Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Wow. You are satisfying two most important body parts(eyes and tongue) in a single opportunity. Have a safe journey brother.

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Nice one Bhargav!..bring on the rest sooner!

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Thanks [MENTION=79203]AbhiAvvy13[/MENTION]

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Thanks [MENTION=77179]tuSsh077[/MENTION] will update sooner

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Shaadi No.1

Day 1 (Feb 13): Pune to Kurnool

Before every ride morning there is a half sleep night. That’s what happened again for me. I planned to sleep by 10pm so that I can get a good 6 hours sleep before waking up at 4am and starting by 5am. Before sleeping I cleaned the bike and lubed the chain to make sure an easy ride for next 1000kms. Even though it is recommended to me to lube the chain every 500kms I do it seeing the condition of the chain and till now I never had to lube before 900kms.

13^th February 2016, 4:00 AM: Ding Dong… Alarm rang and I am up to get ready. I got ready very relaxed because I have done the checklist and packing last night before sleeping. At 5am, I left my apartment to the cellar parking. I hooked my backpack using a bungee cord. I usually am a backpacker and I travel light, but this time by office laptop added some weight and I need to be much more careful carrying 70k worth stuff behind me L I have started the bike for idling meanwhile I got geared up. 5:15AM I am on the saddle out of the four walls into the world where there are only roads. It took me 40mins to reach Hadapsar because I was worried about the reliability of the backpack hooked and the reliability of the pedestrians crossing the Pune roads.

Hadapsar to Solapur: It was pitch dark by the time I was on the expressway and I am not at all confident of opening up the throttle. I was doing mere 80-90kmph for next 10kms. Night riding is no less a nightmare for me. Light and heavy vehicles were on high beams on opposite side and I couldn’t see the intersections ahead so that I can slow down. This worried me of my choice of riding before sunrise on a highway. I follow Accuweather for weather updates (I find it pretty reliable) and 7AM was the sunrise time. So I got another 1.5hrs in dark to ride. Soon I learnt a trick. Either intentional or not, the plants on the divider helped me defending myself from high beams with a small duck. And whenever I see high beam hitting me, I learn there is an intersection or a split coming up. This surprisingly was useful and was a right assumption. Now I am doing 110-120kmph, that’s a good speed to ride without stops. I am a rider who stops to take pictures, when I say this I mean it. Even if I see a scenic to capture within 100mts I will stop not worrying about the time. This time I was playing a different game. No stops for pictures (I know the readers will be disappointed!) I stopped only once between the Hadapsar-Solapur at a toll just to click a night shot of my bike in yellow light and the first sunshine. I reached Solapur exit by 830AM, that’s pretty fast according to my plan.

Next I took a deviation from NH9 towards Akkalkot, the road condition was average to good. I stopped under a tree just for some water and few Parle-G (this kept me running for the day). This was like a small town run amidst lot of traffic I couldn’t speed up much. After reaching Akkalkot I asked directions for Aland and I headed towards it. All I can think about, is the off road I am gonna do. I was expecting it any minute so that I can be prepared rather than surprised for it. But surprises were always ahead of me. People are living in stone-age there. That was not off roading, that was no-roading. Leaders in the place, must be eating up the money and throwing crap at the people in the name of road. Half the road were dug up for construction and half for full shit. I managed to complete the stretch oscillating between frustration and hope.
After Aland off road stretch, the road turned from Horrible to Average to Awesome. There’s a border shouting out loud about the Karnataka Roads. This is the Waghdari – Ribbanpally Tollway road. This is a dream to ride on. This road is perfect in every sense. No potholes, good directions, Clear intersections, Sensible drivers and no trespassers. Even though it’s a single lane road without divider, this never troubled me. I seldom thought of getting off the saddle. I stopped somewhere on Gulbarga Ring road for a proper lunch. All this getting out of the gear to freshen up and have lunch was time taking process and effortsome too. It grabs attention more than intended. It is like I am going for a bath in a transparent bathroom on Marine Drive Mumbai.

I was riding effortlessly all along SH4 via Gulbarga-Sedam . At 1pm I touched Telangana state border. This is damn exciting as I was before schedule. After entering Telangana, roads turned Awesome to Good. Remove the made up patches on these roads, they would have been awesome. Soon I was on NH7 after Mahabubnagar. Here by mistake and because of no clear directions, I entered Mahabubnagar city which made me lose a good 20mins asking directions to enter NH7. NH7 is another drean highway to ride on. This is longest national highway in India, which connects Varanasi to Kanyakumari. How awesome it will be to complete THIS feat!!!
After entering NH7 after Mahabubnagar even though it was fun to ride on, I was bored after 20kms. And I saw unusually my bike losing some power. I do about 123kmph at 9000 rpm, that’s before redlining at 9500 rpm. Now even at 10000 rpm it’s hardly doing 115kmph. I listened to it and it needed rest, more than me. I gave it a rest of about 10 minutes. And I was left alone on NH7 not being on saddle going against wind L After 10 minutes I resumed my ride, and the beast is back. Now I am constantly doing 130kmph at 9500 rpm for another 40 minutes. If people ask me the difference between something like Bajaj and Kawasaki machines, situations like these are best examples of performance and reliability. Bajaj even though provides of VFM (Value For Money) product, it never can be comparable to a machine like premium manufacturers like Kawasaki or Triumph. Having said this, I never regret my decision. Know your machine, set your expectations right and you can be happy with any bike you ride.

I stayed with my family in Kurnool for almost 15 years and I am being there after almost 6 years, so I could connect with the city instantly. I stopped at Tungabadhra (tributary of Krishna River) bridge which always amazed me and refreshed me. I reached Kurnool and my friend’s home by 3.45pm. So total of 680kms in 10.5 hours. I realized after resting for a bit that I rode across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that makes 4 states. I was trying to be humble outside but the kid inside me was going gagas. I definitely know it’s not an amazing feat but starting from zero, for me it was bigggg…. It gave me immense satisfaction and loads of motivation to aim bigger.

I visited friends’ parents’ home and they were so happy to see me. I was going back in time and they were thrilled to see me growing up so fast. Being so called heartless guy, I was emotional inside. The genuine smiles, small offerings, homemade snacks and silly jokes that was rest of the evening was all about.
There was a small gathering tonight for my friend’s wedding tomorrow. It was kind of reception before wedding but less people invited. I was feeling special among them.

Met the groom, had some naughty jokes (yeah we are still in our teens), wished the bride about getting lucky and sumptuous dinner or only full meal of the day. Friends were worried that I might be tired and I was forcefully sent to sleep. After so so many days, I slept with a smile on my face. It was a day of happenings…


My Place (Pune) to Kurnool Map






Roads inviting to the square of eternity...


Me trying to take a selfie... Balaclava to avoid the weird face :P




NH7 leading the way...



Butter milk to beat the heat...


Tungabadhra Bridge


Tungabadhra River


Eyes half open before the ride


First sunshine... Warmth much needed


Toll on Pune-Solapur Expressway before sunrise - 1


Toll on Pune-Solapur Expressway before sunrise - 2



Pune-Solapur Expressway


Akkalkot-Aland Off-roading stretch - 1 (Shot in B&W to show that drama)


Akkalkot-Aland Off-roading stretch - 2


Awesome Karnataka Stretch to begin...

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Great going!

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Thanks [MENTION=57323]krishna77[/MENTION]

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Bhargav, nice log.. Enjoyed it..!!

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Thanks [MENTION=73437]prasadkool123[/MENTION].. Glad that you like it...

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Feb 14^th 2016: Home Run

After a tiresome and awesome day, here comes the Marriage day and Valentine’s Day together. Friends think my friend is lucky to get married on THE FEB 14TH. I don't believe it, I believe he is lucky to get married to a girl who reciprocates and resonates with him. That's what is important to any relationship and becomes critical for a marriage to stand tall because it is supposed to go on for rest of your life. Let's get out of the philosophical tune

The marriage muhurath is at 1045AM. This muhurath is set to place 'Jeelakarra Bellam' (Jeera + Jaggery) on each person's head by the other... This is part of Andhra tradition... This is why I love marriages, you get to see so many tradition in each kind, the true 'Unity in Diversity' can be seen here... As far as my travel plan is concerned, I decided I will start from Kurnool to Hyderabad (240kms) at 1PM because I am going to meet my school friends in the evening at Hyd... (tight schedule iam running in) I am staying in my hotel alone, and I asked my friends to wake me up at 8AM so that I can make it on time... As promised they did, and I was ready by 930AM with no packing done.

MOM (Minutes of Marriage) :PThalambralu. This is when both of them pour down yellow rice, thermocol, and lastly pearls This is play time for both of them. This is when they get competitive yet they want the other person to win.
Game 2: Find the ring. Here in a big plate of milk, a gold ring is dropped and there to find it first by each of them. Played three times and my friend lost the series by 1-2 but won her heart definitely.
Game3: Arundathi star. By this Husband should show Arundathi star to the wife. This is because Arundathi was a great wife being loyal and lovable towards her husband in atmost tough conditions (Wikipedia will give you details). They don’t see any star in the broadlight, but pandit just asks them to point out in the right direction in the sky.

These games are played because they start to build a rapport between the husband and wife. This used to serve the purpose great in olden days, as bride and groom might have hardly known each other. In present days, most of the times, the rapport is already built and these games add fun to their bond and make great pictures

12:00PM - I wished and blessed both of them, had some pictures and then left to Food hall to get going for my trip.
12:45PM - The lunch was damn good and I was super sleepy after such lunch. I was at the room by then. My friends stayed back with me, so then they can send me off till highway NH7. I started from room by 1:10PM. By 130PM I took off from my friend’s home to NH7.

The roads were straight as arrow and very less traffic. I was soon touching 110kmph. This is the speed I was doing mostly during my 2k run. I was riding with small targets like 40kms in 30 minutes. I did my 95kms in next 1 hour and 120kms in 1hr 15mins. This was HOME RUN and SPEED RUN for me. After 120kms I stopped under a tree to sip some water and call my mom to inform her that I will be home soon. She was surprised I already reached half distance by 2:30PM and was worried that I am riding fast. I assured her I will be safe and after 15mins of break I started again. Speed run again till Timmapur. I was at Timmapur by 3:30PM. And there was 50kms left to my home and iam out of NH7 by now. I cant take Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR) as two wheelers are not allowed. There is no service lane connectivity here so I had to go through city most of the time. By this time I am feeling sleepy and felt like sleeping at my nearest friend’s home But I am already missing home and my sleeping sofa. So I rode hard and I reached home by 4:15PM with all the gear and bags.

I am visiting my home for the first time on my bike. My family hadnt had a look at my bike yet in person. This was a proud moment for me. Yes my mom knows how much I love bikes but was already against me buying a big/costly one because of the obvious worries. I can’t blame her for loving me too much.

Note: Apologies if I described something wrong or in an appropriate way about the marriage traditions. If I were to write a blog in Telugu, I will be the best person to talk about traditions. The essence is lost in translation to my best English.

I will upload the pictures for this chapter as a separate post.

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Interesting reading!

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

No matter how hard you try, there will always be something 'lost in translation'! So, that doesn't matter.
Superb narration.

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

For a Travelogue which you said there will be less pictures , there is good load of awesome pics.
Nice write up.

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Thanks [MENTION=42309]zestbiker[/MENTION]

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True that... and thanks for the encouragement [MENTION=57323]krishna77[/MENTION]

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Thanks for the appreciation [MENTION=56202]aerofire[/MENTION]... The first chapters of the journey has pics as I was excited more about my ride than destination...

Re: Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Nice pictures and write up. Way to go brother.