Mountain Filler

These days are like writing a lot and updating less.

Finally could make a trip round Dehradun. The forest areas between Dehradun and Rishikesh show a lot of Beware of Wild Elephants signboards, but really there aren’t any elephant sightings. Last night was my second trip up the mountains to Bharsar made at night. It was 10 pm. Was expecting to see a tiger or a leopard more precisely speaking, but ended up spotting a big Porcupine running in the middle of the street between Pauri and Pabo. The quills were really big. The first sight made me think it to be some bush on the mid road, on nearing spotted the porcupine trying to run as fast as possible, probably after hearing my bike sound nearing it. It erected its quills even more when my bike neared it. The problem with these wild animals is that initially you are dying to spot one, and when you finally spot one, the very first thought that hits the mind is fear.

At that, I should quote the one dialogue of Will Smith from After Earth “Fear is not real, danger is real.”

This line ought to be taught to distraught Bharsar people who literally pronounce way too many ghost stories around. “Kvk me bhoot hai. A block me bhoot hai. C block me bhoot hai.” People at Bharsar don’t have anything better to do either.

Its 5^th September. Finally brought gym equipments at the boys’ hostel here. Really not that sure about the longevity of the stuffs but all I can think is the stuffs will work well till the time I am posted here.

I really wanted to take a dip the river at Byasi. Its wonderful down there. The rocky river beds. The sands and gravel. The river flows wild. The waters were dirty on account of the landslides by the mountain rains.

Riding bike downhill was again another herculean task yesterday specially when I had a pillion rider and a hurry to reach Dehradun as soon as possible. Should have left Bharsar before 5:30 am. It was already hell cold that morning. I could conclude one thing – I love riding my bike alone. The 350 cc can take you anywhere round the globe. And ideas of taking Thejus Jacob on my bike, Naah. The man weighs 80 kgs plus man. Last time I had felt a bike sulking due to a heavy pillion rider was Akash’s Pulsar 200 dipping to my utter wonder, when Ankur Kariya pressed his arse on the back seat. The bike just wouldn’t spree up like it usually did.

Akash was the one who had taught me bike riding. And one damn great line I will always remember he spoke “feel the bike, feel the engine, it will tell everything what you have to do when.”

My 350 cc wouldn’t produce any grunts when I am alone and the road is an earth bound road. Mountain roads carry my despise. Well Thejus’s FZ does swing freely a lot more better than my bike on the mountains. Come on, mine is a cruiser fellow, a 200 kgd. Something you go out on long straight plain highways, sitting straight up, aviator shades on, your scarf flying by your neck, and you look at the sunset, with a smile on your face, you reflect back at your life, as the air caresses your face, and you can pick up the line “Feels like God..” This was the line used by Avenger fellows but it really suits better on other, I mean the real cruiser bikes, be it the Triumph Thunderbird or the Royal Enfield one or any Harley stuff. Avenger was the toddler cruiser.

Bit of confusing while gendering my Thunderbird. Buddy makes it male and Rani makes it female. Usually while addressing to others, specially women, about my bike, I tell them “my bike is my queen”. Otherwise I love calling it ‘Buddy’. That’s one dub I very frequently whisper on my rides. On such long roads, its just you and your vehicle. You love going distances and your bike makes it sure that you go fine. The cumbersome stuff is stopping every now and then to take out the dslr out of its nest and click. Really remember the wishful words of Nikita “if the eyes could take snaps.” Her that line was followed by another thoughtful line “you shouldn’t keep taking pictures of everything, some moments are to be preserved in memories only.” Contradicting to this concept was Akash, everytime, “sir.. photo”. That was irritating.

Wishing a fine a ride to home, coming October 10^th. Hope it becomes possible. This time I will sit at some nice Bengal corner and listen to Rabindra Sangeet. You miss it really. It goes somewhat like the phrase – when it was raining you wanted the rain to go away and when the rains really went off you start missing them. When you are in Kolkata, you really don’t like it much. Congestion. People. People. Everywhere. Buses. Yellow cabs. Narrow dingy streets. Vegetable wastes lying around. Flies. Crows. Kolkata is famous for crows. No movie shot in Kolkata would be complete without that crow calling. And the sweat. It would really make you wish – why can’t I be in some better place than this. And then, when we leave that Bengal city, we, means Bengalis. Not much sure about others but I miss the people of out there, the Bengali speeches. Everyone has special love for their mother tongue for sure. Bengalis won’t abuse much. Maybe because the language is really that formal. Like we usually see in the north India, no dialects will ever be complete without a mc bc bkl, or bdk, the most non vulgar among all the abuses. The people who utter such honorable words are mostly the young males, but it ranges from kids, even girls, to the older sections of the society, even if the person is a doctor or the dean. People in north care less, people in Bengal care more. Maybe the brain of Bengali people secret too much emotion creating hormones. Ha ha ha. And then the Bengali people would write something, something like a poem, or, anything.. like I am writing, I love writing, so pardon me. Bengalis would then sing some songs. But the real creations filled with essence were done by Tagore only. After that, millions have been writing billions, but nothing as beautiful as Tagore stuffs.

I wanted to grow beard like Tagore but these college people had me shaved. I don’t know what’s wrong with the people up here on the mountains. They don’t get a mouthful beard or what their god knows. A few people you may spot having bit of moustaches but that also would come in patches. Funny people.

So. The trigger factor for biking out to insane miles, is to keep your ass glued to the hospital seat so long that the worms really start itching under your skin so much that you are even ready to jump off a high flying aero plane, just for thrill. Mad.

Its just some kind of mind set. To go out roaming. You don’t care. You love seeing places. Even if there are dangers of being attacked by an wild animal, or falling off the cliff, or being manhandled by a group of hooligans, or suffering a crash down at some no man’s land. Really did the life take a turn like this? You don’t like things. You don’t like what the people do with you. Its just not upto your aspirations. You have tried your level best at times. Still certain things never worked. And you were never ready to accept the otherwise outcome. You love being free. You don’t like what they tell you to do. You just don’t care. Something again what Nikita had said “what if you died at the accident”. I was like “so what.” “what do you mean by so what.” “who cares what happens after being dead.” “your parents care arnab, what about them.” It needs a real touch madness to reply ‘so what’ after that line of hers.

Lets check the otherwise side of the above paragraph. If any wild animal comes, you got the dslr, you click pics, wonderful achievement man. How many people in this world get to do that. Most of the people fear animals at places where the animal isn’t even present, and even if present, give me a ‘So What’ please. You are also an animal. You are actually on the top of the food chain. You had amusements of being an X Men, a mutant, or some superhero created by the great Stan Lee. So be that. Become Wolverine, for a moment as if. Face the bear. Show it that you are also an animal. I think its getting insane now. Ha ha. Precisely, the tiger is rare. But, if you happen to carry a big worm in ass, you go into places where a normal man wouldn’t go, and you encounter the tiger, in reality, then.. then take out your damn dslr and click the tiger man. Ha ha ha. What else can you plan for an once in a blue moon happening. Exact words would be – fight. That’s the one thing that applies for all situations. Except something like falling off the mountain road. That is something that won’t give you your life back I think. Mountain roads are villainous. Straight down the hill side, you and your vehicle, jumping down, hitting on every rock on the way, rolling, and finally thrashing on a plain, or the river, the river doesn’t forgive anyone here on the mountains. Only that lucky God of these people might be knowing what prompts these people to worship this river like anything. Really, no Gods ever lived on the mountains. Man climbed mountains just to fuck nature. Moving off the topic. So our scenario was what’s its like to be falling off the mountain. Again think of the great Hollywood. Remember how Vin Diesel does it in XXX. Just play the track ‘Let the body set the thump.’ Then you are famous as John Rambo. Think about how Sylvester Stallone jumps off the cliff to get hold on a tree. Otherwise wait to watch Point Break. And if you are crashed in a no man’s land, that’s most wonderful honeymoon out of all these. Think of Cast Away. Or if you are two people, one boy one girl, Blue Lagoon, Seven Days Seven Nights. Put all that crap aside. Think like Jeremy Renner in Bourne Legacy. How can someone walk out of that ice cold water.  

Today is Janmashtami. I miss the handi phod at hometown. People at my campus were searching me today morning waiting to take donations from me. I remember my Mom’s words for these kind of people “bastards will take money and drink alcohol.” Got an invitation from temple people to come over at evening. Well, today my new temple has been set, waiting for me, finally a bench press at the gym.