Casual and serious thoughts / ಹಗುರ ಹಾಗು ಗಂಭೀರ ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳು

  Our convoy of 7 (JLR Defenders) +2 (Lead & Sweep) cars  After our 2024 Cougar Motors Land Rover Defender trip to the Himalayas ( Zanskar Himalayan Journey ) we planned another in India's North-East: “ Brahmaputra Journey ”. Mr Shyam Bhat, a Cougar regular, strongly recommended it. All 2026 trips were booked, so we left a message with Ms Sapna Gupta of Cougar Motor sport ( https://www.cougarmotorsport.in/defender-journeys/) : " we'd join if dropouts occurred and dates suited ". Luck struck—a spot opened, dates worked, and we booked on seven days' notice. Off to the land of the Seven Sisters via Guwahati, routing through Delhi due to flight issues. The route (Guwahati to Tawang and back) Day 1: Guwahati Relaxation We arrived at Taj Vivanta exhausted from red-eye flights. With Bihu festival underway, we savoured an Assamese thali lunch, slipped into a food coma, then met our diverse group—fellow travellers from North India - Chandigarh, Panipat, Delhi, West - M...

We all say it: "Accidents happen." But do they? Are crashes, falls, and mishaps truly unavoidable, or can we dodge them with better habits? And when they strike, do we shrug them off as "acts of God" or "karmic events"? Or do we dig in, analyse, and grow? I've had my share of close calls—in life, on bikes, in training, and at work. All of them taught me something vital each time. Thought of penning down some of them.. Thailand Motorbike Crash: A High-Speed Wake-Up See my detailed blog on the Thailand ride Picture this: I'm cruising through Thailand on a benign double-S curve at 70-90 kmph. Eyes drift from the exit (classic target fixation fail), trail braking lags, and maybe gravel sneaks in. In a blur, I'm airborne—knowing a crash is imminent. No GoPro rolling, so no replay, but the lesson stuck and deeply embedded into me. Was it avoidable? Absolutely. I knew the basics, yet they vanished like Karna forgetting his skills in the heat of battle...