Royal Mysore Walks

Something happened last week that confirmed my belief even further that twitter means business !!

I know that  ”I’m feeling so sleepy” or “I miss my dog” type tweets get on most of our nerves. Even now most of us junta uses networks like twitter and facebook to tell the world about things we are better of not knowing. But these very networks can also be a powerful tool !! Just like that knife in the hands of thief or the robber theory.. Read on..

Having read and liked Rashmi Bansal’s last book Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish and after interacting with the author last week I decided to buy her latest book Connect the dots considering the good reviews it been getting. Being the lazy guy I am I prefer buying books online plus you get a good deal online these day.

Not being too happy about the online book store http://www.infibeam.com since their last delivery Maharajas came in a not so  nice a condition after being partly drenched the rain but still usable. In spite of which I decided to order this book through them because they were selling an autographed copy. Since I my  collection of Author signed copy book is slowly growing I decided the small increase in price compared to the other online stores was justified, So i went ahead with the order.

The Book was delivered (I must say is very good condition this time) but my repeated efforts of trying to find some ink on paper was in vain I felt cheated that they dint keep up their word on an  Author Signed copy !

You know I am not the ones who keep will quite.. right I looked up infibeam.com on twitter and found them , It helped that I also found their rivals flipkart and the author Rashmi Bansal on twitter. Tweeted about my bad experience with infibeam.com something I hadnt faced (so far) from flipkart. Also gave them my order number asking them why I dint receive an Signed Copy.

10 mins after this tweet I get a phone call from their Customer service. They apologize for their slip up explaining that they had run out of the signed copies. They offer to ship me one as soon as they got stock. I refuse saying that its not about another copy (and cutting more trees for books) Its about failing to keep up your word. They accepted it, offered me a refund of the amount (I dint ask for it) for not keeping up their promise. In the next hour I get a mail with the refund credit and the news that they have removed the Author Signed copy offer. I was impressed with their swiftness !! Now with the refund they are forcing me to try their service again, They have a chance of winning back a customer if they get their acts right. Smart move there !!

It was nice also to heard back from the Author about infibeam.com running out of Signed copy.

So the next time before tweeting about your girlfriend’s dog or neighbor’s daughter.. Thinking again about twitter power !!

Last one, Since we are taking about books and buying them online, this is one simple and great site which is give you the best prices online. Great service for book lovers

I was in Baroda recently, I just couldnt help but notice how similar this city is to our very own Mysuru ! with so many connections it could just surprise you !!

The Mahrajas

Sayaji Rao Road, the main thoroughfare in Mysore is named after the Maharaja of Baroda, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, The legendary Maharaja is said to have been adopted by the Royal family. The story goes that as a young boy he was asked by the queen as to why he was called to the Palace and the boy grandly announced with confidence , ‘I have come here to rule !!’ Mighty impressed he was appointed the heir apparent. He did a greatly reformed the kingdom of Baroda. When Dr BR Ambedkar did not have the money to study further, It was this Maharaja who sponsored his education in Britain of this brilliant student from the backward classes of the society which was unthinkable back then, Who would later on go on to write our constitution ! In a smiliar fashion it was the Mahraja of Mysore, Chamarajendra Wodeyer who would partly sponsor the trip of Swami Vivekananda to America to attend the first international religion parliament in Chicago in 1893, where he gave his famous speech on Hindu Religion which is still remembered to this day ! Infact one the main thoroughfares in Baroda was named after Chamarajendra Wodeyar which is now popularly known as Palace Road ! Chamarajendra Wodeyar was an adopted Maharaja too !! And as per one of the stories on the origins of the Wodeyar Dynasty, The very first King Yaduraya is said to have come from Dwarka in Gujarat.

Maharajas of Mysore and Baroda

Ramchandra Guha, the famous historian says, Most Maharajas of India were useless expect for two of them, Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad of Baroda and Majaraja Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV of Mysore for their great contribution to their respective Kingdoms !

Raja Ravi Verma

The famous Fateh Singh Museum of Baroda boasts of good collections of painting of Raja Ravi Verma’s painting,  And it sure is a very good collection indeed. It was this famous painter who introduced water colours to India and some of his great works adorn the walls here and his studio was set up right next to the Museum, which is now in shambles. But this Museum is surely one of the best kept ones in India with a great collection of painting and sculptures from across the globe. The Jagan Mohan Art Gallery in Mysore too has some priceless collection of Raja Ravi Verma and the other place which has a significant Raja Ravi Verma collection is the Sree Chitra Art Gallery in Trivandrum. They say time stops when one begins to admire Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings. This gifted artist with the strokes of his paint brushes created magic more than a 100 years back and even today it looks as if its brand new ! One needs to see it to believe it and be sure you’ll be drawn in.

The Musicians

Ustad Faiyaz Khan, the court musician of the Baroda Kingdom was an exponent in Hindustani classical music. In 1908, a grand competition was arranged in Mysore where he sang so splendidly that he eventually won the top spot for which the Maharaja of Mysore awarded him the title “Aftab-e-Mousiqui.” meaning the ‘the sun of music’. Veene Sheshanna,the famous veene mastter in the Royal Court of Mysore when on a visit to Boroda, It is said that the Gayakwad Maharaja was so pleased with his recital that he took a procession of Veene Sheshanna in a palanquin in the city of Baroda.

The Sights

In the heart of Baroda you have a bustling and colourful marketplace called the Khande Rao Market, In an old stately building selling fresh flowers, colour and vegetables, Built by Maharja Sayaji Rao in 1906 to commemorate the silver jubliee celebration of his rule and gifted it to the Baroda Muncipality. Its resemblance to our very own and vibrant century old Devaraja is striking.

Khande Rao Market

You even find quite a few clock towers in Baroda just like how you find them in Mysore, Generously erected in the city by the Royalty back then for the benefit of their subjects. You find a very promineint one very close to the Baroda city Railway Station.

Laxmi Vilas palace,Baroda

The stately Laxmi Vilas Palace sits pretty in the heart of the City. Intricately carved this majestic structure has more than 3000 beautiful stained glass windows, The highest used in any structure all imported from Belgium. The architect of the Laxmi Vilas Palace was a Englishman named Major Charles Mant who committed suicide in the 1890s for fear he had got his calculations wrong and that the palace would fall down !! How said because it still stands strong even today !! Unfortunately this Palace is very poorly maintained which is still the private property of the Royal family of Baroda ! Infact the central Arch of the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore is modeled after the Laxmi Vilas Palace !

You also have a Oriental Library in Boroda which was inspired from the Oriental Research Library in Mysore which in Mysore is housed a grand structure which was built in 1887, to commemorate the jubilee year of Queen Victoria reign.

The century old central library is Baroda is sure not a place to be missed with some great collection of rare books,the entire flooring is made of Belgium glass and when you walk on it in the first and second floors, it sure makes you jittery The central Library of Mysore might not be housed in similar setting but set up in the Chamarajendra Technical Institute building, once up on a time it sure was a treasure for book lovers !

Glass flooring in the Baroda Central Library

Baroda is house to the famous Maharaja Sayaji Rao University,Initially started off as Baroda collage and later on acquired the status of a University !  The Mysore University set up in 1916 was the first among the Princely States in India, For which Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV sent study teams to great universities around the world to come up with what is the best model for Mysore. Both are housed in beautiful Heritage Buildings !

One could go on with more such familiar sites in Boroda like the imposing Nyay Mandir, the Law Courts, The old city and its town planning, The beautiful man made lakes. Sprawing gardens, Crickets grounds and lush green golf courses so much like how it is in Mysore ! Infact a popular sweet in Baroda is called Maisur,which is also made from gram flour !

Like they say, in the Tale of town cities there are so many many stories that are common ! and it all stands out pretty for us to notice and compare. And as this lady from Baroda now settled in Bangalore  put it, Yes Baroda and Mysore are so similar, its just that Mysore is a little more classier. Couldn’t agree with her more !

The Sunfeast10k run took place last weekend in namma Bengaluru, Your Walker decided to run for a change  After deliberating for a while to register, I wasnt exactly sure I would take part. Having religious done it over the last 2 yrs. The reason for so much thought was the excessive barley water I have been have over the last 2 months in the pretext of the summer heat n yes all the whiskey with ice too, Like my friend Naren says, Guess its all tht ice that has taken a toll on my fitness Anyways the plunge was taken. The Walker was now destined to run. No looking back !! because there was left for just 2 weeks to the race day!! but then some of you out there might says, 14 days is helluva time to prepare, well those some are the ones who dont take their barley concoction as seriously some of us here

It had been more than 6 months since I had gone running, Yeah I know I do Walking Tours for a living but then Running is a totally different ball game. And the first day I went running I cursed myself for registering ! It felt like I was carrying a barrel all along. But then if entrepreneurship has ever thought this Walker anything it is to ‘Never Give up’ So there I was every morning doing about 5/6 kms whenever there wasnt a Walking tour to do !! And I found the amazing android app My Tracks on my Google Nexus one fone which uses GPS to track your route gives you some great stats on your running like speed, timing, plotting graphs on your performance etc etc !! So it really helped to show how much I sucked !! I know you must be thinking that did I need that app to tell me that ?? I know I know, but then having spent the cost of almost half my kidney on this fone I better use it in whichever way possible than just voice and text thts another thing biz teaches you, makes the most of your moolah , if you have any left thts is

Anyways getting back to the running, what really helped was running up Chamudi Hills, An 8 kms uphill track takes out all the juice out of you but then I would its still say its worth it, considering the amount of respect this atheist got on completion from the god fearing and the devout  near the temple  So doing this uphill track twice was a good test for my endurance. By now I had begun to enjoy the running and just a couple of days before the THE day, decided to run on the periphary on the Kukkarahalli lake (where the greatest Indian English writer, RK Narayan took his evening Walks cooking up stories of Malgudi) with my friend Suraj, who was also preparing for the run. Did two laps of the lake and was fortunate that Suraj dint beat by a lap, the man runs like a manic, his body gives him a better mileage than mine because it runs on fresh cane juice and not on Barley water But few tips from him surely helped, like for example start slow and then slowly build up speed and more importantly keep your mouth shut while running (some have advised me to do it all the time too !! )

Friends sporting Ts of the next Year's sponser apna Royal Mysore Walks

The run was on Sunday the 23rd, but was in Bangalore a coupla days before just catching up with friends and in the pretext of loading up carbs for the run ended up eating quite a bit. I must say, collection of the bib (your running number) and the goody bag was quite well organized at the Kanteerava Stadium unlike last year when there was a mayhem, where you could have easily mistaken it to be a sabji mandi with well dressed customers !!

The run began at around 8 am at the Kanteerava Stadium, with more than 7000 runner participating the atmosphere was electic ! It reminded me of one those Nazi Army procession held by Hitler !!  It was great to see so much energy together. The 10 km route was sketched in the heart of Bangalore and thanks to the number tress in our Garden City the blazing sun dint do much havoc. So morons in the corporation, Stop cutting Tress !! All along the route you had people cheering for you, right from Amry jawan to general public and trust me it really helps you pull up and with so many people running you tend to run a tad faster than you normally do, after all we all like to show off, dont we So I ended up finishing it in 70 mins, was hoping I would do a gone in 60 mins but looks like that movie is still under production

and the Winner is .... !!

In the end it was a great experience, considering one of my friends Raga came down from Singapore fir the race., No No, he dint come running from Singapore, the airfares now are so cheap that people might even come down for an haircut with our local hajam Anyways good to know that I’m still mobile !! Oh and yeah !! It sure is a great personal high !!

It occurred to me that I hadn’t got anything for my mom since I ventured into my own business. She deserved something special, apart from being understanding and supportive she has always made sure that I’m so comfortable at home because of which I could focus better on work. And dont they say that behind every man’s success there is woman !! okay now you do not have to go and disect the word success and come after me, this is about Sarees and Moms so coming back to it I dint have to think too hard as to what I wanted to get her. It had to be a Mysore Silk Saree !! after all what else can the founder of Royal Mysore Walks think of !! apart from a Mysore Special So off went the mom and son one afternoon to the Mysore Silk factory !!

The Mysore Silk story has always fascinated me.  This factory was started in 1912, almost a 100 yrs back by the Maharaja of Mysore to provide Silk Sarees just for the women of the Mysore Palace. These days husbands have a problem taking their better halves out shopping and back then you had a king starting an entire factory to fulfill their need  chivalry at its best i would say !! Mysore Silk Saree is the only 100% pure silk saree in the whole world and they use pure gold and silver for the zari (the border). Did you know that women sometimes get old Mysore Silk sarees melted and get ornaments made from the precious metal that is obtained !! And any woman who has worn Mysore Silk will vouch for its super lightness unlike the other Silks.

The entire process, right from the silk yarn to the complete Saree  is done in their factory in Mysore and one can witness it. I have been taking a lot of my guests on this tour, and this time I was busy explaining my mom how the entire process is done, which is quite fascinating. But what really impresses me is that fact that just about 4 yrs back it was decided that this heritage industry should be shut down as it was a loss making one. Since then it has been restructured, the workers have gone from 3 shifts have to just one shift. The productivity has increased drastically and so has the quality. Now KSIC is a 400 Cr profit making industry !! People can just log on to their website and order the Saree of their choice and their are unable to meet the market demand. You talk to weavers there who so proudly showoff their handiwork and most of their kids are studying engineering across the street in the same college that the Infosys founder Mr Narayana Murthy went to !!

After the tour mom visibly impressed decided to buy not one but two Mysore Silk Sarees !! And I wasnt complaining Guys now that you know what to buy your mom, but then what are you gonna buy your girlfriend ??

The Scotland of East is what they also call this place but then I haven’t been to Scotland so I wouldnt know but hey they are the only ones to have successfully cracked home stay formula !!  where one can go and stay with a family and have a chilled out experience than in a cold hotel where everybody has a fake smile !!

So couple of my cousins and their better halves and a couple we folks who are still single decided to go homestay in Coorg last weekend. Having hit upon the plan just a day in advance and it being a long weekend dint help. needless to say most places were booked !! So with Google to the rescue.. tried a coupla sites and finally found this place which was available called ‘Angle’s Nest’

We landed there in the evening only to have the shock of our lives !! Deep in the Coffee estate was this dingy looking place and with nowhere else to go we were stuck ! With toilets that couldn’t be used, a kitchen that wasn’t functional, the bedrooms all dark and I wonder when was the bed linen last changed !! It looked like dungeon. The food is usually great in homestays but here we when we were served dinner and wondered whats what !! only to be told by the owner that the ‘cook’ is just learning how to cook, so kindly adjust !! And the owner himself perpetually drunk looked like a Demon’s pest !! Thank god for the wine we had carried and with generous quantities of it that we were able to somehow scrape through the night before we fled from ‘Angle’s Nest’ in the morning. And it sure dint help to find out later that this placehad 2 robberies recently !! Wondering how to avoid such places in the future ?? sure sure.. there are ways.. but lemme share with you the best part of our Coorg Experience first

We hit Orange County the next day, this mind blowing 5 star resort is nestled in a 300 acre Coffee Estate and everything to this place is just Wow !! Right form the narrow roads in between to estate which lead to this place to the warm staff out there who are always willing to help and hey their Welcome drink, an amazing Cold Coffee and you know where these coffee beans come from We had booked for an Ayurvedic massage (make sure you book a day in advance) there and the next 1 odd hour was an out of the world experience in their spa, right from the ambiance where your room is beautifully done up and decorated with fresh flowers and the entire place opens up to a garden. The soothing music and the exhilarating body massage makes you forget everything and you get into a state of trance !! If you ever get a chance. Dont miss it. Its heavenly  !! The entire Massage unit at Orange County is maintained by IVAC, Mysore ,A World Class Spa Resort.Now that I know I can get an experience right here in Mysore I plan to go visit them once in 6 months from now on to detox and pamper myself Its worth the rejuvenation !!!

the cousins

On request you will be taken on a resort tour in their buggy (this place is too big to walk , even for a Walking Tour Guide , It has its own private lake in there where one can go boating and the resort offers a wide range of activities from cycling, swimming to plantation trails. It sure is worth exploring..Once the massage was over we were sooper hunger so we dutifully attacked the restaurant for their lunch buffet, I have had lunch buffets is quite a few good places but this easily topped my list. The spread was huge (like in most places) but every dish (tasted by folks on our table) lived up to it its taste, including the deserts which was not just colorful (like in most places again) but each of those items were truly well done !! full marks to the chef and also the ones at the spa who got us ready for such an appetite. I somewhere think that thanks to the Angle’s Nest experience that we enjoyed our Orange county experience so much

That evening we moved to another home stay called Bright Spot in Sidapur close to Orange County, One of my cousins had stayed here previously and had had a great experience but since it was booked the previous night we couldn’t get there. This place was very well kept, independent rooms, clean toilets, an open air dining area and a play area with accessories for kids. The host was a gracious lady, her food was amazing and her hospitality top notch. We sure did have a good time here.

So, how to choose the right home stay ?

>> Always go for a homestay which is recommended to you by someone who has stayed their previously.

>> Check if home stay is registered, Out of 600 only 150 are registered, So 3 out 4 home stay are illegal !!

>> Do not go by the websites, there are a lot of dubious ones.the pics are all nice and rosy but the reality is like Angle’s Nest !!

>> This http://coorghomestaysregd.com is a website by Association of registered home stays. Fairly reliable but then word of mouth would be my first option. This site was down when we were hunting !

>> Would highly recommend Bright Spot , Siddapur, Contact person Mrs Ramaa Ponappa, 99023 12911

>> Aviod Angle’s Nest in Siddapur like Plague !!

And hey another place you must try in Coorg is the East End Restaurant in Madikeri, The food is fantastic and thanks to some formula 1 driving efforts by my cousin we could get there by lunch time to throughly enjoy their food !! And we all felt that the 30 kms detours just for lunch was well worth it

So a good home stay in Coorg is sure a great way to relax !! but then choose the right home to stay !!

Four friends from college meet after yrs and decide to go to Goa !! what happens there?  loads of fun !! No no.. dont imagine the movie Hangover, this aint Vegas and we are good desi boys, so we have fun desi style

Goa, the very word has always evoked in me beautiful beaches, lovely laid back people, good food n drinks , lovely Portuguese style house and good old churches. A great place to cool your heels and just relax !! We decided to fly coz of short of time and now I think thats the best way to get to Goa, considering there is no good train connectivity and its a 10 hours long drive from Bangalore. So by taking the 1 hr arieal route. one gets more time in this sunny paradise !! Off from the airport we decided to take the bus to Calungute, I have always enjoyed bus rides in goa, agreed it a rickety ride, and all you have is metal skeleton, basic seats and no window panes what so ever for a bus but then the nice loud music, the warm people and the breeze makes it so enjoyable. There are quick, cheap and amazingly frequent. We had to change 3 buses to get to Calungute from Dabolim but then you just dint feel it.

In Calungute we decided to hire some bike and off we went to Anjuna for what would somewhat qualify for a late lunch. After the all the travel (the travel to and off d airport which was tiring some spicy fish and beer tasted even better !! divine I would say. Decided to look for accom in Anjuna itself  as its much less crowed than Calungute or Baga and also because the fish and beer in our tummies did not like to travel anymore Starting from North Anjuna we began our search in earnest and not wanting to compromise, we declined the shoddy ones and a few not so shoddy ones too and after more than an hours search we struck gold !! much to relief of the other crew members who by now just wanted a roof on their head so that they could start ‘experiencing’ goa We found this places called Sea Horse right on the beach with some nice bamboo huts and a pretty good shack. It was sure worth the effort considering the huts were just 10 steps away from the shack made it all the more attractive, coz after you ‘experience’ goa in the shack, even those 10 small steps might seems like climbing Mt Everest, you know what I mean, dont you

Our place was right next to this place called Cafe Lillyput (which according to our host is apparently world famous) and since it was a friday night they have live music on the beach plus some amazing show of talent, like the lady dancing with the ring of fire around her waist, some mind blowing tap dancing. And it was all free !! and considering that just 24 hrs ago we were trying to stay alive by navigating the horrendous Bangalore traffic, this was like paradise !!

the lady with the fire

I have always been amazed by the kind of talent most of the western travelers display, the entire show that night was put up by western travelers and it sure was impressive ! compared to we desi folks,the best entertainment that we can provide in a gathering apart from discussing code is prolly crack a joke from readers digest !

At Cafe Lillyput

Having breakfast (its actually brunch !) in your shack looking at the sea is something I have always relished in beach destination. And after all the fermented grape juices that would gone inside all night, a glass of fresh Banana milkshake makes you feel alive !! And most shacks in Goa have their menu is Russian, Yes Russian !! considering the amount to Russians who come to this place they think its a easier option. And we being the only brown skin in the entire beach and ones to be clad with the maximum clothing (inspite of our best efforts) we sure looked liked we were in a foreign destination. Now come on, if you are getting a phoren experience like this from  just a domestic air ticket. It was more than what we could ask for

One of the crew members hadnt seen to fort Aguada so the rest of us were dragged to this place which I discovered due my recently develpoed interest in reading the rusted boards in front of most monuments, that it used to be a water storage unit for the portugese and it has been immortalized by the desi flick ‘Dil Chata hai’. I dont think anything/anybody has done so much good to goa tourism than this movie, after watching this movie every college going kid in india wants to go to Goa !! even we did back in college and how we ended up is a totally different story. will save that for another day. Later on when the rest of the crew wanted to ‘experience’ more of goa (read kings beer, its one amazing beer though !)

Later I went out to Panaji to visit the company called Synapse, housed in a Portuguese style bungalow , with open air discussion rooms, and large birds which I couldn’t name in the garden, it looked more like a resort than a work place for 30 odd people. Started by the ex- editor of Chip magazine. One of my clients on the Walking Tours had worked with them for a while and he wanted to to visit this place while in Goa. Synapse is into designs and in a niche category. Extermely creative people. By just touring their office seeing how they work, one can feel that they stand out. And seeing how they worked it sure a great learning. Like each individual department in the company is a pvt listed company in itself, like for ex, extra hands is the team which provides house keeping and takes care of catering and they also go on to offer this service to other companies. So its a compnay with in a company. Okay if this is not making any sense, lets just say something like this bring a lot of professionlism at work ! And yes their client list is impressive and so is there website !!

at my nape !

Late in the evening, in a slightly elevated state of mind an idea was dropped !!  ’how about getting a tattoo done in goa ?? ‘ and before we knew we were under the needle get a mark for life !! I have been frequently asked by people who have seen my tattoo as to, did it hurt ? frankly I cannot recollect may be thats why most people get tattoos done in goa, you know after the Goa experience you get kinda numbh !

the crew, ash, me, vinay n jet !

the moods, by jet

The setting was just right for us to take it easy, with our shack providing us pool tables and dart boards to be involved in but then after a couple of Kings rather than getting the Bulls Eye you end up missing even the Bulls Bottom !! But then with good old friends its always great. No matter even if you are meeting after ages you still start off from where you left behind. And since one of the crew members was coming from the US and the other from the arms of his newly married wife all of 3 months (the marriage i mean !), for them taking time off for sure a big deal. But then our 3 days in Goa catching up on each others lives, laughing on old jokes and pulling the others leg on old college crushes was good fun. It sure was a welcome break for all of us !! n I throughly miss Kings Beer

I thought I had experienced it all in goa untill i heard about Goan Urak after I got back from buddy Mihir who runs a boutique hotel in Goa.. See now i got another reason  to go there again but hey !! whos complaining.. coz i’m always game for Go Goa !!

Its Anniversary time at  Royal Mysore Walks today !! Yeah you are right, I missed the Fools day by a day Anniversaries are always great,  You are happy you are still together and more importantly its been the time you have spent together. Looking back at the same time a year back I recollect trying to run against time to get the route and the content of the Walks finalized, the website up and face the press at the release with a million last minute glitches and eventually present to the world, Royal Mysore Walks !! my Walking tour venture.

So, How has it been ? Absolutely Great !! I would say without battling an eyelid, Been a great ride.  The more I discover about Mysore, the more I fall in love with this beautiful city, The more I meet people, the more I fall in love with humanity. Its been great sharing the interesting stories of this city and getting people to look at it in a slightly different manner. Had the opportunity to Walk / Tour close to a 1000 people in the last one year, from Presidents and CXO of companies, senior IAS officers, Diplomats, amazingly interesting travelers to enthusiastic students. It been great the wide variety of people I have gotten to meet, people with different interests, with different backgrounds, with different temperaments and yes different attention spans . Its been an interesting challenge to connect, communicate, get them to open up and spend a great time along.

And like I said its a ride, so  bound to have its ups and downs but then you appreciate the ups only because you have the downs. I’m not saying that I haven’t met pricks, Oh I have and loads of them may be less on the Walks but more off it in the last one year when I have been trying to build it and its thanks to them that I get to appreciate other people

What have I learnt ?? You meet some people and they change the way you think. Like this one guy who has been donating blood on this b’day for the last 25 years. He says what better way than to start your celebration than by donating a part of your life and now even I follow suit ! or this guy travels the world without a change of clothes, I plan to do it atleast on one of my trips sometime or Driving in your car from one continent to another or this Yoga practitioner who was on my Walks and made me feel like an idiot for not learning Yoga being in Mysore from the great gurus here when she had to come half way across the world and spend a bomb to do the same, needless to say, I’ll be joining Yoga classes soon

The learning has also been immense in terms of  building a business, understanding how to make it work. And also to realize that the real world works very differently than how you have been thought to believe :) The use of technology to aid business. the power of networking, the plethora of ideas. And Meeting other entrepreneurs, learning and relating to them has always been fun !! And the best part being the learning still continues

What Next ?? More action I would say !! Have a lot more ideas about which I get really excited about , plan to prioritize them and get down to making them work. So you will surely see more Walking Tour routes, more offbeat tours and more hatke things to do with Royal Mysore Walks. I have already started to build a team, Presently working with another person on joining Royal Mysore Walks (more on it later So you will see a small team in place. Let me know if any of you or your friends would be interested to join, there is SO MUCH more that can be done with tourism here. It would be great to meet more passionate and committed people.

This journey that has begun wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a lot of people who have helped me selflessly and a lot more who still continue to do. Few of them are with me today and few aren’t. A huge hug thanking you all from my side

Over the last one year, I have seen myself grow.. guess I gotten to be more pragmatic, more mature (my folks wouldn’t agree on this one more complete and yes a lot more happier !! and now that the journey has begun there is no stopping n like johnny says, lets keep walking !!

Raju has been on my mind since morning. After finishing my Walking Tour I was riding back home. This school going kid asked for a drop so I stopped over to pick him up. He said he had missed his bus and looked so lost. He was studying in class 8 in one of the schools in the locality. I have a soft corner of kids these days for the truck load they carry on their back called ‘School Bag’ plus the disgust I have developed for our education system seems to add to it.

I asked Raju why did he miss the bus.Did he wake up late ?  He said No Uncle (yeah I know kids these days just cant tell my age right ; ) He was up at 5:30am to go to tuition classes which was delayed today so he got back home much later than the usual which is 8:30 am. He quickly grabbed breakfast and was on his way to school. Asked him how was school, he said it was okay, without much interest. Which started at 9:30 am everyday and the drama went on until 4:00 pm. So I asked him what he did once back home? He said he had tuitions in the evening as well. I asked ‘Tuitions Again !!’ He said yes, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. It was a little hard for me to digest. Because after tuitions classes he got back home did his homework for the next coupla hours had dinner and went to sleep. And this was his routine everyday. I asked him if he understood what was thought in school. He said ‘Yes’. Then go for tuition classes I asked. He said so that he understood better coz the school thought at a fast pace.

The whole thing sounded like a military regime to me. I asked,So when do you get to play? He said “On weekends” Ola !! I thought it was only the working folks looking forward to the weekends and now you had school kids joining the bandwagon too !! Looking back at my childhood, what I cherish the most the time spent with friends playing and doing all the crazy things that one wanted to. So I asked Raju don’t you miss playing for a couple of hours everyday. He said like he was talking to an idiot ‘Uncle, I am in class 8, two more years before the all important class 10. How could I afford to play’ . I was shocked. These were not words of school kid but that of his parents and teachers who had succeeded in drilling such non sense into his head that Playtime sounded like a crime !! He said hoping to put some sense into my head ‘ Now was the time to study and not play’

Wonder what kids are taught these days in the name of education. There seemed to be no joy, no interest neither the innocence the came along with childhood. It seemed like we were all getting one step close to whats described in Aldus Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ producing machines and all set to run the rat race. Like somebody said, The problem with the rat race is that even if you manage to win it you still remain a rat !!

As I stopped in front of his school, Raju thanked me and jumped off the bike and ran inside coz he was already late for his ’special class’ which his principal was taking coz their class was lagging behind in Math !!

I wondered when Raju grows up and realizes that his childhood was robbed. Who would he blame. His School, his teachers, his folks, his peers or just himself ?? I dint have an answer. Do you ?

It all started when my x-roomie from Bangalore,Googie called me one evening to say that Jon, an acquaintance was on his way to Mysore and he had passed him my contact. Googie said “Meet him he is Fun !! ”

And a coupla hours later, Jon and myself were sipping Beer in Mysore, He was in India for the first time and seemed to have gotten used to the madness here. Having traveled 60 countries he had loads of interesting stories to tell. But was most striking about Jon was that he was travelling with out a Bag. Thats right all he carries with him is what he wears. thats it.

Jonathan Yevin is an landscape artist in New York who designs roof top gardens. He works from March to September each year and the rest of the months is off travelling, off course without a bag.He also doubles up as a travel writer, Having authored the Rough’s guide for Ecuador and many more. When I asked him if he doesn’t ever feel the need to have  atleast a small backpack. He said “No, I Never found it necessary.” Jon said that he was appalled when he would see backpackers carrying donkey loads on their back and he wanted to redefine the way people travel. He says “People carry so much unwanted stuff.”  Apart from what he wears all he carries is his passport, his tooth brush , a cellphone, a camera and some general medicine. thats it !! It all fits into his pockets. I know you are wondering about his change of clothes. Well he says that he washes them whenever he gets a chance and if it really gets dirty he throws them off and buys a new pair !!

The man without baggage !!

And if you think he smells well absolutely not. He dint when he stayed over at my place that night. Like every mom even mine is after hygiene so I asked him whether during all his travels if hes ever faced this problem. He laughed and said “Never !!”  When he was leaving the next day my mom asked him where his bag was ? and he said it was in the luggage room in the railway station As Jon would admit that my mom would never invite him to come home again which she did, if she got to know the truth

As Jon left. His way of travelling got me thinking. To think of our lives as a journey. It amazes me the amount of baggage we all carry and how much of it is unwanted.May be there is something for us to pick up from Jon.

Isnt it what they say Travel Light, I’m sure it can’t get lighter.. or well.. can it ?? Its all in the imagination

I was asked on the first day of this year, What Plans ?? And I said I want to reflect upon the year that has passed by.Sounded heavy? No it wasn’t the hangover of the night before coz I went to sleep by 10:30 PM. I just wanted to revisit the year that passed and had so much action.. So here goes…

Highs

Himalayan Biking Trip : After reading the Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guvera years ago. I always wanted to bike to the Himalayas. And finally I did it this year. No amount of words can  describe that experience. 2500 kms over 3 odd weeks, breathtaking scenery and amazing people. I don’t think I’m still done with the Himalayas, I am definitely going up there again. And I so strongly feel Kashmir is Paradise on Earth. It should be high up on any travelers list.

Starting my Business : A year back all I had was an idea and over the last year it was great to see that this idea has become a reality, Royal Mysore Walks was up and running or should I say Walking and now it sustains me. Definitely a great feeling. The challenge in 2010 is to get more things done.

Meeting people : It was year where I got to meet a lot, a hell lot of people, from various backgrounds, Artists, Journalists, Architects, Top shot Govt. Officers, Entrepreneurs, Politicians, Organic farmers, Interesting Travelers and yeah a few techies too. It was great interacting with most of them.

Give it a Shot : This was undoubtedly the best lesson I learnt over the year. Never kill an idea in your head. You never know what might work. And you have NOTHING to lose by giving it a shot. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !!

Better use of tech : Ironic but true, after I quit my job as techie I began to use technology much more. And in fact now I enjoy using technology to improve my business.  Looking forward to pick up a smart phone soon. To Stay connected is the Mantra if not its gonna cost you dearly.

Value People : I had always known that one needs to value people. But it was over the last year that I realised that its the people who make you or break you. Your BIGGEST asset is the people you invest in. Life is short choose the right people around you and invest in them selflessly.

Marketing !! Marketing !! : Over the last one year I have truly understood the importance of this magic word and why everybody keeps taking about it all the time. It sounds really really attractive but it is the MOST difficult thing to master. You never know what works. You can never give it up. Wishing I was married to a marketing guru , Life would have been so much easier and yeah, I also realised the most effective marketing tool is by the good old word of mouth, There is no better brand ambassador than a happy customer !!

Passion for Work : I had always strongly believed that there is nothing called Work satisfaction, It must have been a word invented by those creepy manager to get crappy work done. When I would hear people say I work for passion, I would always wonder how much the dude gets paid to say that. but I was so wrong all through I am glad I found mine over the last year. Hope everyone does find it. Because work cease to be work but its just fun !!

Marathons : It was also a year of long distance running. Ran the Bangalore 10k run and finished among the top 1500 out of 35,000 folks. My only achievement in the field of sports all my bludy life (have saved the certificate for my kids) also did the Kaveri Trail half marathon at Srirangapatna, It was a nice personal high. Want to do a full marathon in 2010. Takes a hell lotta preparation. I better be game.

Happy New Year !!

Lows

Relationships Suffered : When you out there trying to get things up and running, you are ought to miss out spending time with your loved ones. Personal relationships suffered. Where ever you go everybody around you is saying.. We just don’t get to see you these days. Hope to fix that this year

Lazy : Over the last 6 months I have been down right lazy. Thats the problem when you dont have a boss. Anytime is sleep time. Anytime is party time

Procrastination : The deadly disease that I have been suffering from and it could be suicidal when you are running your own show. Thankfully with great friends like Mihir, I have been trying to get cured I have also caught on to his slogan “Do it Wrong, Quickly !!” Thanks dude for being that huge moral boost. You rock !!

Follow ups : That is another department where I have slipped down. With so many people that I have been meeting. I have fallen behind in keeping touch or getting back to mails/calls. So I have put a 24hr deadline to return mails/ calls.

Attenti0n to Detail : I should sue my school for teaching me all this crap, like for ex this one, I have wasted so much time just trying to make things perfect but then you realize that what is most important is to be up and running. Over time you will achieve perfection. Or something close to it.

Double Standards : Over the turn of the year I realized or rather was made to realize that I use this weapon called Double standards in my dealing. Not good.. not good. Efforts are on to rectify it.

Fitness : All that running and Walking has done no good for fitness. One look at my size you will feel sad for my knees. So 2010 is gonna be a yr of fitness. Action speaks louder than words so I have decided not to speak on this.

I have faded : Yes its now official, I have definitely become a coulpla shades darker. Spending so much time out in sun has just not helped. For the skin I mean Damn I should have put this under the Highs as Tall, Dark n Handsome . Okay okay.. I can hear the protest for handsome. So chill its a low now

One glance above and you realize that among all those things that have either made me happy or sad over the last year.. there is one thing in common. Money doesn’t figure anywhere. And that has been a huge realization. Money does not buy you happiness nor the lack of it can make you sad

So finally 9 Highs and 8 Lows, Which means 2009 has been ‘a’ high

So.. Bring it on 2010 !!! I am rearing to go !!