Full Throttle..

23rd, December 2007

My first riding 'event' with Roadshakers!

We were to ride up to Sianghad fort. Attendees were to be paired randomly. Then trek up to the fort in pairs, collect a coupon from a volunteer stationed above and race down to the base. Put on the riding gear and ride up to the fort. The winners were to get attractive prizes.

I was more excited about the whole experience than the prize.

This event was also the first in the series to pull up our socks in terms of our stamina. And this need was felt very strongly by the club and the members.

So I was expecting it to be hotly contested event with loads of fun.

On the day of the event about 9 Roadshakers turned up at our rendezvous point. Even though the count was low than what I had expected I was glad to see these guys. I was still hoping to see some more guys at the base of Sianghad fort.

As the clock ticked half past seven we decided to proceed to the base where the event had been planned.

Sidhu decided to lead with Ram being the sweeper.

Though we started in a single file I saw the others disappear in front of me. I was to be at the tail of the person in front of me but he was just too fast for me. I was hesitant about opening the throttle as Chaos was still new and was running in.

Soon I realised I needed to as I was not only slowing down Ram, who was right on my tail, but also the group in front of me.

..60..70..

I crossed 80..

This was the first time in two months I had crossed 80 and the feel was completely different.

Till today I was happy riding through the breeze blowing at me.., now I was happier creating my own wind..

Soon we caught up with the rest of the group while they were refueling at the gas station.

From then on I decided not to let the person in front disappear again.

But soon I realised how wrong I was.

After a good chase I lost the tail again only to be left behind. That’s when I appreciated the functionality of the sweeper. Ensure that the no man is left behind.

Soon we were off the highway on to a busy road which led to Sianghad.
For a moment I was delighted to see the turns and the curves thinking it will slow down the whole ride.

Soon I realised I was wrong again.

This beast is powerful.
True.
But I had never seen anyone riding them at such speeds.

I mean I am from a different school of thought.
For me the machine is about sophistication, a unique style and a classiness of its own, which makes riding graceful and elegant.
It is as much different from other bikes as much as boys are from men.

Anyways all these thoughts were being brutally crushed by these guys who were busy auditioning for the ‘Dhoom’ series..

Soon I was left behind with my shadow and of course, Ram who was throttling right at my tail waiting just to spear ahead.

Finally he did.
I guess that’s where his patience lost to my disbelief.

He rode past me.
The gentlest way in which his enduring spirit was yelling at me that buddy you are slow.

SLOW!

I was taking turns and curves at 70 odd speeds and still I was slow!!

Damn!

That’s when I decided to open the throttle, shift gears and race up till Ram who now seemed to be enjoying his ride more than he was doing a little while ago.

The first turn was an anxious one but was smooth.
Then came the second third and many more.

It felt nice.
It felt really, really nice.
And it was fun too.
I could visualise myself as the rider in front of me.

Then I saw Ram disappear into a turn.

Following suit I opened the throttle to get into the turn in the same fashion.
And then I realised the turn was too sharp for me to pass through.
At 70 kmph I was too late to slow down.
I did kill the acceleration.
Instinctively applied brakes which made it worse as I locked my handle.

All I saw in front of me was a pale withering wall which was right in front of me with arms open wide.
Suddenly I saw a thin muddy trail bordering the wall.
I was on it.
A second later I was on a pile of mud and construction material; still breathing!

I heard my heartbeat with Dolby digital surround clarity louder than my engine throttle.

Once I calmed down I realised my stupidity.

I realise now what I have managed to live through to write this piece.

At times life just needs split seconds to make you wiser.

Still shaken up, but with new found wisdom which I learnt in a foolish manner, I decided to ride on.

On the next turn I saw Ram waiting as he must have realised that I was missing from his rear view.

We rode again.

Only this time at my own pace and at my comfort!

Finally, we reached the base so what if we were a little late.
It is any day better than being graffiti over a wall and not reaching at all.

The final count at the base of the fort was 10. Baljeet was the last one to join the gang. The number was much below our expectations. And due to this low turnout the event was overruled. We decided to ride up to the fort which was altogether a different experience.

The same story of full throttle leaning over curves and glide over potholes, too fast and too furious!

I was calm and easy on throttle as I was very clear in my head of the do’s and don’ts.

We reached the top in another 30 minutes with some breaks and stoppages for clicks.

Parked our shining steeds in line and headed to the nearest stall for chai-pakodas. During conversations over cups of tea I shared my experience. In return I received stares, smiles, head shakes and some valuable advice.

By the time we set out to explore the fort, the sun was blaring but the winds made the walk pleasant.

Soon I realised why this event was planned and why it got canned.
Once again understood the term ‘wishful thinking’; in a different perspective.
Fitness seemed to be a concern.

Finally the break ridden exploration ended with peethla bhakris, curd and fresh lime juice.
Yummy!
A tasteful treat.

With tummies full and thirst quenched we rode back in the same formation.

And this time I made sure that I was sensible, confident and most importantly comfortable riding Chaos.

Overall an eventful day, I learnt a lot on and off the track and discovered a whole concept new concept of FULL THROTTLE!

I rode back home with sweet memories and definately wiser than before.

Chaos..

Sins..

God created man as His incarnation on earth.

So to get rid of all of His own evils, He sent the original SEVEN SINS on earth.

ANGER

[aka: Saurabh Thakur, aka:Thaakurrr]

is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury.

It is also known as Wrath

ENVY

[aka:Khalil Mulla, aka: Machar]

is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.

GLUTTONY

[aka:Ashwin Joglekar, aka: Ganja, aka: Boxer]

is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

GREED

[aka:Abhishek Saha, aka: Abhinem]

is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual.

It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

LUST

[aka:Lalit Soreng, aka:Junglee]

is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

PRIDE

[aka:Anish Menon aka:Chetta]

is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God.

SLOTH

[aka:Akash Mohimen, aka: Andha, aka:Movieman]

is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

SE7EN SINS

Away we came far from home,
Wondering where our next problem is coming from.
Building our dreams so high,
Hoping to touch the big blue sky.
As we came under one roof,
Slowly as ever we became aloof.
Each of us from different kins,
Proudly calling ourselves God's 7 sins.

(CHORUS)
Holding our hands we shall stand,
Spreading our evil across all land.
We shall fight off each other's fears,
Wiping away our own tears.
Making new bonds of fellowship,
Giving a new name to friendship.
With our witness being the lord,
We call ourseleves the 7 sins of god.

All of us had a troublesome past,
Now we hope this hapiness will last.
The romances of us friends,
Are the sort that make up legends.
Each one special in his pwn way,
Always we are happy and gay.
From our failures we draw inspiration,
Success is our only aspiration.

(CHORUS)

(RAP)
Greed and sloth,
We got them both.
Gluttony, pride and anger,
Can make a fool out of danger.
Along with eny and lust,
We make our enemies bite dust.
7 of us have a big heart,
A dull day we can kick star.
We really dont give a damn,
To religions made by man.
Society's norms are too narrow,
They dont stop us from being our own pharoah.
So as witness being the lord,
We call ourselves 7 sins of god.

(CHORUS)

Penned by Sloth in Oct, 2005.

Rendezvous with destiny..

Wednesday, 12th Dec 2007.

It was 8 and I guess I was on time!

I was glad that I discovered this place previous evening as I did not wish to either miss it or be late for this Wednesday meeting.

Today I was going to meet the other Bullet riders from the city.
To be precise I was here to attend the weekly meeting of 'ROADSHAKERS'..

the Royal Enfield Bullet Club of Pune..

As I managed to cross over the busy road, I saw three Bulls parked adjacent to each other, in an orderly fashion. And three guys looking at me, enquiringly, wondering about my identity and the new beast.

For some strange reason I was a bit nervous.

May be it was my anxiety coupled with excitement or may be my awareness of the fact that these fellow strangers were watching me.I pretended to be undeterred by their scanning and parked CHAOS along with the other beasts. Just then one of the guys asked me to park it in the same manner in which they had parked their steeds.

So I reversed and parked it in line with the other beauties..

Once done I walked up to them and I guessed the Surd to be Baljit whom I had called up the other day to confirm the location of their weekly meeting point.

“Hi I am anish and you must be Baljit?” I greeted extending my hand for a handshake.

“Oh haan anish! tau tune hi mujhe kal phone kiya tha na! chalo badhiya hain. Iska naam hain Yuvraj and he ij Omkar. Iska bhi aaj first day hain. Bilkul tumhaari tarah. Ab aaj tum dono ek doosre per khade ho kar introduction dena. Nahi tum dono na aaj is mote par khade ho kar apna introduction karna. Bahut tagada aadmi hain ye. He is the foundation of Roadshakers” he replied in one breath and then burst into laughter.

Surds, as usual, jovial, friendly with a cheeky sense of humour..

I was feeling better once I learnt that about the other newcomer. Omkar too had come for the meeting for the first time. While I spoke to him I heard a thump and saw another beast come and park it in the same line.

Then as if the thump never died.

Being new and a complete stranger I decided to watch, unlike Onkar, who got busy doing his round of talks.

One by one I saw the men arrive on thier beauties and then following the same pattern.

Park their steeds in line.

Greets and hugs.

I sat on the footstep of some unfinished structure behind me to observe..

The joy with which they were sharing their stories and events reminded me of the reunion of the Jews after Yom kippur.

In another 30 minutes or so there were about 40 odd bulls standing adjacent to each other.

A little close to 9, I heard someone call out and then Ajinkya, a free lance web designer, told me to get ready for some thumping.

This was it!
The moment I had been waiting for was here.
At times one senses things with supernatural abilities.
I believe we all are born with that ability.
But we seldom trust it.
Déjà vu, intuition or dreams..

This time I believed it.

I was baptised with the adrenaline rush.

A minute later all I could hear was the thump in the air and then saw a cloud of dust and smoke rising from the ground.
Amidst this cloud of smoke and dust I saw the riders lining up one after the other in two parallel rows.
Without wasting time thinking I squeezed Chaos in one of the lines.

I had inhabited this city as a stranger for the last 9 months and nothing had excited me as much as this evening.

As we began thumping through the late city traffic my anxiety levels reached its pinnacle…

I was somewhere in the middle of this convoy.
We were in a formation of two rows with each rider having a partner along side riding at the same pace, all randomly paired.

It took me a while to realise that it was a highly choreographed act.
If one slowed down the other partner waited for his partner to catch up.
Initially I found it difficult but soon I found my rhythm, and then it was just a matter of acceleration.


What I loved the most was the discipline with which each rider drove with no overtaking, no speeding and followed the same pattern without causing any threat or problem for the usual traffic..
As the convoy moved together.. the thump created was exhilarating..
If felt as if we were taking a victory lap..

Then it all got confirmed at the next traffic signal..
With all heads turned towards us..
..eyes fixed on our magnificent beasts,
smiles being hurled upon with rare raised eyebrows..

And to this attention I chose to act as an innate soul..
But somewhere deep down inside I was loved this attention..
I felt nice..
I felt proud..
I felt powerful..
And I believe that is the beauty about this beast..
It transforms you into something beyond your imagination.

After about 20 minutes of thumping along the city traffic the convoy finally stopped in front of a restaurant named ‘Frangipani’.

I saw another set of bulls already parked in front of the restaurant.
Then again there was another session of hugs and handshakes..

I just choose to smile..

Soon everyone settled down, with Manish and Baljit taking to the center and everyone else choosing their favourite corner and spaces.

Manish started the session with an introduction of the newcomers.
In total there were 4 including me.

One by one we stood on a table and introduced ourselves with our hands raised position.
“Name..Model and no. ..”
This reminded me of my hostel years where we have had such similar sights of introductions...may be slightly more complex and definatley more fun..
May be its always fun to be on the other side of the table..

This was a different experience, with people looking at you and you being able to see them all because of the elevation, thanks to the table.

I started with a fumble but then it got over soon.

Once done with introductions all 4 of us were assigned two mentors, Rajat and Yuvraj..
Mentors were to take care of our queries, doubts and loads of questions we had.

Then there were regular updates and notifications about forthcoming events and some new plans..
After which the meeting dispersed with some of the riders staying back to dine together.

Then Rajat, my mentor, an HR guy in a software firm, gave us a form to register with the rules and regulations clearly laid out like..
The safety precautions, the riding gear, a must for all the rides..
The formation details where there is always a leader in the front and a sweeper in the end.. to ensure that the convoy moved together..
I believe that’s where their motto “Leave no man behind” comes from..
How I needed to earn points to be registered in the core team..
The form had all important details like from blood group to email ids which was to be maintained in case of emergencies..
Once filled, we were to submit it next Wednesday along with a one time membership fee of Rs 100.

I was too excited to wait till next Wednesday so finished off with all the formalities and submitted the form then and there..

By far this was the best thing that happened to me.
I was very glad to have found someone to help me understand and learn more about CHAOS.

I decided to stay back for dinner.
That’s when I got to know more about other members and other bullet clubs.

Some of the founder members were displaced with time but they were still connected to each other for instance a former member was coming all the way from Nepal to join these guys for Ridermania,08 at Hyderabad, an annual event held by Royal Enfield.

Besides answering my umpteen silly questions they willingly shared and lot of interesting fundas and gyaan.
In short the dinner was a very warm, pleasant and friendly affair.

A group so diverse, so different and spread across miles..
Yet so close knit by a single bond.
One machine..
One enfield..
One thump..

Was it my destiny to be one of them..
I do not know..

What I know is that in just less than three hours a city, in which I was a complete stranger, for me it opened up a whole new world of passion, love, warmth and respect for me..

And now I am one of them..atleast in the making..

And while I write this I wait for yet another Wednesday to come..



** Pictures used just for representational purposes and are from Roadshakers gallery.