Black Sparrow

Godspeed! or lets call that 60 kmph, though god wouldn't mind me going a few notches higher. Any amount of insistence on my part doesn't seem to perturb this junk piece of machinery called XCD 125, that a few years ago Jackie Chan sold on TV to gullible Indians, promising a cruising comfort, even a pseudo flying experience. By the time, we could discover that takeoff speed limit is 60 kmph, Jackie had fled the country and gone underground since then. May be such miracles happen in high altitudes of Wuhan settlement of Xian province. Definitely not in Chinchpokli village of Thane district.

Well, I call my bike Black Sparrow. It is no Black hawk or a Street hawk. It is just a small twittering sparrow. Now black sparrow has been put under my care by my friend Shyam Kumar CFA, who has gone back to his native village to work in the NREGS scheme. He believes, it pays better fixed salary and fringe benefits than his earlier job with an investment bank in Mumbai.

So Black sparrow and me have hatched this plan for a weekend outing. We will go driving from Mumbai to Pune and back over the weekend. Yay! Being a bike, a small bike at that, I don't have to pay toll at any of the roads. After the superb spell of rain over the last month, I expect every patch of land to be clothed in the splendid green, that my digicam captures so beautifully . Waterfalls all along the route would definitely add to the misty aura of my presence. Now picture this, a black bike in a misty green background posing with a handsome guy in a bright red T-shirt. Now, that the wardrobe has been decided, next is the route. Mumbai - Khopoli ( Zenith Falls) - Lonavala (Karla caves) - Kamshet - Pune it shall be.

Ohh, I forgot to introduce our gracious hosts at Pune, the good old Mr & Mrs. Mathew. Mr. Mathew or GURUJI as we youngsters so lovingly call him, is an epitome of innocence and simplicity that has won him so many fans on orkut over the last several decades. Well, I have also been promised an audience with the Ms. Kumari, the Crown Princess of Jharkand and Mr. Arren, Formerly the counsel to the Vice royalty of Kanpur.

Bertie, my dear roommate has promised to be a return companion. But black sparrow doesn't fancy him much, believes three is a crowd. With or without Bertie, the return trip plan is to take me to amby valley - pavna dam - Lonavala and back. I forgot to add, the sumptuous but expensive meal I have promised myself at Sunny Dhaba near Wakarphata on the old mumbai - Pune highway.

All planned and just a few prayers pending. I have offered my 2 rupee coin to Sea God at marine drive yesterday, which he gleefully accepted. I was made to understand this amount would go into keeping the tides low as well as internal transfer to the Rain God's account to keep my route clear and pleasant. Will drop another rupee today as well, just as a surety.