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The Walkway!

I am stuck, in the place called nowhere,

I am stuck, without a plan, dream or air,

I am stuck, midst nothingness and scare,

In the world of pain, too much to bear,

So tell me now, I have no fear,

It's gone so numb, like I don't care,

The pits so deep, a slashs’ a smear,

So don't hold back, I know, Lifez’ ain't fair,

In the quest that I began,

Like thousand suns shining on a sedan,

Now, I am stranded and baffled,

Like thrown in an empty box and rattled,

I seek a path of glory,

No footsteps on that ivory,

Patience is all that I am left with,

To walk the pathway, print it in red, and make a story!

Abstract

Abstract

Its quite a bit of time, I saw the sun,

The chilly wind, and the autumn sung,

Caressing through your hair-locks, I could see

Life shone as bright as your glittering skin,

Sweet smelling wind, gushing past you,

Tingling me, mesmerizing me, hypnotizing me,

Hours and hours together, being with you,

Binding me, drugging me, addicting me,

I wished the time would stay still,

I wished the sand would not slid,

But the seasons rotate, leaves fall,

And so, the time did not stall,

Now its gloomier than I thought,

The winds have dried, the smoke has risen,

I said to myself,

Its done and dusted, don’t have a longing now,

I wonder when I would again see the autumn sun,

Therez still a beat here, the time won’t run,

There will be dawn, a hope of light,

By that time, you will be gone, again autumn will be bright!

Yet again winds will turn,

Till the time we burn,

You may think it would end with fire and gun,

But its just, Emptiness . . . .!

                                                                A Silent Vow!

A windy day, a gusty night,

A solitary heart with a murky sight,

Lost to Hope, nothing was right,

Always wondered, was this the bite?

A hint, a nudge,

Secretly, a chocolate fudge,

Life whispered to me,

Why the grudge?

A gust of wind, a brewy wave,

There she went, with a smile she gave,

Bamboozled I stared, let out a sigh!

Maybe out of my reach, best to say good-bye!

A task too hard, a work of pride,

May be just may be, she could be my bride,

A stroke of luck, ever so high,

Leaped for her, pretending to fly,

Alas! Sight of her, with someone other, made me cry,

Ridiculed myself, just because I was shy,

A thin face, a bruised chin,

A heart-ache, a faded grin,

Hitting an arrow in the dark with a bow,

Whatever it is, not a flop show,

Fallen warrior fighting back from a low,

Nothing said, a silent vow!

Khaabon ke Parinde

Hey guys, now let me tell you about this adventure that I experienced. Recently (Feb) I was in Goa, reining the south coastline.  Initial aim was to go for Scuba diving but as it turned out, it was full moon time and the sea was rough. So the trainers didn’t risk us to invade the great waters of the Arabian sea (lol :P). 

So, what to do next? We went on to hire a bike and travel the whole coastline day by day, halting on every beach we found. Our major targets were –Paloleem, Agonda, and Golgibaga beach, the two later ones being natural turtle habitats. As it was the breeding time (for turtles :P) then, we were hoping to catch some live hatching of the little turtle eggs.

While strolling at Paloleem, we met a brit from Brighton. His weird activities caught my attention and soon we began to converse. From him, we learned the beautiful places that surrounded the beach including Cafe Blue Planet (the best place for complete organic vegan homemade delicacies), Neptune point (wildest party ever) and a perfect natural paradise – Cola Beach. He gave us some handy tips about all of these places and it really helped us make our moves (:P).  In this article I am going to talk about Cola beach experience.

To get down at Cola beach, its one hell of a ride. The road is all very rough and muddy (kacha rasta) and you got to ride on top of mountain and then get down and park your bike at some place from beach. After parking the bike you can climb down and reach the beach. We went by bike but I would suggest hire a bicycle and then ride till this place but only if you have stamina (it is hardly 4 to 5 kms from Paloleem). Mountain forms a steep cliff of about 150-200 feet so it looks really scary when you look down from the mountain top. But the cliff is only at one side and from the other side you can climb up/down the mountain.

To describe the beach, as you walk on sand towards the face of cliff - on the right side you can see the beautiful Arabian sea and sun heading for a perfect sunset, Cliff straight ahead and on the right side – formed by the mountain carvings, a perfect sweet water niche. The sweet water structure is in a form of canal which opens like a pond in front of sea separated by sandy beach. The mountain which is at both sides of this pond hosts a perfect stay relaxing you completely. There are tents and cottages to have a stay starting from 1500 INR per day for a hut/tent/cottage for two people. The most convenient thing is these accommodations can be booked online (Kudos). We did not stay there as we had special plans for the night at Paloleem (Saturday night @ Neptune point! Hell yea!).

Let me talk about the adventure I had there. As we were strolling on the beach before a swim in sweet water pond, we saw a yellow big canopy gliding over us. Coincidently the person who was gliding in it landed just in front of us. It looked really cool and we went and appreciated the whole thing. He acknowledged with all the beautiful scenes that he could see up from there gliding with no strings attached from the ground. We heard in utmost awe. Then he started packing up the canopy to which we helped. Suddenly he had this wild idea to glide with one of us on board with that canopy. This particular idea came in my mind at the first instant when I saw him glide.  Instantly, I agreed to fly with him on that canopy. Hell, this was thrilling!

We (that Russian Guy and me) quickly packed the canopy and trekked to the mountain top for this amazing adventure.  The mountain was steep and it was difficult to climb it at same pace, nevertheless it made my adrenaline level high. Now, we unpacked the canopy and he tied me with all the required equipments to the canopy. Then he got attached with canopy himself, all we were waiting for was – gushing wind!

It was the time for instructions that I should follow while airborne. That was the time when I figured out; there was a small problem- the Russian guy did not know very good english and could not tell me the exact instructions. All I was able to understand was wind, run, jump, up, sit, stop, land, tight and ”is it ok?”. Finally I could manage to understand as he said – Run till the end of the cliff and then you have to jump from it. I said to myself – is this guy out of his mind? Telling me to jump from a cliff straight 150 feet down into deep blue sea? I detached myself from canopy and went at the very end of the cliff to see what was waiting down for me. The scene was very very nausiatic to me. Oh yea, I forgot to mention, I have alto-phobia (fear of heights). I walked back to the spot where we had been waiting for the wind to come and attached myself again to the canopy. So all that we were waiting for now again was the wind.

My muscles tightened, my nerves tensed, determined look towards the cliff and my heart beating thousand drums at the same time as I thought “Lets do this!”  All of a sudden there was a strong rush of wind blowing my hairs and somewhere back in my head I heard a voice subconsciously telling me to run. I started to run towards the cliff end, seemed like all is happening in a very slow-motion, I felt so aware of the environment. The cliff end neared, heart beats escalated to what must be a million in a sec, legs almost trembling with ‘what will happen next’ thought. Again I heard a voice, JUMP and I pushed my last footing on the cliff edge hard to be airborne.

Suddenly, everything went silent, I realized I was not falling and instead had this amazing feeling of being in the air without any support. I started rising upwards due to wind pressure and I began to come at normality, heart rate returning to normal, adrenaline at the highest peak and a scene I will not forget in eternity of my life. Gliding in the air, I could see the never-ending sea, the horizon, the sun going down it -glittering every drop of water I can see ahead. Towards my left lush green mountains, towards my right, the sweet water niche adding every possible colour nature can portray and in front glittering silver sheets of sea.  Now that was the perfect time to say I was drooling in awe of it! Totally graceful.

Amidst that, I heard that voice again “ is it good”? I yelled with all my strength ‘It is F***ing awesome man, I was feeling like an eagle hovering above, everything at my will (actually his will as he was steering the canopy). We lingered about 20-25 minutes in the air and headed back towards the cliff. Air was pretty rough so we have to land on the cliff otherwise we could have landed on the beach. Anyways, I did not want to come downwards, it was bliss all around me.

Now, this landing was one hell of a scary thing. We were supposed to land some 100 meters away from cliff edge but at that moment due to sudden wind rush, we were about to land on the cliff edge and easily fall down. But luckily we got a small area to step and push upwards again which was what we did. Again we got airborne and headed to land in quite centre of the cliff. This time we landed inch perfect.

“Hum ho gaye jaise naye, wo pal jaane kaisa tha!” (Lines from Khaabon ke Parindey, ZNMD)

Crazy crazy adventure!

For the conclusion part – “You have to be extremely crazy to do something very crazy”.  Thanks for reading Folks!

Walking Through the Sepia Tones

Hey guys, back after a loong loong time! How are you guyz! I have been travelling a lot in the interim and have got lots n lots of tales to share!

Recently I had been to a very remote village in north Karnataka (very near to my grandparents place near Bijapur). It was a 5 day trip to the wonderland as there was a function planned out by my cousin. I rented a sedan to reach out that place since it is very difficult for me to catch a state transport (I am very lazy :P).  The journey to the place was not very good as mercury was tipping ever high throughout the day (450 kms). But merely thinking of meeting cousins after a very long time and getting away from the monotonous work-life into the peaceful bliss brought altogether a different colour in me.

Narrow lanes, mud roads, small grocery stores with candles lit in it, in place of bulbs and tubes (probably electricity must have gone) and sun sinking in over the mountain – priceless! Looked like there could not be much difference between what I saw and what I expected! As I reached destination, there it was, standing proudly in front of me, the legacy of 150 years, welcoming as ever. It is built with wood, mud and stone – an eight room vintage home, perfect! My first maternal aunt still lives there and tell you what – they have jazzed up the place exactly how a traditional village home should look like, so magnificent! As I entered “home sweet home” cousins and relatives swooped in, waves and waves of merriness hitting me, easily the moment to be cherished.

Following morning after the function, I took my cammy and went to capture the best of the antiquarian. Emotions bubbling over, anxiously I went through all the narrow lanes which lined the old houses of their inmates. The first thing I noticed was the peace all over, no vehicles honking, no disturbing sounds, no yelling, just the peace, like wind blowing silently. Quietly, the village was buzzing! People buzy in their daily household activities, ladies carrying water in large pots, drying the grains in sun, preparing the traditional delicacies, men marching towards their farms, some catching the wind on their bullock-carts, gotto watch the scenes guys! It is one of the perfect ways to lead a healthy life. Next, I went to the market they gather up on Sundays. Astonishingly displaying their marketing skills, the vendors there looked like they are up to something. Interestingly, I noticed a peculiar thing that every one there was selling something different which the other didn’t had. No competition between them at all, seemed like all of the market unitedly selling the things! One of the major advantages of shopping at such locations is you get everything farm-fresh which is really healthy. As I asked them the cost, I was quiet startled. The veggies there were very cheap ranging from four rupees per kilo to maximum twelve rupees per kilogram. Greatest quality at the cheapest price, mann..who would miss out on that! Caught some great snaps which I will be sharing with you shortly.

Now the important part, what is the significance of all these? I feel living close to nature is one of the best times spent of your life.  We as humans are designed to be a part of nature and live with harmony and peace. But when living in the city, I somehow feel I am doing it all wrong! Being a part of the city-society, I am dragged into things which are not correct and absolutely intolerable. And these things happen virtually, like in a sub-conscious frame of mind. For example, sometimes I travel by bike even if it is a very short walk able distance, lots and lots of plastic usage unnecessarily, I mean there are lots n lots of options available here to spoil us and we are happy to ignore, happy to have all these options! In village there are a few options available but almost all lead you towards a healthier lifestyle unlike city. I felt this even more when I had this visit to my village. Look at it guys, healthy food, daily mandatory a long walking exercise, pollution free air and peace of mind, what else do you need J. However it is inevitable to leave city life, one of many reasons is our dependability on daily needs and sheer laziness to migrate into another world! What a pity! One more thing guys, it felt most amazing not to touch mobile for a couple of days! Peace.     

A Fruitful Tree - Eternal journey of me and You!

Why is that you want to be the best? Why is that you drive yourself nuts to crack that insignificant small stubborn thing? Why is that you consider the best option among all others when you know that you can cope up with a lesser one too. In simple words 'why do we push ourselves to the last toe-space at the edge of a cliff?', or "does it even matter". The question rests upon this.

Life in many ways shows different fruits at the end of its farthest twig. Mesmerizing it is to look from a distance, but equally difficult to get there and taste it. In ways many we think, to preach the best one, eying here and there. But in the quest we tend to forget that it is a journey one has to undertake, from root to the last twig until we reach the fruit "but of only just one tree". The tree grows as we grow, and strength to climb there also weakens after it peeks only for 'just one time'.

Then comes the part where we tend to look for the nearer one, slightly less appealing and think to settle down for it, crashing some of our expectations. Now this is exactly why I am talking about pushing ourselves, so that we can gatecrash the crashes anyhow we were going to face and fly high to reach that horizon. Life teaches us to "fight" and it comes down to us for making it legendary.

The secret to reach the fruit, as I see, is to choose the challenge wisely so as to which tree should we climb. Heeding on the fruit will definitely make us fall, sometimes flat on our face (that is however learning the hard way). Learning from our mistakes carves a graceful path towards the fruit given that we don't reiterate them.

Talking about "fight", be stubborn, naive, determined until you get what you want, but in ways which will yield positive! Fill your inventory, pack your arsenal and give a damn good fight. Never ever back down, never ever give up, but you should have a strong reason backing you up. A manor is judged by its base. Give everything you have, you will not falter.

Does it even matter? Of course it matters and in ways we'll never be able to understand. But when you look back as the curtain falls, you'll realize how it has rendered you, how it has altered you. It creates the difference between sky and earth, between fire and ice. You would be then surprised that the fruit tastes even sweeter than you expected it to be.

You can think or most probably you must have by now that what gibberish I am talking about, but read it once again with an irenic mind, it will make more sense.
Cheerio!

Pasta : Hunt for the Best in town (Pune)

Hi,

Let me introduce myself to you all. I am Guruprasad Kulkarni, living in Pune since I was born. I just completed my graduation from MIT and currently working in an IT firm. As it goes, I am a great foodie. My stomach has its own brain :P. Being a brahmin, I am a pure veggie!

Well, Italian food is something very special to me. Let it be pasta, pizza or lasagna, I love them all. So, I decided to take a walk around the town and find out where I can indulge into the flavours from Italy. I profoundly like pasta in white and pesto sauce, so I made a survey only about these pastas.

One criteria I want to mention though, finding the best pasta in the town is never only about its taste but also its price. If you pay around 400 Rs. for a plate of pasta, definetly you would expect it to be one of the best (Yes guys, I am talking about 'Little Italy') so price factor should also be taken care off.

I commenced my survey from a small restaurant named "AMORE" in koregaon park (near Adlabs). One of the reasons I went over there is, It claims it has the best italian food in the town. The ambience is elegant but gives you the feeling of as if you were sitting inside an air conditioned can. The staff is very cooperative and enlightens you about their various italian dishes. I went there in evening time, it wasn't crowded. I ordered Pasta (penne) in cheesy white sauce along with bell peppers and olives. When I tasted a spoonfull, the pasta was well cooked/boiled. The sauce however lacked taste, it was very plain and blunt. I added salt, pepper, chilli flakes and italian seasonings to spice it a little. The veggies were also less on top of it. The upside was its higene and the way they cook the pasta. Talking about the cost, it was efficient. I had to pay 90 (for the pasta) +20 (for veggies). For the pasta I would give it a 3/5, for ambience and staff 3.5/5 and for cost and its worth: again a 3/5.

Next on my agenda was "PEPINOS", but I somehow landed into a Pasta house at "GOLD ADLABS"  (just adjecent to U.S Pizzas). I ordered a plate of Penne pasta in white sauce. What I got was a plate full of disaster. Though it looked good but it tasted twice as bad. The pasta wasn't well cooked. Talking about the sauce, it was too too much cheesy, all you could taste was the excessiveness of cheese. The sauce wasn't thick at all. All I could think while eating it was, when will this stuff finish, stop tormenting me! Somehow I finished it, paid 110Rs (Not worthat all!) and left the place! For the pasta I would rate it 2/5, for the ambience 3/5(only because it is at Adlabs) and for the cost effectiveness: a mere 1/5.

A week after recovering from the pasta disaster at adlabs, I went to "PEPINOS". I had heard a lot about this place from my friends. This italian snack house is situated on FC road. The ambience is not at all italian, it looks like just another local restaurant. I ordered again Penne Pasta in white sauce. I felt a little jolly when I looked at the bowl with pasta in it. It certainly looked good and I am not sure if it was my imagination or what, the quantity appeard to be more than in any other restaurant. I kept my fingers crossed for how the taste would be. The pasta was well cooked, the sauce was 'fair enough' and it tasted 'how a white sauce pasta should taste'. The veggies were providing just perfect flavour to the pasta. I enjoyed eating at "PEPINOS" and would certainly like to visit again. The pasta here was priced at 130Rs. but enjoyed it a lot. For the pasta: (3.5 to 4)/5, ambience 3/5 and cost effectiveness 3/5 (just because the quantity was a bit more, thats what I felt).

I came to know the existence of one more pasta house on FC road, the "Cafe ROLLA'COSTA". It is just adjacently inside to SUBWAY sandwhich place. I went to explore and rate that restaurant on the basis of pasta. The ambience is not of how a restaurents should be, but then I can understand its on FC road and just a startup. The staff however is extremely cooperative and fast. I found many youngsters hanging out here. Okay, when I saw their Pasta menu I was quite taken aback. These guys have soo many pasta to offer you: Penne, Shell, Macroni, Farfalle (but not spagetti). Also a range of different pastas in red,white,mixed and pesto sauce. I ordered Funghi'da'pasta (shell pasta in white sauce with olives and mushroom). The bowl looked overfull (nice for me :D) and smelled very good. I took the first bite of it and felt italian air brush my hair (lol!). The perfect pasta what I imagined to eat. The sauce is just too excellent/perfect. The veggies are perfectly sliced and adds a zing while eating it. The shell pasta was very well cooked. The quantity is just too perfect for one person (he/she should be really hungry :P). All in all my taste buds were extremely satisfied! Later on(not that day of course) I tried Rosa'Macroni, Alfredo'Penne and Pesto sauce pasta. All were up to the mark. I must say, this restaurent has consistency and definately exceeds expectations each time you go there. Also, the cost efficiency is way too good. It costed me 60Rs. for Funghi'da'pasta and 60,80,100 Rs. respectively for the last three flavours. As far as giving the ratings, For the Pasta : (4 to 4.5)/5, for the ambience (2.5 to 3)/5 and for the cost efficetiveness 4.5/5. You should definetly try out this!

Lastly, I went to "Little Italy" on Ganeshkhind road. It is a perfect italian ristorante. The ambience makes you feel rich and alive. I could not wait to have pasta there. I ordered penne pasta in white sauce as my sister ordered the same in red sauce. Pasta obviously was very well cooked, the sauce was just exquisite along with all the veggies. Tasted havenly! Then I tasted my sister's order 'pasta in red sauce'. It turned out to be poles apart. Not at all good! The sauce was spicy and very very tomato flavoured! Look at the irony here! Even my sis who likes pasta in red sauce didn't like it. One advise from me about this ristorante is "dont try out new things here, stick to the basics!". Pasta is rated very high over here - 400Rs for one plate of pasta. Ridiculous! Ratings........umm......for pasta (judging on white sauce) 4/5, ambience: a definate 4/5, cost effectiveness: 2/5.

Based upon my survey I would suggest you to try out Rolla'Costa and Peppinos. Thanks for reading my blog. This is my first ever post in my first ever blog! :) Cheerio!