Category: Do

Categories
Do

Bisons on bikes

This gang of bikers does charity on the go – if you’re a serious biker, you’re free to join in.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Admit it, the moment one says the word ‘biker’, the immediate image in your mind is of a tough, tattooed dude, weaving in and out of traffic with practiced ease in the day, and burning up the roads in a death-defying race on the night’s empty roads. Bikers race each other, they drive when they’re drunk, they drive rashly…in short, they don’t follow a single road rule.

But a bunch of bikers that do charity? Drive within rules? Never drink and drive?

Meet the ‘Bisons Ride Hard’.

This is a city-based group of serious Royal Enfield bikers that was started last year by three bikers – Gurinder Singh, Sameer Balakrishnan, Deepak Ananth and Vineet Rajan, with the twin idea of combining responsible, safe biking with helping society. Speaking to The Metrognome, Deepak (35) said, “The three of us have been riding for about 15 years now, so we decided to form a club for like-minded bikers who ride in our style. We do charity rides, because our core philosophy is that we should give back to society in some way. And when we started the group, we wanted to break the stereotypical image of bikers that people have, and replace it with that of a serious, responsible person who rides hard and follows the rules.”

So much so, Deepak says, that when the group is on a ride, the ‘captain’ of the team ensures that nobody goes near their vehicle after drinking. “If we stop at a resort for the night and want to drink and party, the bike keys are handed over to the captain or a teetotaller in the group, who does not let a single drunk person near his bike,” he explains.

No need for speed

“Our rides are unique, with a concept that is well thought of,” Deepak says. Each ride is planned at least three weeks in advance, including the routes, timings and stopovers. Rides are done over weekends, and are characterised by long, typically hard riding at a maximum speed of 70 kmph.

The Bisons celebrated their first anniversary in September this year with ‘Red Bums’, a 24-hour, night-only ride. “This was an endurance ride for 1,000 kilometres,” Deepak says, adding that none of the bikers ride without helmets and jackets, and each bike has a crash guard. “We ensure that at least 40 per cent of the ride goes towards charity. We ride within speed limits, the captain for the group ensures that nobody is left behind, and driving rashly or after drinking is a strict no-no.”

Becoming a Bison

The initiation into the group is no cakewalk – you have to echo the group’s core values and undergo some tests. “Once a person applies to us for membership, we call him/her and have an informal meeting. We ascertain some basic things: does the person do drugs, does he drink and drive, what speeds he/she normally rides at. Then the person has to do five overnight rides with us over a period of one year,” Deepak says.

Two overnight rides later, the potential Bison is given access to articles on biking and the group, related information and he/she is involved in decision-making for future rides. “After five rides are complete, the person is given a Bison T-shirt, and a dog tag that lists the person’s basic details and blood group,” Deepak explains.

A rising number of women are enrolling in the group, he says, and several women also go riding with their spouses. “We have a mix of people joining us. There are entrepreneurs, doctors, dieticians, graphic artists. Even Aditya Raj Kapoor (the late Shammi Kapoor’s son) rides with us. Our youngest Bison is 21, our oldest is 59 years old,” Deepak says. In a year, the group has 70 members and 25 more are in the process of being initiated into the club.

The next charity ride

On Sunday, December 23, 50 Bisons will ride from Bandra Kurla Comples to Assisi Bhavan, Goregaon, to spend time with the senior citizens living there. The initiative is called ‘Bisons Serve’.

“We had been there last year, but we didn’t have enough funds to carry out our plans  then. This year, we have appealed to each member to contribute Rs 500, and we are planning a Christmas surprise,” he explains. Of the money thus pooled in, the group will purchase toiletries that will last the female inmates a year. “A Santa Claus is going to ride with us, and we’re also working on getting a carol group. There’s a Christmas tree as well. Besides this, we’ll be spending the day there, and we’re carrying lunch for them which we’ll eat with them. After all, the one thing they want the most is somebody to talk to,” he says.

All bullet biking enthusiasts can join the ride on December 23. Register for ‘Bisons Serve’ on the group’s website www.BisonsRideHard.com.

(Pictures courtesy Bisons Ride Hard) 

Categories
Do

Students create wall-size mural at Goregaon school

Renowned mosaic artist Kirstin Green guided students over 90 days to help create 26 x 12 feet wall mosaic mural.

The Oberoi International School (OIS), Goregaon, saw a fun and creatively rewarding project end recently, with the unveiling of a wall-size, 26 x 12 feet mosaic mural which was a ‘community effort’ in which students worked and some parents also got involved in. The mural was created over a period of 90 days starting from September this year. Students were guided on the project by renowned American mosaic artist Kirstin Green, who was the resident artist for the project.

Kirstin is also working with seven other school-based community projects in the US and South Africa. The mural work at OIS started under her guidance, where she taught students on working with ceramic material, stained glass, glue, blueprints, construction and working on overall artistic collaboration upon completion. The materials were hammered, structured, and placed randomly or were cut and smoothed for a structured layout.

“Each step of designing a mural requires forethought, dedication and an overall vision of the larger picture, while focus has to be on each and every piece of the puzzle. It was truly a pleasure to interact with the ever-enthusiastic students, and create something so beautiful,” she said. The completed mural portrays children of different nationalities holding hands, flags of countries, a tree, the Taj Mahal, an elephant, a peacock, a staircase and a lotus which is the central focus of the piece.

“The entire exercise is a unique experience for our students,” said Dr Vladimir Kuskovski, Head of OIS. “They not only learned new skills of the medium, but also teamwork. Some students have used their free time after school hours, as well as weekends, to work on the mosaic. Many other students may have not worked directly on the project, but they have come down to see the work and often brought their parents along, so this is indeed a community project,” he added.

The mural was unveiled yesterday by acclaimed sculptor Arzan Khambatta, who said that the mural was “one of the finest pieces of art I have come across at a school level; it is amazing to see students delivering a fine art piece with this professionalism and finishing.”

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Do

Travel smart tomorrow

As the city gears up for annual Chaityabhoomi rendezvous at Dadar, know the routes to take and avoid when commuting.

It’s tough to commute by road as crowds of Dalit devotees have already converged on Chaityabhoomi and Dadar, for the December 6 observance of Dr BR Ambedkar’s death anniversary. If you’re going to take the road to work or home, the Mumbai Traffic police want you to know which roads to take and which ones to avoid. Keep this list with you and know which roads to duck and where you can park, among other things:

ONE WAY/CLOSURE OF ROADS

– SK Bole Road will be one way from Siddhivinayak Junction up to Hanuman Temple, i.e. no entry from Hanuman Temple.
– Bhavani Shankar Road will be one way from Hanuman Temple/Kabutar Khana up to its junction with Gokhale Road South, i.e. no entry from Gokhale Road South viz. Gopinath Chavan Chowk except BEST buses and emergency utility services.
– SVS Marg from Siddhivinayak junction up to Hinduja Hospital will be closed for vehicular traffic. Local residents can go up to Road No 5, i.e. Pandurang Naik Marg junction from Hinduja Hospital.
– Ranade Road will be closed for all types of vehicular traffic.
– Dnyaneshwar Mandir Road will be closed for all types of vehicular traffic from its junction with SVS Road up to Dadar Chowpatty.
– If necessary, vehicular traffic except BEST buses and emergency and utility services will be closed from Dadar TT.
– Kataria Road will be closed for vehicular traffic from LJ Road up to Hinduja Hospital.
– SVS Marg from Mahim junction up to Kapad Bazar (Shitaladevi Road) junction will be closed for vehicular traffic.
– All heavy vehicles, goods vehicles including tempos except BEST buses will be diverted from Mahim junction via Mori Road towards Senapati Bapat Road.

In case of heavy traffic congestion at and around Shivaji Park, the advisory is as under:

SOUTH-BOUND TRAFFIC

Vehicular traffic coming from Western Express Highway and proceeding towards South Mumbai shall go up to Kalanagar junction, take a left turn to proceed to Dharavi T junction to Sion Station or 60 feet Road, Dharavi via Kumbharwada to Sion Hospital and take right turn to BA Road. Commuters can also use the Rajiv Gandhi Sea link via Bandra to Worli  and proceed further.

NORTH-BOUND TRAFFIC

– North-bound vehicular traffic coming from Colaba and CST may use P D’mello Road, Barrister Nath Pai Marg, Zakeria Bunder Road, RAK Marg up to Matunga Arora bridge, then take right turn along Dr BA Road, and further on via Sion Hospital junction. Or, they may take a left turn at Gafarkhan junction on Dr Annie Besant Road for Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link and further to the suburbs.
– North-bound vehicular traffic coming from Mahalaxmi Railway Station via Dr E Moses Road may use Senapati Bapat Road.

PARKING RESTRICTIONS

Parking restrictions will be imposed from 20.00 hrs on 05/12/2012 till 21.00 hrs on 07/12/2012 on either sides of these  roads:

– SVS Road.

– Ranade Road

– NC Kelker Road

– Kelusker Road (South), Kelusker Road (North)

– LJ Road

– Gokhale Road (South), Gokhale Road (North)

– Kataria Road

– Tilak Bridge

– SK Bole Road

– Bhavani Shankar Road

PARKING SPACE

Cars can be parked at Senapati Bapat Marg and Five Garden.

 Source: Mumbai Traffic Police.

(Picture courtesy kemmannu.com)

Categories
Do

How Crude!

These women debunk the idea of art being elitist, unreachable and beyond the realm of ordinary understanding through Crude Area.

It’s a small firm as of now – having started operations a month ago in Bandra – but Crude Area has already signed up 20 artists, some of them international names. So probably there is some truth in what they say: all it takes for a great idea to take off is some talent and a whole lot of sincerity.

Bindu Nair Maitra (in the featured image on the left), of the duo that started Crude Area – the other is Shweta Bhandari – as a platform for graphic art, artists and buyers from all over the world, spoke to The Metrognome about the whys and hows of starting the business. “The bingo moment for me (about starting Crude Area) came after I had placed a big order of lovely T-shirts on a famous American website, and over a month later, the order just never reached me. There was a problem at Customs, and though the site refunded my money, I was frustrated to know that merely being willing to pay for things was not enough – those things had to reach consumers, too.”

Bindu has worked in advertising,  and has always loved graphic art – this helps her curate work for the site, while Shweta handles business development. “We target urban professionals in the 25 to 40 age bracket, who are people wanting to do up their homes in ways that express who they were. It was such a simple idea – to bring contemporary graphic art to people at a reasonable price, to customise it as per their needs – and it slowly took shape. We started with art prints, but our future plans include designing iPhone cases, decals, and helping people ‘do up’ walls in their homes,” she says.

However, the focus is on showcasing contemporary Indian graphic art that has moved beyond the “Horn Ok Please category,” as Bindu puts it, and on work that is not kitschy or ‘exotic Indian art’. “Our work is representative of India today, and we provide art that people want for their homes. In a city like Mumbai, where so many people live in rented apartments and are not allowed to drill holes into their walls, we have art that can be stuck on walls.” The pricing is more than competitive, too – the smallest works cost Rs 1,750 and the largest prints are priced at Rs 9,000.

“We’re not offering fine art at all, just lovely contemporary graphic art that nobody else is offering in the country at the moment,” Bindu says. “Also, we’re looking for artists wanting to display their work. The artist has to sign up with us, send us high resolution images of their work, and we do the printing and shipping as per customers’ demand.” The company promises that the product will be delivered to your doorstep within seven days of placing the order; its operations currently include Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

A major learning thus far for the duo has been that more Indian men than women are interested in purchasing quality art for their homes. “Also, we’re constantly reinventing – art is a very subjective thing for everybody, so we’re catering to different tastes all the time. There is so much talent waiting to be showcased, and so many people looking to purchase quality art at a great price. We fulfil the need for both,” Bindu says.

Browse, shop or simply check out graphic art at www.crudearea.com.

Categories
Do

Get guitar lessons at your workplace

Rajendra Vallary will give you lessons if your office agrees. Once a week for six months, learn and play away.

Rajendra Vallury (30) is a genius with the guitar. But merely having a skill is not enough – one has to do something with it. And Rajendra has a great plan – if your office management agrees, he can come to your place of work once a week for six months and teach you how to play the guitar.

The self-taught guitarist, who has worked with singer Hariharan and currently learns from musician Chintu Singh, tells The Metrognome, “I have taught people (to play the guitar) who are in the 55 to 60 age bracket, and they all said that they wanted to learn to play in their childhood, but that they never got the chance. This got me thinking – there must be others like them who would want to learn but who can’t, owing to lack of time.”

Rajendra decided that the one thing that stops people from enrolling for guitar classes is that they work long hours and there’s never any spare time after gruelling work schedules and long home commutes. “So I thought: why not take guitar lessons to their workplace? It would save them time, give them a break to de-stress, and help them bond better with their colleagues as they all played and practiced together,” he explains.

He reasons that many companies set time aside for activities like yoga and salsa, but there’s not much effort spent on getting music in. “There is an increased interest in playing the guitar. While collegians want to learn the most, I find that many of them want to fool around with the guitar to look cool. The most dedicated learners come from the 40 to 50 years age group – they listen to good music, have a set taste, they’re learning out of a genuine interest, and most of them love to go home and play to their wives and husbands!”

Rajendra’s module is simple and flexible: you can choose to have a class once or twice a week, for an hour per session. “I have divided the programme into 24 sessions in all, and since the activity is meant to de-stress the students, they have the option of picking the songs they want to learn,” he explains. During the session, he teaches students on getting to know the instrument, various musical terms, finger training, various chords and their positions, and scales and melodies. “At the end, students can showcase what they’re learnt with a small performance,” he says.

More than enthusiasm, however, Rajendra says he stresses on practice at home and carrying your own guitar to learn on. “Even though the exercise is aimed at relaxing and having fun, you still have to go home and practice before the next class,” he says.

Rajendra Vallury has been giving guitar lessons for 10 years now and has taught over 1,500 people till date. Write to him at rajendravallury@gmail.com for details on corporate guitar lessons.

 

Categories
Do

‘Dear Prime Minister…’

Youth website offers you the chance to write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on an issue close to your heart.

Our biggest grouse,  often, is that we are a democracy that doesn’t always get heard. We often have a really simple solution to a problem that has plagued the nation for a long while, but who do we tell it to?

What if you had the chance to tell your ideas to the Prime Minister of the country himself?

The Viewspaper (www.theviewspaper.net), a youth-oriented website that addresses all the issues closest to the hearts of young Indians, is running a Letter-a-thon titled ‘PMji Samjho ji!’, under which it invites you to write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on an issue that you feel strongly about. You can write the letter on December 2, which has been designated for the Letter-a-thon, and the letter you write will be sent to the PM for his consideration. It will also be published on The Viewspaper.

Says Aisha, Editor, The Viewspaper, “PMji Samjhoji! is completely apolitical and our aim is to offer the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh ideas and advice to help him steer India through its problems and lead it to its deserved greatness. Not just individuals but even organizations like The YP Foundation, which is India’s largest youth NGO, will be participating. Celebrities, journalists, politicians, bloggers, professionals, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, activists, youth from all over the country will be sharing their perspectives.”

Eminent journalists like Madhu Trehan (Founding Editor, India Today), Sonia Singh (Editorial Director, NDTV), activists like Abhinandan Sekhri (Core Member, India Against Corruption), eminent educationists like Dr Amit Kapoor (Professor, Harvard Business School and MDI) and musicians like Parikrama are some of those who have confirmed their participation.

To participate, click on http://theviewspaper.net/pmjisamjhoji/ for information, and watch the video to understand the initiative better.

 

(Picture courtesy AFP)

 

 

Exit mobile version