Bulls on Parade to Bharatpur

BoP Meet with Birds and Meat
30 January 2011

This was a one-of-a-kind Ride. We added two of the most powerful ingredients and mixed them together to form a deadly cocktail. Food Gorging and Motorcycling. It had never been attempted before in BoP. So we were not quite sure how this one would result. Although we are known to Ride and then gorge, this time it was in the reverse order.It had been a long desire to eat Nihari in Old Delhi since we heard about it from Nishant Jha who had the privilege of tasting it through EOiD group. So, before the winters got over, we decided to head to that place. January was passing us by without a ride. At BoP, we take that very seriously. Hence, an extension to the food trip was made in the form of a ride to Bharatpur.

Meet Participants:

Vikas Garg
Rohit Saini
Divakaran Babu
Dhruv Malik
BK Atreya
Diptinder Singh Chhabra

5:45 was the scheduled time to meet up at Gurgaon Toll Plaza. I reached there on time to find Vikas already waiting there. But unlike other times, he was dressed in slippers. He was using a Swift as mode of transportation. Rohit arrived soon and we set off. At 6:10 AM, we reached Dhaula Kuan to find Dhruv and Divakaran waiting. I called up Sunny to find out if he was coming. He opted out.

In matters of the stomach, its better not to delay specially if the treat is in Old Delhi. From EOiD blog, we knew that the meat would get over by 7:30 AM. Without wasting time, we set off. Vikas had studied the map carefully and was leading us. A few enquiries later we arrived at the destination. Haji Noora ki Nihari. The place was small and very crowded. This guy has a policy of not serving dishes in the street. You have to take a seat. We found a place soon. We sat in a very cramped position, but the aroma of the Meat kept all the discomfort away. We were glued to our positions and waited with our tongues hanging out.

When the Nihari was finally served, there was a further wait for Khameeri Roti. We passed the time by taking in lungfuls of the steam coming out from the meat. It was heavenly. Its scents like these that you do not notice the hygiene and the sophistication of the place at all. You just dwell in the aroma and the taste. When the roti appeared, we were all too ready to dip it in the meat and bite. As soon as the gravy hit the tongue, you are taken into this place where you feel like a Mughal King having a King-sized feast. As you bite the soft and juicy meat, you are transformed into an animal ripping apart the tender flesh of buffaloes. Man's hunting history resurrects from deep within. Mix them together and you would get close to how we felt at that time.

The taste was simply exquisite. We simply had to order more. The chillis added on top were making us water from all our pores. But we didn't care. Ever heard of deriving pleasure from pain? Thats what we were doing. Meanwhile, Dhruv and BK, being veggies, were waiting for us outside. They tried to pass the time by clicking some photographs. The owner was not amused. He threatened, "Camera tod doonga". That was a strange bit I heard in Old Delhi. Usually, the owners are quite friendly and are much pleased to answer questions about their heritage. But not this man. Who cares? We were getting meat. The bill was a neat Rs 215. You just cant beat the economy of this place.

After stuffing ourselves, we stepped out to have another treat. Nishant had also recommended the Suji ka Halwa being served outside. This halwa is served along with a bhatura and you are supposed to eat it like a subzi. The taste was again, unbelievable. The veggies also got to have poori-subzi here. Second helpings of halwa were taken. I'm inclined to mention that my helping also contained a cherry on top. Special.

Understandably, Rohit spotted a chaiwala nearby. This guy can smell tea far away. Only this time, tea was being served with malai. It was more of a lassi than tea. The sweetness of halwa had taken a toll on the taste of the tea. But, it was tasteful, neverthless.

Now, the group split into two. Rohit and Vikas had to return to their homes while the highway awaited the others.

Ride Participants:
Divakaran Babu - Royal Enfield Thunderbird - Bhaaya
Dhruv Malik - Bajaj Pulsar 220 - Kaanchha
BK Atreya - Hero Honda Karizma - BK
Diptinder Singh Chhabra - Royal Enfield Electra - Vinamra

Divakar led the way. But to get to Ashram he chose the long way round through the Ring Road byepass. Nothing to complain about though since the road was fairly empty with a slight mist enveloping us.

7 AM is not a good time to head out. We realised this as we crossed Badarpur and Ballabhgarh. These areas tend to get crowded early. The best way to avoid that is to cross it in the dark. But traffic opened up later on. We were again following the 100km-pit-stop strategy. A halt was taken near Kosi. I had planned to stop at Asli Pappu dhaba, which we had visited during the Orchha Outlaws Ride, but since our stomachs were already full, we stopped at Asli Prakash Dhaba. If our comrade Vibhor is to be believed, this dhaba is even better than the Pappu. But we didnt have the capacity to try its parathas. The waiter must have also been disappointed to see 4 bikers landing and then ordering only tea and coffee. Divakar was most generous amongst us and ordered Mountain Dew and Uncle Chipps.

We headed out soon and reached Mathura quickly. Here the journey turns towards Rajasthan. This road is a mythbuster. In all our rides, Rajasthan state highways are creamy. However, on this particular stretch, the U.P. side of the road is far, far smoother than the Rajasthan part. A canal divides the two states. Hence, to prepare ourselves for the rough stretch ahead, we stopped at a theka on the U.P. side. Another pathbreaking stuff is that you get Bullet beer, the trademark of Rajasthan thekas, here, in U.P. BK and I participated in this refreshment program. Its quite a different feeling to have beer in rural thekas. We also picked up a bottle to be had inside the sanctuary. After all, birdwatching is a thirsty business.

Bharatpur was now just 20 kms away. But the path ahead is a mess. Full of potholes. We dont mind offroads, but potholes are a pain. Then on reaching Bharatpur, we were guided towards different paths by every man and yet we couldn't find the sanctuary. Finally after circumferencing the entire town, we landed on the Agra-Jaipur highway. And soon, the sanctuary. Vehicles were allowed to travel upto 1.5 kms inside after paying a fees. Its a nice money making business. Add a charge to an essential thing. From here on, the journey can be taken on foot or on rickshaws.

There was another mode as suggested by Dhruv. He had been here earlier. So he suggested to go on the electric buses. An empty one was just crossing the gate and two foreigners were boarding it. Divakar rushed towards it and started to board. The guard looked at him quizzically. It turned out that these buses were on pre-ordered basis. So much for Dhruv's experience.

We turned our attention to the rickshaws. Divakar and Dhruv are inseparable. So they took one rickshaw and BK and I took the other. The rickshaw drivers also doubled up as guides. They knew the place inside out. They could identify all the birds in the region and with precise pronunciation. They also knew the specific nesting spots of most. We had also picked up their skills. We could identify the migrant birds of the human kind. Divakar specified them as white-boobed and pink-nippled birds. There are so many undiscovered talents between us.

It was now nearly 4 PM. Hunger strikes. But still, we decided to stretch it out and cross Mathura in little traffic. We stopped at a small dhaba after that. The server was a small kid. He was also an acrobat. showed us backflips. The food was quite ok. We also opened the leftover beer. Dont think for a moment that we didnt had any inside the sanctuary. It has been a long standing tradition in BoP to drink inside every sanctuary they've been to. Corbett, Sultanpur, RennukaJi. I had carried a premix of Old Monk and Thums Up inside and finished it there only. The greatest advantage of such premixes are that you can have them in the open, without any fear.

It was now getting dark. It did, when we reached Palwal. Since, BK had to go to Noida, he took the road to Delhi. Dhruv and Divakar opted to go to Gurgaon to avoid the traffic mess near the Delhi borders. Moreover, while returning from Orchha in December, the Palwal-Sohna road was found to be in great condition. Immediately, we started with mis-navigation. We had to traverse some distance inside Palwal before touching the road to Sohna. Divakar's HID is much useful in the dark. When we reached Gurgaon, I took leave from the group while the other two carried on towards Delhi. But not before the 'JAI BoP' chorus. No last beer pint tradition this time. I need Nishant for that.

This was the first ride of BoP in 2011. It wouldnt have been possible without the appearance of Divakar. Here's hoping for much grander rides this year.

JAI BoP !!!