The Return of the Passport Ordeal -- Success

To recap, I had a short term validity passport which was expiring in December 2010. I had to get it renewed, before I left for the US. 

Yesterday, after 3 months of tension, running around government offices, standing in queues, bribing people (also known as: helping others help me; chai-paani; fees; mithai ke paise), I finally got the passport in my hands. It's now valid till 2015.

In most cases any government process (sarkaari kaam) is slow. It has always been slow. And it always will be slow. People, including me, never want to realize that. We are still living in a dream that India has gotten technologically advanced, and all that advancement has trickled into the place known as the government office. Making it a fast, streamlined, well-oiled organization. Not so.

The government office is a part of the Indian Experience, but something which can very easily get you frustrated.

The frustration is especially evident in the queues. These long, slow moving lines are filled with tension, anger, and a ton of ideas on improving productivity. Of course, the ideas only apply to people on the other side of the counter -- the government officials. Few of the ideas which I have noted:

1. Everything should computerized! -- People say this even if a major portion of the task is in fact computerized. 
2. There should be more counters! -- Evidently, so that there can be more queues and more ideas.
3. Wow this guy is so slow, he should learn typing -- Something which I always think when I'm in a queue.

The other frustrating aspect of the queue, other than the endless wait, are the queue jumpers. These people will innocently meander near the front of the queue, their honest intention being only to ask a question or talk to a non-existing friend. Very soon, they are ahead of you. You ask them, to go back. And they say, that they have always been there in front; also, you are a liar and are creating a ruckus.

In my experience, women jump queues more often than men. Maybe these women feel that there is no explicit women's line, and are just correcting that mistake. But I guess the reason, men don't jump queues that often is because they will get beaten up. Women, not so.

But after dealing with all the queues, the people, the wait, the heat and humidity, the dripping AC, the rude security guard, when you finally get what you want, it's some feeling. Till 2015. Bye bye passport office.

The Return of the Passport Ordeal -I

I'm in Delhi again and this time around it's not a vacation or illness. The reason I'm here is to get my passport renewed. Renewed, mind you, not reissued ... read on.

Five years ago, after a lot of struggle, I was issued a passport. That passport was issued under the Tatkaal scheme. A scheme which allows people to obtain fresh passports within a week's time by paying an extra amount. The only catch being that these passports might only be valid for 5 years and not the whole 10 years. Such passports are called short term validity passports and mine is one of them.

The problem with short term validity passports is that you can't, in passport terminology, get them reissued but only renewed. Reissue means that you get a fresh passport, provided your previous passport is nearing expiration. Renewal, on the other hand, means an extension of the validity period, from under 10 years, to the whole 10 years. For example, in my case the 5 years' validity will be extended to 10 years.

Knowing all this, with complete forms, I went to the passport office. I reached there early enough to be the 6th or 7th person in the queue for the miscellaneous services (renewal is a miscellaneous service, unlike reissue). When I came to the front, I was told that renewal is going to take time ... 25 days (his exact words were "इसमें टाइम लगेगा; पचीस दिन"). He also gave me a bunch of other forms to fill. Now 25 days in babudom-speak can be an eternity. Also it requires another round of police verification.

Hoping that there will be another faster route to get it done, I didn't submit the forms. After a lot of investigation and talking to people, it turns out there isn't any faster way.

Given that I need to go for a US visa interview for my further studies, the delay in this passport renewal formality could become a disaster. My future hangs precariously.

Updates from Cochin

• Getting your transcripts done from CUSAT is an expensive affair. The transcripts cost Rs 1200 per college (if the college asks for 2, the subsequent transcript costs Rs 600) and to get the mark-sheets + degree certificate attested cost Rs 1000. Total damages came around Rs 20K (heart-wrenching cry). I also get to go to Cochin again some time soon -- the mark-sheet attestation, in spite of the exorbitant charge, takes a week's time to get done.
  

• The India Coffee House at the center of the CUSAT campus has closed down. It seems their lease expired and they didn't want to pay the new rent.
  

• Cocoa Tree, the coffee shop, has taken down their post-it wall. I don't know why.
  

• The city still hasn't really changed. I won't call it stagnant, but more like a lake -- moving, yet not going anywhere.
  

Cycling Trip To Chikkatirupati

Chikkatirupati is a town around 30 KM from Bangalore (Koramangala, to be precise). Yesterday, we -- a group of 4 cyclists -- decided to make a trip to the place.

To get there you first need to hit Sarjapur road; cross the outer ring road junction while continuing down Sarjapur Road; take a left somewhere ahead, and follow the road. As is obvious, I wasn't the one leading the pack (or good at giving directions). But fortunately for you, I had a GPS.

Here is a map:

Figure 1: Map -- Bangalore to Chikkatirupati.

Other than Sarjapur road you don't face too much traffic, as the roads are really bad and I guess no one wants to go to Chikkatirupati. The route is scenic, passing through villages; with farms on either side. People in the areas are quite amused at seeing these "weirdos" on bicycles. We had quite a few kids wave to us, saying "Hi" and "Bye". We reached Chikkatirupati in around 1 hr 40 min and proceeded to have breakfast.

There is a nice small breakfast joint inside the town, where you get Idly-Bonda, Coffee, Chitranna, and -- if you are not too early -- Dosa.

Figure 2: Breakfast at Chikkatirupati

After having breakfast we started the return journey. There was a strong headwind and there weren't too many downhills. Fortunately, the weather was pretty good. The return journey took us around 2 hours.

Total Mileage: 65 KM

Highlights

1. Using the gears on the front of the cycle for the first time and reaching close to 40 KM/H (38.3 KM/H to be precise).
2. All the kids in the villages cheering as you pass them.
3. The yummy bondas at the breakfast place.
4. Just off Chikkatirupati a gentleman coming to us, when we were taking a water break, and asking, "Why did you cycle all the way from Bangalore?" Good question. Neeeeext.
5. Finding out that there are some new muscles in my legs -- I'm sore.
6. And finally, my longest cycling trip till date -- a good ride!
   

Trip Report: Doddamakali Nature Camp

I and few friends of mine went to Doddamakali Nature Camp over the weekend. It's a jungle lodge on the banks of Kaveri around 130 KM from Bangalore. Other than enjoying the greenery, you can sip on Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer, jump into the waters of Kaveri, play volleyball, and do a bit of fishing.

Following are the details.

Onward Journey

The route is pretty straightforward

1. Head towards the national park on Bannerghatta road.
2. Take the right heading towards NICE road.
3. Proceed around 7 KM on NICE and take the left to Kanakpura road.
4. Enjoy the beautiful Kanakpura road (NH-209) for around 80 KM. You will pass Kanakpura ;keep on going.
5. In between the road becomes a bit rugged, but it smoothens out soon. When you hit a "T" junction, take a left.
6. Go around 7 KM and you will see a board saying "Doddamkali Fishing Camp" and asking you to take a left. Follow the board's directions.
7. Head another 8 KM and you will reach near the camp.

Of course the actual camp is another 8.8 KM away. It's all loose gravel and controlling the bike becomes quite difficult. The last 2 KM are especially treacherous as it is all down hill. I managed to balance the bike successfully till the last moment, when I saw the camp; exulted; lost concentration; and the bike fell down.

Day One

The camp is set on the banks of the Kaveri river. On the other bank one can see hills and lot of greenery. The river itself has lots of rocks; lending more to the scenery.

Figure 1: Rocky Kaveri and the Hills.

There are 10 tent houses. Each of which can be occupied by 2 people, but more can fit in if needed. The tents houses also have attached bathrooms and one hammock. We booked the accomodation online.

Figure 2: Tent House.

After checking in, the first order of business was beer. The camp provides KF and Foster's at Rs 110/- for a 650 ml bottle. For non-drinkers you also get the usual soft drinks (bah!). We sipped on beer while enjoying the view.

Figure 3: Sipping on beer, whilst enjoying the view.

After the beer, we got us some life-jackets and dove into Kaveri. The water is pretty shallow on the bank, but gets suddenly deep. The life jackets are provided by the camp people and you don't need to pay anything extra for them.

Figure 4: Goofing around in Kaveri.

The swimming left us quite hungry and we proceeded for the lunch. The food was just OK. Mostly vegetarian, with one Chicken curry. The rice was good though. After the lunch we took a quick nap.

At 4:30 PM we woke up for Tea/Coffee. I liked their tea better than their coffee -- the coffee was made from instant coffee powder. We also got some Marie biscuits, which I don't like too much and didn't have any.

The next activity was the Corakel Ride. For the unintiated a corakel is a round boat made of wood. The guide took us through portions of the river, telling us where the crocodiles live(!).

Figure 5: Corakel Ride.

We followed up the Corakel ride with Joy Fishing. I'm not sure why it's called "Joy Fishing" and not just "Fishing". Basically what you do is that, you get a nylon thread at the end of which there is a hook. They give you some atta (dough) which you then put on the hook. Throw the hook into the water; hold onto the thread; and hope you catch something. Many times you will find that the atta is gone, but there is no fish caught in the hook. Apparently, it's your first time, but not the fishes'.

NB: You don't get any fancy fishing equipment, but this is enough -- as proven by Alan (Figure 6).

NB: You will see many photos in which there are people who have caught HUGE fishes. Don't be intimidated by them.

NB: If you are lucky enough to catch a fish, you will have to throw it back into the water -- after posing for a photo, of course.

Figure 6: Alan catches one!

After the fishing expedition we headed back to our tent houses and freshened up. We were promised a bonfire and snacks in the evening. And we weren't dissappointed. The bonfire was started at around 7 PM, and we were served Bhajji, peanuts, and some chicken. Of course, there was beer as well.

Figure 7: Bonfire.

Once we were done with the snacks, we had dinner. Like the lunch, it was just OK. We had a light dinner and called it a day.

Day Two

The second day's activities were sparse, as we had to check out at 11 AM. The wake up call was at 6 AM, followed by morning tea. Just after tea, we started for a short trek (or as the forest guy called it a "truck"). The trek was towards the more rockier portion of the river. Although, we didn't take any life-jackets this time, we did go into the water and touched few rocks.

Figure 8: Morning Trek.

After the trek, we came back to the camp, and had breakfast. The breakfast, unlike the lunch and dinner, was quite good. The menu had Maggi, Bread/Omelet, and Poori Masala.

Once the breakfast was over, it was almost time to checkout and head back.

Return Journey

We packed up and started back at around 11:30 AM. The main concern was the 2 KM uphill stretch which was covered with loose gravel. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as when it was while coming down and was covered with ease.

We took the same route as we did while coming; took a couple of breaks in between; had lunch; and finally reached back at around about 5:00 PM.

A good trip.

Routine Post

Coming back to you after a three week hiatus. How have you been? Outstanding, I hope.

• I came across Joggling few days back I was searching for how to run with a backpack. It's a sport where you run ... while juggling (jogging + juggling = joggling). Inspired by this I have been trying to juggle three tennis balls (notice how I qualified "balls"). I use the three ball cascade technique and can go for about 10-20 seconds without a drop. Apparently, the ball prices have gone up -- earlier (read over 10 years ago ... shit I'm old!) a Cosco ball used to cost Rs 20; now it's Rs 35.

• In an act of self-discipline, which my mom is very happy with, I have decided to ban all computer usage -- not just internet usage -- from 5 PM to 8 PM on all days. I'm free to do anything other than use the computer. Till now, I have been able to perform this feat for two consecutive days (today included). It's been good. I have been reading books, washing clothes, playing the guitar, taking walks, sleeping etc. People who know me, might appreciate why this is a big deal.
  

• Second time in two months, I visited Kerala. Again to attend a wedding. God's own country is still hot and humid. Fans and showers have no effect on sweat production. I was in the Trivandrum area and finally got around to see the Kovalam beach (albeit in the night) -- a place which I never visited while I was doing my engineering in Cochin. It was a fun trip, with good food, lots of Indian poker (teen patti) and (thank god!) air-conditioning.

• I bought a Timex digital watch (Rs 945) to keep me company while running. Yes, I have a much more expensive, fancy gadget, which I keep showing off, but this is more for times when I don't want to risk my Garmin Forerunner. Like when I'm running in the rains and other situations as such. I hope a time comes, when I can measure distance by my stride and the time by the sun (clouds are seen by pessimists).
  

Trip to Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebidu

Saturday was a long day: starting at 4:45 AM in the morning and ending at 12:00 AM in the night. I and few others from office went on a one day excursion to Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebidu.

Shravanabelagola

We saw the world's largest monolithic statue of the Jain god: Gomateshwara Bahubali. The temple, where the statue stands, is on a small hill and you have to climb around 700 steps to get there. At the end of it my fragile companions, limbs shivering, were left tired and breathless.



Belur and Halebidu

Visited two famous temples: Chennakesava Temple (Belur) and Hoysaleswara temple, (Halebidu). Both of the temples were built over generations by the rulers of Karnataka. The immaculate, highly detailed stone sculptures which cover the temple walls were awe-inspiring. Many of these stone sculptures depict figures from mythological stories and it was quite interesting to listen to the guide describe them.


More photos here.

Trip to Kerala

I had a nice short vacation in Kerala. A cousin was getting married. Everything went off well, and I had some nice South-Indian food. Salient points from the trip:

• The journey was by train and I enjoy trains. But even more than that I love the upper berth. It's like your own make-me-invisible-sunglass (a la Mr. India), from where you can see everyone and everything, but others can't see you. I was cosily reading a book on top, while at the same time eavesdropping on other people. Sipping on the convenient tea and coffee all the time.
  

• I stopped over at Palakkad to spend time with my grandfather. Apart from other things and lectures which I got to listen, he expected me to set right a malfunctioning Hit aerosol insect killer, because I'm an engineer. I couldn't.
  

• Kerala is HOT right now. You know the kind of hot wherein taking a bath is really of no use (that doesn't mean I didn't). Nights don't give any respite either.
  

• After Palakkad, my next stop was Cochin -- the place of old times, college times, good times, bad times (though mostly good). Cochin is a place which doesn't really change. It's a place where you can give someone directions just by saying "It's opposite Pizza Hut". In a place like Delhi or Bangalore there are like a gazillion Pizza Huts, but not in Cochin -- there's just one. Joints really don't open up and if they do, there are only one or two. The opening of CCD or Barista there was BREAKING NEWS. Us college students used to throng there. When Subway opened up shop there, I got to know of it all the way up in Bangalore through some juniors of mine -- it was a BIG deal there. Things close down at 9 PM -- you won't even get autos. Sundays is a holiday for all shops; even most restaurants close down. But it has its own nice quaint qualities.

• The wedding festivities were spread across three days. I got to meet a ton of relatives. I also ended up feeling old. There were so many cousins of mine who had ... well ... grown up. I found myself up saying "Oooh! Look ... you have grown up so much. When I last saw you, you were only this much". Then I would remember ... "What the heck am I saying? NO NO NO NOOOO".
  

• I wanted to visit all our old college hangouts. But I could only go to Cocoa Tree (it still has the post-it wall, but didn't have the ones which we had put) . Cocoa Tree is one of the old Cochin coffee shops. We used to like going there at late nights -- it's open till 2 AM. I sipped on a cold coffee while munching on a chocolate brownie (Side Note: Fitness Fervor people, no, I did not put on weight.).
  

• While on the trip and in the hotel where I was staying, I was reading: Beautiful Code, Behind Closed Doors, Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Only managed to finish one of the lot. All are enjoyable.

• While on the train back to Bangalore, I was all nostalgic.