There is this large container ship sailing across an ocean carrying containers filled with seafood of various kinds classified by species: very nice and expensive stuff. The captain enters the hold of the ship with his mates explaining to them the origin and contents of each container. There is a container with crabs from Mauritius: really huge and sealed tight to prevent its valuable occupants from jumping ship! Then they come to a container holding crabs from Australia: again sealed. Yada yada yada: you get the drift.

But then they come across a container holding Indian crabs and this one unlike the others has been left open. The baffled crew ask the captain “Why isn’t this closed? wont they escape if you leave it open?”. The elderly captain explains patiently that this container contains Indian crabs who have a special nature. “Take a look inside boys, every time one fellow tries to climb out, three other dirty, rotten scoundrels stand ready to pull him back in!”

Basically the story refers to this mentality of malaise that afflicts our collective Indian psyche and it’s a great truth. And there are many moments when each one of us is painfully reminded of how deep this mentality goes through our society where you don’t let other people succeed because you did not or grudge someone his success because you are not!

The first time I saw this mentality playing out was during an inter-college drama festival where a Marathi play where I was playing a lead role was chosen over some others to represent the college at the festival. Instead of being collectively happy and play with the team, some people made it their lifes mission to campaign against what was now the home team. We came second eventually, but the taste of victory was made considerably bitter because of the negativity that ensued for the next 3 years! Like the bitter after-taste of saccharine.

I had come to believe that we have left those days behind us. As a society, we have more opportunities today than ever before: more chances for the less privileged to be seen and heard and show their talents than ever before. However, I have just been dragged kicking and screaming back into the real world: one where fellow Indians still behave like the crabs in the container.

How could that &!*@&!* TV journo call HIM a senior tourer? How many bike-tours has he done? how could he get those pricey TV and magazine contracts and sell all those photographs… Since I haven’t managed to do any of those, and I don’t have a bats chance in hell of doing so, I should spend every moment online, dissing and running down those who managed to do so! I mean seriously!

Back in college, I questioned the fruits of victory that were made bitter by the sniping by the crabs. Now 13 years later: i dont question it. In its place there is acceptance. And a bitter resolve to succeed no matter what.

I could chose to pretend that this syndrome doesn’t exist but that would be tantamount to ostrich-like burying my head in the sand. To change the system one has to understand the system. You cant fight a war without knowing the enemy. And to win and succeed in India, I think we have to become a very special kind of crab: one who while climbing up keeps 2 hands free for fighting the crabs trying to pull him down. Fortunately, I take inspiration from other “special crabs”, those before me who have done the same and built enduring institutions in doing so. For every L K Advani, we have had a Narayan murthy. for every V P Singh or Gurumurthy(played so realistically by Madhavan in the film Guru), we have an Ambani. People who built on their vision regardless of those sniping at them from below. These people built institutions that will survive for long after they are gone, and so will I.

I have a vision too. And I am going to make it. Regardless of the looser crabs fighting their personal battles born of envy on facebook and twitter. Remember: Jitna ooncha bologe, utni hi tezi se aage badhunga: apni manzil ki or.

PS: As I type this, I am in Brittos on Baga Beach, waiting for the waiter to get me the seafood platter to go with my beer! Ironic or is there a connection! 

Rough ride plan for this year:

departure date: May 22 or May 29: will finalize next week after talking to various clients. With Amit’s departure, i am left without a network resource so I will also have to write a number of backup and maintenance utilities to ensure that those tasks get done automatically without manual intervention. Will also have to write out those end of day managers for end of day credit card charging. The home fires have to kept burning while I am away right? Hope to finish both these by 16 May max. by that time, I also hope to get Dougie in shape for the long ride.

On this ride, i will be making my very first set of short films:3 films of 15 min duration each. Since I have only done this once before (on the Uttaranchal ride), I decided i will need some professional tutoring. So signed up for a crash course in editing and filmmaking which I hope will be over by the 21st of May. ofcourse, friends and phamily in the business have vowed to help with the post-production and marketing, right guys?

Tentative plan:
Day 1 – Leaving Pune for North via NH8. end of day in Himmatnagar or Shyamalaji if lucky.
Day 2 – Himmatnagar to Rewari or Rohtak.

Hope to reach Leh on Day 7.

Two 4-day and 1 3-day circuits both returning to Leh covering 2 “special” routes. Will take a call on riding back via Kashmir based on the security situation. I am hoping the Kashmir plan works out because atleast one of the documentaries I want to shoot is in that area.

If not doing Kashmir, then will be in Amritsar in 3 days with night halts in Bharatpur and Dharamshala. If going to Zanskar-Kashmir, will be reaching Amritsar in 10/11 days after covering Zanskar and Kashmir.

From Amritsar plan to take a routing via Ganganagar-Bikaner-Barmer-Pokhran-Munabao-Ahmedabad to explore Rajasthan while getting back to Pune: – ~6 days.

Total: 23/30 days ex-Pune. Original plan to ship bikes to Chandigarh cancelled because I figure it will cheaper and more fun to ride down!

Slightly modified riding style as compared to previous years in an attempt to get better lighting conditions for photography as well as the film. After Mandi and upto Kud on the return, will be riding in 2 “slots” everyday: morning 6 to 11 and then again from 3 to 7 with the intervening period spent at a suitable location. This is based on my experience with harsh lighting in the region around noon. Also this ensures that I will get more time in places like Udepur and Keylong which otherwise just get bypassed.

Overall Avg speed has been kept down to ensure sufficient time for photography.

Equipment:

SLR’s – Canon 40D and 5Ds – thinking of carrying just the 40D since my bag is anyway too bulky
Lenses – 18-55 and 10-22 (First time for the 10-22!!). Thinking of NOT taking the 70-200. Last time in Leh, i took just ONE snap out of 125 using the zoom lens and carrying it is just a pain in the ass.

Film camera: PD170. basic i know, but thats all i have! will do for now.

Worked on the rear seat today. In the rear of the gypsy, i intend to put up a convertible seat which will be a front facing bench seat by day, but fold down into a bed by night. After 2 failed attempts – the last “drawer” design locked up on first camping out trial – I am now on the third attempt.

After trying in vain to explain the latest idea to the seat wala, i made a quick model out of some left over foam and this time i think he has understood what needs to be done!

The plan is to make the seat in 3 pieces: A – Backrest 30″x48″, B- Base 21″x48″, C- 21×48″. Piece C folds over B in “seat-mode”. 1-hook on each b-pillar will swivel around to support Piece-C as it folds over into a bed. When folded down it will be a 72″x48″ lie-flat bed. 4″ thick for the backrest and 2″ thick for B and C. Seatwala says 2 U-shaped legs required: why not mount it on the wheel casing?

He has quoted 6k including faux rexine covers in red and black scheme and fitting. Will try and negotiate.

PS: The solar panel arrived and it “feels” heavier than what i had thought. Need to reexamine this plan.

One thing about the way we treated Hussain deeply troubles me: if what he painted was “blasphemous” and deserved such treatment as he received, then going by that same logic, other painters like Anjali Menon, Amrita Gill and Satish Gujral deserved to be lynched in public? People like the Shiv Sena and others in the loony right, who go after Hussain with such relish should see the way Hindu gods and godesses have been depicted by other contemporary artistes!

And if what Hussain painted was blasphemous, then I think the Shiv Sena and the RSS should go out and demolish the Temples at Hampi next. See my pictures from my Hampi ride for reference!

Why this selective targetting of Hussain? Does it have anything to do with the fact that he is a Muslim and Anjali menon is Hindu? Why are rules different based on the artistes religion? We see similar dynamics at play whenever Shah Rukh Khan’s name pops up. When “Kaho na pyar hain” released, one Mr.”T Balu” was hailing it as the end of the Muslim rule over bollywood. Both Aamir and Nandita Das spoke out against Gujarat Riots. Nandita Das’s comments were ignored, but Aamir Khan was vicously attacked. More recently, Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Akshay Kumar made pretty much the noises about Pakistan’s non-participation in the IPL.
Amazing how the loony right ignored Akshay and Preity, and went straight for Shahrukh’s jugular.

Then again: perhaps not so surprising given the nature of the right wing parties in India. Muslim artistes will remain vulnerable targets for attack which gives the parties in question a good way to stay in public eye. Very important given their increasing irrelevance in indian politics which is today guided by good governance and solid performance figures.

I think, we as a nation failed to protect Hussain enough from the violence perpetrated by the loony right and thereby lost one of the greatest painters of the modern era. I hang my head in shame!