Things I think about while cycling: Fall, tuck & roll

This morning while cycling along Kathauta lake I came across a Durga Puja pandal which was being taken down. Like a hero I cycled through it and almost at the end of the pandal the right brake of my cycle got stuck in a white curtain.

The bike turned right with a jerk and I found myself flying in the air. It all felt as if it was happening in slow motion.

Somehow, instinctively, I had the sense to break the fall with my palms, keep my head tucked away from the ground and roll on my back to break the momentum of the fall. I got up as soon as my roll got to a stop.

I was a bit shaken and mildly bruised. Gave myself a once over, picked the bike and got back on the road. I realised that my right palm was bleeding a bit once I got moving on the cycle. Was contemplating whether to proceed with the cycling or go back home and dress my wounds when my thought went towards the cell I use to calibrate my cycling. The Samsung cell was not in the pocket of my shorts!

I realised that it must have slipped off when I fell down and as it had been more then 10 minutes since then my chances of finding it seemed remote.

Trudged back to the spot with a heavy heart, ruing this day and morning. I reached the spot and was pleasantly surprised to see my cell on the road!

The screen had cracked but the cell was functioning! So there was a silver lining in the dark cloud after all.

Things that I think while cycling: Aliens

Aliens not in the sense of a sci-fi movie but more in relation to immigrants and immigration.

This is a modern day problem and till a few decades back no one used to think or talk about it.

In my opinion whatever problem of immigration we have around the world nowadays it all stems from one single reason. The reason being that the immigrant labour does a work which the local refuses to do. They fill up that vaccum.

In Nepal no one wants to be a maid, while in India Nepali mads abound. Closer home Uttra Pradesh supplies labour to the whole of India. But in U.P. the labour comes from Madhya Pradesh as they refuse to work in their state.

The same holds true for U.S. and Europe. They need people to do the job their own people wont do.

In Lucknow every few months there is in an outcry to remove the illegal Bangladeshi garbage collectors and give the jobs to the locals. But the locals don’t want it, they just don’t want anyone else to do it. The Bangladeshi were prevented from working for a few weeks, and once the garbage started piling up in alarming proportion, they were back at job.

This is one problem which has no logical solution.

Things that I think while cycling: Congress & Caribbean

A couple of days back, while cycling in the morning I mused about the rise and fall of the Congress empire. And how it resembled the rise and fall of the cricketing giants of yesteryears the West Indies.

Both of them, Congress and the West Indies cricketing team were huge in the past century. They both literally ruled the 80s, had legends in their respective teams and both slowed down with time.

They both have the potential and the game plan to rise again to the top but lack true leaders and legends to lead them. Even if they win anything it seems like more of a fluke, a flash in the pan, than something that they acheived.

My advise would be to regroup, rethink and to go into hibernation for sometime so that they can come back stronger, more focussed and with something which resembles a game plan of some kind.

If not, then West Indies can land up being a second league cricket team and Congress can end up being shrunken to the size of some regional party.

View from the wicket…

First, the part pertaining to philosophy. We are looking in the same direction through the wicket yet we can appreciate different views. So its all about point of view, which can differ, yet be the same at some level.

Second, I learnt a new word today, or an old words new meaning to be more precise. A wicket can also be a small gate within a large gate, like we see in castles. And it can also be a small opening in the wall to dole out cash or tickets like a counter. 

Lastly, the two holes also look like the eyes of WALL E!

Holy fish of Surinsar

Surinsar, a small lake hardly an hours drive from Jammu, around 38kms or so, and I had never been there for some unexplainable reason. 

We went past it a few decades back while on the way back from Mansar, but never got to the lake. 

The lake was muddy due to the downpour of past few days but the fish were literally jumping out of the water and strolling on the steps of the ghats for food crumbs.

What we really liked was the drive through the hills. The traffic was sparse and the countryside untouched. 

Reminded me of all the drives we went on when I was a kid with minimal traffic, good roads and lonely stretches of road to our selves. 

Many a slip…

I’ve a thing for early morning flights. They’re the first one, so usually on or before time. I’ve no issues in getting up early. I pass out the minute I buckle up in the plane and before that I’m as alert as always. There is no traffic so you commute in the shortest time possible. Plus you’ve a saved the major chunk of the day. But for this to work out like a clock work you need two things : first, a reliable alarm clock, and second, a cab driver you can blindly rely on.

Well the trip didn’t start on a good note. My trusted driver of so many years was late. I had timed my departure based on his habit of arriving 15-20 mins before the appointed time. Today he was late and I started walking down the road to save the turn around time. He finally turned up 5 min late. Thankfully the road to airport was empty at 5am and we spend to the airport at 100-110 km/hour.

The flight to Delhi was on time and uneventful. The transit passage for domestic travellers was closed so had to take the long route to the departure lounge. Went straight to the departure area after the nightmarish experience of the past few trips. Luckily got a seat right opposite the electronic board displaying the flight schedules.

The first thing I noticed on the board was that the departure gate of only my flight to Jammu was not given in the 30-40 flights put up. This felt like a bad omen to me. I had another couple of hours to go for the next flight so I waited for it to be put up. After sometime I couldn’t take it anymore and went hunting for the Indigo staffer. First one said it was 13B, the second, more senior one, wouldn’t believe it hadn’t been put up till I didn’t drag him to it. They finally put up as 14B on the display. I shifted my seat in the lounge to inbetween 13 and 14 and waited for them to make up their mind. It was 13B eventually!

The flight started on a good note. Seat 23A and the seat next was empty. Bright and sunny with a blue clear sky. I passed off for a while with my mouth open, all relaxed and on my way home. Waking up at 4am after only a few hours of sleep had finally taken its toll.

I woke up with the pilots announcement of our being half an hour or so from Jammu. He went on to say that the weather over Jammu was turbulent with high winds and thunderstorms.

The pilot went on to say please brace yourself and keep your seatbelts on.

As we approached Jammu the clouds started looking ominous and the kind I had never seen before – dark and jagged. We move closer to the destination and I start seeing familiar land marks. As the plane starts the descent the winds pick up. The plane is now swaying like a paper plane from side to side. I can hear the wheels coming into place and the wing flaps are up. The runway is in sight and the final maneuver has started.

The plane is literally squeaking like an old wooden house in a dust storm. I could never imagine that a plane can produce such noises. It’s getting difficult to hold on as the plane is swaying from side to side. I can see the people on the ground very clearly now.

Just before the touchdown the pilot abandons it and we start ascending. The passengers are all stunned into silence. Even at 11 in the morning the cabin is dark due to the storm outside and there is an ominous feeling inside. There is an announcement that there’ll be one more try to land. If it fails then either we go back to Delhi or the flight will be diverted to Amritsar.

The plane goes for a different approach to the airfield. It passes right over my place and I think how ironic would it be if I go back without going home. The drama over Jammu has been going on for over 20 minutes now and I really want it to end well.

This time around I think the pilot aligned the craft with the winds cause I could the howling but the plane is not shaking that much. As we approach the runway the second time I am literally chanting “land, land, land…”. My small effort to mentally will it down.

The rear wheels touch the tarmac and the whole plane bursts into spontaneous applause! The cabin lights are switched on and it felt like a happy ending of a real life thriller.

I was at the rear of the aircraft and could’ve alighted from the back stairs but I waited for the crowd to clear before going upto the cockpit and shaking hands with the pilot and thanking him for the landing. He was a smart bearded guy of around 40 and pleased as a punch with his performance.

I stepped down on earth and the raindrops start falling from the sky.

And it begins…

We are at the junction of spring and summer yet again. 

This year we were lucky and had a prolonged spring break. But now the summer is just around the corner and making its presence felt with every passing moment. 

Reminds me of the finale of Lords of the Ring where they’re climbing up the volcano to destroy the ring. They can’t see it but they can feel the increasing heat with every step they move closer to the top.

This year it’s supposed to be a scrocher! 

When it rains….it pours

I had one such day yesterday. It rained as if there’s no tomorrow!
On the way back I thought I took a shortcut through this quaint, historic gateway and after much twisting and turning in my car after 10 minutes reached right back where I started from!

If this gateway wouldn’t have been so gaily lighted up the scene of my being lost, driving through narrow lanes, in pouring rain and almost pitch darkness, would’ve made a nice opening sequnce for a horror movie. 

Contemplations on a rainy day

There is something about rains which I relate to life and rejuvenation. Everything around suddenly seems to have a purpose in life. The trees are greener, sprouting leaves, dancing and swaying in the rain. The birds sound chirpier and more excited. I’ve the good fortune of travelling through a path with peacocks and in this season if it rains in the morning a dance is bound to happen without fail! 

 Such are the small happinesses of life that make it all worthwhile. 

Back to basics

And I am back from where I started from after a gap of exactly 17 years! 

To find myself in a dental clinic once again after so long is both surreal and a bit strange. 

You can call this the circle of life, karma or just a passing fancy. This I guess I’ll come to know within the next few days.