I wonder...

It is my usual habit to halt at the local road-side kulfi vendor, along with my roomies, to savor the luxury of the dessert... Keeba was buying kulfis for us... I have noticed a pretty woman standing near that shop, while her husband was attending a phone call sitting on his bike... I guess, she must be around 27-28... she wore a red saree in north-Indian style... she has that fair complexion with a color that can only be obtained by mixing gold and sandal wood color... she was stunningly beautiful and absolutely perfect in looks... I kept gazing at her without my conscience... in a couple of seconds, she has noticed this... a momentary feeling of discomfort appeared on her face, followed by an expression of happiness... I could observe that she is faintly trying to hide her smile, closing her lips... huh, that was really amazing... she looked like a star to my eyes... I don't know whether thinking/looking like this is insane or irrational on my part... but, the beauty in front of my eyes was really mesmerizing... her expressions shifted between smiling, naughtiness, teasing, admiration, happiness and so on so many times in those couple of minutes before we came out from that shop... her hubby was still on phone... after walking a bit, I asked Keeba, "shall I go back and buy another kulfi?"... he understood me and said yes... ha hha, somehow I didn't go back... but, as the couple passed us by on their bike, she has given the same naughty smile on her face while looking back at me...

I wonder what is hidden in that smile... I feel jealous for her husband's luck... I guess, that calls for a disturbed sleep tonight!!!

weekend masti...

hill with flowers...

koyna river...

during boat shire in koyna river...

view from the ghat roads...

now... this is called beauty of nature!!!

Once I got my first kiss, life at Pune became more comfortable and enjoyable... my long lasted dream of roaming on a bike and going for long rides has come true... recently, we had two trips... on the first weekend, we have visited Balaji temple located in Narayanpur around 45km from Pune... early morning ride on Pune-Bangalore highway was too good... leaving aside whether one believes in god or not, the place is worth watching... moreover, unlike many other temples, this one is being maintained very clean... an exact replica of Tirupati Balaji temple... all corners of the temple are being maintained with so much of care... they are cleaning the area with vacuum cleaner... not using any haarathi or kumkum to maintain the cleanliness... unlike other temples, you can get a free laddu for free here... security is tight and the place is extremely pollution-free and clean... if anybody is planning to get married in a temple and also want the place to be clean and noise-free, i guess this is the right place!!!

the following weekend, we risked with a long ride on bikes... we have travelled around 400km in two days... visited places like Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Tapola etc... if one starts early in the morning from Pune, the ride on those misty roads will be awsome... going through the tunnel of around 1.5km span will leave one with a feeling like travelling in a video game... the highway is four laned, and two-lanes sometimes... after travelling around 60km from Pune, there will be a ghat road, which is a single line two-way road, which spans around 20 plus km, offering you spectacular view of the surround greenery... once the ghat is road is over and the road is straight, there will be a right turn which leads to Panchgani... the road, though not comparable to highway, is good enough for a comfortable ride... once Wai is crossed, ghat road starts again...

Things that must not be missed there...

Parachute gliding!!! they charge 1500 bucks per person, but the feeling of flying with wings is worth more than what they charge... once, gliding starts, the floating feeling is really awsome... one can comfortably call their loved ones from the sky... it is a different experience altogether!!!

Table land... finding a flat land on a hill top, that too at an altitude of more than a kilometer is rare... this table land, located at Panchgani spans more than 3-4 square kilometers... one can see the beauty of the nearby river and greenery from there... no matter how sunny is the day, you won't get sweatting or thirsty... the cool breeze will relax us like anything!!!

Tapola... again, one has to travel around 25km from Mahabaleshwar on ghat roads to reach this place... the ghat road is almost completely traffic-free... the ride is too comfortable and thrilling... one should not miss the freshly made tea by the local grandpa... on the way, there is a point called "siva darshan", from where the river can be viewed in the best angle!!! the road reaches an end at the boating point... the 45 minutes boat shire in the koina river is worth trying... one should not miss the sunset view from any of those ghat road turnings... instead of going for hotels in the Mahabaleshwar, we have chosen to stay in Puja farm house, located in the middle of Tapola and Mahabaleshwar... the night stay is too cool... there is nothing but cool breeze, silence, moonlight, and those melodies by nightingales!!! one cannot escape those memories of loved ones if it so happened that they come here without them!!! perfect location for a honeymoon ;-)
Pratapgarh fort... around 22km from Mahabaleshwar... this place, where shivaji used to rule long ago, is worth visiting... butter milk served here should not be missed... there will be lot of spring water streams on the ghat road way to this place from Mahabaleshwar... it will be interesting to see the strongly built fort and their architectural marvel in those good old days!!! there are places where you can have fun of trying horse riding!!!
if one has the energy to ride on bikes for two days continuously, and has a heart to feel the beauty of nature, this trip is worth making... October to May is the right time to make this trip... Now, I have started liking Pune life... not because Pune is good, but being the places around Pune are good!!! All you need to enjoy life here are, good pay, bunch of friends, bikes and a little bit of enthusiasm!!!

this thing called love...

LOVE... some people simply say it's just a four letter word and it's----- bosh!!! on the other hand, the same four letter word occupies the whole thought process for some!!!

this thing called love... makes one admire even a falling flower... makes one to kiss the ugliest kid... makes one smile even at the extremely difficult times... makes one to hug the tiniest gift that reminds the loved one, and feel as if that's the greatest possession on the earth... makes one sleepless even after a tiresome day... makes one feel nothing is important... makes one wonder how life would have been if this is not there... makes one discover the different person in himself/herself... makes one see beauty in everything that comes their way!!!

this thing called love... makes one feel jealous... makes one feel the distress... makes one frustrated... makes one feel nothing else is important... makes one blind to realities... makes one deaf to conscience, and listen only to heart... makes one go crazy at times... makes one so sad and down... makes one wonder why he/she is still alive and for whom... makes one behave so silly and possessive... makes one forget the self and yearn to be somebody else... makes one laugh at oneself for all that stupidity... makes one fearless to death!!!

this thing called love... is so mysterious!!!

shades of life...

things are going in right direction and comfortable pace... when there is nothing to think or nowhere to direct the thoughts, surroundings make us wonder... everything around us will be interesting... here are some of the things that caught my attention during last few days...

i was in a fast food centre along with my roomies on a fine evening... krish was ordering pani puri and anji was busy on phone... there came a charming young man, with a thickly grown beard, focused eyes, and a serious look... a boy of around 10-12 years was asking him to help him some money... this is a very common scene... what is interesting is the way the young man responded... he asked the boy why he needs that money... the boy answered that he is hungry... this young man told seriously that he won't give money but he can buy whatever he wants to eat for that hour... boy answered jubiliantly that he wants to eat panipuri... young man asked whether he needs one plate or two... the boy told he wants two plates of punipuri... the young man got down from his bike and bought two coupons and gave it to the boy and rushed out of the scene instantly... my salute to this young man!!!

on another day, we were roaming on the busy roads of shanivarpet... at one of the signal points, there stopped a couple on a bike... uncle was looking fair and handsome... more than that, he was looking happy... aunt was a bit plump and chubby, wearing a light colored silk saree... while uncle was looking this side and that, catching glimpses of those shortly dressed girls around, aunt passed her hands gently through her hubby's hair and pulled his cheeks... she whispered something in his ears and i could see the tickling sensation that he felt... how lucky is this guy!!!

i was in an auto towards my office on one of those busy mornings... the road was slightly slippery due to the previous night's drizzle... some guy was going on a bike ahead of our auto... he looked very energetic and a healthy expression was there on his face... moments later, his bike got slipped and the fallen bike dragged him on the road to almost 100 metres on the road... there was no consciousness... only his body was giving shaking with pulses... while i tried to get out of the auto (though i don't know what i should/can do), the auto driver scolded me and paced the auto to drop me at the destination... how dramatic and uncertain is our life!!!

good morning!!!

getting up early in the morning is a difficult task... but, it has some advantages if we can make it... some of the snaps that i have captured the other day during sunrise... thanks to my "first love", Sony Ericsson w830i...

sunrise view from NDA area, near Chandini Chowk, Pune

bamboo bushes with a backdrop of sunlight...

nice place to go for a walk, early in the morning...

18 facts no one wanted to know about me...

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.

A small scar on my chin which is visible when i don't shave for long time ;-) i got it when i was 5, during one of those overconfident attempts to prove my marathon skills ;-) I remember those days when my classmates used to make fun of me seeing that bandage on my chin in the shape of a cross!!!

2. What does your phone look like?

It's a black colored rectangular parallelepiped with edges curved... buttons showing kannada letters along with numbers... moreover, it looks like my sweetest companion who never bothers me holding it as i wish ;-)

3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?

There was a spider at the corner of the ceiling, resting peacefully in its newly built house after my recent attack during the last weekend... perhaps, it won't bother even if i attack it the next time too!!!

4. What is your current desktop picture?

A romantic snapshot showing an young couple french kissing each other... interesting part is that their faces are not visible in the snapshot... only their tongues and their expressions!!!

5. Do you believe in gay marriage?

he hhe... no idea!!!

6. What do you want more than anything right now?

An "yes" from my girlfriend ;-)

7 . What time were you born?

Around 6:30 on a september evening... my mother tells a lot about the dreadful cyclone that was there, and how they have struggled to arrange for minimum amount of lighting and food in that bad weather... exactly 24 years later, my nephew was born with same astral configuration... incidentally, the cyclone, power cut and other scenes repeated just like mine... now, this is called coincidence!!!

8. Are your parents still together?

YES... the very first thing that makes me believe "wonders do take place in real life too"... :p

9. Last person who made you cry?

my father... too much of caring to bear... he always talks as if my age is assumed my age reduced by 20 years!!!

10. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?

perfume??? cologne??? i don't use eigher... but, the other day, when i was on the escalator in shopping mall, a girl was standing besides me... that fragrance is still in my nostrils... awsome!!!

11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?

As long as there is enough hair and no baldness, color doesn't matter... of course, i hate those fluorescent shades that these hi-fi girls are wearing these days!!!

12. What are you listening to?

One of my colleague was explaing about his achievements in the recent project to his teammate... uff... boring!!!

13. Do you get scared of the dark?

my answer is "No" as long as there are no mysterious sounds around... i am comfortable in darkness combined with silence!!!

14. Do you like pain killers?

pain killers??? so stupid... the pain that can be killed by a pain killer doesn't need to be killed... and the pain that really kills you can never be killed by a pain killer!!!

15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

again my answer is "no" as long as the other person is not too shy to say "yes" :p

16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

hmmm... this looks like a mouth-watering question... i would like to eat the "pesarattu" made by mom, with lot of ginger, garlic, chilli, jeera and other stuff!!!

17. Who was the last person you made you mad?

aaaahh... that is none other than one of my colleague, who just can't stop talking about anything under the earth, without even faintest idea of what that actually means :-(

18. Who was the last person who made you smile?

someone who has sent me the funniest message in the morning!!!

PS: I have taken up this tag from silverine