2010/08/30

Captain Nandu Chitnis: Panning with GF !!

Shot on the rural outbacks of Pune City.

2010/08/28

Honda City: My White Angel Of Desire..

My new Honda City. Many of my friends had issues with WHITE...now tell me!!

2010/08/25

Priyanka: The smile is back on her face after a long time.

Life is a challenge, life is unforgiving, you have it in you to beat the odds. The smile is back and that is a good beginning.

The smile is back after a long long time.

Priyanka Sakhuja, a woman of substance.

2010/08/19

US Club promanade, Mumbai

Can u see a ship aground? That is MSC Chitra aground in Mumbai channel, shutting down the port for two weeks and oil spill has caused a major environmental disaster never before known to Mumbai.

MSC Chitra grounded off Sunk Rock Lighthouse.

Bad weather, rains make for poor pics. Will go again next week to Mumbai and shoot.

Containers adrift from grounded ship MSC Chitra.

Chitra lies tilted 80 deg aground off Sunk Rock light house after being rammed by Kalijia 3. Some 80 odd containers are either adrift or sunk in the Navigation channel of Mumbai port.These containers are being towed away by tug boats. These 5 containers had drifted very close to my ship at anchor, Samudrika 1, due to bad weather. There was every chance of them damaging and holing my ship side. I had to make a lot of noise to all authorities in Mumbai Port and they were quick enough to send these two tugs.

2010/08/14

THE BLACK BEAUTY

EARLY MORNING CHILL RIDE: RACING AGAINST THE BLACK
==================================================
BEAUTY
========

This early morning, I decided to take the Avenger for a spin on NH4. It was still dark when I got on the highway and turned left to Chandni Chowk.

The traffic was thin and I was comfortably cruising at 60 kph soaking in the fresh morning chilly air. Suddenly, I felt the wind and a jet Black Bike roared past me.

Some distance away, the Bike slowed down. As I approached close, the Black Beauty accelerated and vanished in the dark. I could see the tail light curving on a right hand bender some 300 meters away.

Again the Black Beauty slowed down….this time I came parallel to the bike and moved ahead. Again the Biker accellerated and overtook me and stopped some distance
away. I rode abreast and stopped too.

The biker lifted the visor. I could see two fiery eyes. To my astonishment a female voice said “Hey, you want to race?” ……feebly I replied …:”Yes!” .

I pushed the bike to the 5th gear and cruised at 70 kph, no more. I was shocked back to my senses now. She ripped her bike and roared past me ….I was in no mood to bite her bait...I knew I did not have a chance racing against her…..anyway I am not into racing….She picked up speed and vanished into the night.

A few kms down the road I turned towards a coffee shop (actually a tapri) to park my bike. Surprise , the Black Beauty was parked there too. I removed my helmet and behold saw the Lady Rider sitting by a table, cross legged , as if waiting for me!! She looked like the best thing I saw this early morning. My pulse started to race as I approached her table.

I walked to her nervously, wished her “Good Morning!! You ride fast and furious!” I figured that was a good opening line. She tilted her head, lazily ran her hands through her long mane and just smiled.

I asked “Coffee for you?” She nodded. I pulled a chair and sat down to take a good look at her. She was surprisingly beautiful, slighly dark complexioned, smooth soft skin, long silken hair. I pulled out my pack of cigs to calm my nerves. Decided against lighting the cig.

She said “Go ahead, smoke. I have no probs.” That was a good start. My shivering stopped and I got my wits about me. “I am Captain Chitnis. Call me Nandu.” She replied “You have a nice bike.” She did not give me her name but shot her hand out for a warm drooling handshake…..skin 2 skin ahhh.

I asked “Do you ride here often?”. She said “Yes, I do, here and around the IT Park. I love to race, early mornings are the best times around this place.”

Her smile was the best thing about her, her tone a bit chilly. The coffee came….there were bouts of silence as she looked away from me most times. The mystery of the lady made her all the more betwitching…..I wondered if the timing was right for me to get personal and ask her name, where she worked….but I sensed she was not interested in that sort of talk.

The more I looked at her, the more I fidgeted. On the other hand, she was in absolute control of herself.

I asked “Some more coffee?”

She stood up, smiled, said “Nice coffee, thank you”, and walked away….all I could do was see her vanish again on her bike against the rising sun….

I said to myself, “Nandu, another day, another time, another chill ride….something will happen…”

Yes I did meet her again :-)



Captain Nandu Chitnis
BikeNomads