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Embarking on a long-distance cycling expedition is a profound adventure that pushes physical and mental boundaries. Pedalling for hours, covering vast distances, and conquering challenging terrains, cyclists discover newfound strength, resilience, and determination. This transformative journey unleashes the spirit of adventure within and fosters selfdiscovery for cyclists. 

This year, in February, I registered for one such transformative 220 km cycling expedition from Pune to Pandharpur (cycle wari) that took place in the month of June. Although I had completed many sub-50 km cycling trips per day in the past two years, the prospect of covering 220 km in a single day appeared to be a difficult target initially.

I am a part of the PCMC sprinters’ group, comprising runners,cyclists, trekkers and swimmers. Thus, the group assisted me in devising weekly and monthly training targets for a span of four months. They trained me on increasing energy and stamina, practising cycling regularly, and taught me strengthening exercises that needed to be followed every month. 

Since it was summer time, exposure to the sun was essential for 8 to 10 hours to get more used to it. The last leg of training made me realise that the task of cycling for a long distance is absolutely doable. In those 4-5 months of training, my mental framework also changed. With a couple of strengthening sessions and training on repairing cycles on the go, I gained confidence about my journey. Along with this, continuous mentoring on WhatsApp benefitted me as most people shared their successes and stories, which helped me gain insights. 

To complete my cycling expedition, I practised crosstraining like jogging and walking every day to keep the body moving. Due to following the rules correctly, consuming nutritious food and not stretching ourselves too much, my cycling group and I did not experience any internal injury even after completing 220 km. Thus, focussed training and dedicated practice helped me to achieve my goal.

The distance to be covered per day gradually increased from 50 km to 75 km, then 100 km, and finally 150 km. Engaging in longdistance cycling under scorching 42°C temperatures proved to be an endurance test, with numerous instances that could have discouraged me. Nevertheless, the energy from the 1,500 fellow cyclists propelled me towards my destination in 11 hours,40 minutes on the final day. 

I believe that making our hobbies our callings transforms our life immensely. When our hobbies become our calling, our inner drive changes. To achieve this, adhering to a routine purposefully, and maintaining an unbroken momentum, naturally propels us toward our chosen paths.

Thus, it’s essential to keep one or two long-term goals in a year. Keeping a long-term goal induces patience and willingness in you that ultimately helps you in your personal and professional life. Also, when we have a long-term goal in place, we always find a way of achieving it. Moreover, having a long-term goal helps in framing a mindset and makes us believe that one can overcome obstacles in life by planning and preparing for them in a better way. 

In today’s fast-paced world, our easy access to things makes us think that everything should happen quickly. With cycling, one gets time to introspect about their actions as cycling captures every passing second in slow motion, fostering profound memories of the surrounding environment.

-C. R. Subramaniam
Group Head, Process Engg., TBWES, Energy House, Chinchwad

‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ by Spencer Johnson is a captivating book that talks about change and the art of embracing it. This simplistic tale revolves around four characters residing in a maze: two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two little people named Hem and Haw. Within the maze, they stumble upon three rooms abundant with cheese that never seems to finish. However, one fateful day, their beloved cheese disappears from one of the rooms, setting off a journey of discovery and adaptation.

When the cheese disappears, Scurry and Sniff quickly venture into the maze to find new cheese. Meanwhile, Hem and Haw complain and hold onto the hope that the old cheese will return, wasting their time and energy. Haw, realising that the old cheese won’t come back, sets out into the maze in search of fresh cheese. He leaves messages on the walls, hoping to inspire Hem to join him, but Hem doesn’t follow.

During the search for cheese, they go through all kinds of emotions — fear, anger, confusion and they look for the cheese everywhere they can think of. Eventually, Haw discovers new cheese and sees that Scurry and Sniff were already there. Spencer Johnson’s (author of the book) cheese chunks are a metaphor for what we desire in life: health, a nice career, money, goods, spiritual peace of mind, a loving relationship, etc. The maze resembles our workplace, family, or neighbourhood. Cheese doesn’t stay forever. At some point, we may all find ourselves without cheese due to unexpected changes in life and at other times, cheese supply may run out.

Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw’s stories show how to handle change. Thus, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ explores significant and relevant life truths.

The message of this book is that life won’t always give you what you want and when you want it; sometimes things change unexpectedly. But if you can find ways to adapt and overcome your fears, then good things will come around again for you.

Here are five important lessons from this book

Lesson 1: Be prepared for change

The world is changing, and we need to be prepared for it.

Lesson 2: Move on and let go of the past

When things change, move on. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to adapt to new situations.

Lesson 3: Adapt: Be openminded to new things

Being open-minded and possessing willingness to learn are all important factors that people can consider when it comes to adapting to new situations.

Lesson 4: Learn to enjoy change

In this modern world, change is the only constant. Learning to enjoy change is a very important skill for people to develop. It allows us to make new discoveries and achievements in our lives

Lesson 5: Be prepared for continuous change

You will be surprised at how quickly things change. And when they do, we need to be ready to adapt and learn. If we don’t, then we will miss opportunities. We will be left behind, and our life will become stagnant. The author’s words resonate – “Life moves on and so should we.”

— Bhushan Belkhede
Chemical, Environment House, Bhosari

This is my second inning at Thermax. During my previous job, I used to walk around 6 km to and from the office every day. The daily walk routine brought a remarkable improvement in my health. Thus, when I re-joined Thermax, I was thinking of ways to keep myself physically active as my home and office are a little too far apart for a walk. This brought me to the idea of cycling to my office at Bhosari, Pune, and I implemented it immediately.

Choosing to cycle has been one of the best decisions in my life as I continued to maintain my good health (barring the viral fevers and flu) and overall well-being. In addition to promoting good health, cycling has proven to be beneficial in various other aspects. It effectively helps me manage stress and keeps my energy levels high, even after a long day at work. Moreover, since cycling is already integrated into my daily routine, there’s no need to set aside separate time for exercise or going to the gym.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my decision to cycle to the office is that it has inspired some of my colleagues to do the same. While some have adopted cycling as a regular practice, others have embraced it intermittently. Many others have expressed interest but have come up with various excuses such as coming to office sweating, traffic congestion on their route, inclement weather, waking up late, or feeling unwell. However, my consistent response has always been, “If you genuinely desire to commute to the office by bicycle, the only person who can stop you is yourself.”

I take great pride in commuting to the office on a bicycle, knowing deep inside that I am making a small but meaningful contribution to reducing carbon emissions. Most of us are well aware of the saying, “We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” It is a constant reminder that we have a responsibility to protect our planet for future generations. The reality of climate change cannot be denied, as we witness the increasing average temperatures, disturbances in seasonal cycles, more frequent natural calamities etc.

The world has changed since our childhood, and mostly, in an unfavourable way. We all have the responsibility to hand over the world to our next generations at least in the present condition, if not better. The key lies in acting against climate change, regardless of how small those actions may seem. Each person’s background and circumstances may lead to different approaches, but what truly matters is that we all take the initiative to act, otherwise the survival of our future generations is in jeopardy. My action towards battling climate change is cycling my way to office. What is your action?

– Ravikiran Jasti
Process Engineer, FGD, Environment House, Bhosari

My association with harmonica started when I was 12 years old. My father had a German make black coloured harmonica which he used to play. I always wondered how this
instrument was played, and one fine day, I took it out and started playing. I did not know how to play it. The famous harmonica tune of the song – 'Hai Apna Dil to Awara' from the film Solva Saal inspired me. Playing this song wasn't easy for me, and I ended up with only a few blows and draws. The harmonica was put back in the cupboard soon. I kept on trying and slowly could make it – though it was very basic and imperfect. The real journey began when I got an opportunity to attend one of the exclusive harmonica programmes at Bharat Natya Mandir in Pune. The playing of Shri. Nandu Belvalkar greatly influenced me. This was an
ideal chance for me to learn the better way.

Let's talk about the origin of harmonica. An instrument called ‘sheng’ was first invented in China a few thousand years ago. This was harmonica in its primitive form. The instrument had bamboo reeds, and became a prominent instrument in Asian traditional music. The sheng was introduced to Europe in the late 18 th century and soon became popular. Harmonica, in its present form, was first made by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann in
Berlin in the 18 th century.

In terms of size, the harmonica is the smallest free-reed-and-wind instrument. We know this instrument as baja in Marathi from our childhood. We often bought it at jatras (fairs) in villages. Most of us think this is the simplest instrument to play. However, it is an instrument that can be misplayed easily. This is exactly what happened to me. Soon I started my lessons with Shri. Nandu Belvalkar, one of the renowned maestros in Pune. I learned that playing the harmonica required a certain technique. Harmonica is the only wind instrument that uses both the blow and draw technique, unlike other wind instruments, which use only the blow technique.

Harmonica constitutes parts as shown in the schematic diagram below. The cover plates of the harmonica are usually made of stainless steel material to protect it from corrosion with either a wood or plastic chamber. The cost of a harmonica depends on various aspects, such as its make (usually Seydel, M. Hohner, Suzuki, Swan etc.) and its type. They are available in different scales (major scale, blues scale, minor scale etc.) with different keys – Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G etc. A few makes also offer custom tuned keys in the above scales.

There are mainly two types of harmonica – diatonic and chromatic. Diatonic harmonicas are designed to play in a single key though the standard Richter-tuned diatonic harmonica can play other keys by forcing its reeds to play tones that are not part of its basic scale. The tremolo harmonica is a type of diatonic harmonica having two reeds per note. In a tremolo harmonica, the two reeds are tuned slightly off a reference pitch – one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat. The chromatic harmonica is typically used in jazz, classical, pop, and in music where the melodies require more than a seven-note major or minor scales (like on a standard diatonic harmonica). It is a type of harmonica that uses a button-activated sliding bar to direct air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the desired reed plate. When the button is not pressed, the harmonica will play a diatonic major scale, whereas if it is depressed, the same scale will be played a semitone higher in each hole. Thus, the instrument is capable of playing all the 12 notes of a chromatic scale barring shrutis in Indian classical music. The chromatic harmonica can thus be contrasted with a standard harmonica, which can play only the notes in a given musical scale.

My guru, Shri. Nandu Belvalkar often says, “When a song is being played on an instrument, we are replacing the singer singing the song. We must honour him/her by playing melodiously”. Despite the fact that playing the harmonica seems simple, to be an expert and to have good tone quality, it is essential to maintain proper air pressure during blow and draw, hold your breath, locate the appropriate slot on the harmonica, seal your lips properly, move your lips and the harmonica, and use the slider to achieve the desired effect of vamping note bending etc. These are some of the technical attributes, and coordination of all of them while playing the instrument is a skill that needs to be developed. I am still trying to develop these skills.

Playing the harmonica is very similar to doing pranayamas – it uses the blow and draw technique. My personal experience is that playing the harmonica improves breathing and increases lung capacity.

Generally, harmonicas do not require any maintenance. It can be cleaned by just wiping it off with the help of a cloth or water. In a few cases, it needs to be tuned in order to restore its original scale. However, blowing too harshly can damage its reeds and require replacement. The purpose of this article is to share my personal experience with the harmonica, which has helped me to reduce my stress and anxiety levels, depression, and is helping me to live a peaceful life. But to tell you the secret, and if you take my advice – do not bother much about the historical and technical information given above. Get a harmonica and start playing the most melodious instrument!

Keep harping!

Parag Atre
TBWES

A heritage cycle ride from Pune to Hampi

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

The most awaited cycle ride from Pune to Hampi was announced by the Indo Athletic Society (IAS) on 24 th October 2022. The dates of the expedition were 7 th to 12 th December. I booked for the same within no time!

The adventure proved to be one of the most memorable and thrilling experiences of my life. It was indeed a challenging expedition!

Day 1 – 7 th December – Pune to Shetphal (Mohol) – 225 km

This historical cycle ride was flagged off from Bhakti Shakti Garden, Nigdi. A group of almost 35 cyclists arrived at the spot at 04:00 am. After important instructions from the organisers and a few photographs, we started the ride at 04:35 am. Some 20 cyclists joined us from Nashik phata (at 5:00 am), and the remaining 20 joined us from Hadapsar. Once the group leader noted the headcount, the cyclists headed for the first leg of the expedition from Pune to Indapur.

We stopped for breakfast at Chaufula, which was arranged by our local cycling friends and then continued our journey. Despite the cold weather, everyone seemed to enjoy pedalling. At 12:30 pm, we, a group of five cyclists, reached Indapur, where lunch was organised at Hotel Mauli Prasad. We rested for half an hour after lunch and then resumed our journey to Mohol. At 04:30 pm, we reached Mohol's Mauli Raje Mangal Karyalaya, where we would spend the night. On the first day, we covered a distance of 225 km!

Day 2 – 8 th December – Shetphal to Vijayapura (Bijapur) – 160 km

On this day, the distance to be covered was 160 km – slightly less than the first day. All the cyclists left for Vijayapura at 4:45 am. The moonlight and blinking tail lamps made for a beautiful scene as all the cyclists went one after the other on the extreme left side of the road! Breakfast was served by the Solapur cycle club at 7:00 am. This was the point from where we had to take a sharp right turn perpendicular to the Solapur highway. After covering some distance, we came across a board reading – ‘Welcome to Karnataka’ along the banks of river Krishna. As usual, we took a break for a photo session and entered Karnataka. With small stops for hydration and rest in between, the journey went smoothly.

Thereafter, I rode solo for 80 km non-stop until I reached Vijayapura at 12:30 pm. Post lunch, we took some time off to rest. In the evening, we visited the Gol Gumbaz and Shivalaya. Another exciting and eventful day had come to an end!

Day 3 – 9 th December – Vijayapura to Hampi – 220 km

This was the last day, and we had to cover a distance of almost 220 km from Vijayapura to Hampi. We started at 4:00 am as planned, and it was freezing cold that day, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to change gears and apply brakes because of stiff fingers. At 6:00 am, we had a tea break during which we prayed for the sun to come up and provide some heat, but it was in vain. We started moving ahead in that freezing cold.

Although the road looked straight, it was an uphill climb. There is normally a downhill after going uphill, but in this case, we were greeted with yet another uphill. This continued for a very long distance.

We, a group of four cyclists, took a break for lunch at the Jai Maa Bhadrakali hotel along the highway in the afternoon. The restaurant served delicious South Indian food, after which we continued cycling.

The cycling intensified in the evening as the heat subsided. We entered the historical city of Hospete at 4:30 pm. I was the first one to reach! I was too tired, so I gulped four glasses of coconut water to restore my energy. From here, I needed to cycle for another 10 km to reach Hampi. Finally, at 05:00 pm, I reached my destination. We were thrilled to have made it here. After all our hard work and determination, it felt as if we had accomplished what we had set out to do. We had completed a total cycle journey of 610 km.

Arrangements for the night stay were made at a guesthouse near Hampi. The organiser welcomed us with warm greetings. Soothing music, rangolis, huge portraits against

Day 4 – 10 th December – Hampi tour – 15 km

It was the day to explore the majestic Vijayanagar empire (founded in 1336 and ruled up to 1646). We woke up early to visit magnificent temples and heritage sites crafted in stone. These included Malayavanta Raghunath Mandir, Laxmi Narsimha Mandir, Sasivekalu Ganpati Mandir, Kadalekalu Ganpati Mandir, Virupaksha Temple, Vijay Vitthal Mandir, Badavilinga, Hazara Ram Mandir, Mahanavami Dibba, Black stone Pushkarani, Lotus Mahal, Gajshala (elephant stables) and the remains of Krishnadevaraya palace.

These breathtaking sites depict how prosperous the Vijayanagar empire was! Later in the evening, a brief gathering was held where all the cyclists were felicitated with trophies and medals.

Day 5 – 11 th December 2022

This was the last day of the expedition. After breakfast, we bubble-wrapped our bicycles and loaded them safely into the truck. It was a free day for all of us, and we were allowed to wander in small groups.

I, along with four others, decided to visit the Anjeyanadri hill, the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. We hired a six-seater rickshaw and moved for Anjaneyadri. The temple was on a hill, and we had to climb about 575 steps. We reached the temple at 11:00 am, and after offering prayers, we started descending. Further, we visited the historical Pampa Sarovar and Shabari’s cave, where Lord Ram and Shabari had met.

In the evening, we reached the Hospete railway station, from where we started our return journey to Pune. We reached Pune the next day in the evening on 12 th December. We then departed for our homes with a lot of memories, emotions and a promise to meet again for the next expedition! I would like to conclude with a quote by author Zig Ziglar – “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.”

Ganpat Masal
TBWES (Materials)