Bala's (aka Balaji) Charity Cycle... e-Sprit

Pictures...

2008-03-11T03:54:00.006+01:00

Click on a picture to open it in a new window...

Spirit never dies...Back in Frankfurt...

2008-02-28T18:29:00.011+01:00

I have stopped my cycling trip, but, another trip has just started... the trip to re-kindle the spirits of many.

Reached back home on the 19th of february. Settling back into the QUIET normalcy of life in Frankfurt. This trip has left me with ... Many thoughts to reflect upon. Many little conversations to write down. Many pictures to upload and many things left to do... and of course, Many people to thank... Biggest thanks goes to my wife who let me follow my dream... who made me realise that "The fear of leaving behind a loved one, should never stop anyone from chasing a dream".

As I had mentioned once earlier, it was really hard for me to call this cycling trip off, as a lot of effort had gone into the preperation, but, given the way, I was weakend by Maleria, I was left with no choice for now. The memories of the 621 kilometers of cycling will be deeply cherished until the next thing ö !!!

All this would not have been possible without the help of the team at PerPedale in Bockenheimer Warte in Frankfurt. Thank you "PerPedale" !!! and Max for helping me transport my luggage to the airport. Of course, it would also be unfair, if I don't mention Shree, Rohan and many others who have been of great help, patiently answering all my questions.

I will continue to blog, bicycle and ensure that the spirit of "e-sprit" lives on... keep checking this site for more posts describing the conversations, I had with people in India...

Malaria...

2008-02-10T08:10:00.001+01:00

It took two doses of antibiotics and then an 80 year old doctor to diagnose that I have malaria. The blood test confirmed it. Been in Bombay recovering from Malaria. This sounds more like a health report than my adventurous cycling trip ;- ( Will be flying back to Frankfurt on the 19th. Shall plan to continue sometime in Germany... devoid of all the polluion and mosquitoes ;-) until then Asta la vista babe...

On the road...By bus & train...

2008-01-30T06:15:00.003+01:00

Went to Chennai on the 26th by an air conditioned bus from Bangalore, everyone seemed like they were freezing in the bus, but no one went upto the driver and asked him to either switch it off or reduce it. When I asked him, he mentioned that people will complain as they have paid for an A/C bus and expect it to be on all the time...Duh...

Stayed with an old friend and her family and spent some time in Spencer Plaza - the mall of madras - ate an Indian styled Pizza hut's pizza and went to the Marina beach. It was very windy and not to mention - the beach was full of trash. Plastic covers flying around like kites... The view of the ocean was of course very pleasing. Seems like I have lost the art of Ignoring- which is important to survive in India as I am seeing more and more dirty and inhuman conditions.

On the 27th, went to a place called "Dindigul" (around 400 kilometers) by train to meet an old school friend. Met him after 20 years. It was an amazing 2 days to catch up with him. Of course our lives are 180 degrees apart, but, nothing like catching up with someone whom you had studied from grade 1 to 6. What was also interesting is that he is incharge of the new highway projects and he took me around to show me the infrastructure behind laying roads. Got to see a lot of German machinery (from the company Voegel).

On the train to Dindigul, met a french couple (Isabelle and Francois) from Montreal and spoke to them in French for almost an hour. I should pat myself on the back as I only landed up speaking a few words in english, when I couldn't express myself in french. They were impressed too... Marrie-Lynne are you reading this... Merci Beaucoup.

I seem to be drifting away from my intended visit to India, but, since I can't ride a bike, and am tired of lying in bed, I am trying to make best use of time by travelling by buses and trains.

Hopefully, the second course of antibiotics I am currently taking will get me pedalling soon. I intend to atleast cycle 400 kilometers more to complete it off with a decent number...1000 kilometers...

Back in Chennai on the 30th and will be withdrawing into a J. Krishnamurty's study centre for a day or two and will be flying to Bombay (oops Mumbai).

Until then...

To continue or not to continue...

2008-01-25T12:09:00.000+01:00

Thought I had fully recovered from the viral flue...It's been almost 8 days since I had fever on and off... finished a course of antibiotics... felt a bit better, so... started off from Bangalore on the 23rd morning. Couldn't start from the point I had stopped on the 13th of january, as it was 262 kilometers away and there was a taxi/lorry(truck) strike in India. Went on National Highway 7 and stopped at Hosur after almost 66 kilometers. Checked into a decent hotel... but there was no hot water ;=(

I felt feverish... ate something and slept. When I woke up in the evening, I still felt miserable, checked my temperature and it was 102 degrees. (39 degrees celsius). Struggled all night and the next morning, I took a taxi back to Bangalore as I saw no point in staying in a hotel. Two days later I am still feeling very weak. The temperature is back to normal this morning. Contemplating if i should call my cycling trip off. 6 months of preperation ... and only 6 days of cycling (621 kilometers) to make me wonder if i should continue... The soul's willing, but the body doesn't seem to co-operate ;-(

I would sound very very negative about Bangalore - also called "Garden city of India" as the entire Hosur road is under construction for the so called elevated highway project. I am not exeggarating when I write that I had to stop next to stopped trucks for shade as there wasn't a single tree where one could take shelter. The dust and the pollution makes me wonder if it's worth it and if I am only spoiling my health...

2 pictures from day 1...

2008-01-22T10:47:00.000+01:00

Still Alive...

2008-01-17T10:28:00.000+01:00

Synopsis so far...

Day 2: Shadnagar to Kurnool : I was excited to get out of Shadnagar early in the morning. It did not last long as it was uphill for most of the first 50 kilometers. Stopped for tea and gulped down 4 cups.Wish I had carried my big starbucks coffee mug as it was a pain to tell him to get me a cup after the other. Saw a school where the kids were sitting outside in the ground (on the floor - 30 degrees ) and writing exams. Spoke to the headmistress and the maths teacher and they let me talk to the kids. It was fun to interact as they answered that Kanyakumari is in Kashmir (Kashmir is 3000 kilometers north of Kanyakumari ;-) I encouraged them not to drop out of school and to study well. Of course, it turned out to be very chaotic as all the kids started to crowd around me and I had to run out of the place to save myself and my bicycle. Few meters down the road, I met a bunch of kids from the same school, who were much better behaved and spent a good 20 minutes showing them my gear and answered a lot of questions. One of them wanted to ride on my front bar. I had to convince that it was not safe. The sunset was the most amazing as the traffic got stuck on a bridge almost 2 kilometers long as the shepherds were taking the sheep home. Checout the picture Mercedes-Sheep-traffic jam to get an idea of what I mean. Took a new highway that was under construction, only to realise after a while that there were women using this section of the highway, to seperate grains from the dried plants. Had to walk thru the, and the dried plants. It was getting dark and so used my headlamps and cycled for almost 15 - 20 kilometers in the dark. An auto (tuk-tuk) guy asked me, if I need a ride. Resisted it twice. The best way to resist temptation was to give into it. So, I hopped on for the last 15 kilometes into Kurnool. Met Shekar who had studied until class 8, but had to give up studies and is now helping his brother study engineering. Checked into a decent hotel for the night with warm showers, air conditioned room etc. Even here, I managed to take everything into my room and slept well.

Day 3 : Kurnool - Nandyal : The school vacations had begun for Shankranthi - Pongal. So, visiting schools was out of the agenda for the next few days. My cousin picked me up from the hotel room, ate breakfast in his place and started off from the hotel around 10:30. HAd only 79 kilometers to cover for the day. My cousin had booked a guest house for me in Nandyal. The ride was a bit uphill and to top it, my GI track acted, having to use the natural toilets... Ate steamed rice and youghurt for dinner in an attempt to stabilise my stomach.

Day 4 : Nandyal - Cuddapah : Started off early, but the ride was sluggish. My thighs and knees were complaining of pain. Had to be in Cuddapah by 18:30 as one of my cousins was leaving town that evening. The highlight of the day was a farmer called Krishna Reddy, sensing that I was hungry and tired, offered me some food to eat. I had to tell him that I have a bad stomach and would not like to eat much. Stopped at another hotel as I was super hungry and the restaurant owner refused to take money from me as he felt that I was doing some good in my little way.

Day 5 : Rest Day in Cuddapah : Didn't touch my bicycle, instead walked around the town, where I was born. Visited my grand father's house (which was sold off to someone else in 1983). Visited the first school that I had studied in. The school is being managed by someone else and has been turned into a complete commercial establishment. Met two of my old schoolmates and managed to get a contact number for an old friend. Had a very heavy vegetarian meal with one of my old schoolmates.

Day 6: Cuddapah to Kodur : Nothing much to write back home except a lot of mango, banana and papaya plantations on the way. Stayed in another cheap motel and met one gentleman who has been working with street kids for the past 13 years. Had a very meaningful and interesting conversation as to how many of the non-governmental organisations function. Understood that there was a lot of curroption even in this sector.

Jump to Day 7: I did 559 kilometers in 5 and half days and stopped for lunch, when I got a call from my wife that she has been hospitalised. I ordered a taxi - thanks to Srikanth - my cousin who arranged the taxi, tied my cycle on the roof and rushed back to Bangalore. She got discharged from the hospital and then my son and I fell ill. Temperatures soared to 102.8 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 39 degrees Celsius) My family will leave for Germany on the 22nd and I will hit the road again. Will be going from Bangalore - Chennai starting on the 22nd. Until then I will be in Bangalore....

First day of cycing...

2008-01-07T14:37:00.000+01:00

Started off around 7 :15 from my sister's place. Two of my brothers accompanied me for some distance on a scooter and a motorcycle with their kids. Took some pictures in front of one of the colleges I studied. I plan to come back to talk to them as they have half yearly exams. A lot of cheering from crowds/people waiting at bus stops on the way, was really encouraging. It was more my trailer that was drawing a lot of attention. Nothing really noteworthy to write about, but, enjoyed all the little conversations with people on motorbikes and cars stopping to talking to me. Road kills that I saw included 3 dogs and a young calf. Stopped for the day after cycling 79 kilometers in Shadnagar. A very dusty and noisy little town. The people in the lodge (a cheap motel) were quite friendly. They insisted on carrying my stuff up into my room, which has bare walls, a broken window, a metal cot and a tap for cold water. Hot water seemed like a luxury, when I asked for it. I am pretty sue that the mosquitoes are going to feast on me tonight because of the broken window. I will stick to the national highway for now and plan to venture out into complete country side in a few days. Learnt not to trust the milestones that mention the distance to a town, nor my maps as they never matched. Signing off for now as I plan to start early tomorrow morning. I will also start visiting schools after few more days. Paypal - where donations can be made will also be online shortly... As of now, I plan to support Saanidhya - a school for mentally challenged kids as I felt they need help badly after my visit few days back. I will keep my eyes and ears open for an orphanage/organisation for street kids and then divert the funds to them.

My phone number in India...

2008-01-06T05:17:00.000+01:00

+91-9741017528

Starting on 7th January...

2008-01-06T05:00:00.000+01:00

Been Enjoying meeting family and friends and HATING the traffic. Cycled around 60 kilometers around where I have been staying in Hyderabad and survived the chaotic traffic. I got wierd questions as I cycled around here.(of course, I can imagine that I look wierd with my bicycling clothes)...Where is my luggage ? How do I plan to carry my luggage ? How much does the bicycle cost? Is it battery powered (because of the little computer display) People yelling from within the bus and cheering. Kids just wanting to touch the bicycle. etc...where am I going, where did I come from ? etc...

In other trivial news... one of our small suitcases got stolen from right in front of our eyes... 2 minutes of distraction... could't believe it...but, makes me even more wary. So, lost out camera charger, usb port... end result, the pictures I have clicked so far need to wait until I come back to Germany. In the meanwhile, I did buy a very basic camera to take along on my trip and plan to click lots of pictures and post some on my way...

Preperation... First Stage...

2007-12-28T06:31:00.001+01:00

For all those who have been following and eager for updates... Posting this from an internet cafe in Mangalore.

The first stage has been completed... Stage 1 being - getting to India and those who had known me, know it well that I had developed this (unreasaonable) uncontrollable fear of flying... I made it safely to India with my bicycle and the BOB trailer("Bala-on-Bike" from now on) Thanks to Nikki from emirates who sat next to me during landing and take-offs.

Currently enjoying time with family and friends and will be starting to cycle on the 6th of january.

Manouvering around traffic will be my biggest challenge. For those who are curious, try to search for traffic in India on Youtube.com and you will know what I mean. Will be visiting a home/school for mentally challenged kids in a few minutes. Need to sign-off... more to follow... stay tuned...

Do you enjoy cycling ?

2007-12-12T01:03:00.001+01:00

After a few minutes of cycling, if you start whistling, singing, smiling or start thinking of pleasant things... then, you already have the answer.

If not, ride some more to the nearest cycle store, get your bike adjusted by a specialist to suit your physique and probably get a new saddle ; -)

N' joy cycling... u will be surprised how it brings out the child within you...

To all the returning visitors...

2007-12-11T00:40:00.000+01:00

धन्यवाद

Details of my trip will follow shortly...

Steve Job's Stanford Speech...

2007-11-15T01:48:00.000+01:00

Got 15 minutes ?

What have you learnt today ?

2007-11-02T02:08:00.000+01:00

I used to be a big fan of Linda Goodman (an American astrologer and poet) and remember reading something on the lines... "When you are ready, the Guru appears automatically". Though, I do not believe in waiting for a Guru to appear in the form of a mystical person, many a times, I realised that if you are just willing to listen, you meet people from various walks of life and there is always something you can learn from the other human being... What have you learnt today ?

From "Mahatma Gandhi" to "Bhavik Gandhi" ...

2007-11-02T01:43:00.000+01:00

(Photo Courtesy: Ocean rowing.com)
It was in early March this year, when I came across a news article about an Indian attempting to row across the Atlantic Ocean SOLO and UNSUPPORTED. Initially I wondered, as to why anyone would attempt something like that... I started to follow the journey of the modern day Gandhi's adventure (Bhavik Gandhi) and it became a daily ritual...

Reading about Bhavik's joyful stories of him swimming with the dolphins in the open Ocean, watching amazing sunsets and sunrises, enjoying the solitude, his ordeal of pumping for hours to make a litre of water using a manual hand pump, surviving and setting right a capsized rowboat, eating uncooked cold food, surviving on protein shakes made me realise that life is too short and unpredictable to keep complaining and live in fear... and that we need to follow our heart, our inner-calling, realise our goals and live in the moment...

In short, although, it was Gandhi - The Mahatma's life, which had influenced(awed) me all throughout until now, it took another Gandhi to plunge me into action... THANKS Bhavik !!!

e-Sprit

2007-10-29T21:39:00.001+01:00

That's the name of this cycling project from now on...

e-Sprit (n) - (like everything else in this e-World)
- earth Spirit
- educational Spirit
- eco-friendly Spirit

- endowment Spirit
- enquiring Spirit
- endurance Spirit
hopefully, it will lead to "enlightened Spirit" ;-)

Not surprisingly, coined it while cycling on my 'esprit' bicycle, which I plan to use for the journey.

Inspiration...

2007-09-24T23:01:00.000+02:00

Wanted to share one of the pictures that inspired me to start my little project. These kids are playing on a dry river bed, without shoes... using a piece of branch from a coconut tree as a cricket bat.

The first person to read my blog...My teacher...My Son !

2007-09-22T10:20:00.001+02:00

picture taken in Aug, 2007

picture taken in Aug, 2005

Bala Bala !!!

2007-09-18T01:10:00.000+02:00

Bala is up to something very "Balla Balla" (something very "crazy") as the Germans would say.

The spring energy has been building up within me since May this year.... and on the 20th of June... it was one of those days, when you have all this positive energy and you just feel like getting up and doing something wonderful... I wanted to do something adventurous that I had never done before... to assure myself to start with... and to spread the message that one can achieve anything when they set their mind to it...

At the same time, I wanted to make a very small difference to the world we all live in... A world full of competition, greed, hatred, jealousy, indifferences, poverty and the poor and hungry kid's... The poor and orphan kids have always stirred my emotions as I was growing up in India.

There has always been an inner desire to help, but, I always came up with a million excuses not to venture out to help... I wasn't going to waste this good energy.... that's when I decided... and that's how this little project began...

Initial thoughts were to cycle within India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir (K2K) for charity, but then as days went by, I focused more on the purpose and it became clear (please read it as "it's getting clearer" as I continue to question myself).

I decided to start in Southern India where I grew up, visit the schools I attended plus stop at a few more on the way, talk to the kids about my experiences and urge them to DREAM ON, believe in their dreams and to direct all their energies to fulfill their dreams. Make them think for themselves, to help them grow up intelligently but still maintaining the innocence.

I decided to cycle through India (around 2000 to 2500 kilometers) - to stress on the Eco-friendly way of life - ironic that such words come from someone who used to drive a car to work everyday :0 - (

I would like to also take this opportunity to get to know rural India. "India lives in her villages" as Gandhi had once said. I am aware that I will not be able to make a big difference in such a small period of time, but, if I manage to inspire at least one person to think differently, act differently, I would consider this humble beginning to be a big success...

I intend to raise some money (sponsors/family/friends) and start a scholarship fund, so that the children who badly need financial assistance can continue to benifit from the fund.

The details of the planning and preperation for the trip, my (learning) experiences will follow in subsequent posts...Stay tuned !

I am eagerly looking forward to any suggestions... so, please do not hesitate to drop me an email... So long... (a la "Alex Trebek of Jeopardy")

ps: Will make a sincere effort to cut down on the "I will/I have decided to/I intend to" part next time around ;-)

On top of Großer Feldberg (878 meters)