Drive), we decided to take a stopover to have Icecream Sandwich in a small family run Parsi shop – called “Rustoms”. This is just a little ahead of “Gaylord” restaurant. The Icecream Sandwich place recommended by my wife was a delight. A no frills shop, with an old Parsi lady at the counter manning the cash and 3-4 people serving customers on the table. This dwindling family business still manages to smile through the portraits of the previous generations of Parsi’s donning the walls. A tasty ice-cream followed by some water re-charged our batteries to walk till Marine Drive / Queens necklace.

Thankfully the weather was perfect – windy and not humid. We sat on the stone bordering the cliff, amongst couples who were trying to find their private moment in this maximum city and regulars – having a good time with friends. A few pictures later, we had a quick bite at the Naturals ice cream parlour. We then realized we need to go home and took a taxi to Navy Nagar. We wanted to take an AC Bus from there, back to CBD Belapur. Unfortunately, we had missed the last bus, so we took the normal BEST Bus to VT Station. This fulfilled another experience – of travelling by BEST Bus in VT. We then took the train back to CBD Belapur and came back home well before time.

Indeed an amazing day with a variety of experience. Would have loved to spend almost the entire day walking across the city, but maybe – that will be done some other day! Overall cost of the outing was less than INR Rs. 400 ($ 8) for two people – pretty reasonable for two people. Isn’t it?

VT Railway Station




Inside Gateway of India

Taj Hotel

Gateway of India in Moonlight

Sun setting over Arabian Sea

Taj Hotel - in the evening

Horsecarts with bright lights