Pushkar Family Reunion:June 28-29' 2008, by Paraj

This was not something new to me. Short trips had often interrupted my priorities. And if it is a call from close friends, consent was doubtless, unless absolutely unreasonable. Visit to Sariska Tiger Reserve being a family trip, wife, Vandana and daughter, Reyvika, who's 4 year old, were enthusiastic and willing. They often recounted their sweet memories from the earlier visit to Siliserh lake near Alwar and how much fun they had there. Here was the chance to relive it again in a new setting – a forest reserve. Not to be. Twists, like every 'Sas-bahu' serial, blessed suspense and drama in our story. A phone-call to Vivek revealed our share.

"No Trip", announced Vivek, saying "The Reserve is closed for tourists owing to the rehabilitation of a feline family there from Ranthambore National Park".

It felt as if someone had put a period before the story wasn't even started. We needed a stronger reason to cancel the trip. At less than 300 km, touristy Kasauli suddenly seemed alluring. Can't say why I chose to hold back my opinion. But I abhor cancelling a trip.

I thought hard on it and came up with a two-liner. Hope you will agree.

If you have considerations, don't go on a trip.
If you are going on a trip, don't have considerations.

It seems my sentiments were echoed from other quarters. The phone rang.

"PUSHKAR it is", said Vivek, "Chalega?"
"Push-kar had pushed the destination 200 km further", I declared to Vandana.
"Never mind! I am still willing", she reassured.

We made an adventurous start early in the morning. Ride to Vivek's place through heavy drizzle and on water-logged roads was more exhilarating for the father-daughter duo. Vandana, on the contrary, had a hard time dodging the muddy water daubing her clothes with a hard-to-achieve fabulous paint-brush design. She was a sport and so was Neera bhabhiji, to allow three mud-covered creatures into her house. I blogged (my first ever) hasty post from Vivek's laptop to declare the start. Then the scene turned Total Filmy. We, six people – men, women and kids – walked into a Santro like some 'X-Men on a Vicious Voyage'.

Vishal, Vivek's son, now set to study in IX standard, is shy and often reserves his opinion unless probed. His real self hardly comes by. Still, I found him to be a quick learner. He curiously fiddled with camera controls and recognized some not so easily seen photo-opportunities. His images are promising and so is his mind.

Zip Drive helped ‘X-Men’ reach to the pick-up stopover. Visit to Jaipreet's residence happened to be my first. Gaurav soon joined us. "Dudes" saw each other for the first time. They hugged, No! Not like that…..you naughty boy….oh whatever, and rest is history. He is larger than my expectation, actually at heart as well. Eeshu, Jaipreet's son, an eighth standard boy, greeted us in with a sweet 'Hello' and a warm hand-shake. This gesture spoke of his mannered upbringing and extrovert nature and he never belied my perception throughout the trip. Chhavi, Eeshu's younger sister, is a very appealing kid, my favorite actually. I have all-praises for her. She is sort of a kid you can spend some quality time with, without getting bored for a minute, no matter how much an intellectual you might think of yourself. Yeah! Well, actually no. I don't know what intellectuality is. Believe me. Gaindaa kasam!!
Shekharji's car brought two surprises for me – a taller Tanu and a small RUKKMINEE jee. I mean, obviously Dude is a mammoth comparatively, isn't he?
Specsy beauty, "Akshita", was the only kid in the group who truly belonged to her age. No big talks, no extra-smart behaviour – just a lovely simple kid, period.
Parantha stop little beyond Toll naka was more than filler. Two couples, complete strangers for me till then, joined us on this LANDMARK Voyage. Let me take this opportunity to say Hi to Mohit. I never got time during the trip you see. Shaadi kaa woh pehlaa saal…..Hirak…yaad hai naa tujhe? Sorry Sangeeta. And You Bhailog! Before you say, "Hamari Koi Branch Nahin Hai", I say, "Khol Lo". Kahan kho gayey? Abbey 'Branch' kee baat kar raha hoon. Heck of your Pisa Tower thoughts.

And then something happened which went into annals – plz note a double there – of history. A Memory, to last forever, like Siliserh Trip. A group photograph, with the kind blessings of the almighty – actually it happened under the drizzle from heavens. So the trip started and so did our respective memory bank accounts, logging perceptions, ideas, appearances, activities, incidences, views, conversations, and the whole experience. And boy! Was it worth it? After all we drove over 400 kms……for what…..for that chlorinated dip. Kaptan! Ek baat toh pakkee hai…..every body in the group was excited to have a swim……Ek Swim Trip toh bantaa hai dear. We will title it – "Darnaa Manaa Hai". Dubkee lagaao aur khul jayegaa…..Kahan kho gayey? Abbey 'Dar' kee baat kar raha hoon.

Waise yaaron…..the name is masst' (+2Degree Hot Male). Thanks. My next post in a Yahoo! Chat room will say, "Anybody game to do a 'Loyee' to a [Hot +2Degree Male]. Sex no bar. Beware of Bear?"

You might be thinking what has happened to Paraj. Yeh aisaa toh nahin thaa! Actually hua yun kay kee one too-mini-skirt clad woman changed everything when she walked by the lane where I was having my share of Malpuas. I thought to rename them as just Pua because Mal was somewhere else. Then I thought, what Brahma jee, the creator, will think of me. I wasn't worried about apna 'dude' Brahma, Gaurav. He anyway was busy renaming his Malpuas.

The creator of the Universe – his land Pushkar – the land of creative activity. Our society has never objected to that. The world knows that we are bound to overtake China by 2020. Skin show and expression of the ingredients of creative-activity-turned-fun publicly is what really is objectionable here. How Pushkar is handling this cultural onslaught is a matter of research and debate but I enjoyed my Puas. Well, for the 'Mal', I am happy that beauty is just not skin-deep.

Thanks Vivek for the X-Men Voyage in the AC-comfort. We needed a break and for us Pushkar just happened because of you. Punya Teerth on an Ekadashi – Thanks.

Kaptan….Your choice of Pushkar and reinvention of the trip – I mean we were lucky you took the initiative. This is just not possible but if it ever happened lest I reached the Dhaba first, I will happily take your order on phone ;~))

Shekhar ji plays this game always. Game of majority. Three Ladies and a Man. Taraju nikalnaa pad jaata hai. 'Aaiee' aajaati hongee toh baap re baap. Koi nahin Sir…..kksh' jhadiyon mein hi sahi….par tol kar leejiyegaa :~))

Gaurav, Priyank and Mohit…..we met for the first time and I instantly related in that order, actually Gaurav being much ahead of you two – may be the 'Dude' factor !

Aman, Hirak, Manav, Shuja, Dallbir – Guys…..next time better fill up the respective lacunae. Otherwise, my memories are awesome. Siliserh, Pushkar, still counting!

Family reunion @ Pushkar (Day 1) : By Paraj Shukla

Hi Friends,


Destination Sariska has morphed into Pushkar. From Tigers of the Goddess to Brahma's only abode on the earth. Happy riding and driving......I am excited as it gives me an opportunity to be with my friends after a hiatus of just more than a year....well year sounds like some bygone era....but I am here and now. Pushkar calling guyz.....

Bhangarh – An inexplicable experience by Shekhar Patil

Put the word ‘Bhangarh’ in Google search and the first result you get is ‘Bhangarh is known for its ruins where nobody dares to stay after…’ you eagerly want to know Stay after…। What? Well the second result to your query makes it simpler॥’ Thats Bhangarh in Rajasthan, which is the most, haunted Place in India as per Archeological Survey Of India। “STAYING HERE AFTER SUNSET IS STRICTLY ...’ What did you say? Come again। Yeah you read it right. The most haunted place in India and according to ASI board put up there you can’t stay here after the sunset. When it comes from the ASI and not the hearsay, you tend to agree with the statement. Yet the curiosity in you wants to know more. Why can’t I stay there after the sunset! And what’s this ‘most haunted place in India, C’mon, you must be kidding. This is 21st century and you are talking about Ghosts’!

My reaction was no different when my friend Ashwani Khanna, popularly known as ‘Ash’ in our bikers group mentioned this place to me. Not only this, he was too keen to visit this place and stay there as well. The biker in me, always looking for some excitement and new places, immediately fell for this one. I immediately booked my place with him. Now there were two of us and soon the word was circulated in our group (60kph) that when living for Bhangarh, twelve of us were ready to vroom on our bikes to the most haunted place in India.

On further research on the net we learnt that the place is somewhere on the way to Jaipur via Alwar. It sounded better since we were all from Delhi and it could be done on a weekend. On the set D day we started our exciting journey with a bit of qualm. Everyone was chirping yet somewhere the hesitation and uncertainty persisted in our minds. Thinking that the place is not far off, we started late and with leisure halts we kept on riding on a slow pace on the single lane state highways after crossing Alwar via sariska. By the time we made it to Bhangarh it was already dark. Finally we were there. The most haunted place in India. The next task was to spend the night there and get to the truth. As per the notice board of ASI, they would not allow us to stay there for the whole night. Since our primary reason to this place was to meet the ghosts and secondary to see the Bhangarh ruins. If we have to pass the night than why not amongst the ghosts, if they do exists. Immediately a plan of action was charted out. We had come prepared with three tents for the night stay. We divided ourselves into two groups. The first will go and look for the place to pitch the tents inside the ruins and second to go and arrange the food from the nearby dhaba (approx. 1 km from the ruins).

The first group went on and reached the main entrance of the Bhangarh ruins. It was pitch dark and not soul around. We went near the gate and saw a shadow walking towards us. Oh my, was that a Ghost? We were getting ready for the any eventuality and waited patiently for the shadow, which turned out to be a Guard from the ASI. Soon another shadow, I mean the second guard also joined him and after the usual pleasantries both flatly refused to entertain us at that hour of the night informing us about the rule of entry restriction after the sunset. Now was the time to get the facts right. Are there any ghosts living here? Had they come across any such experience? Is it true that people who stays here do not go back alive? All these and many of other thoughts of ours going on in our mind were drowned with the buckets of cold water when both of them announced nothing such happened or happens. All these are rumours. But then why there is restriction on the entry after the sunset? Well, he announced very casually that it is because of the wild animals who probably comes to drink the water from the ‘kund’ within the ruins. Plus this rule applies to most of the places under ASI, isn’t it. How stupid of us! Why we didn’t ever thought on this angle. Now what. Somewhere in our mind we were still not ready to understand their point. After all we ripped off the whole world wide web to know if someone had stayed at Bhangarh ruins for the night and could not come across one single person claiming so and these guards are saying there are no ghosts. We ought to find that out ourselves. The next on the agenda became to pitch our tents there, which the guards had already politely refused. After much buttering and persuasion they agreed to allow us to pitch our tents near the gates to which we gladly agreed.

Everyone was relieved and with full throttle we starting inflating our tents and by the time the food arrived, the tents were up. It was already past 9 in the evening. We had our dinner and the group started discussing the ghostly world. All this went on till 2.30 am before we said goodnight to each other and also taking a good look towards the ruins in that faint hope of some hallucinate effects. Alas… nothing.

It was six in the morning and I heard some hollowing noise. Came out of the tent and it was our dear Langur running towards the ruins. I had the opportunity to have the glimpse of the ruins with the first ray of the sun and it was wow. The next couple of hours were spent clicking the early morning ruins of Bhangarh. It is about 34 kms from Dausa via Sainthal Mod, and 47 kms from Sariska, this place was once a flourishing town of 10,000 homes. According to legend, it was built in the 17th century by Raja Madho Singh, the younger brother of illustrious Man Singh (one of the nine gems of Akbar’s court). A quick look at the surrounding is enough to conclude that it definitely had a prosperous past. With a well planned bazaar and the famous Randiyon ka Mahal (Palace of Prostitutes) in the backdrop makes it a very fascinating sight. The palace in fact seems to be cross between a palace and a fort has definitely been built tastefully overlooking the green lawns and the temples. The temples are a treat to the eyes but seems to have been badly ripped off by the thieves till it came under the supervision of ASI.

Ghosts or no ghosts, a visit to Bhangarh is a must for every traveller. The route from Delhi is via Bhiwadi-Alwar-Rajgarh-Tehla-Bhangarh and the road is excellent.

Weekend Pushkar and Sambhar Lake - by Hirak

It was a very interesting Saturday (22.10.2005). Must be about 0030 hours in the night and I was contemplating to hit the road. Its been a while since I got a full weekend off. I started packing. One bag, two Ts, one denim jacket, toiletries, bike spares bag. Went to my sis's room and whispered, I am off to Pushkar tomorrow. She didn’t give me that blank look this time, a perfect sis of a riding bulleteer. At 4.30am, I got up, got ready and tiptoed to the balcony. It was horribly cold for October! I was back under the quilt. At 0615 hours I was out again and I knew it’s now or never. Picked up my bag, woke up my sis and gave her a hug and asked her to lock the door behind me. 0630 hrs: Odometer Reading: 13912. I was cruising slowly and NH-8 was so enticing. It told me what 'Freedom to Speed' is applicable here. The result was a surprise. I was at my Pushkar Hotel, had taken my bath, enroute scouted for a suitable haveli type guest house, got my bike kick repaired (the kick spring had broken!!) and it was only 11.50am when Manas called to enquire about my well being. From my Challenge point of view of doing Delhi-Mumbai in record time on my Royal Enfield Electra 2004 - which I propose to do in less than 20 hours (subject to some corporate sponsorship though) without any modifications on my bike. I sat down by the Pushkar Lake and the soothing kirtan of 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare' pacified my mind. After spending an hour, I went around the great Pushkar Market, colorful, full of energy and vitality, choking me with the aroma of its famous mithais - and a bong can't resist them you know - and innumerable Royal Enfields of various shapes and designs and thumps ferrying mostly Israeli and Swedish hunks and honeys, the ghats of the lake, each had its own story to tell. But I missed the greatest show, which the newspapers in Delhi carried that week - of a Finnish lady walking naked in the streets of Pushkar!! (Awww.. now that's a missed scoop for a travelogue-writer-cum-photojournalist in the making.. the pic could have been my clubz wallpaper of the decade !!). Thankfully again, since that didn’t happen, I headed for Dargah Sharif, and paid my tributes there with complete peace of mind. I felt so calm and relaxed there, and it was my lucky day - 'Kheer' was prepared in the smaller of the two huge cauldrons there and I got to partake that, thanks to my friend and Khadim at the Holy Shrine - Kamli Bhai. The food is prepared in the two cauldrons only on important occasions like Ids, the annual Urs, and during the holy month of Ramadan. I wished him well too, its the auspicious month of Ramadan, and took leave and headed back to my Pushkar hotel. I missed the sunset at Pushkar, which they say is quite a sight. But there is always a next time for a biker... The evening serenity of the lake was amazing. As darkness enveloped the lake, reflections of the night-lights dancing slowly in the water, in harmony with the kirtan that was on, the pleasant breeze kissed the soul and the mortal body remained glued to the cemented stairs of the ghats oblivious of the worldly transactions around. I headed for the market for some snacks, mingled with some of the foreigners and locals, had Kashmiri biriyani, enjoyed the night of high pitched kirtan, traditional style, and it was indeed mesmerizing, not just for me but for each passerby, and then called Pritam in Jaipur to reconfirm the ride to the Great Sambhar Lake - Asia's largest Salt Water Lake. He was Game, a true 60kphr! The Sunday morning chill prevented me to start early. Pritam laughed at me, and said, I have weathered the Ladakh's inhospitable cold on a bike and I am shivering in Pushkar. Guess that was the joke of the day but a biker knows better, prevention is always better than 'cold'. Thankfully, the joke was applicable on Pritam too, since he too was shocked to feel the chill outside, he confessed. At 7am I was ripping the Ajmer Highway and driving towards Dudu from where the road leads to Sambhar Lake. The trucks carrying tonnes of uncut marble rocks slowed the traffic down and then there were those usual accidents. Pritam reached early, almost by 25 minutes. I missed the cut and went over the flyover at Dudu, but that wasn't my mistake. The Jaipur - Kishangarh expressway is anytime a biker's delight and my bike touched an unbelievable 108kmph ... for me that was like Mach3... I came back to the Bharat Petroleum pump at Dudu under that flyover where my travelmate and good buddy Pritam was waiting so very patiently and we had a great 'jaduu ki jhappi', it had to be; we were meeting after almost two months. Soon, we were on the move, stopping and taking pics, joking, our bikes rollicking and frolicking through the vast arid landscape - habited though - and suddenly there was this vast white expanse of space-the dry salt lake bed, and where there was water in the lake bed, there were flamingos - white and pink, dancing and prancing - they made an awesome site. I clicked on and on unceasingly, then I zipped my bike across the salt bed, it was rock solid, and what a pleasure it was. Unfortunately we had very less time and to see the entire lake - its huge and unending coving hundreds of square miles - we need at least a week's time. So I guess I have to go back there, again.... We headed towards Jaipur for a quick lunch. Then, I bade goodbye to Pritam at the NH-8 dhaba where we had lunch and soon was cruising towards Delhi. Each time I have passed this NH, it had been a different experience altogether. The bike and the rider on it, that’s me, gets transformed into something rebellious, something unwarrantingly macho, the result is just one - the highway burns and people, whether pedestrians, dhaba-walas, truck-walas, car-walas, tempo-walas, all heads turns in appreciation of the majesty of the Royal Beast. Though I drove real slow, but still was at my garage at 7.30pm. The Odometer reading at my garage was 14842.2. Total distance covered in two days was 930 kms. A weekend trip that I will remember for the years to come.

The nostalgic thump - by Jaipreet Joshi

The spirits were high and so were we, naturally so, my wife and I had planned a short & sweet ride to Ajmer & Pushkar. The bag had been stuffed with the barest minimum stuff we would require for the next two days of our itinerary. The Bull was sparkling as I polished it a bit extra that day as a rider messages his charger before the race. Ma & pa thought that we had gone berserk; they kept telling us as to why we were not taking our luxury car for this journey. Confused were they, as much as we were in explaining to them, the 'Zen of riding' which only a few of us could comprehend or I should say 'feel' it. Kids, who were told to behave at their grandparents home bid us adieu and we thumped off from Delhi in the midst of a perfect early morning with clear skies and pleasant breeze. The Bull was warmed for the 400km ride ahead; the engine was in perfect harmony with the weather. The macho thump and the wind through the helmet visor made a perfect orchestra which we passionately devoured on board. The first halt happened near Amber Fort, Jaipur - a quick cup of tea with a parantha each did a magic in rejuvenating us for the rest of the leg. The road was wide and inviting but I self-restrained from revving beyond 60-70 kph. While we rode I kept thinking what was it that gave us the thrill in riding and not in driving? Was it a mere representation of an idea of being energetic and young, a mere passion, or a show off or what was it? Whatever it might be, it is a great feeling and one has to live it to feel it, so said Charu, my wife! We were nearing Pushkar! The setting was perfect, a narrow by pass from Ajmer with small cluster of houses or 'deras' unevenly spread out in the wide expanse of 'kikar' and sand.

Children waved at us while running behind the Bull while we reciprocated with smiles and waving hands too. We were away from home, yet everything seemed so dear and nice. The Bull was thumping in the holy town of 'Pushkar' - the 'holy thump' it was! The echo of the thump against the walled town made several eyes turn at us in a welcoming manner. Pink Floyd, well that was the name of the Hotel where we checked in. The walls were meticulously done with classic bikes and, bikers and varied albums of Pink Floyd - the rock group. The room where we stayed was - 'the other side of the midnight' - one of the many Pink Floyd's albums. It was a time for something to eat and to have a good nap. So we walked up the hotel's terrace top restaurant. The setting was amazing - floor seating, with rarest of rare posters and curios of Pink Floyd. We were just craving for the grub and hurriedly opted for some Italian stuff. The few minutes wait, for the order was killing. Wow! The food was exotic - really luscious, pasta & lasagnas (hope I spelled it correct). It was beyond our belief to have access to such exotic food in a small town which could give a run for its money to any of big restaurateur in Delhi or Mumbai for that matter. The next day's dawn happened amidst the thump of the Bull and we groomed off to Ajmer. We paid our homage at Khwaja Saab's Dargah and steered towards Delhi. We hit Delhi by evening, covering 400kms .The welcome was planned and elaborate, as if we had scaled the Everest, but to be honest the feeling was amazing - that of achievement! The 'holy thump' still sounds nostalgic!

Shekhawati Short & Sweet

"Reached the highest point the ‘Burj’ of the fort. It provided us a birds eye view of the entire town which was magical, we could feel the sense of tranquility and placidness in everything there."

It happened finally on the 23rd of Feb 2007, the much planned and talked about ride to the Shekhawati. Infact, a number of plans around this circuit were made, remade and polished, unfortunately execution missed for whatever reasons. It was decided on the previous night and we did not discuss it with other fellow riders due to the fear of it getting 'jinxed'. Lady luck smiled on to us and the program was sealed with a confirmation over a SMS to my pal Shuja Ghazi Khan an ardent rider from NOIDA. On the NH-8 near Rajeev Chowk, Gurgaon at 8:00 am in the morning, I was frantically waiting for Shuja to arrive as I was itching with anxiety to ride my 'Black Commando' after a brief gap of a couple of months. The hunk finally arrived,..... infact two of them...the Bull & Shuja himself , standing at an enviable 6'3"makes an impressive rider, the likes of Arnold Shwarzenegger in Terminator. Anyways, we shook hands and zipped off on the cool NH-8 towards to indulge ourselves on the Shekhawati circuit. Shekhawati belt in Rajasthan derives its name from Rao Shekha who annexed large pieces of land in this region. The region comprises of the districts of Churu, Jhunjhunu & Sikar of Rajasthan. Hungry we were, so we decided in unison to halt at our favorite dhaba near the Bilaspur toll booth on the NH-8 for some parathas & chai. The stuffed parathas topped with local butter was a delight to the taste buds, over the hot tea, we lit cigarettes and discussed how this ride finally happened. We were back on the road cruising comfortably at 70 kmph. It was around 10:00 and and we crossed Narnaul, from where we took the road to Singhana. It was an approach road after Narnaul with heavy vehicles just not ready to budge & we being left with no option but to slide down on the rocky patches along the road. Since, it was just two of us, we could maintain an average cruising speed of about 60 kph. At around 1:00 pm we reached Chirawa a small town from where we turned right from the state highway towards Suraj Garh. About 18 kms away set amidst small houses and thatched roof huts, the place looked so good and placid. We rode straight to the Suraj Garh Fort owned by Tikarani Shailja & Tikaraja Asihwarya of Lambargoan, Kangra (H.P.). The expanse of the fort have now been converted into a commercial property catering to guests. We relived the bygone era of Rajas with long moustaches (even I sport one), ample of attitude, style and all that jazz. Wow! Was all we could wind it up in. The caretaker of the property, Mr Dinesh took us around and even permitted to take out the vintage swords from their sheath & have a feel of it. We were back on the road cruising towards Jhunjjhunu, the body clock alarmed us for a lunch break and we put our bikes in abeyance and indulged in a typical Shekhawati lunch at Ridhi Sidhi restaurant in Bagar, near the famous Ridhi Sidhi Hanuman Temple. The meal comprised of Kari Pakoda, Kaer – Sangri, sata roti, bajra roti & missi roti all laced with very generous helpings of pure desi ghee………..uuuhh!! the aroma still is fresh in my nostrils. Having spent a meager Rs 150/ for all this exotic stuff, we lit our cigarettes once again before getting airborne. Many heads turned all through the way to have a look at our machines which I guess they found intriguing and magnetic. So many plastic bikes are being launched each day but the recognition which a Bullet gets even today is amazing. We were now approaching the last leg of our journey – Mandwa. The road was single but amazingly exotic…..large expanse of sands on either sides with small hutments sprinkled here & there, small patches of ‘kikar’ added on to the natural beauty of this mesmerizing place. It was 4:00 pm & the bulls were now roaring inside Mandawa town, a small sleepy hamlet. We stopped in the local market and the shutter bugs took on the finesse of this town, each house or gate seemed customized par excellence by intricate masonry & carpentry. Having walked the town, we barged into the Mandawa Fort and reached the highest point the ‘Burj’ of the fort. It provided us a birds eye view of the entire town which was magical, we could feel the sense of tranquility and placidness in everything there. Having taken some rare frames, we decided t o call it a day and started back for Gurgaon and finally reached back at around 10:15 pm.

Route taken: Gurgaon–Rewari–Narnaul–Singhana–Bagar– Chirawa– Jhunjhunu-Mandawa

Distance Covered : 570 kms Timing - 8:00 to 10:00 pm (back to back)

Expenditure : Breakfast for 2 – Rs 70/ Lunch for 2 – Rs 150/

Jaisalmer republic

This story is picked up from one of my good friend Hirak's Archive. Writting style of Da always inspires me.
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"Heads turned as the headlights went on and a German couple exclaimed, 'ah, its a Royal Enfield'!"

It happened in a jiffy. As I planned, there were nearly 4 riders to accompany me to Jaisalmer for the long Republic Day weekend this year. On the D-day at 4.30am in the morning I waited near Radisson. Soon it was 5.30am and still nobody in sight. The police checking was so bothering that day but I guess it was for our own safety. At 6.00 am, I knew, it was time for 'ekla chalo re'. Driving slowly in the winter chill, I went ahead anticipating someone would catch up. That was not to happen. The sun was bright, its rays kissed me and my Amigo, but that brightness meant nothing after the speedometer crossed just 50. I knew enough was enough and Amigo started a hearty chat with the winds after Neemrana. At 10.45am, I was nearing Ajmer, breakfast and tea inside my belly. Driving is a pleasure when you are your own boss. And boy, I was elated at luck. My first ride of 2006, that too a solo, for four whole days, was an awesome feeling. I left NH-8 at Beawar and was on NH-14 for only 26 kms before setting on the State highway at Bar. Surprisingly, the SH was a fine road and it didn't take me long to breeze through inside Jodhpur at 6.00pm. Ah, the magnificent, majestic Mehranagarh fort was a marvel to watch as the skies turned golden when the sun bid me and Jodhpur adieu for the day. I decided to explore the city by night and boy, India has some nightlife! Unfortunately everything was closed all around, except some good local eateries and my eyelids. I knew I had to get on moving to my destination really early to see the sunset at Sam Dunes of Jaisalmer the next day. After loitering around with Amigo upto 1am in the night, I was inside the cozy comfort of my bed. Surprisingly I was up by 5am but it was still very dark. I ordered tea and when it arrived I went to my hotel balcony and knew it was going to be very cold ride indeed. This feeling reminded me of what my dear friend Pritam Shitoot told me once, 'Kya Sir, the Ladakhi chill couldn’t down you and you are feeling cold here in Rajasthan?' I smiled. Sometimes words spoken in history can be so inspiring, comforting and touching. I decided to wait till 6am and took a quick hot shower. What better luxury a biker can ask for on the road? My journey towards Jaisalmer made me wonder how beautiful and diverse India is. I have been to so many places, and I have so many things to see, still nothing connects like being an Indian. How quickly the food changed, terrain changed, the appearances and the clothes changed, the 'pagdis' changed, could see gazels running amok in the middle of the road, and their territory shared by ‘junglee’ camels. The greens were finally disappearing, as the land turned golden in color. Soon I was in Pokhran. I don’t have words to describe how the patriotic sense overwhelmed me at that point. I saw army guys training, tanks running all around in training and military border flag marches told me I was nearing Jaisalmer. My phone rang and suddenly it was my friend Jitender, Station Engineer of the All India Radio Jaisalmer, "Kahan Ho?" he asked. I told him I was not very far away and that his sweet from Jodhpur - the famous Janta Sweet mithi kachoris and many other stuffs were safely in my custody. When I finished talking, there was this soldier on the highway standing by my side. It was a pleasure to drop him to his barracks. He offered me tea, but I excused (oh! such a waste of an opportunity) but I had the Sam Dunes and the sunset in my head. 2.30pm I was inside the AIR station, Jaisalmer. Suddenly there was this producer who was awestruck that I was doing solo and when he heard it was something that it was my passion, guess what came to me on the platter? A 30-minute interview on the occasion of Republic Day! Amigo was proud too, as children outside the station boarded it, jumped from it, and discussed vehemently the power of a Bullet. Later, after a quick lunch I was heading towards the Sam dunes and believe me, it was all so very worth it. Every drop of fuel spent, every drop of sweat, every breath jumped while riding, all were worth it as the sand slowly turned golden and then it was the turn of the skies to change color; fire up for a while, mesmerizing me and Jitendra. 'Do you come here regularly?' I queried. 'Nope, don’t get much time bro, you will know how things are once you are married' and smiled. Some people are just plain unlucky I guess. The sunset saw hordes of big, swanky imported cars and Sumos and Qualis zip their way towards the city but what stole the show was the thunder of Amigo. Heads turned as the headlights went on and a German couple exclaimed, 'ah, its a Royal Enfield'! The next morning I headed towards the Pak border but I was asked to go back since I didn’t have permits. As I drove back towards the city, I received a surprise call from Shekhar Patil, a good friend and a travelling partner, saying that he was already in Jodhpur and heading back towards Delhi via Bikaner. I told him that we could have some drinks and dinner at Bikaner, it’s a date! I bid adieu to my friend Jitender and his lovely cute babycake daughter, promised her a 100 times because she extracted it from me that I would be back soon, and then headed towards Bikaner as a sandstorm gathered momentum and even shook my bike. The storm was cutting the highway. I prayed for safety, but wanted to see the sandstorm because I have never seen one, but Mother Nature's generosity eluded me here. I caught up with Shekhar midway and then we headed towards Bikaner and checked into the YHAI-affiliated guesthouse. With only two guests there that day, that too Bulleteers, the owner, a lanky youth with royal lineage, made a bonfire for us as we opened our vodkas and had dinner around it and chatted on. What is a sand dune all about? Who better than Mohammed, our guide, could narrate and explaine so critically? We loitered deep inside the Bikaneri sand dunes with our guide and took lots of photographs, of villagers, their flock, the gazels and of course, our bikes in the heart of the dunes! We hit the highway after an hour, thanked and paid our guide and headed towards Shekhawati - the land of mesmerizing havelis. Story has it that when business was down many years ago, the Marwaris of this area left their families here and went to Mumbai and Gujarat to establish themselves. They earned a lot there, and a better part of the fortune was sent back to Shekhawati, where the families built exquisite and exotic havelis. The Birlas, the Goenkas all have their havelis here, but the area is facing monumental neglect and I hate our system to be so callous towards our national heritage. We left for Delhi after spending about an hour and a half in the Shekhawati region. When we crossed the Delhi border, it was well over 11pm in the night and the only other thing that bothered me at that hour was the call of the cubicle next day! Believe me guys, Jaisalmer on bike is ‘jadoo’! Do it! I am even contemplating my honeymoon there (on bike). You will never want to miss it.