Hulimavu Kere(Lake), Bangalore

I didn't know about this lake long time after I moved in to this neighborhood. I chanced upon this lake when I was cycling around what used to be a dirt track which was a off-road route downhill. But when I stopped cycling, I stopped going near the lake as well. This is a reasonably big lake in the Hulimavu Village(now part of BBMP) off Bannerghatta Road.

Later on, when I started running, I was looking for quiet trails after I fell on the main road once, this turned out to be an obvious choice and the roads around the lake were asphalted as well.
Usually I finish before the sunrise except may be during my long runs where I catch a good view of the sun rising above the lake. I have been thinking of taking pictures of the beautiful sunrise for a while, but my cellphone camera is just an ordinary one. Finally, I walked up this morning to the lakeside on top and snapped it up.

Unlike most of the other lakes in Bangalore, there is plenty of water in the lake. It looks there is plenty of fish also in it and the hyacinths are being removed by someone as well. You can spot big birds as well and ducks are plenty in the lake.

But like the other lakes, this is being used by people around as an open toilet. If you can ignore that part of it, you can enjoy the runs around the lake. The roads are good with very little traffic and people. There is a good gradient from the lakeside towards Bannerghatta Road near Meenakshi Temple which is a good place to do some hillwork as well.

There many new apartment complexes coming around the place and some of them will have this great view of the lakeside and sunrise. However, people dump waste and mud in the lake on many sides which can eat up the lake in due course like many of the lakes in town. There doesn't seem to be any clearly marked boundary for the lake which makes people to encroach it easily. Hopefully the lake remains as it is with all the developments around.

Below is the map of the location, which is my usual running route of around 4K.

Got Beer, Better than Milk!

I think this should have some takers - beer is far better than milk! Read more about it here. It should also help increase the good cholesterol as well!

I am off diary products for more than a month because I felt it is unnatural to drink another animal's milk and it seems to have significant issues as well.

Is Cycling Safe on Indian Roads ?

Image via Wikipedia Before

Before buying my latest cycle, I spent a lot of time brooding about the safety aspect of riding in traffic. And since I had never regularly cycled in any sort of traffic and my previous two attempts were futile, I was very nervous. While there is a good cycling community in Bangalore, what really helped me was the common man on the cycle who doesn't seem to worry too much about traffic and pollution. Compared to them, I am far more well covered if something happens to me - they may not have an insurance cover or may not even be able to work if they get injured in an accident. So what the heck was I brooding about ?

It was really the Subjective Safety aspect, which is the perception of safety, that was at play. For the common man on the cycle, that may not be a factor at all, but for us the educated white collar guys that is a lot of concern in many aspects. While I have a child seat for my daughter in my car, most of the folks carry their babies around in their motor bikes without any protection! Many European countries have separate cycle tracks to improve the safety aspect of riding - and it has produced results. People cycle a lot in these countries throughout the year and most of them don't even bother to wear helmets. Helmets are also considered a baggage that will hinder some folks from cycling as well. Some folks argue that wearing a helmet may make them more adventurous on the cycle.

However, separating cycle traffic from the regular one is not a practical idea in Indian road conditions - once you are on the road, Indians do not have respect for anyone else, except for his own right to drive and the traffic enforcement is pretty weak in this country. Separate cycle paths would be consumed by the motorbikes and auto-rickshaws for sure. So the subjective safety problem is not going to go away. But helmets and good quality bikes can in fact provide a bit of confidence for the rider and improve the perception of safety.

Image via Wikipedia

So the only option is to ride along the traffic and be part of it. This is in fact advocated by some folks(attributed to John Forrester) to handle the Cycling Insecurity Syndrome(CIS) which they say are at the root of the problem. You are in fact not solving the real problem by separating the cycling traffic from the main traffic. You need to be part of the traffic and claim your space on the road. But this hasn't got many takers in the western world as you can see from the statistics which shows that countries who have provided cycling infrastructure by way of separate tracks have significant cycling population whereas in other countries are not anywhere near.

So it turns out that it is the only option for a cyclist in India(and for any third world country I would imagine) is to ride along - you need to get over your CIS to be riding comfortably. And the only way to get over it is to get on the road riding with the traffic. While there are trainings and books available on Effective Bicycle Riding elsewhere in the world, we do not have access to such things and the common man on the cycle doesn't really care as well - and like any other thing, cycling comes naturally to us:)

Image via Wikipedia

But there are things that make the dangers of riding along the traffic not that bad on Indian roads.

• Motor speeds are not that high compared to the western highways or roads invariably because the roads are crowded or in poor condition. In fact in cities, traffic moves at only around the pace of a cycle. So the cyclist is at an advantage here because he can squeeze in or ride(or walk) on the sidewalks.
• While we don't respect each other on the road, nobody really would slam you intentionally on the road. They would definitely honk(even within my apartment!) and potentially say something to you. So unless your ego is hurt at what you hear, you shouldn't have a problem here. Turn a deaf ear to them!
  
• Since we collaborate with each other so well on the road, motorists are weary of the movements of each other which is usually unpredictable. That is one of the reasons why we don't really need lanes or lanes just remain white spots on the road. The feedback loop is indeed very dynamic and our reflexes are well worked during driving which makes us very adaptive! So the cyclist doesn't really need to have a rear view, he can just show his hand and switch lanes easily, others will adapt themselves with a bit of honking and may be some words:). In my opinion, this "collaboration" is in fact the corner stone of driving(and living) in India.
  
• While the bigger vehicles can flex its muscles on the road, they know for sure that the big vehicle is always at fault in case of an accident. So the honks and abuses are basically a reaction to that feeling. Again, if the cyclists can ignore it, things are easier.

But there are things peculiar to the Indian traffic that makes things a bit difficult.

Image via Wikipedia

• Animal crossing - cows and dogs are as unruly as the human beings on the steering. Dogs can trip cyclists and cause significant damage.
• Autorikshas - though they seem to be broader than a cycle, they can squeeze in anywhere a cyclists can go. They are driven by the smart fellas who can even do a 360 degree spin on the spot with these 3 wheelers. They are either in a hurry or waiting for their next passenger wherever they are!
  
• There is also this odd breed of vehicles people call BPO/IT/Call center ones in major cities, which are always in a hurry. You can recognize them by their honking and the way they zigzag on the road. You need to give them way because they have a service level agreement to ferry people to various uptown locations on time to serve customers all over the world. Considering the state of affairs on the road, it is a challenging job for those drivers - their job is at stake if they can't get in time and also our country's reputation with global customers!
• Pedestrians - according to some data, pedestrians are the #1 casualty on Indian roads. While being hit by cycle may not be a fatal one for the pedestrian, it can hurt the cyclist equally or worse. And according to the unwritten rule of the motor-chain, pedestrians are at the bottom of the chain and hence the cyclist will be at fault in case of an accident.
  
• Road humps - to prevent the unruly motorists from running amok, the most effective way seems to be the road humps that usually doesn't have any notices or visibility. It slows down the cyclist unnecessarily though it helps in reducing the speed of other vehicles.
• Pollution - this is as uncontrollable as the traffic on the road. It is not easy doing a cardio workout inhaling a lot of polluted air.

While it could be argued that it is not that bad on Indian roads as you may think it to be, subjective safety problems still prevent people from cycling on the streets. While helmets and safety vests may improve the perception of safety, the common man on the cycle cannot afford to buy good cycles leave alone gear for safety. Kids just spin around their homes or within their apartments, but once they grow up they either get on a motor bike or a car. Motor bikes and cars are affordable to more and more people which will drive them away from cycling which is considered "dangerous".

Image by Meanest Indian via Flickr

Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide if cycling is important to them after considering all the risks involved in it. It is not for the risk averse laid back types for sure. For the common man, it is a good way to get away from the crowds in the bus and not having to wait for the bus or carry stuff around on them. They can buy a cycle for the money they spent on bus tickets for some months. For the white collar IT software types, it may be his deteriorating health (due to the sedentary lifestyle and the pressures inflicted on them by their companies) . While there are other ways to combat this, cycling can be made an integral part of the lifestyle if they can commute to work saving time by not going to a gym or getting up early to run or walk. You could spend the same amount of money that you might spend on a good Gym on a good cycle and flaunt it as well! You will have more time and health to handle the pressures at work. That is off course if you can get over the subjective safety and CIS.

So I am claiming my space on the road to commute to work 3 days in a week to get over my CIS and it is getting better for sure. May be I can drop the early morning runs on the other 2 days when I get over my CIS completely!

Now you can listen to my posts!

Brought to you by Odiogo, which converts the blog posts into a voice stream. It works pretty well! Just click on the "Listen" button on top of the post you want to listen! You can also subscribe to the podcasts by clicking on the Odiogo button on the right side pane.

Cholesterol Readings

My cholesterol woes seems to be disappearing -the latest cholesterol readings show an all-time low for my total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, VLDL cholesterol. But the HDL(good cholesterol) one is still below healthy levels, but definite improvement(more wine please!). All other minerals and stuff(potassium, urea, chloride) are also well within limits. Almost a year of consistent running except for a week when I was down with a flu seems to be working well. But exercise should have bumped up the HDL one as well, but that doesn't seem to have an impact. May be I need to be consistent in drinking wine too!

Did stopping diary products help ? May be not. Research that I read says it can help improve cholesterol woes - but it is just around a month

Image via Wikipedia

and I wasn't a diary product junky either. Let's wait for some more time to pass any judgment.

Coconut - is NOT a problem as many people think it to be. Coconut was very much part of my diet and I have upped it a bit by using coconut oil exclusively these days and more of tender coconut. If it was causing the HDL to be low, it should have caused the other cholesterol components to go bad, which didn't happen - so coconut remains the king in my books.

Here is my diet with the occasional wine or beer which I need to make a regular one to enhance my good cholesterol.

• Breakfeast: Juice(100% Tropicana Orange/Grape or Watermelon), Rice cakes(puttu)/Chappathi
• Lunch: Red boiled rice, vegetables, fish(2d/week) in coconut gravy, fish fry occasionally, fruits.
• Evening snack: fruits, biscuits, juice(if available)
• Dinner: Chappathi and vegetables/Red rice if fish is available, fruits, juice
• Oil used for all cooking: Coconut Oil

My exercise program consists of 3 days running and some stretching and yoga with cycling to work on other 3 days with a rest day in between - see here.

BMTC slashes bus fares

Looks like BMTC listened to my suggestions:), they have reduced the fares on the Vajra(Volvo buses) and Suvarna bus services and you can use the daily pass in Suvarna buses as well. So the rush hour Volvo and Suvarna buses looks like rush hour buses now!

Volvo minimum fare is Rs.5/= and Suvarna is Rs.4/= now. My fare has reduced Rs.8/= on Volvos and Rs.6/= on Suvarnas. I think the move make sense because it is difficult to attract the car-driving bangalorean to the Volovo buses, he is too busy to wait for a public bus instead of waiting in the trafic snarls making calls on his mobile phones! It is the normal bus users who would utilize these services.

But the Vayu Vajra services to Airport are still making trips to the airport without commuters - BMTC should be saner to stop it immediately and cut down the losses.

Lean Lifestyle - removing clutter : Update

I have been trying to remove clutter in all walks of life for a while and it is time to provide an update on how things are going.

Image by Erik Mallinson via Flickr

• I removed the major clutter in my life by quitting my previous job in a large corporation and joined a smaller one closer home, which has helped me balance life and work well. Lunch at home helps eat healthy and cheap even though the fish content in the meal is a bit expensive! Commute time reduced from 3 hours a day to 30minutes and if I bike, it is just 20minute.
  
  
• Threw out lot of junk - gave the old computer to a housekeeping guy for free, threw couple of boxes of junk that was lying around without looking inside of it. If you haven't opened it for more than 5 years, you just don't need it. But still there are couple more that needs to go.

• White board I installed in our living room does help in reminding things and getting things done. But I guess I tend to forget that I have a board at times.
  
  
• E-mail and Postal mails are processed immediately and junk dumped immediately.
  
  
• Cleaning up used dishes immediately after use is becoming a habit, but it regresses a bit. A reminder on the whiteboard helps!
  
  
• Scanned all important documents and uploaded online - though many documents need their hard copy, all others are only digital now.
  
  
• Moved my workspace in a more spacious room instead of the living room. Though this appears to be a hindrance because the room is upstairs, it has helped focus on one thing. Climbing stairs is good for health and the baby doesn't pull the cables either though she knows where I am hiding these days:)
  
  
• Keeping the flow by doing one thing at a time is still not really smooth - I keep wandering from one thing to another. This needs more focus.
  
  
• Stopped drinking milk - surely milk would have created a lot clutter inside:) and I don't need to worry about the milkman anymore!
  
  
• And I am leaner too - an inch smaller at the waist. Running and Cycling helps in reducing the clutter in the body too!
  

Overall good progress - I can do a lot more I guess!

First ride to work on a bicycle

After saying "tomorrow I will bike to work" every morning since I got my latest and greatest cycle, finally I rode to work. It is just a 2KM ride, but on the busy Bannerghatta Road, in fact not very bad stretch compared to the ones towards the city. The terrain is not flat, in fact there are very few flat stretches(as you can see from the map) - there are some nice gradients up and down. I need to climb from my apartment, which is on the Bannerghatta Road, with the last stretch being a bit steep. Having a geared cycle sure helps - I don't need to stand and ride anymore.

Once you get on to the main road, it goes down to Hulimavu Gate and Arakere Lake(no water, only weeds) and then climbs again a bit. Before the next dip, I take a diversion which is narrow and dug up, but traffic free and avoids a nasty traffic light. There are 3 bus stops on the way, with one of them being a busy stop. But no buses blocked my way today and it was around 8am! I was at work within 10 minutes and I tied my bike to one of the poles of the emergency staircase in one corner of the office parking lot. No it doesn't block the emergency stairway, cycle will be under the landing - may be I can take the cycle along with me even in an emergency! :)



I went home for lunch in the bike, which was more demanding - the only traffic light I have on the way back is a messy one and with no cops around everyone wants to jump the lights during off peak hours. On the way down the first incline, I had to break fully to stop behind a car that was taking a left when it looked like they were headed straight. I was wearing a helmet which drew a bit of curiosity especially among school kids on cycles. Then there were many cars and vehicles parked in no-parking zones and some dusty school bus traffic near home - I had to stop in between the steepest climb to give the school buses way. They kicked up a lot of dust around the upcoming shopping mall. There is a median all the way through my route, but the last 50 meters is a narrow stretch with just space enough for two vehicles. You get honked out by vehicles zooming past. Kids within our apartment who just arrived by the school buses were all over the place and lack of a bell forced me to stop in another steep incline down. With the sun out in full, it was a sweaty ride as well. I took a bus back to work - may be I should do the evening ride back instead of the lunch ones.

Overall I felt good and commute by cycle didn't appear that difficult as I thought it to be - while you get terrified when you see other folks riding in the traffic, but when you are out there riding, it is not that bad. I need to get off my Cyclist-Inferiority-Superstition(aka road fear) and that will happen only by riding in traffic. I plan to bike 3 days in a week - rest of the 2 days I run and my legs need some rest. Not having the rear view was a bit uncomfortable though. I guess I need a bell, a pollution mask, a riding glass and may be a mirror(not many seem to have them though). May be I need a cyclocomputer as well - or may be I will gift that to myself if I become a regular.

Hopefully I can make commute to work a habit.