Ajay Manohar

Motorcycling in India: Where do I stand? - Article Published in an online magazine.

2011-10-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to hear that my article was published in an online biking magazine. Check this out:

Motorcycling in India: Where do I stand?

I would like to thank Avin Richards and also IAMABIKER.com for their help.
Keep it up guys, you are doing an amazing job.

The first time lay my eyes on her!!!

2011-04-22T10:48:00.001-07:00

So how qualified am I to write a review? Hmmm, lets see. One year old, in terms of biking, only one bike so far ridden, well the odds are quite stacked against me. But hey, I never said its a review. I did not even ride the bike. So read and forget this...

So there it was, a "GOOD FRIDAY" to begin with, in my office. Staring at the computer screen, the empty ODC seemed a little too silent, maybe because I was the only one in office, and more so maybe because I stopped talking. I stopped talking, mainly because I float in a dream world, where its just me and her, that black sexy curvy beauty. I just cant seem to get enough of her. Many people told me, don't love her man, she is not worth all your time and money. But hey, the problem is not when you smile at her, the problem is when she turns and smiles back at you. And indeed Bruna did smile back, a smile only the one with a motor on the right side of your chest, the one with a petrol tank filled with petrol instead of burger hogging stomach, can see, can feel and can dream of. To make matters worse, Honda people were delaying my marriage, which was indeed irksome. Somehow they seem to get some saddistic pleasure seeing me wait for my first night... er first ride I mean. However, it seems day will go by, before I pull down her... throttle.

So as I was sitting in office, I get a short service message(SMS) :D:) from my fellow rider Sudeep. We had come to a conclusion, if the showroom people do not call either one of us by 3pm, we will barge into Saphire showroom, come what may. Well, that's enough to make my day. I eagerly finish off my work, and do what I love the most; ride back home from office. At home, I am seeing Harry Potter and somehow wishing, "God, please let me see Bruna, let me have a look at her and get her glimse atleast for once". Somehow I felt God reply the same way showroom people do, "I will call you later". And lost in the magical "Ungardian Laviosa", I forgot about the showroom visit, only to be woken up by Sudeep's ping. We decide to leave immmediately. En route, Girish(another fellow biker) was to join us.

The climate was excellent, slight drizzle, somehow since I love the rains, I felt as if something good was going to happen. Nevertheless both of them reached the showroom, and slow as I am, reached only to find my biggest villain in my marriage, the showroom representative Mr.Pradeep standing at the showroom doorway. Somehow the way he looked at me, I thought I am going to some disco and I am not dressed to the occasion and he is the bouncer. But all that was to change...

I greeted him saying, "Yes we are the ones who are the reason for which you are taking those sleeping pills." Went straight to the question, without any beating around the bush. Have the bikes arrived, he replied affirmative.

Yes this gap symbolises the way my mind was working. It went to standby mode. Then I fire, so can we see the bikes in the garage? He said yes...

"Sir, sir,... Please have a seat. We will take you to our godown in five minutes." I did not hear it clearly, because my mind was dancing, my heart was hitting the rev-limiter, my blood was drying up due to overheating, my mouth was dry, like someone who had never smooched a female homo sapien for a decade, my hands were not shivering, they were vibrating like the front fairing of R15 on a pulsar. I look at Sudeep, he looks like as if he is missing that strip tease model, his eyes were right into mine. Girish was, well, was as if he is about "to arrive". For months, we have been waiting, not 3-4, but rather an year for me. From simple wish of seeing a 250 affordable honda to actually seeing it, man words cant suffice. You simply need to pinch yourself. We were about to witness a chunk of history that was made by Honda in direct competition to Kwacker.

Five minutes passed by, I did not realise. Maybe it was the adrenaline that made time move faster. Where is Einstein when you need him to explain Space-Time continum?

We start walking with Mr. Pradeep. I could see Sudeep and Girish talking to him but I was just unable to digest the fact that I am now so close at seeing Bruna.

Have you seen those scary movies, where you have silence all around and suddenly one scary guy who did not brush his teeth for a century, pops up in the screen and your heart starts revving up? Similary we move around the corners of the room, to finally see those girls. Like the girls in saree, fully dressed, yet sexy, four fully faired HONDA CBR250R, standing. Two black, two red, one abs of each color. And one thing after other we are going to shut everyone else. I said a million times, let me see her in flesh, not some photo like how my mom shows me to convince me to get married, but in real. And let me tell you this, IT IS BIG!!!

From all the extensive reading on XBHP/OVERDRIVE/CBR250R.net, we all knew what things we had to look forward to.

So here goes the list.

1. Sound is too good. I have heard the Ninja, and I felt it sounds better than Ninja in "LOW RPM's". And someone here posted on a biking forum that it sounds like a lawn mower. Well, I just bought a brand new shotgun on the way back. Still searching for the guy who posted that. Sound is amazing. And I can't wait to hear her all the way when she screams in excitement as I pull her to her higher revs, but hey thats gonna take some time. Her intial foreplay(run-in) period, I need to be gentle on her.

2. Handlebars, well, I remember someone had posted that the quality was bad. Well I won't completely disagree with that. The quality is good, but not upto the mark on the HH Karizma ZMR. When I say quality, I am saying only about the paint job on the handlebars. I feel they have done the painting(on the handlebars only) in a haphazard manner.

3. The bike is big. And for me,(I have an abnormal body, where in my torso is longer than my legs, not a joke), the seating position is really really sporty. Something similar to R15. I had sat on Aditya's(another fellow biker, proud owner of a proud Ninja) Ninja, and I feel I am in a sportier position than Ninja. But again, that maybe just me.

4. The build is tight, fit and no empty gaps or anything of that sort. Its quite compact in terms of fairing. I have seen my Alto(Suzuki 4 wheels), and there are no gaps of anysort in the fairing/rear cowl, etc. Its a tight good fit, like a girl in leather pants.

5. I felt the rider's seat a bit tough, when compared to your pillion seat. But thats something my local seat maker can fix. So no complaints on that regard.

6. Remember that screw hole under the fairing? Well the ABS model had that filled, it was empty in the non-abs version. So rest you can fill in your theories.

7. Its light and nimble, atleast when we sat on it. I have'nt test ridden it yet, so cant comment on the lightness when we ride it. But frankly speaking, when we sat on it, it did not feel as heavy as Ninja[Not a comparision, I only have the experience of Ninja and R15 seating].

8. The numberplate is a big story. Either you have to remove the front cowl, which would mean removing the side fairing to unbolt the number plate holder. Or you have to cut the plate holder. The choice is yours, either undress her and remove her unwanted tattoo or cut her skin off. I will wait till my first service.

9. The space under the seat is nimble enough to hold a normal rain coat and thats it.

10. The rear tyre is FAT, I dont mean the thin skinny(low profile) FZ tyre. I mean real fat, "Ya momma so fat that when she eats a hamburger its like watching Godzilla with surround sound" fat.

11. The silencer, well it looks good and matches with the big boy look.

Now whatever I said, just dont believe it. Inface whatever anyone said, dont believe it. Just go and have a look. Look at her and feel her teasing you like there is no tomorrow. You will feel like having the bike then and there. You wont wait for things to happen, you wont wait for RTO approval, you wont wait for some babu sitting in some wooden chair asking you to wait for 40 days, but you wanna ride her that moment. Suddenly you "Feel Like God".

I ride back, all three of us going our way. And again there were the rains. Like I said, maybe the rains is what I need. While riding, I was imagining, instead of 13 horses Maria pulls, what would it be like, to ride under Bruna pulling 26 horses. And in the rain, while riding, I was humming. Behne de mujhe behne de...

DSLRize Life - Insects

2010-11-14T08:17:00.001-08:00

Friday, 12th of November, 2010, 2:30 pm, the time so vivid in my mind, when I got in my hands, my very own DSLR. It was a Nikkon D3100 - 18-55 VR Kit. Must say, these things dont come cheap. and so go my 3 months savings. But in two days, I realised, the potential these cameras have. It will be long before I even begin to understand all those terms they use in photography like Aperture, ISO, White Balance etc, but damn I am excited. Is it just me, or do everyone who begin their DSLR "Journey" end up imagining their Photo-art exhibition some day? I wonder...

Nevertheless, I thought this could be the perfect excuse to bring my blog alive once again, as its been long since I even looked into my blog. Its not much of a blog to say, but atleast I think I can make one more attempt to bring it back to life... Hope this does not go vain.

Here I am posting a few images, I felt were worth sharing.

Any comments and suggestions to improve the photos are always welcome.

RIGHT TO EQUALITY*

2009-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

* Conditions apply.

So the latest news that brings IIT’s closer to ashes is out. Special treatment for SC/ST students. What’s next in their agenda? Free spa maybe, or massage.

Already IIT’s have slipped down in the world rankings and now to add to its woes, the controversial new opening. Isn’t it time enough already that we have been having reservations since 1901 when they were first introduced in the pre-independence era in Maharashtra in the princely state of Shahu Maharaj. Post-independence, the practice still continues, and has grown stronger, weakening and hampering the development of nation. Commissions after commissions, amendments after amendments, we still seem to go backwards. I can understand the political parties playing the vote card, but now the honorable SC joins the league too?

An institute of the repute of the IIT spends around 2 lakh Rupees every year on each student. Considering the fact that in 2009 alone, the student intake was around 6500 students. 50% (roughly) of whom belong to the backward classes. So the total amount of 65 crores is spent on backward classes alone. If such is the amount invested, should it not be spent on someone worth the expenditure? The upliftment of the backward classes can be understood and stands as a noble deed. But hereby lowering the standards of education at the cost of social upliftment can never be justified at any costs and by any means.

Why don’t we, if such is the case, create all together different IIT’s/IIM’s? One that is exclusively for the SC/ST/OBC’s. Already around 50% of seats are out of reach of the general public, special thanks to the cream and toppings and layers that find their way in the constitution. And oh yes, the cream seems to increase with every amendment.

Once an SC/ST student enters an IIT, he is the same league as the rest of them. All of them are elgibile for the same job/pay. Never before have I heard of any company recruiting from placement cell stating it needs only forward class graduates. “Oh no! Our is a forward thinking company, hence no backward classes please!”.

Should there be need for a special training facility, it should be stated beforehand, and not after the grades and the results have been received. Who says only backward classes have special needs. The law in such a case should be same for all. Already reservation is in place for the backward classes, after this they should be seen with the same eyes as the general public. And since when did failing in exam become a point of exploitation. You didn’t study mister, you lost it.

How is the general public not seeing this division the law is creating in our country? For how long should we keep ruining our Institution’s repute in the global market?

Ok, children, open your civics text, turn to page 16, “ Chapter 3 – Right to Equality^*”….

* Conditions apply.

By :

Ajay Manohar

roboajay@gmail.com

http://www.ajaymanohar.blogspot.com

Why India doesn't need a Superhero?

2008-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

The west has them all, name it and Marvel's got them - Superman, Batman, Spiderman and so on....
Wonder why we Indians did not have so much, or rather why we had down to earth characters that feature in Tinkle and other Indian comics....? (I never really considered Krrish a hero)

Its because, in India, we have real life heroes, we have saviours, we have super-people whom we look forward to, in the time of trouble, terror and problems. We grow up, saluting these daring men and women, though mortal they may be, we make them immortals, and an ever burning flame in Delhi just proves that point. Indians have life-giving respect towards these heroes, the kind of respect that seems to be overflowing right from the bottom of the heart, the kind of respect that today's films can never portray in any dialogue unlike the earlier ages, when the saying used be, "Sar kata sakthe hain lekin sar jhukha sakte nahin" (We can let our heads be cut-off but we will not bow down).

Where the so-called-largest democracy failed us, when the netas-babus-politicians ignored possible terror attack indications, when we wanted a hero to protect us from the villains, a leader to lead India and Indians towards a safer place to live in..... they came and saved us, they died for us, as they always have been dying for us right from the moment we saw the dawn of the first independent India. They stood awake when we slept and we take it for granted that we will always see the sun rise for a better tomorrow. They are the heroes driven by the passion for ultimate service to our motherland, the one that goes by a poem, the poet I cannot recollect...., " Tan samarpith, man samarpith, dhan samarpith, chahta hoon yeh desh ki darti, tujhe kuch aur be doon" (body, soul and money sacrificed, wish I could give you more my motherland).

On 26th of November, 2008, India and the whole world saw an event unfold, in the lap of the commercial capital of the nation, that shook the very foundations of our belief in the country's system, its laws, its security and the people responsible for making our country safer. The nation had to bend its head in front of a few handful insane religious maniacs, who held ransom the whole nation for more that 60 hours. Finally we lifted our heads after the whole ordeal, only to let the whole world see our bleeding face, partly because we failed on our part to select right leaders, and partly because we are the resilient, ever forgiving, fearless, anger less Indians, who always had the "Chalta hai" attitude towards everything in life.

But that is about to change, the boiling of emotions in an average Indian can be felt, sending out shockwaves all over, calling out for a change. This time, it went too far, this time they pierced right into the heart, and this time we will not go back into the darkness of the night, we will not assume that a brighter morning will surely come, we will continue to be afraid, we will harbour anger and hatred, not against our own countrymen, but against a system that only allows politicians to have Z-protection when common man has no security of life. This time "nahi chalega", this time we will make sure that every vote counts, every tax money counts, every day is terror-free.

When the very heroes who guards our borders, who come in for a rescue when every flood occurs and who flush out the "TERRORISTS", ask for a increase in pay, they are snubbed, threathened with the act of mutiny and sent back with a promisory "look into the matter". At the same time, if a common babu does not get a bonus this year, its hell on the roads, carnage in every street, a 'bandh' for 24 hours. Is this how we pay our homeage and a mark of respect to these men in uniform? Where was the administration, the politic body, the people who are paid to stop such monstrous acts of insanity? How come they allow us to live in such grotesque times?

Just look at the way these idiotic uneducated politicians react, "Such incidents do happen in big cities", "Women with lipstick....do not represent the whole nation", " Had it not been for a martyr, no DOG will ever visit his house...". Look at how low levels these politians stoop to, just to save their "power in chairs". Who are they to curb freedom and rights given to women who wear 'lipstick' ? How did such chauvinistick men ever become a party member? And they forget how to pay homage to a martyr? What CM Achutanantan did was unforgiving, for he had no excuse on his part. Only after the media made a note of any Kerala minister being absent from Sandeep Unnikrishnan's funeral, did they even make an effort to go and visit them. If the CM was busy, he could have sent some minister or an emissary earlier.

Having discussed all this, what could be the possible outcome of this event, how should government react now, so as to ensure a better tomorrow?

1. A federal investigative agency on the lines of FBI must be in place. This ensures that a lot of unwanted paperwork prevention, because in the present scenario, the police can only operate in their turf. They cannot go beyond their circle of duty, and if they wish to do so, then they require permissions, papers, etc. and by the time they acquire this, the possible scene of crime is already a committed crime scene. Such a new agency need report only to the centre. This will help faster intel and better results, or so we hope. Again politicians have come against this, as they fear that this agency might be used against the state governments where the oppsition party is ruling. How can they be so selfish enough to think about their own seats when people are dying, when nation is under seige?

2. The border and coast guard security needs to be beefed up. Ever since the ceassefire, the number of terror attacks have been on the rise. With a country like Pakistan as neighbour, one cannot assume that they will hold their word of a bilateral gain. The ceasefire and the decrease of troops along the border only increases our vulnerability to terrorist attacks.

3. Isn't there anyway in which we can end the terror-training camps on PoK area? Or should we do what the Americans did? Should we overrun this PoK area, sanitise it, all this for our safety and then lead this sub-continent towards another major war? The Pakistani Governement, the previous military one, took our silence for our weakness. This time atleast we need to break out of the old " India never attacked any country in its 10,000 year history" saying. The right to live freely without any fear, is under attack and we cannot pretend as if nothing happened.

4. Maybe there should be a system of visa issual for non-Indians wherein, those visiting India should state a purpose or intention of doing so, like in most developed nations. Proper visa rules should be in place and implemented.

5. Making stricter punishment for terrorists does not help. The come to kill and to die. How can stricter punishments scare them? What is important is not to allow them to come inside. How come they get Parliament ID Cards so easily, how come they just pulled into our cities through seas? Some loopholes here, that need to be taken care of.

6. Every citizen should be made aware of life-saving techniques, SOS or other signaling techniques in case of emergencies. It should be a point for schools to arrange for all students for some kind of self-defence techniques. Also the no. of cameras in crowded cities should be increased, so that effective monitoring can be done.

In this short time I was able to think of only these many factors. Maybe you could help. How should we tackle this? Its an open debate.