Bullet busy-ness!

A couple of weeks ago, I finalized a deal to get my very own Royal Enfield Bullet. It’s a 2003 Thunderbird, with a different design from the regular Bullet motorcycle. I’d put in a good bit of research into motorbikes in India and after much thought, decided to go for a cruiser and there seem to be only two bikes that fall into that category here: the Enfield and Bajaj’s Avenger. I’m new to bikes and it took me a while to flesh out my impressions – but the overall idea was to have a bike I could take long trips on. This was a deciding factor – long trips mean that the bike has to deal with longer runs on the engine and a small engine just won’t do – so a 350cc or 500cc was the answer.

Choosing between Bajaj and Enfield, I decided to opt for the simpler design which I could, given the inclination, take apart and put back together. I hope to maintain the bike, with some guidance, on my own. So an Enfield it was – and then the rest was chance. I found a bike in decent condition that needed a bit of work to fit my needs.

This is what I started with:

And I had a few things that needed fixing:

• No mirrors
• No Indicators
• Twisted handlebar
• Broken cup for the speedometer
• Broken headlight glass
• Some leaks from the gearbox
• Locks that were a bit rusty and
• A funny gearshift (way too much play here!)

With my good friend Zubin, I proceeded to get a few things fixed near Chirag Delhi – clutch, gear and the headlight glass. We got a bit of the twist out of the handlebar, but more work was needed – and I needed a Helmet! Zubin helped by lending me an old one.

After much delay, we visited Karol Bagh a couple of days ago. It was almost unbearable in the heat, but I was in luck. After buying the helmet from Veekay stores, I asked Kunal if he knew of a good RE mechanic. He directed us to Tribhuvan, who was in a small alleyway opposite.

With Tribhuvan, I prepped a rather long shopping list over the next 4-5 hours:

• Rear indicator and lamp wiring
• Mounting plate for the indicators and license, and nut bolts for the same
• Indicators
• Flasher (for the blinking indicators)
• Indicator switch – mine was way too rusty to operate
• Some washers for the leak
• Mirrors
• Handlebar
• Lock kit
• Speedometer cup

And I let him at it. I’d go shop for a bit and then hang around watching him and his associate work on the bike. It was amazing how rationally the bike was made –it’s to be expected, I know, but for me it was just amazing how he took bits and pieces apart and then put them all back together again. What he did was a simple matter than refitting the engine, but it was still fun learning about how it was all put together. It just inspired me to learn more about the bike.

So, with that, this is what the bike looks like now:

And now, I’m looking forward to the next maintenance cycle to get it all fixed up for a tour.

I’ve been busy buying some tools for my trips and still have to organize a storage/saddlebag for it – it’s all quite heavy!

• Spanner and box Spanner kit
• Puncture Repair kit
• Screwdriver

I still need to get some other bits as a roadie:

• Clutch cable,
• Accelerator cable
• Brake cable
• Spare tube

And more than anything, I need to learn how to make these repairs!

Luckily, I’ve found that I’ve got a good bit of Enfielders in my group of friends and we hope to convert a few more!

Jazz Festival in Delhi

It was a beautiful day at the Nehru Park today with flowers in full bloom.

And it was the perfect evening for Jazz in the park. Tonight was the last evening of the festival and I was impressed by the amazing talent on stage.

We stayed till about 8:30 pm and watched two bands perform:

• Bica-Daerr-Stick trio, and
• Magos Herrara

Both were really amazing. On this page you can hear a sample of the former’s music (bottom left corner) and this page has some music by Magos Herrara. It’s one thing to love about Delhi, the opportunity to enjoy great music in a wonderful setting.

Organic Food in Delhi

Another useful bit of info that I wanted out of my mailbox and into the world. Thanks to Anna da Costa for compiling this.

Stores:

1. Matri Service Store, Gate No 8, Aurobindo Ashram, near Hauz Khas
2. Fab India
3. Altitude Store – have a range of products both through online delivery and also have two stores in Delhi: http://thealtitudestore.com/how_to_order.html
4. Best – Malviya Nagar main market
5. Le Marche – DLF mall saket
6. Malik Stores – Defence Colony,
7. Navdanya – Hauz Khas
8. Dubdengreen – In Shahpur Jat and online

Delivery/Services:

1. I Say Organic: starting sales of affordable organic
   vegetables on March 15, but are getting a trial shipment from our farmer
   groups on March 3 that will be sent out to people keen to sample the
   products. Let me know if you (or anyone else on this group) are
   interested and I’ll add them to the list. More information on what we’re
   doing and product offerings is in this newsletter. http://eepurl.com/joemj.
2. Ehsaas Organics: http://ehsaasorganic.com/
3. My friend who grows organic produce
   offer 1 box a week with greens:  Kale, Swiss Chard, and whatever is
   coming up each week.  If you are interested give me a call. 9958170584.
   Soorya
4. Altitude store (above)
5.  Dubdengreen (above) – www.organicbounty.com

There was a document along with this mail which I will upload once I get permissions to do so.

Gluten free food in Delhi

Recently I came across some cool info about Gluten Free food in Delhi. Here it is:

*** Marks the ones that were recommended by the most people

Online

• *** Swiss Gourmessa: http://www.swissgourmessa.com/index.php?route=product/search&keyword=gluten&category_id=35 . Free delivery for orders above Rs. 300
• *** Foodbury: http://foodbury.com/?wpsc_product_category=gluten-free . Free delivery for orders above Rs. 1500.

Defence Colony

• *** Defence Bakery – Shop #34
• There’s a shop in Defence colony market (next to Sagar) that sells gluten free flour.
• The Taste
• Malik Brothers
• Godrej Nature’s Basket: http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/stores.php

Vasant Kunj/Vasant Vihar/MG Road

• *** Swiss Gourmessa – E-block, VV
• *** Cafe Amaltas
• *** Le Marche (Sugar & Sprice) basement in Basant Lok
• *** Swiss Gourmessa: In Ghittorni on MG Road
• Big Bazaar has Orgran brand gluten free flour and cake mix
• Anmolpreet gluten free food products, 1666 A, B-1, Behind Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, http://www.anmolpreetfood.com/
• Godrej Nature’s Basket: http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/stores.php

Saket Mall

• *** Le Marche (Sugar & Sprice) stocks gluten-free pasta in several varieties.

Lutyen’s Delhi

• *** Le Marche (Sugar & Spice) in Khan Market
• Oberoi Patissierie
• Opera Bakery in Khan Market
• The Steakhouse in Jor Bagh has a tie up with GF products.

GK I&II

• Godrej Nature’s Basket: http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/stores.php

Custom orders

• Sanjay Tiwari at 98100-06803. "He creates GF products even has a lovely GF cafe."
• Soorya Kaur at 99581-70584. "I can make gluten free crackers and breads available."

Courtesy of http://delhiquitecontrary.posterous.com/

My birth certificate needs investigation…

I’m not sure how I should feel about this. Today, I was at the German embassy in New Delhi to get some paperwork done. I had along a copy of my birth certificate and my passport and a legal document from Cyprus. They accepted the document from Cyprus, but when looking at my birth certificate they paused. “This needs to be investigated,” said the lady at the counter. I frowned at that. That’s a birth certificate which states the date and place of my birth, along side my parents’ names. The same information was in my passport and pretty much every legal document I carry. After some back and forth a senior person came along and explained. “We stopped accepting Indian documents 12 years ago. I’m sure you understand. With the level of fraud in India, the German government has decided to stop accepting these documents. Our consul nearest to your birthplace will have to investigate this issue.”

My birth certificate was suspect. Every paper that I consider as proof was suspect. Any document I could procure held no validity. The world stood stock still for a moment as I tried to digest this bit of news. “But I’ve visited Germany several times,” I lamented. “Isn’t my passport an identity proof?” It appears that while they accept it for brief stays if I were to interact with the local legal system in Germany, I’d need to prove my identity all over again. Because I’m Indian. Because, my government has let me down. It has allowed rampant corruption and fraud to erode every shred of credibility in the proofs one could procure.

Maybe the Germans are being paranoid, but certainly the fact that this is allowed to continue as an accepted mode of operation tells me that the Indian government is helpless to address or solve the problem. And it has failed to do so for over 12 years! I think I’ve discovered a new level of shame. Mera Bharat Mahaan.

A desk to work on!

Is joy having a desk I can work on? Because I certainly feel happy after setting it up! Today, as I sat reviewing my commitments, the topic of Sofa and Desk under A better life in Delhi nagged me to no end. So, I got on my bike and headed off to Amar Colony in search of the furniture market. About 2 weeks ago when my friend from Egypt was around, I’d been to the clothes market, so getting there was easy. And on a bike, I took my time slowly pedaling down the streets to get a feel for the place.

After asking a couple of times, I got directed by the folks there to an area near a temple. Beside it was a furniture store selling office chairs and some furniture repair shops. Could this be the place? Certainly, comparing this venue to the other places I’d been, it didn’t feel like this was it. Cycling down a lane beside the temple, I found myself passing what looked like a junkyard littered with furniture. This, as it turned out, was the fabled furniture market. Also known as Khoka (box/carton) market, this place is filled with piles of furniture of all sorts and shapes.

After a while the pile started making sense. There were alleys going East-West with piles on both sides. At the end of these alleys are the shops which own the material in these alleys. One can spend a few hours just taking it all in, as I did today. I was completely unprepared for this experience.

This market is run by people who buy furniture sold by various organizations or homes in lots. They then sort it out these pieces and mix them in with furniture that they purchase from workshops. All of these odd bits and ends are laid out for the buyer to pick and sort through, as I did today. A friend once told me that you just have to keep visiting the place now and again. It’s a game of patience and if you have a keen eye, you can find some amazing pieces. I guess one could power a showroom using a collection of these pieces. I dread bringing my wife here.

So, after poking around for a bit, I found a desk that seemed to stand out. It was hidden under a bunch of junk. After talking things over with two sellers who offered to customize their wares, this one seemed like a godsend. I got quoted something like 16,000 INR. After some haggling, we settled on 12,000.

As it turns out, a seller nearby told me that its price was around 8,000. Frankly, after some searching in the previous weeks, I’d been offered desks of varying qualities and materials ranging from 13,000 up to 24,000 INR. None of them had felt as solid or as relaxed as the one before me. What annoyed me a bit was that the seller offered to buy it back for half price if felt I didn’t want it. Oh well, that’s a risk one must always take. But now I had a desk. I could work! The world of possibilities opened up for me.

For a chair I hunted around and finally settled on a revolving chair with some lumbar support. A no brand chair, it was manufactured by the shop that sold it and they were willing to let it go for 3,800. On haggling some, the guy said, fine, 3,600 with 200 INR as transport charges. I laughed and said I’d take it without. We shook on it. I let him know that he could drop it next door at the Khoka market where I’d just purchased a desk. The salesman smiled a wry smile, “Smart!”

Coming home, we had to take the door out to move the desk in. And now that it’s here I’ve set it up and set it up just the way I want it. Today’s been a good day!

Two concerts in a week

The arrival of our guest a week ago led to some really interesting occurrences – the visit to Delhi’s Baha’i temple, and Qutub Minar as well as the tour of Hauz Khas’ rooftops. But I failed to post about the two concerts we attended!

Sarah, on the evening before our guest arrived, surprised me with news that she’d gotten us invitations to A. R. Rahman’s concert, organized by the Goethe Institute and performed by the famous German Film Orchestra Babelsberg. I figured it would be quite exciting and with the venue being Siri Fort Auditorium, it was a hop away. Irresistible! So, we met up in Anand Lok with others in our group and hiked it to the auditorium. On the way there was excited chatter about what to expect and our guest, having taken the same flight as the Orchestra from Mumbai, was excited at the coincidence.

As has become the custom nowadays, we passed through security checks and eventually entered the auditorium. We were early and some of us managed to snag seats in the second row from the pit – well, stage, to be precise, with a dry moat around it. We wondered if A. R. Rahman would really be present, because after closer reading the invitations said, the German Orchestra would be performing the music. There was no mention if the composer was going to be present.

Regardless, we saw an ever growing stream of movers and shakers. Being new to the Delhi and India scene I only recognized Kiran Bedi, and later A. R. Rahman himself!

That was concert #1. For #2, it so happens that a relative of ours managed to get us invited to Paul van Dyk’s concert at Samrat! One thing I can say about the event is that we really enjoyed the experience with our DJ. Shiro’s atmosphere was great too and with the giant Buddha head facing the DJ and the two massive statues on the sides, we were enthralled by the place.

Marring the experience was the hotel Samrat itself, whose staff appeared somewhat dispirited, and which appears to be falling apart – a bamboo stick from Shiro’s roof décor dropped onto the dance floor at one point! Thankfully no one was injured. Another disappointment was the crowd. Frankly, the place was nowhere close to packed. We’d arrived early, hoping to avoid the crowd, but seeing the turn out, we could’ve just arrived at about anytime.

Our visit to the Qutub Minar Complex

		Qutub Minar Visit VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Delhi’s Baha’i Temple

		Lotus Temple VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Today I visited the Baha’i Temple on the outskirts of Delhi. It was a good opportunity to try out my camera and catch some sights of Delhi at the same time, and having a guest over was the perfect excuse.

Getting there was easy as falling off a log. Easier, perhaps. The thermometer showed that it was about 19 degrees outdoors. So, the weather was warm enough for a walk to the metro station. Within minutes we were headed towards Kalkaji station on the violet line. The temperature inside the metro was a bit too warm and I had to shed a layer to stop overheating.

We got off at the Kalkaji station and headed towards the temple at a slow pace, enjoying the  Seeing it from a distance, I’d formed a vague impression of the place, but being there I had an impression of horizons opening up.There were a good number of tourists visiting and walking through the gardens to the temple, I was a bit disappointed that the gardens had been closed off. I can imagine why, but it was still a bit disappointing.

As we approached the temple things started getting more orderly as guards and ushers asked people to form a line. Closer to the temple, we waited as the group ahead of us lined up. Two ushers formed two groups in front of the temple entrances and proceeded to give them a talk. I was curious as to what they’d have to say. I found out soon enough; it was a brief introduction about the Baha’i faith and a request that we proceed into the temple quietly and not disturb the peace with conversation, mobile phones or cameras.

The prayers were as magical as one could’ve imagined. The acoustics of the place gave the recitals a very hallowed feel and I was amazed at the fact that everyone was so quiet inside. I’d love to learn some more about the Baha’i faith.

Laaton ke bhoot… (the ghosts that need kicking)

My car had a flat rear tyre. And much to my chagrin I found that the first two times I tried to take it off, it wouldn’t budge! I’ve hat flat tyres before and changed them without much trouble so, it’s not that I’m clueless. I tried pulling, pushing and kicking, but the damn thing wouldn’t move. It got me worried, coz, I really couldn’t do much more without risking a fall off the jack.

So, some research was needed. I called up the previous owner, and AJ’s response was, “What?! You want to change the tyre yourself? Take it to the service center.” Um, yeah, but the tyre’s flat, so how did he suggest I move it. “Call them. That’s what they’re there for.”  Not satisfactory. So, I rang up the workshop and told them that my tyre wouldn’t budge, and yes, I did know how to change one. “Kick it, and pour some water on it”, said they. Check and check. No budgy. I recalled something about using Coke, so I poured a full bottle of coke over the part where it joined the axle. No effect.

And today I was walking down the road and found a tyre repair workshop. I walked up to them and explained. “Hammer the wheel from the inside so it pops out.” I’d been jacking the car up and down for every damn suggestion I got, so after these 4 trials, I smoothly jacked up the car in under a minute and this time the advice worked. A few gentle hits with the hammer and out came the tyre! In 5 minutes I was working on the next problem: my curtain runners.

And as the Indian saying goes, Laatoon ke bhoot baatoon se nahi maante. Some situations just can’t be solved gently. Which actually might apply for my next experience too.

Note to self: To avoid this issue in the future, keep a hammer in the car.