Biking to Nandi Hills !

A TRAVELOGUE...

Day : 17/12/2006

TBC’s (Trianz Biking Club) first trip to Nandi Hills took off at 8.20 am from Hulkul (my office on lavelle road, bangalore), albeit a bit late than the scheduled time. This is Trianz’s first-ever bike trip organized by a bunch of Biking Enthusiasts and sponsored by the Management of Trianz.

We, the Trailblazers, clad in blue jeans and black tee with ‘Challenge Yourself’ slogan on our back, cruised along the narrow streets of the city till our first assembling point at Jakkur. The sight of us looked like “Black Hawk Commandos”. It was commendable to see those who don’t own bikes make it in their cars. This exemplifies that it only takes ‘High Spirits’ and a ‘Will’ to hit the road.

The actual bike ride turned out to be a bike race from Jakkur, I must confess. All thanks to such good roads maintained by the National Highways Authority of India. For us (the city dwellers), who have been starving of good roads in the city, this highway (NH 7) was a relief. Thirteen bikes with pillion riders and six souls in a couple of cars, cruising along the NH 7 indeed seemed like Trianz Entourage setting the roads on fire! Broad roads cutting through such vast open space provided us an opportunity to ride at max speed. Having covered some distance, the troop came to a screeching halt at a railway level crossing. A 10 mins halt got most of us really lose patience. Our concerted honking and screaming echoed the area. It was a complete chock-a-block with many vehicles stranded behind us and in front of us on the other side of the level crossing bar. The moment the bar was lifted, we maneuvered our way thru’ the narrow junction to hit the big road again. Now, it was time to ZIP…ZAP…ZOOM…

Zooming thru’ lush green fields and lakes on either sides, sent adrenaline rush in me. I prompted my fellow-biker (actual rider) Sudhir to increase the speed. We indeed overtook many co-bikers. Each one trying to out-do the rest ! Wow ! Riding at high speed, the wind blowing into our face and brushing past us sent a sort of chill shocking waves in me. I guess it must have been the same with others too. The feeling inexpressible; You have to feel it to believe it !

The next assembling point was at a place, around 22kms from Nandi Hills. It was time for a short break. Some were blowing out puffs and some talking about the feel-good factor and the magnificent ride so far, ME looking ahead of the road leading to the foothills.

Ten minutes past, we all left racing again leaving behind the trail. No sooner than we touched the foothills, the speed shot down. Uphill journey…the curvy road…the hilltop… the chilly wind…all rolled in one- the NANDI HILLS beckoned us!

Reached the hilltop. By now, we were damn hungry hawks wanting to prey on the Brunch Spread. Thanks to Rajani and Team for setting up a Brunch Stall, much before our arrival. All hit the stall at one shot. But, we human-hawks were a well-mannered lot, taking stuff in turns. There were Idlis, Sambar and Chutney, Sandwitches, Upma, Coffee/Tea to quell our hunger. Finally, what a relief ! Sigh !

After the good brunch, it was time for exploring the place, some games and photo shoots. Trekked to the temple precincts and Tippu’s Point, also known as ‘Suicide Point’. The view from the hilltop is mind-blowing. Nandi Hills is a good retreat for those who seek Serenity, Beauty and Nature. For the city folks, the view and the tranquility makes it a good spot to lay back and admire the vast stretch of land below. Truly, Nature at its best !

Later, each of us grabbed our fav drink (non-alcoholic) and got ready to face the game of ‘Tambola’. Time for some ‘Fun n Frolic’ ! Only a handful won some hard cash and the rest were all branded ‘LOSERS’. But it’s soooooooo hard to Lose too J ! Surprisingly, there was another game called ‘QUEEN OF TRIANZ’ lined up by Vivek and Sudhir. It was fun to see our people virtually cheat each other. Oops ! Maybe I should call this a ‘CHEATERS GAME’ J !

Trekked gleefully all the way back to the open yard where we had our Brunch to witness yet another event called “Best Biker Contest’. Apparently, Eight bikers were shortlisted for this contest, rated on 3 attributes : Glamour, Bike & Riding Skill. The contestants were : Murali, Kalyan, Shashank, Chetan, Bhavin, Chandrashekar, Vijay Karekar & Sudhir. The judges who screened them were: Myself (Vasantha), Rajani and Nagaraj (Rajani’s husband).

Each contestant was put thru’ a test where he had to cruise his bike, circle the roundabout and pose to the audience. This reminded me of the box-office hit hindi flick – ‘GULAM’. Although, each one did his best, only three made it to the finals – Murali P, Vijay Karekar and Chandrashekar. However, since there was a tie between Vijay and Chandrashekar at 17 points, they had yet another grinding round to prove their riding skill. In this round, Chandrashekar almost faltered and Vijay was chosen to face Murali in the audience poll. Evidently, the audience voted out Murali and Vijay was declared the Winner. The winner made home a gift voucher of Rs. 501/- and a special jacket to be given away in office.

This event brought the curtains down on our exciting bike trip. It was time to wind up and head back home – to the lovelorn city – Bangalore.

With the memories etched deep in our hearts, we started to leave one after another reluctantly. This time not together but at our own pace. Finally, we made it to the city at 3pm , leaving far far behind the Nandi Hills. All in all, this is one of the best trips which will be cherished in the years to come. All those who missed the trip really missed SOMETHING !!!

PS: Biking was conceptualised by some ardent biking enthusiasts at Trianz, my current employer. Am one of the active members of the biking club, although am a pillion rider !