India Bike Week 2017 - what in heaven's name has happened to biking?

IBW 2017 took place this year in Goa on 24th and 25th Nov in Vagator. A very popular event and attended by bikers from all over the country. Unfortunately amongst all the good there has to be some bad apples which will spoil it for everyone else.

Apparently a moto vlogger from Mumbai, saw a Z800 in some form of yellow paint detail. Now he goes on to take pics of the bike, post it on his instagram and comment negatively about it (apparently using very profane language). Now the owner of the bike and his friends did not like it and they made their displeasure known. The moto vlogger apparently deleted his post and went there to apologize when they assaulted him and made him apologize to the bike.
TO. THE. BIKE.
Seriously? I understand about love for your bike and so on and so forth but to this extent? People need to chill out. What would they have done if they had parked their bike elsewhere back in their hometown and someone took a pic and commented negatively about it? Track down everyone who does so and abuse them? Not everyone will agree with what you like. Having said that, the moto vlogger should also know that just because he finds it disgusting doesn't mean everyone else does too. It works both ways. But why the violence? Resorting to violence removes any standing you have about your opinion.

I follow a YouTube moto vlogger who goes by the name Bulu Biker. As far as I have seen, he is a level headed chap with a down to earth talk. Watch him talk about this incident.

Edit: 30th Nov 2017. Pune Mirror had a front page report on it and IBW organisers have stated that the bike owner and another attacker have been banned from IBW.

Opposition to SH-8 by Chandor-Cavorim Gram Sabha in Goa

In the villages of Chandor and Guirdolim, villagers are coming together to prevent the construction of a proposed state highway (SH-8), which they are claiming is being forced in without consultation.

Their contention is that "the road from Rawanfond to Paroda has been broadened and many parts of the houses were even demolished to broaden it as it was a state highway no. 8; and therefore the 'village road' passing through Chandor cannot be notified as SH-8". The villagers further said that they collected the maps of RP 2001 and 2011 of the villages right from Aquem Baixo to Paroda and Sao Jose de Areal, which show the state highway 8 passing from Aquem Baixo via Sao Jose de Areal, and Paroda but in the draft RP 2021 the state highway 8 is shown as passing through Chandor.

This issue has seemingly been complicated by the letter from the Chief Town Planner to the PWD Executive Engineer where it was claimed that the highway was notified in the official gazette on February 17, and the same has been shown in the RP 2021 based on the RP 2001.

A meeting called for in Chandor on Oct 22nd was widely attended by the villagers raising their objections to the proposed SH-8 and laying out their future course of action.

Delicious times in Goa

And just like that, Delicious pork chops in Ribandar ensures that more people will get there and it will run out faster.

Yeah.

I know.

I just added to it.

Bombay HC strikes down MoEF's notification to transfer Goa's NGT cases from Pune to New Delhi

A couple of days ago Justice G.S. Patel passed a judgement striking down the Ministry of Environment and Forests' (MoEF) notification that transferred Goa's National Green Tribunal (NGT) cases from Pune to New Delhi.

Numerous cases have been filed in the NGT in Pune against various environmental violations regarding permissions granted for unscrupulous builders. Some have been dismissed as frivolous. But a good majority of them have been filed by concerned citizens who do not want to see the Goa of old fall by the side in the face of unsustainable construction and cutting down of tree cover.

It is being said that the cases were transferred to New Delhi to make it difficult for the common man to travel there often, as would be required with the numerous adjournments, and thus dissuade them from following up on the cases.

An extract from the judgement of Justice G.S Patel has been doing the rounds on facebook and whatsapp and it is being hailed as one of the most well written pieces to describe Goa in a while.

"This (Goa) is an extraordinary state, in more ways than one, a place where, perhaps more than anywhere else, sky, sea and earth meet. From horizon to horizon, it is a land of abundant richness. It is a land of confluences, where diverse strands meet and co-exist; and, in a time of apparently incessant strife and discord, it is still a mostly liberal land. It is a kind and gentle land, of a kind and gentle people. And it is also a land that, given its small size and small population, has had a wholly disproportionate influence on our art, culture, language, music, literature, architecture, history, design and more (even food, for many of what we consider our staples first came from here). Its greatest asset is one: its environment and its ecology — its rivers and riverbanks, its beaches, its lakes and clear streams, its dense forests, its low hills and fertile fields, its boulders and even trees shrouded with moss and vines and lichen in the rains, its ridiculously brilliant sunsets.

One needs only to turn off an arterial road to either east or west to see all this first-hand, and all of it within but a few minutes. If the NGT in Pune has so very many cases from Goa, it is not because — or not just because — the people of Goa are litigious; if true, that may only speak to their continued faith in the legal system and its processes. It is because they perceive that there is something of value here to protect. Few are frivolous causes; in the past few weeks, we saw none. Many, and perhaps most, are of very serious concern, raising vital questions of both public law and environmental governance.

To be sure, the government has before it a delicate balancing task of safe-guarding the environment and providing for development. What is important, however, is that a cause must be brought for an issue to be addressed. In our experience, one that none can deny, we have seen a very large number of worthy causes.

Our duty, and that of every government too, must be to ensure that these attempts to protect the environment can be brought to a forum that is close at hand, where environmental issues can be addressed quickly, without having to travel inordinate distances, and at a cost that the poorest in the land, not just the well-heeled, can afford. These are, after all, struggles for a better tomorrow. This or that particular cause may be lost. But no cause should be allowed to be lost for want of trying. For that, we have those who petition us. Equally certainly, no cause should be allowed to be lost for want of a court. That is up to us, and to the government.

For this is something none can deny: this is a land truly worth fighting for."

There is of course, the unfortunate news doing the rounds that the Goa government will proceed to take this matter up in the Supreme Court to appeal against the High Court ruling. If true, this would raise the question as to why is the government so hell-bent upon making sure the cases are heard in Delhi and ensure that it would be all the more difficult for the citizens, of whom it is an elected representative, to make their cases heard.

One only hopes that the MoEF and the State Government pay heed to the High court suggestions wherein it spoke highly of the Senior Counsel in the Goa Bar and about the junior Bar too and also recommended taking up the proposal to establish a circuit bench in Goa.

Valentine's day and the days preceeding it....

14th February 2009

I had so much to blog about in the recent past but have never seemed able to find the time to write about any of that.

Since then there have been attacks on women for visiting pubs and desecrating our 'culture' as the moral brigade would like to have it put. Even the daughter of a politician in power was not spared the ignomy of being assaulted and verbally abused.
To counter them, there was a group called 'A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women' formed which further started the now-famous "Pink Chaddi Campaign".
A further counter-counter group "The Pink Condom Campaign" has been started and the internet has already begun to get dirty with religion-based politics and slander.
The trouble makers from the SRS have now been taken into custody to prevent any trouble on V-Day, but it seems to be counter productive as if any of the members still out loose create trouble the moral brigade is bound to blame it on a rival political party trying to sully their image (like they even have one!)
A prominent political party associated with the moral brigade has gone to the extent of saying that a so-called-secular party in power was instigating the moral brigade and hence spoiling the name of his party (??!!)
Can things get any better in this blame game and "we-stand-to-save-the-culture-of-our-country-never-mind-that-education-and-development-takes-a-backseat" one-upmanship?

By the way, there is also another group on Facebook which calls itself "Kamasutra Day - A Truly Indian Cultural Event". They describe themselves as "In response to the Shri Ram Sena's clarion call that Indian culture is the only thing that Indians should celebrate, we have decided to declare the 1st of March as World Kamasutra Day."
A further clarification is added for those who wish to misconstrue this group: "NOTE: The celebration of Kamasutra Day is purely to get a message across. It is not, not a celebration of sex. And it will not be. If it happens, the whole purpose will be defeated.
People who want to celebrate sex please feel free to form a new group. Sorry, but there are people who feel strongly about KS Day not being misinterpreted."
The group seems to be growing in popularity with the membership now at 2100 and counting.

Oh yeah! Goa. The shiv sena group here needs to assert itself and be more prominent in the news or so they feel the need to do so. Else one fails to understand them addressing the press to ask couples to tone down their celebrations and keep the same in accordance with the Indian culture. Looks like they really want some attention... as recently when the screening of Slumdog Millionaire was taking place in Inox, they vandalised the multiplex and courted arrest. This, their unit president Upendra Gaonkar (who is this guy???), said was a "birthday gift" to their party supremo Bal Thackeray.
Aaaah! Why didn't they say so earlier? It's their party president's birthday and in order to show him that they are doing something keeping in accordance with the good ol' "shiv sena style" that they are well known for, they had to do SOMETHING...
so what do they choose? what else but VANDALISM of course!

I had gone with a group of friends on a drive to Netravali yesterday and we had a discussion on these recent events.

Decision arrived at: Group needs to be formed.
Name of the group: The "Beat-Up-Any-Sena-Member" Sena
Objective: You see any Sena member around you. Beat them up. Any.
Final Conclusion: We need to change the name of the group else we'll end up beating ourselves up.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

NO to Da Vinci

Been meaning to blog for a long long time. Everytime I think I'll blog there's either an exam to prepare for or a trip to Bombay. (15 round-trips to Bombay in 7 months!!!)

And recently I've noticed my tolerance levels seem to have dropped considerably. Earlier I wouldn't say a word if someone cut the queue in front of me or had someone come down the wrong side of the one-way street. These days I seem to be the first guy upfront to rip them apart.

Of course, what I read today in our local newspaper "HERALD" was AWESOME!
Goa against screening of Da Vinci
This, because of the religious sentiments that may be hurt!!?????

WHAT A LOAD OF CROCK!

So what the "minister" is trying to say is that if the movie is screened any other time of the year, sentiments won't be hurt. But during Christmas season, sentiments are vulnerable?????

Why doesn't he just concentrate on development? Oh yeah! I forgot. In the name of development, they already put up half the state for sale!

Would love to type out a letter to our beloved ministers:

Dear Minister,
PLEASE. For the love of God! Shut up!
You're the minister! Just ensure your department works efficiently and the public gets its due for voting you to "power".
Thank you.

p.s. I saw the movie today afternoon. My sentiments were definitely not hurt!

The thought to travel...

Man, I am THIS close to losing my mind! I've already made 5 round trips to Mumbai and back in the last 2 1/2 months with another round trip coming up in less than a week's time. God this is miserable!
I mean, I used to LOVE going to Mumbai. Go where you want, at whatever time you want and it never was a problem. No problem about getting back late and never ever a problem about transport.
But during the rains? No thanks mate! I'm lucky I have my work cut out for me in V.T. . Go there. Stay there. Complete designated work. Come home. Can't even think of going to Andheri, Bandra, Malad or where ever else I think of going to at the drop of a hat. It's fun doing that. Go to the station. Think up a place. Buy a return ticket and catch the train! Albeit, now with the rains hitting hard, it's a misery just getting to the station.

Dance Illusions in Goa

Finally! Today was the finals of the jive classes conducted by Dance Illusions, Vasco. Couples individually performed and were then followed by performances by the top 5 couples, after which the top 3 performed and the best couple was then picked. Watching them brought about a sense of disappointment at not being able to be in Goa during the jive classes. But it only served to further strengthen my resolve to learn jive before I go back on the ship again.
I had mentioned about Dance Illusions in my previous posts, but only giving it a passing glance. I think I should do it justice as it definitely deserves a lot more than that.
Being one of the few dance schools in Goa to teach contemporary American-style ballroom dances has helped Dance Illusions grow in leaps and bounds in terms of number of couples joining for the various dance styles ranging from salsa (even though that is not a ballroom dance!) to foxtrot to jive to waltz to rhumba and the styles just keep going on and on. I've never been to a dance school before so I have no idea about the 'teaching styles' as they so put it. But what I do know is that the patience and individual attention that the instructors give to the dance students is one that would drive any person, not learning dance here, green with envy.
Dr. Martin and his wife Flossy initially started this dance school, and now they have Shirley and Francis assisting them in their endeavour to help other people pick up dancing. One of the comments made by a student today was that at Dance Illusions, you don't just learn dancing, you also make a lot of friends. And how true! For it's just so casual an atmosphere, that you just can't help but relax and unwind while learning out there.
So, whaddya say? Wanna Dance?

P.S. Foxtrot starts on 8th June!!!

Election fever in Goa...

It's election time out here in Goa and thanks to the Election Commission we don't have the whole area plastered with flags and posters symbolising the various political parties and independents in the fray. At least this way we'll have less garbage to clear out once the elections are done and over with. Just wish the Election Commission had done something about the campaigning vehicles going about in the middle of the afternoon proclaiming the goodness of their ever so honest candidate standing for election. All this when there is a power outage to complete pre-monsoon repairs to the power lines!

It was quite interesting to see the declarations made by various political candidates in the election fray as these were printed in the local dailies. Criminal charges against them were declared like immovable assets,... pending for ages. Educational qualifiactions? Barring a few who had completed their graduation in courses like BCom, some of them were 10th pass, not forgetting to mention a 7th pass. (proud to have cleared that much huh?)


Damn I wish we still had the good old system of voting... paper ballot. Plain and simple. You don't like any of the candidates? Invalid vote. No problemo! Now it's electronic voting... and there ain't a possibility of invalid votes... damn! what I'd give for an option of 'none of the above'. Why not? If I feel none of them are worthy... voila!