Bangalore Browser

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Hiai ah Bangalore lam tanchin/chanchin i gelh khawm nai nai di uh khai!!!

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25th December 2008 chiang in ZCF Bangalore in leng a thupi thei pen a Christmas zat sawm ahi. Ebenegar Baptist Church (Bangalore Baptist Church) Commissariat Road, bangalore a Sunday teng a kikhopna mun mah ah hih zua zua ding chi uh.

Huai di toh kisai in, zanlam saturday in ZCF Committee member te teng in social work ana nei ua, a mun ding lou ling lak leh lou pa te hah siang na ana nei uh.

Bangalore a om hiam hiai hun a om ha na hih leh tel ngei ngei dia chial na hi chih ZCFB heutute'n chi.

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With their Pulsars and Avengers, they zoom off  to the destination of their choice. That’s the Bangalore Biking Club (BBC) for you. The BBC was started by Shabri about two years ago on Orkut.  With over 700 members today, the current moderators of the community are Nikhil, Sharan, Niranjan, Krishna and Vijay. “From an Activa to a Bullet, we have all types of bikes. That’s the beauty of our club,” says Nikhil. Despite the busy schedules of college and office, the bikers manage to meet twice a month for rides. “We ride to places nearby such as Mandya and Nandi Hills,” he adds.

Krishna, a software engineer always loved to go on long rides but didn’t have company to do so. “So when I found out about this club on Orkut, I was extremely happy,” he says. “Many people ignore their passion to pay attention to their profession. But I am not one of them.”

For Niranjan, biking means freedom. “We can go anywhere we want at any time,” he says. “If we spot a beautiful lake on the countryside, we can always stop and take pictures which can’t be done in case of other vehicles.”
The bikers have enjoyed many rides out of Bangalore. One such ride was the South India tour in May 2008. Sreejith, Niranjan and Deepak started off from Bangalore and went on a five-day journey, where they covered the coastal belt of South India. “We drove to Kerala via Coorg and Madikere. From there we went to Kanyakumari. Though we reached past midnight, we woke up early next morning to see the sunrise,” says Sreejith.

The trio then proceeded to Tuticorin, Velankani, Rameshwaram, Pondicherry, Chennai, and Kancheevaram from where, they came back to Bangalore via Kolar. “We rode around 300-400 kms on an average daily,” informs Sreejith. “In Kanyakumari, we tried our best to stay close to the coast. It was scary as often the road would go missing.”

The BBC has been involved in many social rides as well. The most recent of these being their peace rally to protest against the Mumbai terror attacks. The rally consisted of around 40 bikes with 70 bikers. “We contacted as many people as possible to show a united front. We started from Kormangala and rode through the City. We ended the rally by lighting candles at the MG Statue,” says Nikhil. Besides, there was the ride around the City on Independence Day.

The bikers are united with their passion for biking. “Bikers are generally perceived as rowdies but we want to change that perception,” Nikhil feels.

Agrees Sharan, a fellow-member. “I never wanted to join any bike club because I always felt that bikers have an attitude. But when I went for my first ride, I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong,” he says.

With people from places like Delhi, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh meeting together, the bikers have become a close-knit community. “Around 30 of us are the most active so we have become close,” says Sharan.

The bikers have had certain funny and memorable incidents. “Arun, one of the members skid on ‘ragi’ in Kolar. So, we have nicknamed him as Ragi,” laughs Nikhil. However, Sharan remembers the caring attitude of the fellow bikers, when he met with an accident once. “We were going to Chintamani near Kolar. There was a blind curve ahead. I went straight up the slope went without noticing the U turn, thereby colliding with the bike coming from the other side,” he says.

What are the tips to be kept in mind while going on long journeys? “One has to know the basic troubleshooting. If the bike breaks down in the middle of nowhere, one should be in a position to fix  it,” advises Sharan. “Always carry a puncture kit with you and don’t lose confidence during accidents,” he adds.

At present, the BBC has come out with a new slogan — “The destination is the journey”. “We will be printing t-shirts with that slogan,” says Nikhil.

Come January and the bikers are headed to Coorg and camping for 5 to 6 days. “We try to be as eco-friendly as possible on all our rides. We carry our own plastic bags to throw the waste in,” informs Nikhil.

One can become a member of the community on certain conditions. “One should have all the documents necessary for the bike. They are checked on all the rides,” says Nikhil.

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Bangalore hotels won't be rocking this New Year eve
Every year, India's silicon valley looks forward to New Year eve partying as hotels organise big bashes and police relax time restrictions for liquor outlets.

But the hospitality sector is set to usher in 2009 on a quiet and sober note this time. Weighing heavily on its mind are the Mumbai terror tragedy, global recession and security concerns.

"This time we have decided to keep New Year eve celebration a mild affair. The deadly terror attacks in Mumbai and global economic meltdown have forced us to stay away from arranging a big bash," Saron King, executive secretary of Le Meridien Hotel, said.

"Last year we had a grand party and spent around Rs.800,000 in planning and marketing New Year celebrations," she added.

Echoing King, an official of the Lalit Ashok hotel said they were in no mood to celebrate because of problems dogging the hospitality industry, right from security concerns to the global financial crisis.

"We will be holding a small party, unlike previous years, when food, music and drinks used to flow throughout the night on New Year eve," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Bangalore Police have been strictly enforcing an 11.30 p.m. deadline for closure of all pubs and bars from early this year. There are thousands of liquor outlets in the city, many of which also illegally function as bars.

Mid-year live music and dance was also barred in all places serving liquor.

On New Year, these restrictions were expected to be relaxed. But no decision has been taken yet.

"We have not yet taken a decision. There is still time for it, though the thinking in the department is against relaxation of the closing time," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Bangalore's hospitality sector has begun to feel the impact of the global meltdown and the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks in which over 170 people were killed, say industry sources. The terrorists had targeted two of the poshest hotels in Mumbai.

Most luxury hotels in the city have been going through a bad time in the last couple of months, as the occupancy rate has dwindled by almost 40 percent.

"The flow of foreign tourists has come down almost 50 percent, after the Mumbai terror attacks. Moreover, because of economic slowdown most of our clients, mostly from offshore, have stayed away from luxury hotels," said an official of The Park Hotel.

"The hotel industry in Bangalore is in doldrums. We are looking for bailout and avoiding spending time and money on events like New Year eve celebrations," the official added.

New Year eve parties in luxury hotels cost anything between Rs.10,000 and Rs.12,000 per couple. But many are thinking of halving the cost to attract people this time.

Representatives of Bangalore's hospitality sector, along with the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), recently met Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and sought an immediate bailout package.

"In 10 days after the Mumbai attacks, hotel occupancy has dropped drastically even after slashing room rates by 50 percent," the representatives told the Chief Minister.

"We have requested the state government that the luxury tax on rooms be charged on the actual rates and not on the (higher) printed rack rates," a representative told the media after the meeting.

While occupancy is going down, costs in terms of strengthening security following the Mumbai attacks is increasing, the representatives said.

"We are happy that the city police have decided to arm the hotels of the city to face the terror threat using sophisticated weapons. We have increased our security vigil," said King, declining to divulge further.

An official of Taj Gateway on Residency Road in the central business district said: "We have beefed our security system and keeping 24 hours vigil. It won't be appropriate to divulge details."

Most five-star hotels in the city have increased the number of security guards on their premises besides installing closed circuit television and metal detectors.

nin huai chi sim. pawt louh di himai

[Legolas]

Bangalore ZCF inle Christmas programme December 25th dak 1:30 pm in ZCF biakinn a zatna om ding..Bangalore Zomi teng chial ihi..Telchiat ni...!!!!

[ell_hauzel]

Ahi! ahi....Dinner le om ding ci u aihbang.

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ahih chu......nitak dak 7 vela dinner nek lam et ahi!!

[Legolas]

GT in gen dik chet eih.Dak 7 pm in dinner kine ei.Lengkhopna nuamtak mai kinei zua2 zomah lai!!!

[ell_hauzel]

Dinner zoh a lenkhop omlai ade aw...?? Dak 10 tan hun kinei kichi hia maw...?

[gtonsing]

chi dan e.....kua hiam in hon lipot ve vua le!!!