#TumbleRide

Opening scene:

THUD! Both of us sliding in the middle of a busy junction of a very busy road.

#Gazelle sneers, I grunt, we look at each other smile, pick ourselves up and limp to safety by the road-side.

Injuries drop-in to mark this event and blood trickles to prove we were after all - mere mortals!

Back-story:

#Cycling day said my weekly schedule. I start the day on a high-note. I was looking forward to showing-off my new cycling apparels. The ride goes well as I bid good-bye to my last riding buddy on the last leg of our planned route. I was pushing #Gazelle more than she could handle but she obliged. In my eagerness to set a PR I miss the dip in the road. The next min we both were sliding on the road! Thankfully most of the vehicles tailing us were far behind...given that we were racing with the wind.

A kind-couple who were pulling out of the nearby eatery's parking lot offer me some water. I wash off the blood that was now close to a trickle. I thank them. Sensing the severity of the occasion they offer to drop me home. I respectfully declined. We were hurt but not shaken nor ready to give-up. Base was 10KMs away.

I do a quick cursory check to see if Gazelle can make it. After all Gazelle had chipped her right horn but she smiled, I knew she was all fine. Badly bruised, my right shoulder, knee, ankle and leg were bleeding, but our spirits were high. We were determined to finish this trip on a high.

Lessons learnt:

I get back on the saddle and paddle while voices in-my-head reminde me of what some wise-men once said:

#Winners don't quit and #QuittersNeverWin. We #fall only to #rise back again! #Warriors wear their #scars proudly! Thanks to #angels watching over me, I walk away without any serious injury and live to tell the tale. #BeSafe #RideSafeAlways End of scene.

Tumble-ride baby #TumbleRide!

Reva E2O test-drive

Few weeks ago, I test-drove an Mahindra Reva E2O and this is based on a True story... :)
I have been long wishing to get my hands on a EV (Electric Vehicle). I recently had this wish of mine fulfilled, albeit partly...read on.

 

Trivia:

Quick pointers for those of you who are not aware of Reva:

1) Reva is the only EV completely manufactured in India!

2) Reva was Maini group's flagship vehicle, until Mahindra group acquired them and rechristened it as Mahindra Reva. Details @ their website.

Test-drive:

At the very onset, I would like to Thank Reva team for providing me an Reva E2O vehicle to test drive.

Reva E2O

My Reva contact, a very courteous & friendly guy gave me a quick 5-min explanation about the basics, control, etc and I was left in-charge of the test-drive vehicle - an Sunfire Yellow coloured Reva E2O-T2 model.

Here is my take of my experience.

Exteriors: Impressive, well designed with 6 eye catching colour options.

Interiors: Dashboard nicely done in blue light was very informative.

The control-knob to control the infotainment dashboard needs a bit of getting used to(the wear & tear of usage reflect on its responsiveness).

I didn't use the Bluetooth & SatNav options. Hence I wouldn't comment on those.

Look-and-feel is decent, but for its cost (more on this later) the finish & quality needs a bit more premium feel.

Pick up: Very good; I was particularly impressed by its pulling power.

Handling: Shock-absorbers were a bit stiff and given the uneven/unfinished (Indian) road, shocks were directly felt by the riders. This was more so for the back-seat riders. Definitely one of its low points.

Cost: With an 7.81L on-road (Bangalore) price, the cost is Prohibitive! According to me, Mahindra should have priced it a bit lower to entice more takers.

Seating: Spacious for 4 adults.

Mileage: Impressive 100 Kms/charge claimed, which I agree since I did manage to get 94KMs (with some charge remaining) from my test-drive vehicle.

Charging: A charm to fully charge in less than 4 hrs, one of its biggest asset.
Power Steering: Absent.
Driving: With automatic steering and only 2 (accelerator & brake) pedals to manage, its a dream-come-true for the typical urban stop-and-go type of driving. Ladies and aged drivers should also find their calling with this type of driving. I liked it all the more given the fact, I've always been a vocal proponent of automatic vehicles in urban driving conditions.

In conversation:

Before going down this road of owning an EV, I tried to understand the mindset of what people around me thought about it. Obviously there were 2 set of people.

Type-A:

As was expected this set of people were not aware of such an alternative mode of transport, let alone an pure Indian offering in that.

Few skeptics argued about electricity not being really being an clean alternative, given the fact that most of the electricity plants in India are coal-based. My answer to them was, despite electricity source being coal based, Reva had ZERO emission...no air pollutants. Isn't that a positive step in the right direction? Also in the near future, India is going to use nuclear fuel for electricity generation - comparatively better I say(leaving the nuclear safety discussion for another day & time).

As part of their expansion plan for Reva, Mahindra also plans to use solar energy for their soon-to-be launched recharging station network. Now that would be another feather on their cap...and also a good use of one thing we've ample & free in India - sunlight :)
Another point against Reva was the limitation it "imposed" for owners not being able to travel beyond 100KMs/charge. This definitely was true and as mentioned above Mahindra is planning to create and extend its recharging network. So for now Reva owners will need to plan their travel more meticulously than their fossil-fuel based peers.

On knowing the cost of the vehicle, some voraciously argued how comparatively they can go for "better & bigger" non-EVs. I rest my case!

Type-B:

These are Reva aware people.

Given the escalating fuel prices, they were receptive to the idea of change.
Another enabling factor was the thought of holding an higher moral ground (regarding emissions) appealed to them too ;)

Their biggest discouragement or let down was undoubtedly the cost factor.

Way forward:
Mahindra needs to boost their support offering, specially their charging network(which I understand they are working on to expand). This should translate in more sales & see more traction in terms of a bigger user-base.

IMHO Mahindra should also advertise & brand Reva more aggressively and also re-look at their price factor to sweeten their deal.

Conclusion:

Overall I'm impressed by the offering but as mentioned above price is prohibitive.

Adding on to this misery is the fact that no govt tax subsidies exist for owning an EV, would-be owners need to give it a definite & serious thought.

Back to me, owning an Reva E2O is on hold (for now).
Alternatively though I've decided to pick-up an 2nd hand Reva-i (look-out for my post if I get one ;).

On a parting note:- Drive Safe. Don't Honk. Use low beam at night. Go Green!

Amen!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid post and I don't own this vehicle...yet ;)

My in-house composting PART-2

Continuing from my earlier post on this topic(PART-1), I harvested my 2nd load of 'black gold'. This time a neat ~1.3 KGs! I used some of it for in-house gardening most of it lying around...mulling what to do of it.

Some pleasant surprise sprung up on my in-house gardening front too. Seeds in my pots started germinating & flowering plants which were later classified as Green Chilies, Capsicum, Rose(brought from a nursery) and well TBH I don't know what the other plant is...waiting for the fruit/vegetable to sprout :)! Take a look at some of the pics I've shared below for reference.

I've 'planted' (thrown in rather than discard it in my wet waste) few pumpkin seeds and I've creeper crawling off that pot! I know its too early to celebrate & expect fruits (or aptly vegetables in this case ;) but the best feeling in this entire exercise for me is to see these seeds germinate and plants growing off it...all by themselves.

Wishfully I hope everyone understands the importance of SWM(Solid Waste Management) and try to implement it at their respective places. Evidently as you would have noticed by now, enthusiastic souls like me, can also graduate to trying their hands at in-house gardening...a naturally extension of your SWM effort.

With such meaningful resolution & my wishful outlook I once again pin my hopes on you to spread the word, walk the talk and get involved in making our community a better place to live in. Go Green!

Amen!

Home Grown Spinach

Nursery @ Garden

Capsicum

Rose

The Dirty Business?!

Bangalore isn't different from any growing Indian cosmopolitan city. It has all the making of one. Ill-equipped infrastructure, chaotic transportation, ever increasing human population, over used & over stretched "colonial"drainage system, garbage strewn alleys, polluted water bodies and to top it all up an indifferent human attitude to match it! That's painting the real urban settlement for you.

Garbage has been the bane of urban living ever since people living in cities started being indifferent to it. The callous attitude adopted by the city administration only added to their belief. The easy and lazy way to deal with this ever growing monster-of-garbage was dealt with by dumping it in the villages on the outskirts of our cities. Manddurr is one such place where garbage generated from Bangalore is dumped. Solid Waste Mangement (SWM) was an recent approach adopted (or rather enforced) on all without having any meaningful & well-thought plans to really make it work. Result was an as abrupt ceasing of this initiative as abruptly as it was started! I took this govt directive as a way to try my hand at this wonderful concept of SWM to try reduce my garbage footprint(if there is anything like that). In my 10+ months of implementation, I'm throughly convinced about the effectiveness of this concept. I've not put out a single (I repeat NOT a SINGLE) basket of green waste from my home for collection! Details here.

Recently I "harvested" my 2nd load of "Black Gold" as I like to call it. A neat ~700 gms of it. I intend to sell it and monetize it...obviously not to make a living out of it, but to break even and cover my operational cost, in this new venture of mine ;) I also wish this motivates others to start looking at dealing with SWM and help reduce their garbage foot-print. I'm sure this would get lot of people interested in this and I believe some number crunches are already at it...calculating how much money I would make out of it...with this kind of sustained "output".  Imagine for a moment here, I making a profit and being able to sustain part of my lifestyle on the profits made from this! Then I would be referred to as a businessman...a man making money from The Dirty Business?!

Amen!

Composting: My in-house success story

Hello friends,

By now you all might be aware and part of govt’s “progressive initiative” on Solid Waste Management(SWM)…assuming most(if not all) of you might be practicing it in your respective apt more out of compulsion than interest :)

Trivia:

I've been diligently following this practice for more than a decade now.

Idea:

(OK enough blowing my own trumpet :)

Coming back to the point of this mail, earlier (prior to govt notice), as was my usual practice I used to segregate my waste into separate “bio-degradable” bags and hand it over to my apt house-keeping staff for disposal; which was ending up in one big rubbish bin…thus nullifying my efforts!

Then this govt notice came across and the one thing I changed was to get myself a Daily Dump(DD) “starter-kit” for a very nominal amount(Ref figs below:- (a)Small Kambha & (b)Pots).

The idea was to try composting my kitchen waste(ref figs (d1, d2, d3) in-house (rather than “burden” govt appointed garbage collecting contractors who had no regards to cleanliness and was often seen being more trouble than any help to our community).

Now:

Post kick-starting my composting drive, the only waste being sent out is dry waste(collected once-a-week in my apt).

This has drastically cut-down(almost 85%) my waste load being sent out… at least from my flat.

After almost 5 months of composting, I can proudly declare it to be a grand success! (Ref fig (c)-Finished Compost)

In case you too are deliberating on similar lines, I strongly recommend you to try it first hand to see for yourself the ease & simplicity of this process.

Request:

Imagine if the same is replicated at apt level(or for that matter of dreaming…at our community level).

We are talking about 85% less garbage being shipped out!!! Phenomenal don’t you think?

With these dreamy eyes, I humbly request & encourage you to try this at your respective flat/apt level and reap the benefits of it.

Resource:

More details on DailyDump @  http://dailydump.org/

Amen!

(d1)Kitchen Waste

(d2)Kitchen Waste in Pot

(d3)Composting in progress

(a) Small Kambha

(b) Pots

(c) Finished compost

Running for Charity

Hello friends,

I write today to you to take a small step to make a big difference. Interested? Read on…

What is this?

I’ve registered to participate in TCS Bangalore Marathon scheduled for 27^th May 2012.

Details here http://www.procamrunning.in/tcsworld10k/

I’ve planned to compete in the Open 10K Category - my maiden attempt at this.

Why am I sharing all this information and how does it concern you?

If I read your mind correctly, that question just popped up in your head?

If yes, then let me answer it for you.

By embarking on this “self-test”, if I may say so, I also plan to raise awareness and more importantly funds for the below mentioned causes(2 of the many) which I’ve been supporting for some time now.

You can visit their website or alternatively, if you want to verify my claims, can directly reach out to the respective contact person (mentioned in the CC list).

PAWS à Animal welfare à http://pawsasia.wordpress.com/ à Mr. Nilesh Bhanage

Askhaya Trust à Care for helpless & destitute à http://www.akshayatrust.org/ à Mr. Narayanan Krishnan

How can I make a difference?

You can make a big difference, by opening your heart and most importantly loosening up your purse strings to donate for these good cause(s) J

P.S: Donation amount greater than 100 INR will be eligible for donation receipt.

Complete Transparency

I’ve shared a Google spreadsheet online (click here) to capture donor details like donor name to be printed on donation receipt, donation amount, apartment name so that you are aware of what is happening.

You’ll find few legit entries to indicate how it should be done.

P.S: I’ll be turning off the shared access soon, so please don’t delay and make your commitment for these wonderful causes.

Thanks!

Apologize for the verbose mail, but since this is one thing I wanted to explain in an elaborate manner hoping not to miss anything.

Hope I’ve answered most of your (basic) queries. Feel free to contact me for more information.

Thanks in advance.Feel free to forward this mail to your contacts so that I can garner the fullest possible support.

--------------UPDATED on 22nd May 2012 ------------------

Hello friends,

With less than 5 days to go, I’m sending out this humble reminder for you to help me raise much required funds for these charities.

Update:

I've managed to ‘motivate’ my friend & colleague Sathya(who is also training alongside me) to participate in this run. Thanks Sathya!

I've collected my BIB and running goodies bag on 18th May 2012 and all set for the D-day J

I’m sharing my Prep Log in case you want to see my training log.

Though it might not seem as impressive as some of you would’ve wanted it to be, but I’m gaining confidence as I prepare.

Funds raised:

A disappointingly meager 3,000/= L (Click here for details )

Reminder:

How can you make a difference?

You can make a big difference, by opening your heart and most importantly loosening up your purse strings to donate for these good cause(s) J

P.S: Donation amount greater than 100 INR will be eligible for donation receipt.

Counting on YOU to help me make this event a Success!

  

--------------UPDATED on 28th May 2012 ------------------

Good day Friends!

Finally having successfully competed & completed this event, I can want to Thank all my donors for being part of this event in their own ‘valuable’ way.

I managed to raise a total of 5000/= for the charities.

Thanks to YOU. With people like you being part of my network I can with certain pride say, life is never short of good people like YOU. You make me proud.

With this event & the fund raising activity, I wanted to get to your attention these wonderful people doing such a great job through their respective charities. I urge you(one more time) to visit their website regularly whenever you wish to donate in kind/cash or volunteer.

Special Thanks to Sathya (my friend & ‘partner-in-crime’ – for keeping my hopes afloat) for these wonderful words. You truly rock and were a solid inspiration yourself. Proud to be with you and before I forget Congrats mate!

Here are my race details, in case you wondering how I fared ;)

Total time taken: 58:25

Category: Open 10K
Category Rank: 649 (bagged a Nike Finisher T-Shirt - prize for the 1st 1500 finishing runners in my category)

Gender Rank: 939

Overall Rank: 961

Thanks all for spending you valuable time.

On a parting note, consider this is as a beginning to a wonderful journey ahead.

Take Care & God Bless!

Thanks,

Jai Hind!

P Print only when necessary |7 Switch-off as you go |qAlways Recycle

Bangalore city paintings

Amid the chaos that surrounds any (ever) expanding cosmopolitan city, Bangalore too has its lion's share of these, viz. the haphazard Metro work, mindless traffic to name a few. But what makes Bangalore city stand out in a unique way is the decision by the city administration to paint the city walls - literally!

Bangalore city administration has initiated a unique city wall painting task. They have started painting arts(as I like to call them) mostly depicting local well known personalities, places, monuments, etc; thus beautifying the city and elevating the overall look-and-feel. In doing so they are doing away with the boring looking walls and resurrecting these dead walls...so to speak.

This is a good way to remind non-locals (as well as locals)  of the beauty surrounding them and refresh the mostly forgotten piece of history in everybody's minds & hearts.

This is a great initiative by the babus other wise known for the inept ways of thinking has shown that if the powers-to-be have the well being of the locals on their mind then the outcome of decisions made by them would surely be something wonderful (as seen with this initiative).

With the govt. taking these kind of initiatives & help from the local populous, I'm sure one day we all can turn around the city's image for the well being & benefit of all.

Amen!

IWAS...not there!!!

Bangalore undone!(Read full story here...)

Paralympics Committee of India(PCI) is hosting IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports)  2009 in Bangalore, wherein elite international disabled athletes representing more than 43 countries are converging to participate in this international meet. Being an international meet, the competing athletes are bound to expect(if not good) at least decent level of planning, infrastructure & management.

But being true to their stature, the powers to be (read PCI in tune with their political masterminds) have gone ahead and messed up this entire event. It seems not enough thought process went into the preparation for this sports event. Basic planing like that of infrastructure seems to be out of place! A blatant & shameful pointer of this was evident when the Deputy President of IWAS was unable to get on the VIP dais due to absence of an ramp! Being an event for the disabled(wheelchair bound & amputee), the planners couldn't factor in this simple provision. How dumb could they get!!! This reflects poorly for Indians and is another brickbat for their image globally.

India the very nation which is hauled as one of the economic superpowers of today should be more careful, dedicated & sincere in planning global events like this(and others to come). We don't want to falter at a time when the entire world is watching us...do we? Occasions like these go a long way to project ourselves as a nation which truly want to make a mark(and eventually dominate) the global scene.

With India playing host for Commonwealth Games 2010 (in Delhi), it waits to be seen what lessons we learn from our mistakes.

Come on India, buckle up and prove your mettle. Cheers India!

Amen!