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The ISC exams of my daughter and the cloud of tensions that prevailed at home limited my plans of long bike ride for almost six months. But the end of the board exams and a 50 days time gap for the upcoming entrance exam gave me an opportunity to plan a ride to Goa and a visit to CSI Basel Mission Hospital, Gadag, Karnataka.
Dr Ajay Raju, General surgeon and Medical superintendent of Basel mission hospital was cordial in replying to my email and welcomed me for a visit to his hospital and the attached orphanage within the hospital campus.
Preparation:

• Got the bike checked by my mechanic, Mr Suresh.
• Got carbon emission pollution certificate and added to my bike documents.
• Carried an oil can to lubricate chains after every 500kms
• Carried an electronic air pump and basic tools.
• Bought peanut bars and Mineral water bottles.
• Prayed a lot for a safe lonely solo ride. Completely rely on Lord's mercy, who is the only savior in emergencies.

I got a new Axor Helmet with Pin-lock fitted visor, to help in early morning rides amidst fog or Rain. A little up-gradation to my safety gear.

• Tentative Plan
  
  24/05/2022 Tuesday -
• Vellore to Gadag
• On the way, visit ETCM COLLEGE at KGF where our institution children pursuing Nursing there and also tungabhadra dam in Hosapete.
• Night stay at CSI Basel Mission Hospital, Gadag, Karnataka.

25/05/2022 Wednesday -

• Visit hospital and orphanage.
• To know about their services and mission needs
• Around 12 noon, Leave for Calangute, Goa
• On the way to visit old Goa churches and a ferry crossing with my bike to divar Island.
• Stay at GoStopsGoa, Calangute, Goa
• Night dinner at Noronha's corner,

26/05/2022 Thursday -

• Bike ride to Kulem and take a jeep ride to visit Dudhsagar water Fall
• Return to Velha Goa around 2 pm and visit Aguada fort, Bear claw view point and if possible many more historical places around
• Dinner at Alif restaurant, Calangute Market area.

27/05/2022 Friday -

• Long ride back home via Hubli, Tumkur, KGF, Chithoor to Kasam, Vellore
• 15 hours ride excluding fuel and food breaks.

I hope and believe God will give me strength and
protection to reach home as planned.

Nice ride Dr Tilak Francis ji

Thank you Sajal ji

The Ride begins.........

24/05/2022 Tuesday -

I got up, when the alarm rang at 2 am. I started to ride from home at 3.19 am. I was somewhat scared, remembering my fall at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, while riding to Odisha. I was singing the hymn ''Oh the deep deep love..." to call for God's presence on this solo ride. I could not ride beyond 60 km per hour as there were often potholes and diversions on the highway towards Chittoor from Kasam, Vellore.

After Chittoor, I was able to go faster, maintaining a speed above 80km and reached Kolar. The google maps took me right to the ETCM nursing college farm house where the boy's hostel was located. Four of our MBKG Pannai boys are studying there. They were happy to see me in the early morning around 5.45 am. I gave them some gifts and took them to Tea shop nearby and had tea with them. After several minutes of chatting with them, I bid them goodbye and left for Gadag, Karnataka around 6.25 am.


The google now directed me to take a road to Vijayapura, Doddaballapura, Dobbaspet and connected me to the Tumakuru National Highway. The road as far as Tumakuru was under construction and I was at times motor cycling off the road near the state highway. Once I ended up on a non existent road under the bridge and followed a pathway down , riding my bike to go on the other side of the service road near Doddaballapura.




The road from Tumkur was a super highway, and I was breezing through between 90 - 95 km per hour.
After crossing Sira, I stopped to have a tender coconut. I had two and gave the man Rs 100/-. He spoke to me in Hindi saying that he did not have change and gave me another tender coconut. I believe our brain has vocabulary that we do not realize of unlearned languages which we would have learnt unconsciously from seeing movies, hearing songs, or conversations in the past. Knowing only Tamil and English, still I was able to understand the coconut vendor's reply. Brilliant human brain!!!

I went past Hiriyur and Chitradurga. But after Chitradurga, instead of going to Hosapeta, I made a bad mistake and made a wrong choice when and got diverted to Arabhavi- Chalageri road. The road went through villages. Every village had two speed breakers right next to the name sign of the village, one at the entrance and the other at the exit. They were not simple one but humongous ones which will give you a clear reminder if you are not careful. So, I paid due respect for each speed breaker which dearly cost me time and energy. I became very tired and I could only hope, to be continue on to Hosapete and visit Tungabhadra Dam on the way.

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Finally, I reached Mundargi, and reached the Basel Mission Hospital campus at 3.29 pm. I definitely would have been earlier by 1 hour if I had followed Hosapete road. I was in my full riding gear and walked in the OPD block to look for Dr Ajay Raju. I was told that he was in the operation theatre and Mr Sudhakar, an operation theatre assistant, called an attendant to accompany me to my room in Sadha Bhavan, hospital guest house. It was next to the Wurth Memorial Church. The church was one of the oldest buildings on the campus built in the late 1800's.

I got to the room and, while taking off my riding pants, I got cramps in my abdominal muscles on right side and for a second I thought it was a hernia. I fell on the bed and was lying there, praying and hoping for relief. However, I was alright after 5 minutes. I thought it might be because of constant contraction all through the day of riding and an extreme contraction while removing my riding pants stimulated the cramp. Moreover I was not well hydrated. I had not been drinking enough water - which was a possible cause for the cramps.
Sam, the P.R.O, Mr Sudhakar's son came on his motorbike and took me back to the hospital. He took me to the Hospital canteen and got me an egg roll and a coffee. I was not allowed to pay for it. Dr Ajay Raju had instructed the canteen staff not to charge Hospital guest. I was humbled by their hospitality. Later, I was seated in Dr Ajay Raju's Office and was waiting for him. I was expecting a man in his early 50's. He walked in calmly, and we exchanged greetings. While chatting, I came to know that he was an alumnus of the Christian Medical College, Vellore. He belonged to the batch of 1995. I know almost 15 of his batch mates, either as a member of my church, as friends of my children or as my own friends.

Lingayatism and Christianity
Compared to the other three south Indian states, I think there are very few christian mission organisations in Karnataka. I heard about the Lingayat movement which was formed against the caste system and preached equality to all. The Lingayat movement influenced great social reforms in Karnataka unlike other south Indian states, where, the right to education for all was brought by the Christian missionaries. The Lingayat movement believes in monotheism (One God) and is against caste discrimination, as taught by their founder Basava. I was wondering, in Gadag - where a huge 147 meters concrete statue for the great scholar Basava stands tall in the city center, whether there was a possibility of Christian Basel mission field. I asked Dr Ajay Raju about this and he told me that there was a prophecy to Lingayats that a foreign God would be introduced to them by light-skinned people and the Lingayat scholars of that time, called for Europeans who were preaching in Hubli and Dharwad to preach here in Gadag.
As I pondered about it, I found on the internet about Channappa Uttangi who was a third-generation Lingayat Christian. He was often invited to preach at festivals conducted by Hindu Lingayats. Channappa Uttangi joined the Basel mission in 1908 and served for 33 years.
For further reading please refer to this link:

CSI Basel Mission Hospital.
The Basel mission hospital was started in 1902 by the Basel mission from Switzerland. The early doctors who served in the hospital in Gadag were Germans and hence the natives often identify it as a German hospital.
At present, the Basel mission hospital is 150-bed, NABH-accredited hospital. Dr Ajay Raju, joined the Basel mission hospital in 2006 at the age of 28 years and continues to serve tirelessly, and ably supported by his wife, Dr Savita Ajay, a general physician.
Dr Ajay Raju, took me around the hospital wards, and departments and showed me all the facilities that are available. The hospital's services were well appreciated during the time of Covid and it was the one hospital which did meet the demand for oxygen supplied through their established liquid oxygen plant.
In many aspects, the Basel Mission hospital remains a pioneer in introducing innovations in advanced treatment techniques and facilities to the people of Gadag. The services are rendered at very nominal costs keeping in mind the slogan ( "What you say in mission explains what you do, and what you do shows that you men what you say) of Basel mission.

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• Facilities Available at CSI Basel Mission Hospital

24×7 Emergency/Trauma unit

• Full-time consultants in General Medicine, General Surgery, Paediatrics ,OBG & Orthopaedics

Visiting consultants in Super Speciality of Paediatric Surgery,Urology, Neurology, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology In house services Of Lab, Pharmacy, Radiology High-tech Operation Theatres and CathLab Facility Of ICU, Paediatric ICU, Neonatal ICU Dialysis, Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, ERCP Facility 24x7 Ambulance

• Almost all medical insurance is accepted here in Basel Mission Hospital.
• A nursing assistant course for girls is offered here, and the hospital is on the verge of getting recognition to start a BSc Nursing course with all prerequisites.

Needs of the Hospital


There is a dire need for full time physicians. Dr Ajay Raju and Dr Savita Ajay have dedicated themselves to work round the clock. Most of the super specialty departments are managed through consultants who work part-time. The Basel Mission Hospital needs :

• Orthopedic surgeon
• Anesthetist
• Paediatrician
• Resident duty doctors

I hope that someone appropriate, gets connected by reading this information.

Dr Ajay Raju told me that he would take me for dinner after 7.30 pm and left me with his Public relation officer (P.R.O), Samuel, to go to the operation theatre where a patient was posted for a cholecystectomy.
I went to my room, and around 7.50 pm, Dr Ajay came and took me to ClarksInn Hotel,Gadag. We had a sumptuous dinner with soups, Manchurian starters, main course with naan and a Gadag special Saoji chicken curry. We were discussing the challenges in serving on the mission field, the recent change in government norms, the funding crisis, competing with corporate giants, and so on. I enjoyed the chat with a fellow professional, who was very friendly within such a short time of meeting. He too, was an avid trekker and biker with "Leh return" tag. He dropped me back to my room in Sabha Bhavan guest house around 10 pm.
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He said that he would take me around the orphanages in the hospital the next day and bade me good night.
I went to bed early, keeping the lights on which I could not resist even after becoming an adult, when sleeping alone in a new place.

25/05/2022 Wednesday -

In the morning I woke up to my regular alarm at 4.35 am, but got out of the bed around 5.30 am and freshened up. I called Sam, to show me a simple tea shop and we walked down the street. We had tea for just Rs 5/- per cup. The locals were clad in white pyjamas with white Nehru caps. I was told by Sam that it is the common style of dress for farmers.

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Sabha Bhavan, Hospital Guest house.





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Tea shop, Gadag​

We returned and I told Sam to pick me up around 8.30 am. I told Sam that I would take him for breakfast to a nearby vegetarian hotel. Exactly at 8.30 am he came and took me to Hotel Kamat. We ordered paper roast dosa, Idli and coffee. The food was delicious.


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By that time I got a call from Dr Ajay Raju, that he would meet me near the hospital canteen to take me around the three orphanages run by the Basel Mission Hospital. I was a little late in joining him at 9.20 am.
First we visited an orphanage for HIV negative boys and girls. The orphanage was originally started for children with Polio and after eradication of polio, the orphanage started accommodating children who tested HIV negative, born to HIV positive parents. The girls and boys here were discharged from the orphanage only after they became an earning member of society with a job.




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Then we visited a boy's hostel within the Hospital campus funded partly by the Karnataka government . And then we visited Snehalaya boy's hostel which is in need of funding to run it as the foreign funds have ceased.The warden was showing some piggy banks which were to be distributed to willing sponsors in order to raise local funds. I shared our experience of creating a website and sending news letters to raise funds from local philanthropists.


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We went to the nursing hostel and the block where nursing classes were conducted. Seeing all the mannequins, classrooms, activity labs and other infrastructure, I told Dr Ajay that the BSc nursing college permission will just be a matter of time.


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Dr Ajay accompanied me to my guest house, bade me goodbye and wished me a safe ride.
I got ready for the ride and loaded the luggage on the bike. I took the bike to the hospital entrance and called Sam to meet me there. I did not want to look like an alien inside the busy hospital campus in the morning hours in front of the weary patients. Sam got me change for Rs 1000/- in Rs 50/- denominations. That would be very helpful for local transactions. I forgot to hand over the room key at that time (I sent it by courier, after reaching home).


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Drifting back to the Ride!!!

I hit the highway around 11.20 am. The road was smooth and I was cruising at 90 km/hr. I felt the need to upgrade the bike which would help me to ride at 120 km/hr. God willing, I wish in near future to get a RE Himalayan 450. Tempted by the Yezdi adventure motorbike at the moment, but I would rather wait for RE Himalayan 450.

I got confused at a butterfly flyover terminal to Hubli but got it right after turning back from the wrong direction within a few 100 meters. The national highway was good till Hubli and later enroute to Dharwad, it became somewhat narrow with on coming traffic. When I turned on to the NH 748 leading to Goa, the road was bad for the first few kilometers. Then the road was good in the Ghat section but I could only maintain 60-70 km/hr. There were about 3 railway crossing on the way to Goa. The road was very bad for 100 meters before and after the railway crossings. I thought may be there was confusion between the railway and the roadway about "whose responsibility" it was to maintain the road.


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The landscape changed from very arid to more like coastal Kerala as I was getting close to Mollem, Goa. The petrol was 7 rupees cheaper than in the other states I crossed. I was looking for some old Portuguese buildings or the remains of the war bunkers of the Indo-Goan war of 1961. To my amazement, I found none. Later my initial impression that, the Portuguese only maintained Goa for sea trade and they did not have any concern for Goans was confirmed.. Unlike the British, where they left behind their legacy of schools, colleges,hospitals, railways and government administrative buildings, I did not find anything other than those magnificent churches. However, I might be wrong in my perception, with my short exposure to Goa.
I was able to reach goSTOPSGoa, Calangute around 4.45 pm. I checked into an 8-bed air-conditioned dormitory.




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I met Parthasarathy from Hyderabad and Priyanka from Thrissur, Kerala. Both were IT professionals. They were on 'workation' (working, while holidaying in Goa). They were pretty excited to know that I rode all the way from Vellore Tamil Nadu.
After freshening up and changing into casuals, I rode to Calangute beach that was two streets away. After parking the bike on the side of the beach road, I entered the beach through a fishing hamlet. I took some photos of people paragliding with a speed boat and the sunset on the beach. After a few minutes there, I did not know what to do , being alone on the beach. I could not go in to the waves as I had a DSLR camera in my hand. I felt bored.



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Then I rode to Noronha's corner, a food truck parked near Assagao. I took the Baha beach road from Calangute. The google maps were very helpful all through out my journey. I hardly asked anyone for directions. I reached the place but found only a fruit vendor. When I asked her in English, what time the food truck would come? She replied to me in Hindi " Sade saath baje". OK, I understood that 7'o' clock. I was waiting from 6.50 pm. After 7 pm,I was restless and called to the telephone number mentioned in Google. The driver of a Maruti omni stopped with the phone in his hand and said the truck was coming behind.He was the person whom I saw in side Noronha's truck in the google images. He was looking like Dwayne Johnson, starring as the demi god, Maui, in a famous animated movie, Maona. The truck came at 7.30 pm exactly . Now I know what 'Sade' means in Hindi. I ordered a typical Goan dish, pork vindaloo which was served with two pieces of bread for Rs 310/- and a whisky-flavored home made chocolate for Rs 50/-



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On the way back to Calangute from Baha Beach road, I stopped at a roadside park to take a picture of Ronaldo's statue and also with ''I LOVE GOA'' with back-lit letters.



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I came back to the goSTOPSGoa backpackers hostel. Partha and Priyanka told that there was another biker who had arrived riding from Chennai.



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I was then introduced to Chitra, the biker. She rode her KTM 200 all the way through Bengaluru, Gokarna and to Goa in 4 days. She told me that she worked as a manager and was taking a break before starting a new job. It was fun talking with her in Tamil just to attract the attention of the rest of the gang.





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Priyanka and Partha were trying to say a few words in Tamil in a funny way. There were giggles, smiles, and laughter while making fun of each others language. The chatting was going on and on in a potpourri of languages. Most of the guys were working online in the day time and partying at night, staying there for a few weeks to a month. As I was planning to start early in the morning to ride to Kulem, Goa for a visit to Dudhsagar waterfall, I excused myself and retired to bed around 10 pm.

I got ready around 5.45 am, after waking up to my regular alarm, and left for Kulem,Goa.


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While getting the bike I saw Partha still roaming around. He said he had been awake the whole night. I filled up with petrol on the NH 748 when the bike hit the reserve. Ten litres for a sum within 3 digits! I felt like time was travelling backwards.





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I reached Kulem around 7.40 am and parked the bike in a nearby paid parking lot for Rs 50. He told me to leave the helmet on the bike and said "Idhar chor nahi hi". Ok, I got it - "No thief here''. I just prayed and took him at his word and left my brand new Rs 5000/- Axor helmet there on the bike. He told me to have breakfast in the nearby restaurant called ''FAMILY restaurant". As the name suggested, it was strictly meant for families. The owner has a sign displayed 'No smoking area' and his number beneath to complain immediately even if he was unavailable in person. I ordered dosa and tea. The bill came to Rs 90/- I saw a box for tips for the waiters and I put Rs 10/- in the box. A Tamil speaking family was dining with me. But I did not feel like introducing myself to them speaking in Tamil. To me, they seemed to be kind of serious personalities.

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Strict warning sign board at the Family restaurant at Kulem




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I reached the Dudhsagar Tour Operator Association office and there were around 10 people inquiring at the counter.


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Dudhsagar Waterfall

There were 4 ways to visit Dudhsagar:

1. By train which stops at Dudhsagar station.
2. By trek from Kulem railway station (11 km to Dudhsagar)
3. By trek from Castle Rock railway station (14 km to Dudhsagar)
4. By jeep to the base of Dudhsagar Falls (20 km on the river bed and marshy land. It takes 45 minutes to reach the base. No jeep ride option, during Monsoon from June to September.)

I chose the jeep mode due to lack of time. Also the easiest, safest and quickest of the options.
It is advisable to book in advance online for a fee of Rs 10/- The rest of the cost we have to pay in cash. Once the Jeep driver was allocated from DTOA booking office, I paid Rs 500/- to the jeep driver. The driver took us to an adjacent counter where I rented a life jacket for Rs 40/-. A life jacket is compulsory for a jeep ride.


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Then the driver asked us to pay Rs 100/- each for forest entry at the forest check post. A fee of Rs 50/- was also collected for my camera there and also the plastic bottles of water and juice were counted and recorded. If we do not show the exact number of bottles on the return journey, we will be fined Rs 200/- per bottle.
It is advisable to go early and book for the 8 am to 9am slot. The total number of jeeps allowed per day is 60 according to the website. Our jeep driver said it is 260 per day. Each jeep accommodates a maximum of 7 persons. When I was standing at the counter, a Gujarati man with a family of four took the lead asking me to join them and a newly married Goan couple standing behind opted to join us. Thus we made it to 7 people for booking the jeep. I suggest you to check and speak around, while standing at the DTOA counter, to get to the magic number 7. Also carry enough paper currency. Of course, there were ATMs 200 meters away.
The best seat for this bumpy jeep ride is the front seat next to the driver. All are Mahindra Bolero jeeps. Being the single one among the passengers, by default, I was bestowed the opportunity to occupy the front seat.


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The ride was enjoyable, with muddy trails crossing the river and descending down to the base of the water fall. The water fall was four-tiered. The initial jeep route went parallel to the railway track. The railway bridge goes across the Dudhsagar at the third tier of the falls. That suggested that we had to descend one more tier to reach the base of the water fall. The total height of the falls is 320 meters or 1017 feet.

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After a 45 minutes jeep ride, we reached an area where Jeeps were parked and we had to walk 500 meters down the rocky path to reach the base of the waterfalls.



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There were a few changing rooms and rest rooms. This would never be enough for the crowd that pours in later in the day. According to the website , the last jeep ride is 12 noon, but the jeep driver said that the jeep booking are taken till 4 pm. Again, despite the website claim of 60 Jeep entry per day, I heard from the driver that it would be around 240 Jeeps per day. The driver told us that only one trip was allotted for each driver but I felt that it could be two in a day.


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I walked down the rocky path leading to the base of the waterfall. The first sight of that magnificent falls from below was well worth the travel.




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The falls was very beautiful with the old curving railway bridge adorning it like a necklace. There was a huge natural pool at the base of the waterfall and everyone who had life jacket was able to enjoy a swim or float in the natural pool. After a while, I got tired of watching others swimming and bathing in the pool and started moving towards the jeep. I was at the waterfall base for 30 minutes. But 1 hour and 30 minutes was allotted after reaching the waterfall to enjoy the time at the falls.
I was taking photos with my DSLR but in the back of my mind, was afraid that someone might approach me to ask the price for a photo thinking I was a professional photographer at a tourist destination. I saw another person struggling to get a full view of the waterfall with his 70-300 mm lens. I asked him to take a photo of me with the Dudhsagar Falls in the background. He did and in turn I took a few photos for him on his mobile phone. I left the falls and after 11 am, the two families returned to the jeep. The jeep returned us to the same DTOA counter at 12 noon sharp. A time, well spent.
I got my bike and was happy to see my helmet, right there on the bike. In Kulem, I had a 1 litre mineral water Rs 20/- and a Cavins (Produced in Tamil Nadu) cold coffee in a tetra pack Rs 30/-