500kms in a day!! Mahabaleshwar Conquered!!!

i started from home after watching Pakistan loose in their world cup encounter against the minnows Ireland.. it was around 4.50am in d morning..

i reached Vashi at 5.15am it took me unusually long time to reach there...might be i was driving cautiously in d dark..
but to my surprise everyone i.e Arun, Dhananjay and Mohit were waiting for me...We were each on a bike..a ZMA of Mohit and 3 pulsars...150 of dhananjay..my 180 v1 and arun on 180v2..

i was driving in reserve petrol for just about 4 kms when i reached Vashi..We drove to Nerul to fil up..it was 5.45 n no sign of anyone at de pump...from there we decided to check Belapur station pump..but that too was closed..no gates here but bamboos for sure..
from here we decided to start our journey even if i was on reserve and had driven some distance but not too much to take any chance..so it was fine....
we stopped at a Panvel Petrol Pump where each had put in 500 bucks worth of petrol i.e around 10litres...it was 5.52 am here..

decided to take de next stop at Dutta Snacks for garama-garam vada pav..but we were too early there for that...they had just started cleaning up de place for start...thot of stopping for a while so that we cud fill up our stomachs after filling up our bikes...but decided otherwise..
took a right to pen still in dark and started our journey towards Harihareswar..
it was absolutely dark on the way to Pen..Panvel-Pen road is a twisty turning H'way NH 17 i.e the Mumbai-Goa H'way..with trucks driving all over with all kind of stuff loaded...some of them carry mud and rocks without any cover and it flies off n sticks on ur face..
but driving in d dark is absolute fun..had never experienced that before...no street lights only de headlight to d rescue...people with weak headlights...dont venture out in d dark on the H'ways...the experience cannot be explained in words...u gotta experience that urself!!
The trucks coming from the other side never use a Dipper and we have the lights going directly into our eyes...after a while of driving all i was able to see was 2 circular coloured spots..
reached the Toll naka and i decided to stop for others to join...it was around 6.30 at this point in time...Mohit joined me right after and Dhananjay and Arun came in after a few minutes...everyone said just one thing...SAHI HAI YAAR!!

we left from here to our way to Nagothane which is about 25 kms from Pen...on de way we stopped on a diversion not knowing where to go...me n mohit were at front stopped there and asked for directions..in d mean while other two joined...


Reached Nagothane at around 7.15 for breakfast...Had Idli-Vada and dosa along with nice coffee...really nice taste but a bit costly...
Saw the sun breaking thru from behind the Mountain in front of the Hotel Indraprastha...

There is a really nice informative board of the distances from the place to the tourist places around...This is where it was Arun shouted..abe Mahabaleshwar to sirf 126 kms hai idhar se...Mohit got excited and we decided to go to Mahabaleshwar instead of Harihareshwar as was predecided...

Started from Nagothane at around 7.45am after a nice breakfast...the next milestone was Mahad..around 65 kms from Nagothane...The roads up till now were really nicely laid...The road to Mahad was also great...little traffic on the road and nice greenery all around...
i stopped in between to inform about the change of plan to my bro..there i took a snap in Bombay Pulsars style...

it took me around 5 mins here..in the mean while others had gone ahead...they stopped in the middle to check where is was...they thot i had a puncture..but fortuntely this time around there was no such incident..i caught up with them n we drove at around 80-90 kmph average to our next stop Mahad...asked the directions and were told to take a left at Poladpur near a statue..
took the left after asking..and started the climb to Mahabaleshwar...it was around 9am at Poladpur...The road is a two way road to Mahabaleshwar..
after some distance we started the twisty and turning Ghat section...its around 38 kms of Ghat to reach M'war..the road is great apart from some sections..but that is ok...reached some 14 kms from the top i.e. covered 26 kms of ghat section and decided to take some snaps...


it was about 9.45 at this point in time...it was just 14kms to the top...we drove some distance .. but just 2 kms into the ghat the road got worse...in some areas the road is dug up on one side as there is some road construction going on..and in other parts there are only rocks...me not confident in driving in these conditions was too slow...then some relief but again the same thing...it was just about 4kms but it took out all the air from me...stopped for a while and reached the top!! it was 10.45..so we took nearly an hour to cover 40kms...but funn it was...
did not roam around too much..went to the monkey point but no monkeys apart from the 4 riding bikes..
the view is great from the top..but have to visit after rains...gotta plan this out and for a stay too!!

we decided to come back via Pune...the road is mostly one way and absolutley flat...u can go flat out here...test the top speed and anything u want...we drove at average 90-100 kmph..reached Vashi at around 7.30...
In the end this is one of the best rides i have had so far n will cherish for a loooong time!!

CH*T**A banaya!!!

being pressed down by the power of money…merit is getting raped in broad daylight…

this is an incident from the college i unfortunately chose for making my career path..i was ranked 171 in Maharashtra and 156 in the university .. so there were other options available..but the fees in this college were lower than the peer colleges…and yes the FEE WAS NOT INTERIM….

i went into the 2nd year MBA by paying what they called "Interim Fee" which was around 57k…and only 2 months left for the final examination and the management wakes one day thinking that there is too much going into their pockets and nothing is left to be given to the few good professors in the college..nothing is left for the construction to go forward… so they decide this… Students of MMS have to pay the remaining amount of Rs.49k…ya u read it right REMAINING amount of Rs.49000…within 15 days..

The Students…a few who were placed on MERIT started their struggle against the Political bandwagon of the College management.. They got the usually UNUNITED class together to standup against the injustice being done on them..The class for a change agreed that yes this is injustice and we would standup against it…

All heads got together to discuss what should be said infront of the management..It was pre-decided who would speak and what was going to be discussed…

It was all going fine in the meeting…

The management trying to break the moral of the students by saying things like

"IF U CANNOT AFFORD THIS FEE…U ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO EDUCATION"

"U SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ADMISSION IN SOME OTHER COLLEGE"

"MBA IS NOT FOR POOR"

flash back to a day before….the college management gathered the students of the university to brief about something..the students - juniors as well as seniors ( not many present though)..and then the announcement was made that the fee for the college was being increased in consultation to the samiti to Rs.90k. Everyone was stunned but there was hardly anyone who stood up against this…

the one who stoodup was in no mood to take this so easily…and after some explainations from both the ends he was asked what hasnt he got from the college...this is where he got to Merit Vs Backdoor entry issue..in the heat of things he said a lot of things that seemed to be boiling inside him for many days…the intolerance of watching someone go through easily on just the basis of vitamin M..might be one of it…many applauded but was this really the time for all this?? i ask myself…

Justification for the management quota was given in this manner…
"THEY COULD AFFORD TO PAY HIGHER FEE SO THEY TOOK ADMISSION HERE "

Today this guy seemed too frustrated to handle the politics that people play..he started resisting in his own way which many feel wasnt appropriate..and came into the eyes of the management..Politics runs in the blood of our management and this was the opportunity that was bagged very easily…this time seniors were present in better number.. he was called n asked to repeat what he had said a day before..he was asked "do u think u are superior to ur classmates".. he said "excepting some..yes i do"..Management was in no hurry to let him go so easily..so the whole class was made to think that he was the devil among the angels..and the class as usual withdrew support of him thinking of short term rather than long term..

then ……

"CAN WE PAY IN INSTALLMENTS" said one from the back when it had fallen totally silent…and another started to ask for discount…n then more started begging who really dont need what they were asking for…"yes why dont we pay in INSTALLMENTS"…."Installments after we join the job…"
This is what the management needed….the weaker link of the class to standup and say things like these…and it was all over for the merit holders…

anyways this was one more defeat for the people standing against injustice…
we are not going to give in so easily…

there are a few other issues also which need to be taken care of.. but that can be done after everything else settles...