South India cycle expedition 16: Thondi- Mallipattinam 74 kms

✪ Ride in the land of sea, dinghies and temples
✪ Stay at Mallippatinam instead of Setubhavchatram
✪ Warm meeting with distant countrymen
✪ Thrilling boat- experiences of Abhimanyuji
✪ Night vibes on Mallipattinam harbour
✪ Waves, winds, roar, boat lights and Sirius- Canopus in the sky

Hello. Morning of 27th January. Started the ride from Thondi. For some days, I am having small distances. Today it will be only 74 kms. Once I thought also to rearrange the distances- to increase distance on three days and save one day. But I did not do that. Because these small distances are very easy. They are like recovery rides. If I increase the distances, then I can save one day, but it will be more intensive work. And I know my limits well and I respect that. In cricket parlance, I regard myself as a batter with limited range of shots. I cannot hit many fours or sixes. But I can take singles easily. It is an easy task- to place the ball in vacant area and run quickly. So I will continue to do this cycling well within that range. And there is no need to go beyond the limits! It happens smoothly. Doing small easy steps together gives an integrated effort. Like, Niramay Team’s Archana Didi says, if we do it brick by brick, then the house is constructed. The mind is reminding me that it is the fifth last day! But I am bringing it to the present place.

South India cycle expedition 15: Mandapam- Thondi 84 kms

✪ Ride on the East Coast Road- ECR
✪ Villages in central Tamil Nadu
✪ 1380 kms completed in 15 days
✪ Memories of villages visited after Tsunami
✪ Different kind of Republic Day in Tamil Nadu
✪ Holding the mind in the present

Hello. Morning of 26th January. Yesterday Shri. Muniyasami ji from Seva Bharathy, South Tamil Nadu also had met me in Mandapam. Today I will stay in Thondi village as arranged by him. Still feeling hangover of Dhanushkodi and Pamban bridge! I had good rest at the new place Yesterday. Kathirgamaji came to my place sharp at 6:15 am. I had some discussion with the owner of that room and also had a tea with him. Then Kathiragamaji took me to his favourite hotel for tea. He cycled to the highway with me and bid me adieu. He accompanied me well during my two- day stay at Mandapam.

South India cycle expedition 14: Mandapam- Rameswaram- Dhanushkodi- Mandapam 86 kms!

✪ Mandapam port at the dawn
✪ Nagarajji who had worked with coast guard
✪ Unforgettable Pamban bridge- God of headwinds!
✪ Tremendous winds on the island
✪ Dhanushkodi- Ghost town of India
✪ Arichal Munai- Tip of India
✪ Thrilling road towards Kothanda Ramar temple!
✪ Enormous Rameswaram temple
✪ Memorial of great teacher Dr. Abdul Kalam

Namaste. Dawn of 25th January. I woke up at 5 am. Kathirgamaji also has woken up. He did his worship for some time. Then he told me, let us have a walk. Initially he took me to Mandapam port! Whoa! Small parked boats! He told that there is an alert of storm, therefore these boats are parked here. Otherwise in the night also they would be in deep sea. The dockyard! Glowing water of the sea- waves! Greatly thrilling experience! Also little frightening! He showed me a line of lights in the distance- See, it is the Pamban bridgse! Oh!

South India cycle expedition 13: Sayalkudi to Mandapam 89 kms

✪ Idiyappam treat from Nithyanandamaji!
✪ Interactions with nice people from villages
✪ We meet people if we don’t get deceived by their backgrounds
✪ Land of lakes and peacocks
✪ Joy of cycling in the rain
✪ Unique position of Mandapam and extreme winds
✪ Stay in the house of cyclist Kathirangaji

Hello. Morning of 24th January. I had good rest in the house of Nithyanandamji. Staying at a new place every day requires proper rest. Of course, once this routine is set, we can take rest wherever we stay. The mind gets used to it. Nithyanandamji also woke up early and we went to his favourite hotel for tea. He then gave me Idiyappam as tiffin. I liked this white coloured food. It is very light for digestion. It is equally nutritious. And interestingly, it can be consumed with sweet as well as spicy dishes. In the morning, we took Tiger, his pet for a short walk. For memory, had my photo clicked with Shaktiveerji and Nithyanandamji. Today' stay is confirmed with Kathirangaji at Mandapam. Seva Bharathi's Shunmug Rajaji has arranged it. I called Kathirangaji and also made Nithyanandamji talk to him, better in the context of language differences!

South India cycle expedition 12: Tiruchendur to Sayalkudi 104 kms

✪ Dialogue with people from rural Tamil Nadu!
✪ Industrial area of Tuticorin
✪ Finally, a puncture after 1100+ kms!
✪ Lapse in awareness!
✪ Solo cyclist is never alone!
✪ Support and help from local people
✪ Interactions with Nithyanandanji and Shaktiveerji

Hello. Morning of 23rd January! Yesterday I had informed the hotel persons that I would leave early morning. I got down and started loading my luggage by 6:45 am. It is still to be decided where I would stay tonight. Tiruchendur of the morning! Still it is very windy! I pedaled to the road. The head wind is so strong today also! Yesterday I had seen many factories near Tiruchendur. Today I will cross through Tuticorin industrial belt. Once I left the town and reached the highway, I saw large chimneys and industrial shops. Tuticorin is called Thoothukudi in Tamil! Before the town, there was a vast highway junction. One highway is going directly towards the port. 

South India cycle expedition 11: Kanyakumari to Thiruchendur 91 kms

✪ Enormous winds from East!
✪ In the vicinity of hundreds of wind mills
✪ Silent countryside of Tamil Nadu!
✪ "He" is just near, but not visible (जलवा जो ओझल भी है सामने भी है)
✪ Spectacular temple of Arulmigu Subraniya Swami in Tiruchendur

Hello. Dawn of 22nd January. I got up early as I was going to beach in Vivekananda Kendra. The road to that beach goes from the campus. This is very beautifully maintained. There are many persons come for the Sunrise! In Maharashtra, we are used to Sunset on the beach! But henceforth it will be Sunrise! The beach is really silent and awesome. Spent some moments there. There are clouds in the East. So the Sunrise will not be seen. I handed over the room key to the reception and left the campus. Today will start a new region of unknown villages! There are no major known people on this route and even known organizations, like the case was till now. I have just planned to take halts after every 90- 95 kms.

South India cycle expedition 10: Thiruvanantapuram- Kanyakumari 94 kms

✪ Continuous stretch of towns!
✪ Agasthyamalai mountain ranges!
✪ Beautiful temple of Suchindram
✪ There, in the distance- that vastness
✪ Vivekananda Kendra- working in Yoga and social sectors
✪ Dream come true- Kanyakumari on a cycle
✪ Dialogue with Nivedita didi

Hello. Morning of 21st January. Thiruvanantapuram! Today it is a significant stage- Kanyakumari! Half the route will be complete. Really I cannot believe. Cycling to Kanyakumari is a dream of many cyclists! Today it will come true! Today it'll be just 94 kms. Further stages are relatively smaller after four back to back hundreds. Today will be also the last day in Keralam! I was recalled of visiting Kanyakumari 16 years back! Sea from three side and the tip of the land! And also, the end of the Western Ghats! 

South India cycle expedition 9: Amritapuri- Thiruvanantapuram 100 kms

✪ Visit to Chinmaya Mission Padmanabha Centre
✪ Road, diversions and again the road
✪ Unforgettable Upama in “Aryas” hotel!
✪ Thiruvanantapuram- A southern metro
✪ Glorious old temples
✪ Dialogue with Swami Sudheer Chiatanyaji
✪ “Appointments and disappointments!”

Hello. Morning of 20th January. My stay at Amritapuri Ashram was great, thanks to Brahmachari Ravi ji. I had good conversation with him. He accompanied me like a family member. I had morning tea with him. We took a snap and then I left. Further journey started with "him"! Many a times I am unable to believe that I am really riding here and traveling this much! I am finding it hard to remember places where I have traveled in last eight days! What a luck this is! How I was fortunate to embark on this journey! 

South India cycle expedition 8: Piravom (International Chinmaya Foundation) – Amritapuri 110 kms

✪ Enjoying cycling near seashore
✪ Backwater and bridges on rivers meeting sea!
✪ Reaching the flat vastness after passing through turbulences
✪ Dialogue with friends from Keralam
✪ Coastal road and silent countryside of Keralam
✪ Amritapuri Ashram- Bhajan, Satsang and Bhakti
✪ Fortune of getting Amma’s Darshana
✪ Night time sea- experience!

Hello. Morning of 19th January. I had tea with Swami Sundar Chaitanyaji in serene campus of ICF, Piravom. Yesterday there was one workshop going in and many persons from Maharashtra participated in it! I again had long conversation with Swamiji. He shared his experiences, his village in Tamil Nadu, his public relations, RSS work and later on his association with Chinmaya Mission! He is so friendly and down to earth. No 'spiritual' ego at all! Finally I had to bid adieu to him and the ICF. Today I will cycle 110 kms. After crossing some distance, I will meet "him”! Henceforth, on this tour, “he” will accompany me almost every day! 

South India cycle expedition 7: Vadakkancherry- Thrissur- Piravom (International Chinmaya Foundation) 125 kms

✪ Hearty interactions at International Chinmaya Foundation
✪ Darshan Yoga Bhavan, Thrissur
✪ Small issue with the cycle and repairing
✪ Keralam resembling Konkan
✪ Continuous up- down and turning roads
✪ Densely populated villages and beautiful roads
✪ Dialogue with Swami Sundar Chaitanyaji
✪ Visit to birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya
✪ Nirvana Shatak and "Bhaj Govindam!"

Hello. Morning of 18th January. No trace of the stress that was Yesterday due to time and energy spent in finding the hotel room. New day, new beginning! Pleasant atmosphere it is. Today I will go from Vadakkancherry to Piravom (main centre of Chinmaya Mission) via Thrissur and it will be 125 kms. En route I will met Yogi Jaydevan, friend of my father and also visit his institution. 

Started by around 6:45 and shared my live location on the group. From here, Thrissur is just 28 kms. I saw the Sun arisen from behind a Church building. Mountains are appearing in the distance. There will be a tunnel here. I was little worried, is the cycle allowed in the tunnel? But withouy any difficulty, I crossed it. I also saw cyclings riding from Thrissur. After completing 18 kms, I took a break for tea and biscuits. Before resuming the pedaling, when I kicked the stand of the cycle, I saw that it is falling again. It is not getting straightened! Somehow it got steady just above the road level. I thought that I would look at it later on and there is no urgency.

सुट्टीतलं शिबिर- आनंदाचे डोही आनंद तरंग!

✪ एक, दोन, तीन... “बाय!”
✪ थक्क करणारी मुलं आणि त्यांचा उत्साह
✪ निसर्ग रहस्ये उलगडणार्‍या व मुलांची "नस जाणणा-या" डॉक्टर स्नेहलताई
✪ किडे, वनस्पती, पानं, खेकडे अन् काजव्यांचं अद्भुत जग
✪ मुलांसोबत मोठ्यांचं लहान होणं आणि शिकणं
✪ पुस्तकवेडे आणि हॅरी पॉटरचे भक्त गण
✪ खजिन्याचा शोध आणि सोबत केलेली धमाल
✪ चंद्र- सूर्य, तारे आणि दोन गुरू
✪ “तुमच्यासाठी पण आईस्क्रीम आहे!”
✪ अविस्मरणीय जोडसाखळी, विष- अमृत आणि लंगडी

नमस्कार. नुकतंच मुलांसाठीचं अडीच दिवसीय शिबिर शिळिंबमधल्या अंजनवेलला झालं. मुलांचं शिबिर घेण्याचा अनुभव खूप आनंददायी आणि वेगळा होता. मुलांची विलक्षण ऊर्जा, उत्साह, त्यांची प्रसन्नता आणि मस्ती जवळून बघता आली. शिबिरामध्ये अविस्मरणीय अशा आठवणी मिळाल्या. त्या शब्दबद्ध करण्याचा हा प्रयत्न. 

मुलांसाठी आकाश दर्शन, फन- लर्न किंवा गणित- विज्ञानातील गमती असे उपक्रम अनेक वर्षांपासून करत असलो तरी शिबिर असं हे दुसरंच. मागच्या वर्षी मुलांचं शिबिर जिथे झालं होतं त्या शिळिंबमधल्या अंजनवेलमध्येच हे शिबिर झालं. ह्यावेळी शिबिरामध्ये मुलांसाठी कला कौशल्य कार्यशाळा घेणार्‍या अमृताताई ढगे एका सत्रासाठी आल्या. पर्यावरण, शिक्षण आणि योग क्षेत्रात मोठा अनुभव असलेल्या व मुलांसाठी वाचन- निसर्ग भ्रमंती असे उपक्रम करणार्‍या डॉ. स्नेहलताई देवकर- पाठकसुद्धा पूर्ण वेळ शिबिरात होत्या. लहान मुलांसाठी सत्र घेणार्‍या नेहाताई देशपांडेसुद्धा शिबिरात पूर्ण वेळ होत्या. त्यामुळे कला कौशल्ये, रेखाटन, निसर्ग वाचन, अभिनय, परिसर भ्रमंती आणि अभ्यास अशी वेगळी मेजवानीही मुलांना मिळाली. आम्हा तिघांसोबत अंजनवेलमधले सर्व जणसुद्धा शिबिरामध्ये होतेच.