tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329Sat, 29 Feb 2020 03:54:48 +0000LifePhilosophyPoetryArbidMusicFilmsSocietySportsTravelWorkWritingHomeCorporationsPictureTamizhBangaloreBlog UpdatesDelhiDreamsFamilyFriendsLyricsMICAPoor ServiceTVTaggedCyclingDeepavaliHalf MarathonKaveri TrailLong RidesMysore RoadObamaRamanagaraRelationshipsRunninghttp://ragsrags.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Rags)Blogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-7669857151105678658Sun, 06 Apr 2014 11:36:00 +00002014-04-06T17:06:00.634+05:30BangaloreCyclingLong RidesMysore RoadRamanagara Cycles parked at the mid-way breakfast point.Kamat Lokaruchi, Janapada Loka, Ramanagara. I'd like to think I'm a fairly normal guy, who occasionally does some inexplicable, crazy things. Last September, I cycled down from Khardung-la to Leh with a GoPro taped to my cycle handle post. The following day, I ran a half-marathon 12,000 ft above sea-level in Leh. Since then, I haven't really done http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2014/04/i-cycled-120km-75mi-and-i-would-never.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5072281118761103222Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:41:00 +00002012-09-19T19:16:54.657+05:30BangaloreFriendsHalf MarathonKaveri TrailRunning We run upstream and downstream.Pic Courtesy: Runners For Life Race report: 5 of us - Gopal, Kavi, Jess, Sid and I - drove down from Bangalore on Saturday. It had been cloudy and rainy; so, we were hoping for similar running conditions when the race started at 6:40am on Sunday. The first few km were pleasant enough; the sun was rising on our left to illuminate a scenery so gorgeous that I http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/09/kaveri-trail-half-marathon-2012-race.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)3Srirangapatna, Karnataka, India12.4179565 76.694687212.386942000000001 76.6552052 12.448971 76.734169200000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-1298571454493963885Mon, 21 May 2012 06:26:00 +00002012-05-21T12:00:44.324+05:30BangaloreLifeSociety Friday evening is traffic jam time. Three of us were driving back from the office, taking our usual shortcut, but we realized there was a huge traffic pile up. So, we turned around to go via the main road, but found ourselves stuck at a junction. As we waited patiently for the traffic to move again, I noticed in my rear view mirror a taxi speeding down the wrong way. He would go up ahead http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/05/friday-evening-is-traffic-jam-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-8162473680452629236Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:09:00 +00002012-03-21T21:39:58.318+05:30Writing The Week’s Prompt: {A’s} profession is a hazardous one—aviator, automobile racing driver, steeple jack, “human fly”—and {B} considers this fact an obstacle to their marriage. “Dear?” “Hmmm?” “We need to talk.” “Hmmm...” “Will you put that paper down and look at me?” “Yes, dear.” “It’s about your latest project.” “What about it?” “It upsets me.” “Upsets you? What about it upsets youhttp://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-need-to-talk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-6893273561002017221Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:25:00 +00002012-02-29T19:55:20.077+05:30TravelThe only way I realised we were in Konark was when I looked through the windshield and saw the dome of the Sun Temple towering over the tops of trees. The ‘town’ of Konark itself is in a pathetic state. The Government is absent, save for a sprawling Yatri Nivas; the entire game has been left in the hands of private players. There are no State Buses, the roads are poor and there are no signs to http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/02/please-to-excuse-sir-thank-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-8317680810197503142Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:12:00 +00002012-02-29T19:42:25.672+05:30TravelPuri is a very trippy sort of town located in Orissa on the Eastern shoreline of India. It was on the original hippie trail that extended across Asia, and remains extremely popular with foreign backpackers  today. Although its population is around 150,000 people, the numbers swell especially around the annual Rath Yatra (Car Festival) held in July. The Rath Yatra is a religious procession where http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/02/dark-secrets-of-tantric-goddess.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5407484492361818572Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:43:00 +00002012-02-29T19:21:44.571+05:30TravelMarine Pde. gets really busy in the evenings. The beach, which stretches straight as an arrow to the horizon, is packed with vendors, strollers and swimmers, along with animals like horses and camels. The wind is ferocious, buffeting me and firing prickly pellets of sand against my legs.The OTDC (Orissa Tourism Development Corporation) counter is on Marine Pde. I had telephoned earlier in the dayhttp://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2012/02/evening-on-marine-pde-puri.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-956942995709471511Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:08:00 +00002011-08-15T10:47:13.086+05:30CorporationsFilmsSocietyI have a huge problem with Times Of India's new marketing initiative centred around the National Anthem. It's nothing but an ego trip. Called "Jaya Hey," it rubbishes what school children sing everyday as being only a fifth of what Rabindranath Tagore originally intended, and proudly unfurls the remaining four stanzas that have now been set to music. While this is a noble task by itself, what http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/08/isnt-national-anthem-for-all-indians.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-641915264967744475Sat, 21 May 2011 03:29:00 +00002011-05-21T08:59:16.146+05:30TravelWritingThe following is a 500-word story I wrote about my travels as part of a Travel Writing Scholarship competition on World Nomads. In Search of Peace ‘Where can I find Ashoka’s rock inscriptions?’ The photographer glared at me. I was interrupting his business. A couple waited impatiently. Behind them, the white pagoda of the Shanti Stupa loomed. I was at Dhauli, eight kilometres south of the http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-search-of-peace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-8918384157285845289Sun, 15 May 2011 09:38:00 +00002011-05-15T15:08:14.562+05:30FriendsLifeRelationshipsSince December, I haven't been doing well at friendship. I have burnt many bridges, broken many connections, all of them which I thought were strong and unshakable. It turns out they aren't as infallible as I thought they were. Maybe the seeds for their downfall were sown much earlier. Maybe I'm just a bigger dick than those people deserve. It started when I ended my relationship in early http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/05/loss-of-friendship.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-6534608304014016036Sun, 15 May 2011 05:32:00 +00002011-05-15T11:02:27.275+05:30CorporationsMahindra and Renault brought in the Logan to India, but their marriage couldn't last. And now, Mahindra - with complete control over the Logan, except its name - have renamed the car 'Verito'. It's almost vertigo-inducing, apart from being one of the most uninspiring, unmemorable names possible for a car. Logan - Wolverine The Mahindra Logan should have been renamed the 'Mahindra Wolf''. http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-mahindra-logan-should-be-renamed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-2901387182104121384Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:05:00 +00002011-04-29T20:35:40.312+05:30Arbid There aint no Duking between these two former Princes It was at the first press conference Prince William and his new bride Catherine Middleton held after tying the nuptials that the second in line to the throne made his declaration. The press was clamouring for the couple's attention and kept calling out to the groom by his old moniker 'Prince William', as well as his new one 'The Duke of http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/04/william-wants-to-be-known-as-duke.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-953096224705863580Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:33:00 +00002011-04-28T22:03:54.034+05:30LifeMusicWorkI started work last week at a new place. And I had an unbelievable first day. Almost as soon as I entered the lobby, I sliced my finger deep on the edge of my Ray-Ban sunglasses (did you know they have really sharp edges?) that were sitting in my shirt pocket. As I stemmed the flow of blood and was asking the security guard there to give me cotton, Dettol and a Band-Aid, somebody walked through http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/04/perfect-situation-song.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5822638731169981268Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:01:00 +00002011-04-30T09:28:12.440+05:30SportsTwo of the sporting world's greatest droughts belong to places that begin and end with the same letters: Boston and Britain. Boston's ended in 2004; Britain's will end this year. We put the Red in Union Jack The Boston Red Sox is one of the top baseball teams in the U.S. However, their turning point came in 1918 when, after winning the World Series, they sold legendary player Babe Ruth to the http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/01/andy-murray-vs-boston-red-sox.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-7706033792761586390Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:22:00 +00002011-01-28T08:52:39.696+05:30SocietyWritingWhen we use the word 'Free' with any product or service, it almost always refers to the monetary price one would have to pay for its consumption. Having just returned from the Jaipur Literature Festival, I can attest that this maxim is woefully inadequate. The JLF does proclaim 'Free Entry'. Anybody and everybody can walk in to the Diggi Palace Hotel Compound and attend any of the hour-long http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/01/jaipur-lit-fest-is-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5035319798646365279Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:18:00 +00002011-01-28T08:48:33.565+05:30SportsWritingWritten in the style of Ernest Hemingway. ------------------------------------------------- "A tennis point is like a woman," said Anand. "If I was a tennis coach, that's what I'd tell my players." Bala continued watching the TV. He didn't bother asking for an explanation. He was not weary of Anand, but he didn't ask him to explain. When the commercials came on, Anand resumed. "When the point http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/01/tennis-point-is-like-woman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-7296829260375400545Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:15:00 +00002011-01-17T12:45:59.625+05:30Society"She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht." - Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises. The international personal care brand, Dove, exhorts us to "talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does". What about our sons? Aren't they exposed to the same relentless barrage of visuals, where buxom women cavort in skimpy clothes, flaunting bodies that are heavily toned and http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2011/01/curves.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5711080784760137258Wed, 29 Dec 2010 06:04:00 +00002010-12-29T11:34:59.645+05:30LifeCoconut felling is a community activity. There are a couple of coconut trees right outside my bedroom balcony. They are tall trees, rising well past my second floor balcony and bearing fruit at the fourth and fifth floors. One tree is ramrod straight, shooting out of the earth like a geyser, while the other appears more wind-swept as it curves backwards to look like a reflected C from my point http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/12/coconuts-away.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-5587986984291670515Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:10:00 +00002010-12-15T13:40:28.885+05:30HomeLifeI'm the sort of guy who'll meet you outside. My favourite is to catch up over a cup of coffee. I like having private conversations in public spaces. It makes me feel a part of  a larger world, while allowing me to carve my own little niche in it. Today, I realised how separate my home is from my social life. My best friends - guys I've grown up with in school - have been to my place just a http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/12/come-on-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-7055625526028814172Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:47:00 +00002010-12-06T13:17:31.054+05:30Her hair tickles your nose; so, you bend your head slightly and bury your face in the back of her neck. She lifts her hair and places it on the pillow above her head. You feel the fuzziness of the hair at her nape cushion your cheek. You take in her smell and rub your lips against her neck. Her skin is soft and smooth. You fit your legs into the '>' she has created and line up your torso againsthttp://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/12/somebody-to-sleep-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-8483406670014266160Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:01:00 +00002010-11-16T08:38:39.774+05:30ArbidPhilosophyAs a small child, Half-Ass didn't like colouring books. There were too many rules and too many lines for him to stay within. He hated that numbers told him which colours to use. So, he took out his crayons and went wild, with utter disdain for boundaries and recommended colour spaces. In fact, many times, he even left his picture incomplete, with nothing more than a few scratches of orange or http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/11/ballad-of-half-ass.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-8344311081836284612Mon, 15 Nov 2010 02:47:00 +00002010-11-15T08:25:45.054+05:30ArbidDreamsObamaThe house sits in the location where I know my uncle's house is in Chennai. It's a large corner plot, situated at a T-junction of a smaller street and a slightly larger one. However, the house itself is slightly different from what I remember. It is set to the back, allowing for large open spaces between the gate and the front door. The absence of a thriving garden gives it a feel of a http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/11/obama-dream.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-2900648280580700154Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:47:00 +00002010-11-13T10:59:18.772+05:30DeepavaliPoetryThere once was a man who hated the night.He bumped into things and stubbed his toeagainst things he could not see.So, he decided to travel with the sunand forever banish the dark. At first dawn, he jumped onto his horseand rode towards the brightening horizon.He rode towards the sun,that giver of life and light,yelling, “I am coming, my friend.” He rode all morning,and as the sun grew higher,he http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/11/victory-of-light.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-512346364615049690Sat, 30 Oct 2010 09:17:00 +00002010-11-13T11:02:12.685+05:30LifeMusicPhilosophyYou’re 26. A lot of things have not gone satisfactorily recently. You’re finding yourself in the middle of some unpleasant feelings that you are not able to fully comprehend or even give a name to. Angry? A little bit. Sad? Well, more like unsettled. Confused? Yes, I think so. Depressed? That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? You decide going out and meeting friends will help you get over this http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/10/dilemma-of-26-year-old.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29340329.post-6434962699316001665Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:29:00 +00002010-11-13T10:39:07.888+05:30CorporationsFamilySportsWriting When the Indian batsman was bowled, the whole of India groaned. One particular house in Bangalore also groaned, but then immediately brightened. This was a historic moment for the twenty-three family members sitting in the small living room of Sundaram Thatha. The first member from their family to play for the Indian cricket side - young Ramesh, making his début in this match - was about to http://ragsrags.blogspot.com/2010/10/first-steps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rags)6