People You Meet on Bangalore Bus

Almost everyone on the bus is in his/her own world. You do not hear incessant chatting - ok! sometimes you do, but most of them have those ubquitious earphones plugged in, listening to music or - like me - learning a new language (perhaps!)
Some college students are reading their notes. Perhaps, they have to take some test today. This is no way to prepare! What were you doing last evening?
Oh look there! A lady just flipped open her laptop. She is typing away to glory. I wonder if the news that Bangalore buses will have WiFi installed is correct. I wonder what she is typing. She is typing rathetr furiously.
The young chap who just got into the bus settles down next to me. From my peripheral vision I see him talking out a black notebook. No it is not a notebook! It is a Kindle. I ask him a few details. Yeah! He loves it. He downloads his book at home using the USB cable; doesn't use the WiFi. I let him go back to his reading.
You meet the coolest people on a bus.

Be part of the Solution

Having taken a public bus to office for the last couple of weeks, I am happy I made that decision. It was sort of forced on me - doctor said I cannot drive - but now that I am enjoying my daily bus trip to and from the office, I can say that this is perhaps the best thing that happened to me.
I have never waited more than 5 minute for a bus; I almost always get a seat to sit; some buses are airconditioned, and I do not have to worry about that crazy driver who decided that the best way to drive a car is to drive it as if it were a motorcycle. I arrive at the office fresher. In fact, the only time I need to wait for more than 5 minute has been to cross the road - that tells you the state of traffic in Bangalore.

If you are in Bangalore - or any such busy city / town - and the public bus service is good, it is a crime to commute in a car. We cannot keep carping about the traffic situation and continue driving to our offices. In other words, be a part of the solution, not the part of the problem. And till, dedicated cycle routes are made mandatory in all big towns and cities, please travel by a public transport.

A wish for Bangalore

This is all I wish for in Bangalore. A dedicated cycling track through the heart of the city. You may decide to replace Bangalore with any city you know that is on the verge of a grinding halt because of the indisciplined vehicular traffic.

In case you are wondeing what CS stands for: CS = Cycling Superhighways.

Security in Bangalore

Security issue concerns us all.
In this age of mindless violence by thugs - terrorists are thugs, no more no less - I can understand the need for increased vigil.
But paying lip service to security is an absolute waste and represents unnecessary harassment of ordinary citizen.

Every time I drive into a hotel or an hospital in Bangalore, I am stopped by 3-4 security guards. One chap then wheels a mirror to see if there is a bomb under my car. The other requests me to open the boot / trunk, so that he can have a good look at what is inside - another bomb, perhaps. Not once in the last 2 years has anyone checked me or inside of the car. I could be carrying an AK-47 in the passenger seat and cover it with a jacket or something and no one would be wiser. This is security check at its most ridiculous. Why even bother?

One of these days a bunch of thugs - I refuse to call them as terrorists - will hold a hotel or a hospital or the ITPL (they have identical security check - under the car, and in the boot) hostage and then one year hence there will be a report that will try and assign blame.

Mr. Chidambaram are you listening? I do not think merely giving directives to the state government or the hotels and hospitals is sufficient. Please follow up.

Newspapers are the Jokers in the Global Warming Debate

"Global Warming is Not a Myth: Temperature in the City [Bangalore] has changed by 2 degrees."

This is a headline in Times of India.
Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of moronic headlines that detracts people from understanding what Global Warming is all about.
And moronic is an understatement.

The news is about a workshop on Climate Change and Sustainable Development organised in Bangalore by The Energy and Research Institute (TERI). To be fair to the workshop, the increase of the 2 degree rise in temperature is attributed to changes in land usage and poor city planning ("The cut-and-paste model used by architects who duplicate European style is an additional factor. Buildings in tropical countries like India don't need to absorb heat ...").

But screaming your lung out (half an inch high, bold headlines is screaming) that Global Warming is not a myth because the temperature of a poorly planned city that has cut trees and placed concrete slabs all over is just bad science and irresponsible press.

Local warming may or may not contribute to Global Warming. It is very important to distinguish between the two phenomenon. Here's a short, good article on the subject: Are Urban Heat Islands Linked to Global Warming?. To reiterate the article's main point: "An urban heat island is a metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. Unlike global warming, which entails a worldwide rise in temperatures, heat islands occur at the local level."

Global Warming is a serious issue being discussed on various fora. There seems to be consensus but no one knows for sure. The dissenters seem to make sense too. As it is it is difficult to determine who is correct, who is not. In midst of all this, irresponsible newspaper reporting is the last thing the debate needs.

My Life in Numbers

I have been tagged by my dear virtual friend IndianPundit.
So here goes ...

One ... the number of times that I have been tagged
Two ... my sons Arunabh and Abhinav
Three ... Anil Bisht, Alok Gupta and I -- we moved as one at MITS (the Engineering College at Gwalior)
Five ... my age when I started my formal education at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jalahalli, Bangalore ... ages ago
Seven ... number of countries I have visited so far ... Belgium, England, France, Germany, France, Switzerland, UAE (Dubai), US
Eleven ... this was my 'chest number' when I appeared for Service Selection Board after passing the NDA exam. Obviously couldn't make it to the National Defence Academy.
Thirteen ... my room number on ground floor in C block at IIT, Kanpur. Those 20 months of my M Tech ... the best time of my life.
Seventeen ... my date of birth I share with my wife's cousin (17th Feb)

Uh! when do I stop?

IndianPundit, thanks for tagging me. Made me look back. Felt good.

Am I supposed to go 1, 2, 3 ...? Why didn't you tell me that?
Anyways, this way is better.

I believe I need to tag someone. So, I tag ... Reveda and Yogs.

Magical Nights

First in high school and then in college my favourite time was summer. Now those who have ever visited Gwalior in summer must have by now determined that I am a pukka nut case. Gwalior can be really hot. Really, really hot. So hot that in summer we had to sleep on the roof under open sky. Sleeping inside the house was like sleeping inside a furnace.

Sleeping on roof tops gave a little bit of relief, especially when there was gentle wind. But only a little. I would lay with a radio transistor near my ear, listening to old Hindi film songs and staring at the skies above. The nights were usually cloudless and suddenly, as if by magic, the Milky Way would be visible. And though I knew exactly what that strip of fuzzy stars was, it used to amaze me every single time.

But even more interesting were the man-made satellites that shone like little stars but made its way across the sky at a steady pace. I would follow their course till they disappeared from my sight.

Time passed.
I am now in Bangalore.
It is no longer possible to see the night sky. There is so much city light.
And in any case, nights in Bangalore are very pleasant and without proper precaution, one could catch a cold.

So all my sons know are a few constellation, like the very distinct Orion and Ursa Minor, and Mars and Jupiter and Venus. That's about all.
I have still not been able to create my childhood magic for them.
And that has been my biggest failing as a father so far.

Mr. Obama, You need Lessons in Economics

Mr. Obama,

Chances are that you haven't read my open letter to you, posted some while ago. Chances are that you will not read this too.

In my previous letter I had a tiny paragraph on banning protectionism. For your convenience, here is the extract:

"Ban protectionism. Open up world trade. Will make you unpopular in America if you do it immediately. But has to be done and will happen whether America likes it or not. If the world has to prosper. Your call."

I am sure you are surrounded by economists of repute who advise you on important matters. I am therefore surprised how you could even dream of taxing outsourcing. The fact that you have been mentioning Bangalore quite often shows you are being misled. The roots of the US economic meltdown does not lie in Bangalore. Nor does Outsourcing to Bangalore or Beijing cause US misery.

One does not have to an economist to understand this. I am not. Fortunately there are many pop-economics books in the market that are very good. I would recommend that you go no further than Tim Harford's The Undercover Economist. Here is an excerpt:

A more extreme example may clarify things further. Think of a country whose government is very keen on self-sufficiency. 'We need to encourage our local economy,' says the Minister of Trade and Industry. So the government bans all imports and patrols the coast to prevent smuggling. One effect will be that a lot of effort will be devoted to producing locally what was once imported: this certainly is encouragement to the local economy. But another effect is that all of the export industries will quickly shrivel and die. Why? Because who would want to spend time and money exporting goods in exchange of foreign currency, if nobody is allowed to spend spend the foreign currency on imports? While one part of the local economy is encouraged, another is crippled. The 'no imports' policy is also a 'no exports' policy. And indeed, one of the most important theorems of trade theory, the Lerner theorem, named after the economist Abba Lerner, proved in 1936 that a tax on imports is exactly equivalent to a tax on exports.

Still wish to go ahead with taxing outsourcing, Mr. Obama?

Bangalore to Kodaikanal by Road

It has been a dream holiday. Just back from a road trip to Kodai. And in spite of burning a big hole in my pocket by staying for 5 days and 4 nights at the Carlton, I would love to repeat this holiday in about 3 years time. Why? Read on.

The Route
-------------

A search on Internet reveals that there are multiple routes from Bangalore to Kodai. A route that is highly recommended is

Bangalore - NH7 - Toppur - at which point you get off NH7 and take Mettur - Bhavani - Perundurai - Kangayam - Dharmapuram - Palani - Kodiakanal

Personally I prefer the National Highways. So I took the following (slightly longer, but faster) route:

Bangalore - all the way on NH7 to Dindigul Bypass - Vattalkundu - Kodaikanal

NH7 is under construction but it is not like that the entire stretch is dug up or something like that. Throughout the trip there is at least one lane that is operational. So the speeds drop a little but you should still be able to manage about 70 kmph on an average.

CAUTION: You will know when you will need to take diversions to the other lane but you will never know when the traffic from the other side gets diverted to your lane. So, try not to ride on the faster lane. I would advise that you stick to the left.

I would like to think that the NH7 will be fully operational in about 2 years time. I would therefore love to drive down again in 3 years time.

Yeah! I just love to drive my Scorpio over loooong distances.

We covered the entire stretch of the 455km in approximately 10 hours. This included one break for a heavy breakfast and an hour's stop at a field, where the farmer climbed up the tree to get us Tender Coconut Water - no straws.



We managed our return trip in 9 hours, with one stop for lunch.

(I drive slow with kids in the car - never exceeding 100 kmph. Other cars were zipping past me. So it is possible to make the distance in shorter time, say 7-8 hours. The road is that good.)

We took breakfast (onwards) and lunch (return) at Ghar. This chain of eatery belongs to Adyar Anand Bhavan (Who inspired them to shorten the name to the moronic A2B, I say?) Very neat and clean. The toilets were clean and so were the wash basins. There is one 'Ghar' just after Hosur and one after Krishnagiri (as you go from Bangalore to Kodai). Very convenient.

The 'Spicy Spoon' at Sulagiri (where we had breakfast on my last trip to Mahabalipuram) was not prepared to receive visitors at early hours. SO I missed out on their Ghee Roasts.

The Stay
-----------


We stayed at The Carlton. Yes it is expensive. But if you are willing to splurge here's what you get.

(i) A view to the Kodai lake. So you open you eyes and you are instantly transported to heaven.
(ii) Complimentary breakfast and dinner, every day. The spread is sumptuous and you will not need to have lunch.
(iii) A half-day trip to the tourist spots.
(iv) A complementary shikara ride. (If you are staying for a longer time and you bargain you will get another).
(v) The hotel has its own Boat House. No need to stand in long queues waiting your turn.
(vi) And all the other features that a five star hotel is expected to have (Billiards, Bar, Games room, Library ... stop ... this is not an advertisement for The Carlton.)

Recommendation: Ask for room no. 422. It has a huge balcony (none of the other rooms have this) apart from a sit out. So you get two different views to the lake. The room is strategically located and nearest to the lake (as measured by crows). I would prefer this room to the cottages. This room also had a bathtub. The adjoining room (#421) did not.

The stay was extremely comfortable and that is an understatement.

The Routine
----------------

Get up at 6 a.m.
Go for a walk around the lake - at a moderately brisk pace, it should take you about 45 minutes
Have breakfast.
Go visit the tourist spots (On the first day, take the conducted tour. Revisit the places you like on your own) - I loved the Pine Forest. The Suicide Point is breathtaking. Croaker's Walk is hyped.



Have another round around the lake in the evening at a more gentle pace. The milieu completely changes in the evening.
On some days go horse rising. (The rates are fixed by the authorities, so the pain of haggling is eliminated).
Go to the main market, adjacent to the bus stand.
Have dinner.
Enjoy the rest of the evening - late into the night - on the lawns looking out at the now dark lake (a few flood lights glitter - this adds to the charm.)

The Surprise
---------------

What is a vacation without a surprise pack. We had two.

Just next to the Carlton, there is the Kodai International School (KIS). My wife teaches. So obviously she would love to see the school from inside. One evening as we were returning from the main market, we met a couple who became very friendly with us. Turned out that they teach at KIS. They invited us to visit KIS the following day. It was a delight.

Second, one morning when we woke up we saw a bunch of Tibetans / Tibetan looking people at the hotel lawns. There was also a film crew. We were told that this is some sort of Tribal Shooting. By evening it was clear that Surya (non-Tamil cine-lovers would know him as husband of Jyothika who is Nagma's sister; aaah, now it rings a bell), Nayantara, Saroja Devi, and a host of Tamil film stars were staying at the hotel and this was a proper commercial film shooting. I always wanted to see a film shoot. I expected the shoot to be very noisy. It wasn't. It was a nice experience to watch the entire film crew working out. But after a few takes and retakes, it becomes quite boring.




Do not miss these
-------------------

Do not miss out on ...



... the beautiful birds that frequent the lake - the best time to see them is in the morning
... the wild flowers that cling to the rocks on the mountain
... the lotus in the lake
... Danish Display - a curio shop in the main market; they have some amazing stuffs
... Chilli Bhajjis, Home Made Chocolates, Masala Puri and Masala Tea sold on the track round the lake

To summarize, we had a ball.

Supporting IPL Teams

Watching IPL - whenever I get the time - is turning out to be a medical problem.

I simply do not know which team to support.

I am from Bangalore, so I should support the Royal Challengers.
I am a Bengali so people expect me to support the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Since Preity and Shilpa are involved, my heart belongs to Punjab XI and Rajasthan Royals.
I am a big fan of Tendulkar, so I would like to support Mumbai Indians.

To eliminate the risk of Multiple Personality Disorder, I have decided to go ball by ball and follow these rules:

(i) When an Indian is bowling to a non-Indian batsman, root for the bowler.
(ii) When a non-Indian is bowling to an Indian batsman, hope the ball goes for a six.
(iii) When an Indian is bowling to another Indian, support the underdog.
(iii) When a non-Indian is bowling to another non-Indian batsman, don't give a damn.

Bangalore to Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) by Road

I think I am going bonkers. Why else would I plan for a trip down to Mahabalipuram - now known as Mamallapuram - in the summer heat?
But there it was and now it is done and I do not regret it one bit.
For the time being this post is for all those who want to drive down to Mamallapuram - now or in the winters.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the drive!

The route
-----------

Bangalore -- NH7 -- Krishnagiri -- NH46 -- NH46 joins NH4 shortly after Vellore -- get off NH4 at Kanchipuram to take SH56 -- via Chengalpattu -- briefly touch the East Coast Road (ECR) towards Chennai -- quick right turn and reach Mahabalipuram

Advise: You will find 4 toll gates on National Highways and one on the ECR. The toll varies from Rs 24 to Rs 45. Keep small change. There is an entry fee at Mahabalipuram also.

The road is GOOD. Even the State Highway is pretty good.

This also happens to be the shortest route from Bangalore to Mamallapuram.

The total distance I traveled? 730km.
This includes our tiny excursion inside the Mahabalipuram town. So, if you take off 30 odd kilometers, the distance one way is around 350km from Bangalore.

It should take you around 5.5 to 6 hours. However, as you will read below it may take upto 8 hours. But that is cool. This road is better than NH4 (also called the Old Madras Road). I heard they are widening NH4 near Kolar and it is all dug up, so perhaps it is not advisable to travel on NH4 now.

CAUTION: Towards evening people in and around Vellore tend to walk casual across the NH. Drive a little carefully.

Our Journey
-------------

We planned to start at 5:00 a.m.; managed to start at 6:00 a.m. We touched NH4 from a small road that joins Sarjapur to NH4. This was we avoid most of the Bangalore traffic.

Just after Hosur, there is a HP outlet, at Sulagiri. They also have a fantastic restaurant, Silver Spoon. I think they have the world's best Vada. The Ghee Roast Dosa (see picture) has a tiny cap and tastes as good as it looks. Tuck in so that you do not have to stop anywhere else for food.



Next stop Kanchipuram - the town of temples and world famous silk sarees. We had to stop there. My mother-in-law would not let me go out of Kanchipuram without buying a saree. We also saw the 1000 year old temple, Ekambareswarar Temple.



The people of Kanchipuram must be the most help people in the world. You ask one person for a route and some 5-6 chaps will be ready to help. And emaculate directions. We needed to get out of Kanchipuram to hit the SH56. One person gave us this: "At one kilometer turn right and then after two kilometers turn left." He repeated it twice to ensure we understood. He was wrong! You need to turn right exactly at 1km and turn left at 1.8 km not 2km!!!! We almost wanted to go back and kiss his hands.

We reached our destination - GRT Temple Bay in Mahabalipuram at 2 p.m. And had a fantastic buffet lunch at the resort.

We followed the same route on return. Had late breakfast at GRT Temple Bay and then stopped only at Silverspoon, Sulagiri for evening tea. On the way we snacked while driving.

Our Stay
----------

GRT Temple Bay resort is f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c. It also offers fabulous discounts in summer (now you know I am not that crazy!) At the resort you can do lots of stuff, but my advise would be to restrict yourself to only three activities:

(i) Early morning and late evening walks at the beach. From GRT Temple Bay I could walk to the shore temple. It is that near! There is a tiny fishermen's colony on the way. This tiny stretch is a little unhygienic. The fishermen answer nature's call on the sea shore and allow sea to flush away the remains. Not very pleasant.
The walk along the shore away from the shore temple is better. Tiny crabs scurry around. I could see some kingfishers.

(ii) An Ayurvedic massage - once a day. A 45 minutes massage followed by 15 minutes of steam bath. Aahhh! Heavenly.

(iii) Inside the swimming pool for the rest of the day. The swimming pool snakes through the resort and must be around 300-400m in length. Almost all rooms and chalets (except the ones that are facing the sea) face the pool. So one step from your and you are in.



(iv) Read. The private beach enclosed by the resort has chairs and Hammocks. Just relax and do your favourite thing. I read.

This is a shot as I lay in my hammock.



Yes! GRT Bay Resort is expensive. But it is more than worth the money. It also has a fantastic kitchen. The buffet laid down for breakfast is mouthwatering. We took dinner in another hotel in the centre of the town - the hotel is called Mamallapuram Heritage. Nothing elaborate, but good food.

Places to visit in and around Mamallapuram
-------------------------------------------------

The Shore temple, The Five Rathas, Mahishasuramardini Cave temple and the lighthouse, and Arjuna's Penance and the Butter Ball are within a few kilometers of each other and on a cool day manageable of foot - but then there is never a cool day in Mahabalipuram; not even at peak winter. These are world heritage sites and are compulsory to do places.

It was too hot - so we just spent the minimum time required to see these monuments. We returned straight into the pool.

I will put up the photographs on my Squidoo pages soon.

Then there is the crocodile farm. We did not visit this place in this trip; but in one of my previous trips I had gone there. My favourite? A demo by tribals how snake poison is extracted.

In my previous trip I also went to Pondicherry. The drive on the East Coast Road along the Bay of Bengal is enjoyable. I think I will stay at Pondicherry for a few days to really enjoy that place.

I hope this gives enough information for those who wish to plan a trip. If there is any other information you require, please feel free to leave a comment (or send me an e-mail) and I would be only too glad to help.

Global Warming Index

Global Warming is the new stock exchange index.

There is not a day when we read something on Global Warming in the newspapers. And like stock exchange index it keeps swinging from one end to another. Today's Times of India carries a news article, "Is global warming slowing down?" No that is not a typo. It is 'Global Warming' not 'Global Economy'. Heh! Heh! "Is Global Economy Slowing Down?" is not a news anymore.

Ok! Here's what it says:

A new study has determined that global warming may have hit a speed bump and could slow down for decades. Earth's climate continues to confound scientists. [Now they tell us!] Following a 30-year trend of warming, temperatures have flatlined since 2001 despite rising greenhouse gas concentrations, and a heat surplus that should have cranked up the planetary thermostat.

Watch tomorrow's newspaper for a diametrically opposite news. Want to invest money in Gloabl warming Index?

Just as a side note, the people of Bangalore would like some scientific opinion on local warming. It is not yet summer but it feels like peak summer right now. This year also saw very cold winter.

Picture courtesy: miamiamia

Cycling, Education and Tender Coconut

Please do me a favour. Pass this post to some you know who needs education ...

While in Bangalore, if you happen to see a person with a laptop on his back and a maroon helmet, on a Trek3700 pedaling furiously on the Old Airport Road, please

• do not show off your driving skills by brushing past him - there is enough space on the road for all of us
• do not honk as you approach him - he is not deaf and definitely not suicidal
• do not stare at him - haven't you see cyclists with helmet before? Besides, it is impolite to stare
• do not drive on the wrong side of the road, even if it is early morning and the traffic police is not around - that causes accidents and just goes to show that you are a moron
• do not look out only for bigger vehicles while crossing the road - cycles have mass too and can travel at high speeds
• and definitely do not knock him down - that will be the end of this blog.

This rant is not aimed at anyone specific. Rather a sort of open letter to some characters I have the misfortune of encountering on Bangalore roads as I commute to office (unfortunately, the commuting is not as frequent as I wish to).

And to my regular readers and occasional visitors - the more decent human beings on this planet (any one reading my blog has to be one :-)) - please find out means of reducing your carbon footprint. I am not sure about the global warming bit, but am surely concerned about the impact of pollution on health.

Here are some ways ...

• Walk to your nearest grocery store: it will only take you a few extra minutes.
• If you have to use your vehicle, plan so that the path taken is optimum (the shortest path may not always be the fastest).
• Declare at least one day per month, if not one day every weekend, a car/motorbike-free day.
• Teach your children, if you have one or whenever you have one, to enjoy cycling. Buy them good, smart looking bikes.

And, of yes, patronize your local tender coconut seller. He is a life saver for us cyclists.

Note: The picture used here belongs to Svetlana Maksimovic. To see more of her photographs visit her gallery.

The picture of the tender coconut belongs to Manu M. Go to his gallery to see more pictures.

Cyclists - Acknowledging Existence

Hello all cyclists of Bangalore,

We are a small community. As we cycle through the busy roads of Bangalore, dodging irresponsible motor bike riders, car drivers and equally irresponsible pedestrians who think cycles are massless objects, once in a while we pass our own kind. The least we can do is acknowledge each other - a wave, a thumbs up, a nod, a smile, anything. Come on! Spread the cheer! Show your fellow cyclist that you are enjoying your ride and hope that s/he is too.

By the way, my vote goes to any candidate of any political party who promises a cycling lane in Bangalore ( a white strip on either side of the road is not a cycling lane ).

White Mornings

Today morning at 7 Bangalore was white - with fog. At least my part of Bangalore was. And as I rode on my bicycle into the more or less deserted streets of my  residential layout ,  I couldn't help noticing the conflicting emotions I felt. The cold air whistling part the hair is a great joy. At the same time, the low visibility (reduced further due to my glasses fogging over) is a threat. One could hardly see beyond 25 metres and any vehicle coming towards me at great speed could be a danger. Not because I wouldn't notice it; rather because I suspected the vehicle driver would not notice me! I think I need to fix a headlight on my bicycle if the early morning whiteout continues in Bangalore for some more time.

Bright colours help cyclists

To all the bicyclists on Bangalore Road,

I have experimented and I can confirm that bright red, orange and yellow T's / shirts help! The motorcyclists and the car drivers on the road notice you from far. You can figure this out by the distance of their honking (Yeah! They still honk - what do they think? That I am on a suicide mission and will jump straight in their path on purpose? ). When I put on something dull, they tend to notice me very late and the clearance between them and me, when they pass me, is scary.

So, chaps take my advice. Display your colours! After all nature intended the male of the species (I do not see many lady cyclists on the road anyways!) to appear bright - look at peacock

Monsoon and Cycling

I dreaded the onset of monsoon. There goes my twice-a-week commuting to the office - I thought! But no I was wrong. For one, Bangalore does not have torrential rains - when it rains it pours, but more or less at definite intervals. And second, the mornings are so pleasant that one wants to cycle on and on and on. And third, light showers cool your body down and makes the ride a real fun. And fourth, the motorcyclists seems to hate light showers and tend to stay off roads during the showers making the roads that much safer.

Note: I wonder why anybody hasn't come up with a scientific explanation on the more or less 24-hour cycle of the rain patter in Bangalore.

How much do I save by Cycling?

Besides the fact that I feel healthier and all systems go, I decided to work our how much I save per year by cycling twice a week to work.

My office is 10km away from my house. The price of 1 litre Diesel is around Rs. 38 in Bangalore. I think my car does about 14 km per litre, but in Bangalore during the rush hour I will be surprised if it does anything more than 10km per litre (and that is on the hgher side!).

That means I spend arounf 2l of Diesel a day. Works out to Rs. 152 per week. That is Rs. 608 a month. That is Rs. 7296 a year.

Plus the fact that I feel good about doing my bit to save the world.

Hmmm ... I think I need to start doing this 3 times a week!!!

Message from a cyclist to all the pedestrians on Bangalore roads

Hi all those who cross the roads in Bangalore,

I wish to place the following for your kind consideration:

Please acknowledge the presence of a cycle approaching you in the same way you would to any other speeding vehicle. Cycles are not made of gases and it is unlikely that unless the cyclist brakes hard when you mindlessly step in front of him/her the resulting impact will not hurt you and/or the cyclist.

I am willing to be corrected here, but except at zebra crossings, on roads a cyclist has the right to way. I do understand that you will cross the road when you need to, but when you stop for a speeding car to pass, I see no reason why you cannot do the same to a speeding sycle.

The above is also directed towards those who, instead of walking on the pavement, walk on the edge of the road. The extreme edge is where we cyclists tend to ride and that belongs to us when there is a pavement.

And no, I have not yet met with any accidents, but I have had some close shaves - not with cars and m'bikes but with pedestrians.

Dedicated Bicycle Lane in Bangalore

My newspaper - the Times of India, Bangalore Edition - informs me that three main roads in Bangalore has a cycle track!!!

So, that is what the Thick White Line on the extreme left of the Airport Road and M.Gm Road is for. Wow!

I guess, this needs to be communicated to the Cyclists and, more importantly, the motor cycle and the car drivers - urgently.