Ghumakkar's Diary

" What will you like to have on your birthday? A book!  Few months back I got this reply from my 10 years old niece. I gifted her Alice and Wonderland much to annoy her younger sister. It hasn’t got any pictures! Who reads these many words,   was her reaction to one of the Best children book ever written. Now this story had everything, a cute girl, an   out-of-this-world   set, extra ordinary league of characters – complete wow and awe factor! But, where it failed my younger ( 6yrs old ) niece? Definitely, problem wasn’t with the story, but the book – it was all just words, negligible cartoons and no color ( except the cover page ). This tells the story that though the kids like and devour those stories which have creative characters that may bring a wow affect in the story – it’s not worth reading if it’s just words! Not so sanely, but yes it could be analogues to the fact that kids tend to eat a sandwich or a trendy   roti-roll   stuffed w...

The last word is yet to be out on what caused Tuesday's train accident near Arakkonam on Tuesday that killed 10 people and injured more than 65 others. But reports that H.Rajkumar, the motorman of the EMU that crashed into a passenger train, was talking on his mobile immediately before the crash have shocked railway officials and doctors treating him. .. – ToI, Sep 2011  Dont drive Intexticated...it may be your last SMS When my colleague rejected to pay any attention to my pleads to not text or dial/receive a call while driving, I thought to share these few findings and advertisement campaigns from the sane big commercial houses and not just insane over-cautious people like me.

Procrastination, actual workload, a ‘beautiful’ mind in my skull – have been a few reasons to not to publish any travelogues, random thoughts and any other post in last few days. Tomorrow morning or better say within hours I will be riding after a long time and that too to Jaisalmer. But, before that would like to post a small request to help my FB/Twitter/Activist friend Tarang organizing Achieve Together Conference . This is a one day conference, at Don Bosco High School, Matunga East on March 10, 2013 ,  with an aim to bring 120 children from across the Megacity together to be inspired by role models, engage them in some fun learning workshops and obviously let them have new friends. Vision is the world of tomorrow as being a place that not only encourages co-operation, sharing, a life of values but also a love for learning. The entire day is structured leading us to the vision " learn and inspire, together ".

When I died some 20years ago, I didn’t realize would ever be worshipped for something I could have actually tried to avoid. I tried to re-write it, tried to erase the mistake I did; but, it’s not always the way one wishes! I am Om Singh; they fondly call me Om Bana or more lovingly Bullet Baba. Chotila is the village where I was born and brought up into a Bulleteer. It was 1991, month I don’t remember – for it never mattered to me; it was just another pleasant night in the hot sands of Rajasthan when I died. Time stopped that day, at least for me! Om Bana's Bullet - Riding towards Sunshine, Riding towards Sanity Like any other young youth of there times, I too had an ambitious heart raving high on his Bullet through the yet-to-be metalled roads of Rajasthan. I brought up in a family, affluent to most of the resources, if not like rajahs. Chotila was my kingdom, friends my life and Bullet – the mighty machine I ride. Alcohol was another special friend, who dragged me to ...

One can’t do everything, but everyone can do something! 2011 ended in everyone’s own way. I partied hard with my friends, seniors and some friends spent the night doing barbeque at a hill, a friend spent it riding and camping across the jungles and so on. But, when it came to Welcome the Year 2012, we,  Bisons , rode to meet the  '16-till-I-die'  ladies of Assisi Bhawan. Assisi Bhawan Assisi Bhawan , located at Goregaon, is home to old age people, mostly women. Bison Sheldon proposed and planned this sacred ride for BisonsRideHard. Sacred, as it was a call of our souls and not just a hobby ride. Some 40 Bullet riders, Bisons and aspirants, from all over the Greater Mumbai gathered at BKC with some small gifts for the Assisi residents. A small prayer and we left BKC with a bisonian roar, following Ride Captain Sheldon in wedge formation, we reached Bhawan at about 5 PM. Sister Catherine and a number of ladies were already waiting for us in the Bhawan’s lobby...

In a few hours, I would be attempting my first Half Marathon in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012 . As planned, I was able to participate in Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012, and also earned a sacred rank of 786   among  some 9900 runners in the Category. I did register last year, but couldn’t participate as had to start the ride to RM-East on the same day the event was scheduled. Last year I registered as an Isha Vidya NGO’s member for the Half Marathon, but couldn’t actually raise a single penny. This year, I am participating as an individual and mostly due to time-constraints (!) I couldn’t get in touch with Isha Vidya team while preparation or other charity events.  My next year's aim is not only to complete Half Marathon within 1hr 45 mins, or participate in Full Marathon, but also to break my limitations, and actually generate some funds for the cause I could never be able to support in real sense. Here I am republishing my...

Updated June 2013: This run couldn't happen because of some administrative problems. Also, Barefoot Runner India's website is leading 404Error. Reason is not known to author. ( This post has been published in  TheViewspaper  as  Running Barefoot to Guinness! ) Have you ever run a few kilometres barefoot , that too for a Guinness Records , and not shoed with the best sneakers in market for your diabetes, weight-problems or so? If not, here may be a chance to run barefoot or ride your pride, the bullet, for a special cause. Navi Mumbai 2010 Guinness Record Taking inspiration from the very first ‘original’ marathon run from Marathon to Athens in Greece by barefoot-Pheidippides, some 2500 years ago, BarefootRunnersIndia is organising a Navi Mumbai Half Marathon 2011 . Last year, in its first edition held on 12 December, 2010, with 306 barefoot runners, the organisation successfully registered to Guinness World records as the Largest Barefoot Race. This yea...

Once upon a time there was a young man. He designed a water filter that was though not perfect, good for most. High on his Archimedean invention, he put it for the public display in the busiest market of the town with a tag “ Comments cordially invited ”. By the evening, it was difficult even to recognize what was actually kept there in the market. Devastated, our man burnt his invention and swears not to work on it further. There comes a wise man, out of blues, and advised him to build another and put it again in the market with a different tag “ Please modify it the way it would be better ”. That evening was different than the previous, there stood that piece with no changes at all! :) I am not a pro-chlorine, but am certainly not “just” anti-chlorine too . When I came across this Crusade against Chlorine topic on Indiblogger , first thing that came to my mind was my childhood that I spent in a well-maintained railway colony, where the water was treated with chlorine and potassium...

Dear Japan, My father introduced me to you as a tiny island located somewhere far in the east. My earliest impression was that you’re Home to Sun, or have done something extraordinary that even Sun doesn’t dare to miss to wish you a Good morning every day before any other big country, including my own Bharatvarsha . And as I come to know more about you, I realized how true my imagination was. A Sengoku warrior on horseback   (Courtesy:  http://peterphun.com ) You have always been a beautiful country nurtured and taken care by very hardworking, honest and technologically super human beings, who built their Nation from ruins to riches. A nation who gave birth to Landmarks of Global Industries from Sony, Suzuki to Yamaha, Mitsubishi, Honda and  hundreds more. A nation synonymous to Quality Electronics and Revolutionary Automotive engineering.  A nation where ladies wear beautiful Kimonos , farmers cultivate artistic rice fields , engineers construct marvels, and...