From Honnavar to Goa 9th Jan ,Day 2

Route: Honnavar - Kumta- Ankola - Karwar - Polem - Chauri - Cuncolim - Madgaon - Panaji - Mapusa- Vagator Beach.

Woke up early next morning and went off to see one of the beaches with Prakash and Gayatri. A calm place by the sea but that day it was very windy. We were surpirsed that the beach was so near by. Coming by we had the famous gadbad icecream at Meher Ice Cream parlor, another recommendation by friends of friends in Bangalore. Prakash and Gayatri were excited about the icecream. I was too since I had missed this in Mangalore on our Coondapur Trip. This ice cream is famous in Mangalore too. Meanwhile we came back had our breakfast and then got ready for the ride. We started at about 10:45 in the morning and rode to Karwar and then Goa. The mood was upbeat and everybody wanted to party. The plan was to reach Goa by the end of the day or earlier. En route we were suddenly slammed by heavy gusts of crosswind. The bike was being pulled from both the sides and I was a little scared that we would lose control. After manouvering the bike we got used to the wind and the trick was to accelerate and to go on... as we were riding fast and furious, a crow lost his way and came flying at us. Poor thing might have been confused because of the sudden gust of wind and hit our bike and I just saw the crow being thrown far away at the road side legs in the air upside down... I was just praying that it was in shock and would just fly again... Mahendra was almost sleeping on his tank to avoid getting messed up by the wind. We reached Karwar and I must say that this town is beautiful with wide roads and the highway by the town is a beautiful stretch of road. We took some time off to have some lunch at Karwar and then admire the coastal area. Wind was as strong as ever and it was forming mini sand storms in the highway, very dangerous if one is not careful. After a long break full of beer and fish fry, we carried on to Panaji. On the way I met a friendly cat at the petrol pump where I spent some time with it. The destination was near and the mood was getting lighter and lighter... the group was getting slower and they decided to stop and have another round of drinks. Gayatri was hungry too so we waited till everyone finished. Some of us were eager to reach our destination which was about some 40 odd kms. In goa we went through Madgaon. Madgaon is a crowded city and we went through the famous bridge of Madgaon... was dying to get to cleaner landscape... and the highway. We reached Panaji and then it was time to contact Keerthi. I was loving the roads this time. Clean and smooth roads with funny ads like kingfisher Beer or something which was Goa's "maka naka drink". Lots of hoardings advertising about different events and different places to stay... This was truly a tourist's haven. We stopped somewhere outside the town, contacted Keerthi who came by with Supreeth aka Slowglow in bright sarongs and t shirts... well the party begins now... but we had to settle our lodging place too. We rode via Mapusa to Vagator Beach. Keerthi booked just one hotel that day and we were expected to share it with the Madras bulls and cram up however we could. Most of us did not like the idea much and we got a hotel nearby of the same guy, Mr Milton who accomodated us after much bargaining and talking... The view from the rooms was amazing. The Hotel Alcove was a happening place with a pub and a restaurant at the same place and it was teeming with foreigners from all the world. The Ozran beach was just below the hotel easily accessible from the hotel by steps and it had great view points for sunset and one could just relax and sip some wine and have some good food and watch the sun go down. Of course the preference was given to the foreigners and its sad but in places like this Indians would feel very left out but I must say that Milton was the perfect host. Some decided to stay at the Royal Resorts while we bunked at Alcove.This little place had everything in proximity, all types of hotels, a happening party place which occured everyday from 5 to 10 in the night, lots of shop to buy chunky outfits and jewellery from. Near this place there were lots of eating joints like the Marrakesh Cafe, German Bakery, French Cafe, Italian food, Tibetian Cafe all within short walking distances and very colourful. The only disadvantage was that everywhere the food was extremely expensive. The group went in search of hotels some distance away and got one called Old Day and Nite hotel where they had a good meal comprising of goan fish curry and rice. I was not that fortunate since Rocky was feeling dizzy due to his reluctance to eat and had to settle for Roti and Dal fry from the restaurant where we stayed. After that we explored the Tibetian cafe and had some momos. I realised very soon that this area was not a very good place to explore if you are on a budget. So I gave up the idea. But we had a nice time enjoying the Kings Beer og Goa which you can get from 15 /- to 30/- depending on the place you are staying. Its exactly a pint. You can check the bottles out in the pic below. Nearby there was trance music happening and lots of guys and gals poured in to a nearby place to party and some of us also went to see what it was all about and had a gala time. They said that hash was moving fast along with the music and well the crowd was very hippy to say the least. And yes a sight for sore and tired male and female eyes. LOL. I shopped my usual knick knacks, got an amazing harley davidson as a small silver pendant for 350 bucks which he would have sold at 2000 bucks to the foreigners... my bargaining skills was so great that he agreed to start a business with me in Bangalore where I could split half of the profit. ha ha ha !! I was more interested in getting the bike pendant... at a lower rate... LOL

Starting from Bangalore

8th Jan, Day 1: Our route to and fro was to be Bangalore - Nelamangala - Tumkur - Gubbi - Tiptur - Arsikere - Kadur - Bhadravati - Shimoga - Sagar - Gersoppa - Honnavar ( break for the day). This was the shortest route to Goa but the group who was coming the next day would ride via Mangalore which would entail 100kms more of riding. Anyway we met up at the IISC/Tata/Bhel Circle at 6:15 and there were some like Prashant who would be riding the next day who came to see us off. Suddenly as we were greeting each other and warming up to go we are greeted by beautiful looking babes and a dude who come to give us a can each of Red Bull, an energy drink. They would be launching this drink soon and wanted us to sample this. This drink was specially designed for long riders to give us energy when we feel tired... we said what the heck. The girls were a sight for sore eyes for the guys and well they were motivated enough to get going. I was applauding their marketing skills which entailed catching the riders at the early hours of the cold bangalore morning shivering in their flimsy clothes. Some riders were late and it was already 6:45 am so a few decided to leave and a few decided to stay for the latecomers. They would be catching us up anyways. As we rode through Nelamanagala and then on to Tumkur, it was biting cold and we had a full sample of how cold Bangalore could be on the highway in winter. I was shivering inspite of the leather jacket and the gloves... The sun refused to warm us up till 8:30am that day. At 7:15 we had breakfast at Katsandra, 3 kms before Tumkur where that guy served amazing Thate Idlis recommended by Jahangir. Jahangir, a native of Tumkur showed us his house as we passed the Tumkur city.We rode on to Gubbi taking short breaks on the way and at Arisekere we had a hearty lunch since we were all hungry and had enough of riding it was about 1:15 at that time. Lunch was a long drawn out session which we could have cut short but some decided to order beer and languish so we did not have any option but to wait for the rest to start. Finally after lunch we resumed our riding and cruised along the highway. I must note here that this is the best road to use while going to Goa. Its peaceful and the traffic is very smooth and very well spaced out. The road is small but peaceful and a scenic route too amidst the forests. We reached Shimoga and then on to Sagar where we stopped for refuelling. After Sagar, the ghat section started and we stopped again at Jog Falls. We decided that we would be see this place on our way back. The sun had set and we were at the beginning of the ghat section so we needed to be careful and maintain a constant speed without overtaking the other since there were many sharp curves and turns. So we being the slow riders were selected to lead the ghat section. I was kind of tensed but well we crossed the section without any incidents and for that I was thanking god. When we were coming down the ghats it was a beautiful sight to see the lights of the bikes moving in a synchronized manner and I wish we could have photographed it . We were too foccused on getting to Honnavar which was to be our stop for the day. We had covered some 481 kilometres approximately and we were looking forward to a well deserved rest. Honnavar is a small coastal town with a good beaches and cheap food and great hotel. Right as we came down the ghats the we saw Hotel Siddarth next to Kamat's Executive Inn. We were recommended Kamat's Inn but we were offered a good discount by the manager when he saw the big group landing up and he was all the more happy when we told him that another group would be passing by. The rooms were fabulous boasted of TV and a big bathroom, what would cost some 500 plus in Bangalore costed us just 140 bucks per room. Amazing. Dinner was a small party in one of our rooms but i was too exhausted to join them. Later on Rocky went on and on about the so fresh fish fry they had and I was left dreaming about the taste...

Goa Ride Trip

Goa Ride Trip.... Destination : Ridermania 2004, Goa Mood : Excited Starting date 8th Jan 2004. This was a trip I was really looking forward to since it was my first time to Goa and one would get to meet all the other riders and basically have a good time besides doing a lot of riding. The route was planned and the accessories were added like T-Shirts, hand bands, flags all proclaiming the brand of RTMC the group from Bangalore that would be going to Goa. As I was packing my last minute items like first aid kit, water bottles, bandages, I was full of excitement of being on the road again. I had left early from office for the simple matter that I could not concentrate. I ticked off all the stuff that I had listed out for packing for the trip. Packing for biking trip has to be careful. One cannot load oneself with whatever one wanted... and by now I think Rocky thinks that I am expert at packing for a ride. LOLOL. I was thanking my lucky stars that we were finally able to make it since Quicksilver was just back from the TEKNIK after its repairs from the oil skid we had. Anand from TEKNIK was kind enough not to push us for the formalities. He was also planning to take two of his bikes to Goa. His brother designs bikes from scratch and he has made an amazing bike with gas shock absorbers and all that.. Last time his work was sold in goa at the same event for a lakh. That too was a work of art. He does the painting himself. We had attached a two boxes this time since we were doing so many trips and we needed something solid. The saddle bags from the last time was gone. Quicksilver was also revving to go I bet with the rest of her friends... LOLOL . We had to meet up at IISC or Bhel circle at an unearthly hour of 6:00. I say unearthly since it is dark nowadays at this time in Bangalore... but heck we were raring to go. The whole group was divided into three groups. One who left very early on the 6th of Jan. They would be responsible for looking after the lodging for the whole group. We were the second group leaving on the 8th and the last group would be leaving on 9th due to office and all that. The last group would be staying back longer than the rest too. A couple of them left on the 6th and were responsible to check out the accommodation of the two groups that would be riding to Goa. One group would leave the day after on the 9th Jan. Much was discussed about the route . Some wanted to go via Manglore and some by Shimoga. Manglore would entail riding 100 kms of riding than Shimoga route. Our group opted for the shimoga route while the others wanted to do it through Mangalore. We had done a part of the Mangalore highway and we were eager to reach the destination and this was the shortest route so to say. Our group comprised of : Rocky and Pallavi ( thats me ) Prakash and Gayatri Sijan and Anita Andrew and Om Sebastian and Raju Guna and Riwaz Jahangir and Nawaz David Dubier aka Dubyaman Mahendra Easha Vipin (Note: The pillion riders of Jahangir and Guna were little kids of 5 and 7 approximately I think) While returning we were joined by the Madras bulls Navneet, Dodo, Brijesh and Indrajit. Indrajit had come all the way from Calcutta in his Bullet. (Contd.......) the rest of the triplog is coming soon... gotta be a long one... but I am finally free to blog... yeaaaaaaa

busy

In the midst of all the API's I just took some time out to read a few blogs and was amazed at the account of the blogmeets happening all over the four metros... Mumbai seems to be happening... And met some of my favourite bloggers too and then some new ones who I want to read... Great idea for the bloggers to meet. I still think that only a section of the bloggers have met while many preferred to remain anonymous... Well to each his own I guess but the meet was a great success from I read .... now its back to Ctrls and *(&@&#@!*&#$..... :) Ok friends, finally its official. The ridermania feature will be aired in Ten Sports on Jan 27. 10:00 - 10:30 World Football News 10:30 - 11:30 Legends 11:30 - 14:30 MUTV 14:30 - 15:00 Gamer TV 15:00 - 15:30 World Football News 15:30 - 16:00 Fitness Beach 16:00 - 17:00 Extreme Sports 17:00 - 18:00 After Burn 18:00 - 19:00 The Bottom Line : Ep 86 19:00 - 19:30 Indian Football Show 19:30 - 20:00 ATP Tennis 20:00 - 20:30 Royal Enfield Rider Mania 20:30 - 22:00 Cricket Classics 22:00 - 22:30 ICC Cricket World 22:30 - 23:30 After Burn 23:30 - 00:30 The Bottom Line : Ep 86 Oh God hopefully they air it this time..... am keeping my fingers crossed ************************************************* Hehe this the third time i came around to update. I think when I am at my busiest, I feel the urge to write more... random thoughts..... Am listening to elvis and he reminds me so much of my youth.... and adolescence... those days of a damn care attitude and lots of music and books and thoughts of what I shall be.... When my friends were rocking with Beatles, I was hooked on ELvis... THis is one of my favourites... it gives me goosebumps as I listen him croon the melody...reminds me of a far away lost memory ...... Are you lonesome tonite *********************************************** Are you lonesome tonight, Do you miss me tonight? Are you sorry we drifted apart? Does your memory stray to a brighter sunny day When I kissed you and called you sweetheart? Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare? Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there? Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again? Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight? I wonder if you�re lonesome tonight You know someone said that the world�s a stage And each must play a part. Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart. Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange And why I�ll never know. Honey, you lied when you said you loved me And I had no cause to doubt you. But I�d rather go on hearing your lies Than go on living without you. Now the stage is bare and I�m standing there With emptiness all around And if you won�t come back to me Then make them bring the curtain down. Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again? Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight? ************************************************** SIGH ................... Then I was going through Apple's post.... she reminds me so much of myself....some glimpses here and there... hope she finds her haven and answers to many of her questions.... you hang on there kiddo... ***************************************************** Had my appraisal today and my boss is a sweetie pie.. he reminds me of a concerned bro... anyway, i have taken up the suggestion of learning the Korean Language... after French and German.... the only hitch is I got to find someone to teach me this lingo.... And I am praying for a PROMOTION.......... dear go dear god dear god.... i will feed you 100 ladoos ... LOLOL...............

Oh

OH no !! The Biker Mania progam did not air at the scheduled time... And here i was sitting gawking at the TV... anyways forget it am sorry to have given all my friends the wrong info. It seems that it will be aired on the 19th that is tonite... now I have promised myself not to get to excited.. and all and just keep quiet. *********************************************************** CHAMELI - Not too bad to digest... Watched Chameli this weekend on the VCD. My safe bet on hindi movies are VCDs. That way I can do away with the lengthy parts and songs. I was not expecting much but I must say I was surprised. And if i like it halfway, i quitand watch it in the theatre.. LOL :) Directed by Sudhir Mishra of Is Raat ki Subah Nahin and Calcutta Mail fame, produced by Pritish Nandy Commnications, music by Sandesh Shandilya, lyrics by Javed Akhtar, this movie was the concept of the late writer-director Anant Balani or Jogger's Park fame among many films. This movie could be deemed as an offbeat movie with lots of commercial touches here and there thus bringing in a good fusion between the two. The story revolves mainly around two protagonists a prostitute (Kareena Kapoor) and an financal consultant ( Rahul Bose) two people from totally two different lifestyles who are thrown in together by the forces of nature to take refuge at a dingy looking building. Aman Kapoor the financial consultant gets caught in a storm and because his car breaks down he takes shelter at this place called Flora fountain a place well known for picking up gals and Chameli happens to be there too in this rainy night looking for business from customers. At the outset Chameli hits on Aman thinking that he would be her customer but Aman refuses and then nonchantly Chameli backs down. Slowly the friendship develops and Aman also comes to respect or lets say accept the business that she is doing to survive... As the night progresses, multiple events take place which seems totally out of Aman's control and yet he sees Chameli in a new light, a person trying to survive in the world's most despised trade... The interaction is brought to a level of trust and friendship when an event which somehow involves Aman along with Chameli. Chameli is shown to be a cynical personality since the life is a full circle for her. But Aman is not able to digest the injustice or the feeling of helplessness and somehow through his contacts is able to help Chameli repay a debt monetarily thus easing his own private guilt too. Here the story relates to the personal vendetta of Aman with his own consciousness and how he refuses to deal with it and then how Chameli astounds him by her acceptance of her risk- filled life. The story also displays an unusal romatic relationship of a nineteen year old boy with an ennuch. Indian cinema is getting bolder by the day and well I guess its a good thing that people are at least displaying it to certain extent instead of stuffing it in the proverbial pandora's box where all the taboo subjects of the indian society rests. The ending is what you might want to construe. I would like to think that a beginning of a new friendship and understanding of souls occur and whether that leads to love and romance is for the idealistic to think but its not real. Though the movie has tried to portray the story as a love story between the two roles, I would rather see it as an awareness to the less initiated as to how the less fortunate live their lives and how one grasps the reality and at the end of it all everyone survives... no matter what. I lost out on the love angle and though it was portrayed for a very short time on the screen what was more stressed on was the empathy and understanding of one another's weaknesses. Rahul Bose with his subtle act has complemented the performance of Kareena Kapoor and has managed to give it the right measure of balance between the two extremely opposite roles, one so dark and thoughtful and one so cynical, brash yet optimistic and very colourful. I did not know what to expect from this movie and was just curious to see how this movie worked out but was pleasantly surprised. I for one liked the way the concept was handled and the movie is thoroughly held together only by the performances of the Kareena and Rahul. Dialogues are good and may take you by surprise ... the best part of the movie is its unpredictability... and I like that in a hindi movie... that captures the interest of the audience... Music is nothing great except for the one "bhage re mera man" where Kareena dances and gyrates wildy in the rain. Direction is good. Cinematography is good since the mood of the story is well conveyed and one tends to get inside the story after a while. I would recommend this movie if you want to go for a serious kind of movie. And of course if you like Rahul Bose and Kareena Kapoor you might also enjoy the movie. ************************************************* And I watched Paisa Wasool too half of it that is .... got totally bored by the first half and this movie like tickling yourself and laughing... its a pathetic attempt in the name of comedy... A waste of time and money I would say... please avoid it and I would rather watch Hungama.... given a choice between these two...

LOL

LOLOLOL just was working on the API documentation and I came across this API named ButCtrl_create, ButCtrl_Destroy... and so on for Button Control!! ha hah a How have they managed to name this or maybe I am in just a very naughty mood... *snicker* SNORT !! Tee hee Giggle giggle !!! Tch Tch !! Ok guys if anyone is interested in the Rider Mania event which happened in Goa for which we went riding to Goa... check Rider Mania, tonight at ESPN at 8 pm with a repeat at 11 pm and at star sports at 9 pm with a repeat at 10 pm

good news

Well good news halsocan has taken up the blogspeak commenting service and I might just be having back my commenting system .. he he !! Anyways, yesterday was a holiday and took time to chill off since I was still having hangover from the Goa trip. Believe me guys this is the best time to visit this place. My write up is ready but i want the snaps too ... sometimes I feel that my write up is half done without corresponding snaps... Anyways, holidays are always nice to chill so yesterday we spent a good time visiting my cousin bro and his family and others... Yesterday was a day of touching base I guess which should be more often since its so difficult to take out time for people whom one would like to sit and spend some time with. Life has become very haphazard sometime where you end up doing something really unnecessary. I need some self discipline I think. I have started walking for 20 minutes everyday now and hoping to continue that as a habit. New Year should bring in a new healthier lifestyle, I was thinking and its a good time to start... Yesterday we also had a chance to spend sometime in Indiranagar Club. A friend of ours was the member and had invited us for the evening. I was shocked to know that criteria to become a club member. You must have a property in the prime Indiranagar Area and that fulfilled, for immediate membership, you pay 2 lakhs and then if you want to wait, you got to pay some 30 grand and then wait for 5 years ... YEEESSSHHHH !! I was thinking that I would rather invest in a car and then go some distance to the cheaper clubs for whatever. Even though we think about being club members, one wonders how often one gets to use it. And to pay that much... well anyways ... I guess its more of a status symbol. My interest stemmed from getting to use a place where there would be a decent swimming pool since I love swimming and want to make it a regular activity... but i think I have a lot of other options like Hacienda Club or something ... then again the point is how often one would use it... with all the work schedule and the rest of the daily acitivity thrown in... Must get more organized........

oh no

Oh my god... I am back from goa and all my comments have been ripped off !! GAWK !!! Gosh !! anyways, will soon be posting about this ride... just got back from work and got to do lots !!! but the ride was awesome... GOA rocks !!!!!

Go Goa

Go go go go go GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Goa here we come for the Rider Mania. Last year we had missed it and am i glad that will be there with bikers fromall over in Goa... Arambol..This time it just had to happen... he he. Finally we have got the bike from the mechanic. Today we are fitting new boxes to the bike so that the extra fixed luggage can go in along with the bike accessories and I do not need to carry an extra bag and i can take photos at leisure... yipeee !! Anyway am looking forward to this trip. We will be 12 bikes in all to go on the 8th to the Rider Mania. Had missed it last time and hope to have good fun this time. I for one am very excited since this is the first time for me in Goa. I used to always dream of honeymooning in Goa in my school days when it was a very exotic place and well if notnot honeymoon, its better than that riding towards the beach on our bike... LOL... I feel sometimes that I am the last one to have not gone to Goa... LOL. The travelling bug has really bitten me this time and hope to do more. And I am dancing with joy. Oh I wish I could always travel ..... Planning Pondicherry, Kerela, Hampi, Mumbai sometime soon this year... yes this is one of my new years resolution... travel travel travel and travel some more... explore all the places little known to the tourists... *********************************************************************************************************************** LoC Kargil.... a disturbing moment... Last Sunday watched LoC Kargil. Even with all the confusion in the screen and all the editing by the cinema wallah, it was an emotional movie. More so since my brother also was there in the war capturing Pakistani posts with his jawans when the war was on. And all the stories came back to life. I had heard about many stories from my cousin Major Tushar Pratim Boruah, Naga Regiment who has been posted back to that area now. War does a lot to the mental makeup of the soldier. Despite the tough conditions high up somewhere in the mountians, disillusionment, despair, frustation, my bro says that our soldiers are the best in comparison to any army organization and are willing to fight anytime for the country without batting an eyelid or caring for their life. He proudly says that our officers as shown in the movie go forward before endangering the lives of the jawans unlike the other party where the officers are at the last and are the first to retreat. I have heard how my bro lost his buddy to a mine blast while walking side by side in the war zone and how that mine scraped his tooth. I have heard how the enemy soldiers were nothing but poor people who were promised with lot of money to their families after their death... so for the enemy it was a catch 22 situation... damned if we do damned if we dont. I still remember the satellite phone calls where my bro used to tell me how lucky I was to sleep when he was already awake and on the move before dawn and how he had to survive on tin food. The movie maybe showed us just a fraction of what goes on up there and yet it might leave the patriot shaken.I wish the country would do more for the jawans instead of eating away at the taxes that we pay. Though according to my bro, inspite of the enemy having the best of the best equipment (each enemy soldier is provided with a GPS, insulated tents, sophisticated guns and weaponry while our army supposedly has one GPS for some hundred jawans and the general weapons... beat that)... our army is the best in organization when it comes to fighting a battle and winning through skill and strategy. And each life is valued here... Then I read about the officers like Captain Vikram Batra, Anuj Nayyar,Manoj Pandey etc who were shaheed in "Operation Vijay" and it moved me to tears on reading about such young dare devils sacrificing their life willingly for their country. I remember watching Vikram Batra on the news with Barkha Dutt and the just the day after he was shaheed.. I salute you all who have fought for our country and are still fighting in the terrible conditions which one can only imagine... and also I am very proud of you my bro... Personal thoughts aside, this movie is no great shakes if you are expecting lot of song and dance and the usual masala. It is a tribute to the 12 war heroes among the many who fought and most who attained martyrdom for our country. Like some other war movies it is not pretty. The director has tried his level best to handle a vast topic well and keep the story as real as possible thereby maybe losing out on the commercial aspect of it.... but then this time I was more concerned with the facts and how it was portrayed rather than the frills which come with the movie.... there are some scenes which might have been manipulated but well one cannot tell... Many have said that how can one soldier heroically kill 3 to four of our enemies but thats what exactly happened in some cases. Sometimes the scenes may seem to intense and repetitive but I think for people who can relate to the scene, it might make a difference. It did to me. Many of my friends were bored of the same old location and the same scene being enacted with little difference but what I had to say to them was that war is nothing funny but its a serious game of losing lives and managing lives and well it might not be just everybody's cup of tea. War movies are never pretty and there is nothing to smile about in the movie except for the realistic and sardonic humor which the soldiers share... And typical of hindi movies please expect some mushy stuff happening there but hey its a Hindi movie. For a change its based on true heroes. I can handle that. I thought that the song and dance was not needed but I guess the director was trying to appease the general audience too. The script was good the research well done. Anyways check it out in the DVD if you are interested in the movie. That way you could fastforward the songs and get on with the story. Mixed feelings is what I have when I think about the movie.. story wise its good but movie wise it could have been better but then again one must apprecite the effort of Mr J P Dutta who went out of the way and made this movie at least at the cost of his two of his crew's lives and in conditions which was less than favourable at the icy heights of Leh Ladakh. The actors have done a great job is depicting the roles so much so that on seeing Saif, Capt Anuj Nayyar's friend thought he had played the role to the hilt. Manoj Paney had me rooting for him. I loved Ashutosh Rana and Manoj Bajpai's role ( as the two Yadav friends) in this movie and they made me laugh as well as cry with their enactment... Rifleman Sanjay Kumar played by Suniel Shetty was also very genuine and well it could be well believed that real life heroes do exist big time. Vikram Batra gave a new meaning to Yeh Dil Mange More !!! I am sure there are many who deserve mention in this long list of heroics (about 450 soldiers who lost their lives in the 4 months long war) but it is enough to at least make the layman who was more interested in the cricket match going on during that time aware of what the soldiers were going through at the same time.... I rest my thoughts here !!!!