My KTM

After selling off my Esteem, sometime in mid-April 2015 (which had served me well for almost ten years) and graduating to a Duster as my daily drive, I was toying with the idea of getting a motorcycle. A modern one. I already have an “old soldier” Bullet. But that is more of a vintage bike and not the ideal vehicle of choice if you are in a hurry to go somewhere quickly. The level of engagement with that bike is something different. It is more than a bike.

I wanted a bike for going to places where I wouldn’t want to take my Duster. I would also take it to the occasional medium distance day trips or weekend trips and perhaps a north Sikkim or Leh in the distant future. In short, a two-wheeled version of my Esteem.

My first stop was at the Bajaj showroom close to our office. They had launched a few variants of the Pulsar with names like AS and RS etc. The experience at OSL Bajaj showroom was so negative that I was really put off by the Bajaj brand. They were just not interested in me as a customer. Test ride seemed like such an impossibility that I didn’t even dare ask. The bikes were there but in a difficult to reach position. I could somehow manage to reach the bikes for a closer look. In fact no one even bothered to ask me what on earth I was doing, as I kept on loitering around in their showroom for close to ten minutes. There was no question of listening to the exhaust note etc.

Finally I caught hold of a sales guy and he said, very reluctantly, that he had no idea when the bikes would come and no commitment on deliveries. Personally, I am not in favour of rushing to buy the latest introduction into the market. I prefer to wait and watch how a particular brand does and then go for it. Since Pulsar is already an established name I wanted to take chance with its variant. But the attitude of the guys there didn’t instil any confidence in me.

In a couple of days I went, with Monisha on tow, to the Honda showroom near La Martinere to see the CBR 250 ABS. Here we had a slightly better experience. But I felt more disappointed here because after all it’s a Honda and the attitude to customer was so baniya. There was no question of turning the engine on. The person who had received my phone call had given me all sorts of ridiculously wrong replies. I came out quite disgusted. Incidentally, I had also written a complaint mail to Honda but nothing much came off it.

After a few days I went to the Honda showroom near Thakurpukur. At this point of time I was hell bent on getting a Honda. Here the reception was much warmer. The sales lady gave me a test ride on the bike. Monisha and I took a short ride and liked the look and feel of the bike. We almost made up our mind to book it. At this stage the sales lady chickened out a bit. When I asked her about the delivery schedule she seemed unsure. In short what she said is this, as per last information from Honda a few months ago, they had stopped manufacture of the ABS model. However, now the Calcutta Honda office has told her to accept the booking with Rs 5,000. If the bike does not come in another month or so, they would return the money.

Somehow, I got those vibes that Honda is perhaps going to withdraw this model in favour of its more potent brother the CBR 300. After some procrastination, I dropped the idea of buying the Honda. No one seemed to know anything about the future plans of Honda. I asked my sources in Delhi. They said the bike is not being withdrawn. And even if they do, parts supply wouldn’t be a problem.

Even if that is so, I doubt how much service support I would get from the local service centers. I am sure they don’t stock a lot of spares. Frankly, I have never seen a CBR 250 on Calcutta roads. Of course Malcom in our office had one. But he had sold it off long ago as it was causing wrist pain.

Next stop was KTM. First I went to the Chowringhee KTM in the ground floor of Chatterjee International. On a fine Saturday morning Monisha and I reached for a test ride. Chenku also came along with his son Atish. The idea was to ride and check the pillion seat of the Duke 390. The showroom, it turned out, did not have a proper test ride mule. They took out a bike that was booked in the name of someone else and gave it for me to ride.

But ride where? Not on the road but on the concrete driveway next to their building!!! It is a narrow stretch of about 20/30 meters or so. Grudgingly we took a ride. Monisha was more or less fine with the seat. I could barely ride the bike, because I am just not used to this posture and the 1 down 2,3,4 etc up gear shift system, that too on the other foot (I am used to a vintage Bullet where the brake and gear shift lever is just the opposite). But anyway, the bike passed our test. The showroom did not. It kept on pinching me in the heart that they let customers ride new, booked bikes. It is unethical, unprofessional.

Meanwhile Monisha worked out the maths of the loan. Two-wheeler loan was ruled out because a personal loan of the same amount worked out to be way cheaper for her. Also, as a staff she would be able to pay back any time she wanted. She applied for it.

I soon learnt that since early 2015, Duke 390 has started coming with a slipper clutch and a few other minor modifications. This clutch lets you downshift aggressively from a high speed without stalling the engine. I had to make sure that I was getting the right bike with all these upgrades. Somehow the credibility level of the showroom guy had vanished. I asked him how I would know that I was getting the new model. What he essentially said means I would have to trust him.

I did some net surfing on how to find out the month and year of manufacture of your bike but to no avail. Incidentally, now I know how it is done.

I had started feeling uncomfortable about dealing with KTM Chowringhee. So I dialled KTM Anwar Shah Road. They said I could come anytime for a proper on the road road test. I took the test on the next Saturday. I quite liked this guy in what they call KTM Prince. I decided to buy the bike from here. No more questions.

I made the payment through cheque and a little bit by cash. Last Friday May 29, 2015 the sale was officially logged. This is also the day when I first saw the individual bike that would be mine. I checked the tacho, It shows 7.8 km, which is reasonable. They gave me the engine number, chasis number, battery number and key number.

As of now I am waiting for the bike to be handed over to me after it is produced at the Motor Vehicles department for registration. The rule is, the bike will be first produced at the MV. After this they would issue the registration number, after this they will fit a high security registration plate on the bike. After that the smart card for registration in my name will be issued. There is a huge backlog for all the steps involved. And each step takes several days.

So the production of the bike will take some time. I shall be handed over the bike on that very day. But it wouldn’t have a number. So I’d have A/F (applied for) written on the number plate. Once the number is allotted I would write it with a permanent marker till the high security plate is issued. If you are not an Indian  all this may not make much sense :-)

Wednesday June 3, 2015

I was told today that they will be "producing" the bike tomorrow at the Motor Vehicles and it should be ready for delivery after that. I have this silly superstition against doing anything important on a Thursday, if it is avoidable. So I told Joyjit, the KTM Prince sales guy, that I would come on Friday for the delivery. Feeling excited :-) The helmet has been washed in soap water and fit for the first ride at least. I have to get a proper cover for the bike and a solution for carrying basic stuff on a day to day basis.

How To Make Sense of Your KTM Chassis Number

Last Friday they logged the actual sale of the vehicle to me. They gave me the chassis number, engine number, key number and battery number. On Sunday I got an invite on my phone to download the KTM app which I promptly did. Now, this app is nothing but a mobile version of the owner's manual (which I had earlier downloaded from their website). But it has an important chapter on making sense of the chassis number. It's also known as the VIN - vehicle identification number. From this number one can work out the company that manufactured the vehicle, the plant, the month and year of manufacture, the CC of the vehicle etc. I found that the vehicle was manufactured in January 2015. Of course the first two information is same for everyone in India. Like it's a KTM and it was made at the Chakan plant. But this becomes important to foreigners if they are buying these vehicles abroad.

If you are reading this and want to understand how it is done, just let me know.

Meanwhile, let me note here the various other things I learn about my bike. I learnt from the BBC TopGear magazine that the engine of the KTM is Nikasil coated. What on earth is that. Here is the explanation. Click

The Duke 390's OE tyres are two of the most expensive OE tyres fitted on any two wheeler in India. They are Metzelers . That's real luxury because in the after market they cost a whopping Rs 28,000 to replace. But apparently their cornering abilities even on wet road conditions is legendary. Let me see how good they are.

Friday 5th June, 2015

The Baby Comes Home At Last 

Today I brought the baby home from the KTM showroom on Anwar Shah Road. The first ride was a little uncomfortable. I took a while to get adjusted to the gear shifts and brakes etc. Filled 10 litres of petrol from Deshapriya Park. Took Mampu to the dance class. Went back to D'Park to fill in air. It was 25/28. I made it 25/32. After coming back home with her went out with Monisha for a spin. By now I am quite confident and have worked out the things with my feet. It's a lovely bike. Very sporty. Lots of torque. I am wondering how much smoother it will get once the first servicing is done and synthetic oil is put.

In the afternoon, I had gone to Wellington to get a plastic cover for the bike (Rs 200) and also a helmet (Rs 490). The same white Aron that we have.

Today when I took the bike, I guess the tacho had some 20 km or so. I don't remember clearly because the mode was on trip and I didn't know how to change it to total km. It is now 51 when I parked it for the night.

Absolute First Impressions

Very torquey. I love the power. But it is not a city commuting bike really. You are riding at 30 on 4th gear. If you come down to 20, you will have to bring it down to 3, if not 2. It's not a Hero Honda. I was using mostly 2nd and 3rd. Once in a while 4th. Fifth only when there is an absolute empty stretch - like on a flyover. I had some fun zooming past the strugglers on the Gariahat bridge with Monisha. I would love to take it on the highway soon.

By the time I was riding it with Monisha, I had already more or less adopted to the bike. It will take some more time but I shall get there.

The idle rev is very very high. As a Bulleteer it will take me some time to get adjusted to it. But I love the exhaust note, particularly when opening throttle on 2nd gear :-) I feel much younger.

Wednesday 10th June, 2015

Today the registration number got allotted to me. WB01AG3279. Road tax has been paid. Almost Rs 20,000 !!! Of course it is a lifetime tax and I need not bother about it ever again, but it just shows how pauper our state is right now. I have also been given the insurance papers. I will need to go to Kasba Motor Vehicles Department on Monday to get the high security registration plate fixed . At 3 pm in this heat. That's the only worry.

The bike, meanwhile, has done 164 km. Monisha and I often go out riding it aimlessly. Invariably we end up going to Red Road and HSBC Dalhousie though. I am not only breaking the engine and tyres in, I am also getting used to riding the bike.

The thermostat or the cooling fan kicks in rather frequently. Perhaps it will get better after the first service.

I have ordered for a pair of gloves off Amazon. An el cheapo brand called Probiker. Total cost is coming to Rs 400+. The Alpinestars cost Rs 6k !!!

Tuesday 16th June, 2015

An important part in the entire ownership registration process got completed yesterday. The high security registration plate was affixed to my bike at Kasba Motor Vehicles department. I was scheduled to reach there at 3 pm, which I did. It is right inside the state bus terminus near the Ruby roundabout.

Lined up the bike alongwith the others. There were some 30/40 bikes in all. They came and took the slip from me which was given by the dealership. One by one the HSRP registration plates were fixed. The place is strewn with these chopped off nails. I don't know how they don't puncture the tyres. Anyway, the process was over in about half an hour. I paid a tip of Rs 30 to the guy who was doing the job. They gave me a receipt that says the thing has been done.

Now the next step that remains is getting the registration document, also known as the "smart card". Earlier we used to call it the blue book, because it indeed was a blue coloured book !!

Meanwhile, I think I should add that the bike's front shocks should have been a little softer. I don't know if they will get softer with time but right now they are very stiff. One has to hold the handle lightly on rough patches. I wonder how people ride it on the way to Leh/Ladakh. I will try with reducing the tyre pressure by two points.

Review After 500 km, Monday 22nd June, 2015

Last week I couldn't ride the bike too much. The odo was standing still at 300+ for a few days. Friday evening I dropped Mampu off at her dance class near Golpark and went for a short spin on Southern Avenue. A joker on a Thunderbird tried to race with me. Normally I don't fall for such traps. But somehow something happened and I just blasted the bugger off with a sudden burst of speed. He caught up with me near the CRC crossing where there was a lot of traffic. There I deliberately let him overtake me once, so that the insult could be rubbed in more vigorously. He turned towards the Lake Gardens flyover. Again I blasted the shit out of him on the bridge :-) A child like glee overtook me. After beating him comprehensively I turned around and came back to Golpark.

Somehow, I just cannot stand the Thunderbird. It does not have the heritage of a Bullet. It does not have the sophistication of a modern bike. I think it has a bhp of 19 while mine has 44. In terms of weight it is perhaps double mine.

On Saturday I went for two long rides down the Eastern Bypass and Salt Lake etc. The odo went up to 440. On Sunday I went on a circuitous route. Went up via 2nd Bridge and came back via Bally Bridge > Belghoria Expressway > Airport > Rajarhat etc. A total of 75 kms.

It was a very pleasant ride in light rains. Water thrown up by the other cars' wheels made me more wet than the rains. I didn't have any water proof on. Got quite wet. Worse, the glasses got wet with muddy water. I didn't have anything to wipe them clean. But I immensely enjoyed this "back to the roots" ride. This is how I used to ride my Hero Honda.

As the odo moves on, I find the bike is getting smoother by the day. The front shocks have also got softer. I don't know if I am getting more used to them or they are indeed getting softer.

Yesterday I also discovered a more relaxed and laid back posture for riding. Coming from a Bullet background, I was trying to sit with the back straight. But now I have realised that sitting back a little and resting the bottom of the back (just above coccyx) on the notch between the back and front seat makes it very comfortable. Almost like driving a car. However, I also realised that I am sliding a little forward after a few kms and have to readjust the posture. Will have to work out a way around this. Probably I have to do something with the legs.

The maximum speed I took the bike upto was 70+. We are told in the manual not to take the bike above 7500 rpm. I don't think I have crossed 4500 yet.

It's a very very powerful bike. Climbing a bridge at 50, I suddenly decide to shoot out. I can do it and zip past the crowd. Have to control these urges and use the power sensibly.

Review After 1000 km, Sunday 12th July, 2015

I went for the first service at 909 km. This was after a month or so of purchase. The guys at the workshop are pretty nice to talk to. Bengali. Educated. Except for the location of the workshop and its payment system (you cannot pay by credit card though they claim you can), the mechanics are nice guys and you can discuss things with them.

Among the things that they do is change the oil into Motul synthetic. After the first service I did only one meaningful long ride yesterday. The bike is now a lot smoother than it used to be. The gear change does not have to be so frequent. You can afford to go down a little on your speed before downshifting. The pick up is just as strong and fast but a lot smoother now.

Before the first service, I had once taken it up to 95 kmph for a few seconds. That was to test the bike against a Yamaha. After the sevice, I took it up to 105 kmph yesterday. It was a little windy and I didn't like it at that speed. You can understand that you are riding at a very high speed. When that happens I feel very uncomfortable. At 90 you really don't feel the speed. If I went on a long highway ride, I guess my highest speed would be 90/95 kmph. Possibly this is because I am not used to this kind of speeds on a motorcycle. I might get used to it. But as of now, I am not feeling comfortable. Not scared really. Just uneasy.

Thursday, 13th August, 2015

Today I got the smart card registration document. The entire process took about two minutes. Unbelievable that anything official could get done in such a short time and so smoothly in Calcutta. Amazing. 

The Blimp

After a lot of vacillation within myself which stretched over a long time, I finally got myself the Rode Blimp. It arrived today. I got it from Visual Media Systems, Chennai. They are my trusted audio recording equipment supplier for a few years now. 

I have never met any of them in person. I discuss my requirement with one of their sales guys named Hussain. He quotes the price and confirms availability. I put the money into their bank account and send them an SMS. They send the material the next day. So far I have bought these from them - Videomic Pro (since sold), Rode NT4, Sennheiser K6/ME66 and now the Blimp. And some of these are not really cheap, if you know. But it has always worked perfectly well for me.

Incidentally they are very reasonably priced. Certainly cheaper than any of the online stores. And most importantly they seem to have all the products that you need though those are not available online anywhere in India.

And their price is always a little less than what is quoted on B&H website - which is supposed to be one of the world's cheapest stores. I do not know the mystery behind this. And these are all official duty paid stuff with proper invoice. Nothing illegal here.

Anyway, back to the blimp. 

First of all - it's huge. Not just big. It's seriously H-U-G-E. Way larger than what I thought. I have extensively researched the product. Watched virtually every youtube video on it (not that there are too many of them out there) and asked all sorts of questions where I thought the video was good. But even I wasn't prepared for this pillow sized thing. Mampu had to hold it with both her hands to hold it for photography.

I opened the box and it transpired that this is the older generation blimp that Rode has recently discontinued. Am I upset? Actually I am glad. Because the new generation ones that come with Rycote's suspension system are meant only for thinner mics. The NT4 cannot, for example, be used with it. So I am happy about that. But there are lots of issues which I will jot down here. 

It is not easy to make this blimp work for both NT4 and ME66 simultaneously. You have to change a lot of things. It's not like taking off a lens and putting another one in its place. As of now the blimp is carrying the ME 66, which I inserted just now. But if I want to take it out and use my NT4 I will have to change a lot of things. First of all the clamps that hold the mic up will have to be taken off and new clamps put in their place. This process is not an easy one to do in the field. Next you have to change the XLR connecting cable from the supplied 3 pin one to a 5 pin one. It is not easy either.

The blimp does not come with a detailed manual but just a quick start guide. It is enough to get you started but for the detailed manual you have to go online and download it. Another problem is that it's tripod thread is different. The bigger variety.

Let me jot down the things that came in the box.

1. The big plastic blimp with detachable domes on either end.
2. The suspension system with a tail-end XLR connector. Doesn't look like high quality. In fact the new blimp apparently has a better third party branded tail piece.
3. The dead wombat
4. A comb for the dead wombat
5. Spare clips, spare gromets, rubber bands
6. A key for hex nuts
7. A bung (for inserting a new cable tail)

One problem I foresee is switching on/off the mic with the dead wombat on. One has to take it off and it's not easy because you have to ensure that it sits snug on the blimp. But I suppose batteries in the microphones last a very long time for this sort of reasons.

There are many points mentioned here but it took me a long time to learn them one by one - particularly this thing about the new one being not suitable for NT4. There is a certain fun in learning that way. It is more of a discovery following extensive exploration. 

Now the next step is to go out and record some good bird sounds. Manas is definitely going to give me some opportunity. But I don't know how to carry such huge equipment.

Memories in Sepia Tone

The year was 1960. My parents had just married. It was not a normal marriage. Much against her father's wish, my mother had eloped with my father. They had stable jobs but the income wasn't anything great. They lived in a big joint family with various uncles and cousins of mine. They had just one room in a big but rented house in Kalighat with virtually no furniture of their own save for a chowki and a table. Perhaps a chair too. 

Around this time the government of West Bengal announced a grand plan to celebrate the birth centenary of Rabindra Nath Tagore (1961)  in style. They decided to publish the complete works of the poet for a princely sum of Rs 100. My parents never told me in as many words, but I can understand that it must have been a lot of money for them in those days. And not just money - the series was published in instalments. Every time a new volume came out (15 of them in all) my father would go and collect it personally. I am sure he had to endure long waits in queues.  

My parents were nothing special. It was a 15 volume set that most culturally conscious Bengalis had (and most still have) in their possession - regardless of their financial background. 

When I was very young, we still lived in that ground floor single room in Kalighat. We had a table, a proper bed for the four of us, a covered cupboard made of masonite board (presumably for clothes) and a folding wooden chair. I remember the Tagore works (more famously known as Rabindra Rachanabali among Bengalis) would be generally kept on the table. By this time we had of course the complete works of Swami Vivekananda too. Subsequently Sarat Chandra and Bibhuti Bhusan too joined the family collection.

The Tagore collection always felt like something special. The binding was of high quality. The jacket had a unique colour combination. The paper was fine and had a very special feel to it. I loved flipping through the pages. We used the collection fairly extensively - for poetry, songs, stories. I could never bring myself to read the novels or the dance dramas. But the collection was an integral part of our growing up, as were various other books. 

Some time in the late 80s - by this time our available space in the house in Kalighat had grown - a big white ant (ui poka) attack happened in our house. We were just not prepared for such a shock and didn't even know how fast it spreads or how to deal with it. Most of our books were destroyed almost overnight. Needless to say, the Tagore collection became useless in a matter of days and had to be thrown away one by one. 

We had to digest this shock almost silently. "Pest control" was still not so easily available in Calcutta. I was mentally devastated, particularly so at the loss of the Tagore collection. That centenary edition was never published in that original version or with that kind of paper ever again. 

However, I grew up learning that that which cannot be cured must be endured. It soon sank somewhere into the subconsious only to resurface again just the other day. 

The new book shelf in my new flat brought that pain of losing those old books back to the fore once again. Mentally I started preparing myself for buying a Tagore collection. Just before moving in I started looking around for the latest edition. Viswa Bharati has a collection. But I have never somehow liked its thick pages and its obvious new look. But I knew I would have to settle for it. 

On an idle day at work I was surfing the internet to check its price when I suddenly realised there were several of that original cenetenary edition up for sale on OLX or Quikr etc. The most authentic ad turned out to be by an old lady somewhere in Dwarka, Delhi, who I spoke to over phone. I needed a confirmation from someone that it is indeed the original edition and in decent condition. The owner herself said she had no clue about that. I contacted Dadu (Abhijit Majumdar) who lives in Noida. He said Dwarka was some two hours or so from his house. However, he would request a colleague of his to go and take a look but that colleague was not Bengali !!!

In my desperation I told him yes even if a non-Bengali can go and take a photograph of the book and send it to me I can check. As I was discussing this with Surajit from our office he said our man in Delhi - Siddhartha Shankar Ray - lived in Dwarka itself and he would probably love to do such a verification and help as much as possible as he is a very culturally rooted Bengali. 

To cut a long story short - Siddhartha turned out to be a God send for me (with Surajit being the god). He personally went to the old lady on a weekend, verified the authenticity of the edition and informed me about his findings. He wasn't too happy with the condition but you don't really expect books older than 50 years to be in mint condition. He purchased the books and couriered it to me in excellent packaging. 

I got them today and unpacked the carton at home immediately upon return from work. They now find a place of pride on my new shelf. The original edition cost Rs 100. The new old books cost me Rs 200 each. The new ones incidentally cost around the same I think. But who cares? 

Sound Investment 2

The Marantz PMD661 Mk II came to my possession quite some time ago. A few months ago, if not a year, to be precise. Monisha's ex-boss who now lives in New York brought it over on her request and we paid him here. But I didn't unbox it really. Just opened the package seal to check if the item was there inside and kept it as it is in our room in Metro Park without touching it. 

I cannot explain why it was so. I was perhaps a little overawed by its sophistication and thought my microphone wasn't quite up to it. I was waiting both to move out to my new house on Pratapaditya Road and get the Sennheiser K6/ME66. In my new house I would get the personal space that I need to play with such things. In the old house half the accessories would be lost or mislaid. 

The moving in and Sennheiser happened almost simultaneously. That was quite by chance. After getting the Sennheiser yesterday I unboxed the recorder and did some basic recording to test both the microphones as well as the recorder. It was quite a hilarious experience really. Hilarious because a number of things didn't quite go right initially but in the end it all worked out fine. 

First, I found the Rode NT4 wasn't working. When I opened the battery chamber, to my utter horror I found the Duracell battery that was inside had a greenish copper sulphate like coating on one of the terminals. Luckily there was no leak. Even more luckily I had a spare sealed 9 volt battery with me which I fitted. To my great relief the mic's red light glowed up the moment I clicked the mic on. 

The Sennheiser also didn't work at first. And I found I had fitted the battery inside the K6 in a wrong way. Even though my recorder gives out 48volt phantom power, the battery has to be correctly inserted and the unit has to be switched on for the circuit to be completed. When there is phantom power the battery is not consumed.

I have obviously taken the battery out of the NT4. I will load it as and when required. The battery in the ME66 is still there but even that I want to remove. An idle battery is a dangerous thing. 

After checking the quality of the recording with the NT4 in stereo with XLR cable I am convinced that it is a bloody good microphone. It was Edirol's problem that it couldn't handle the microphone. I think XLR and phantom power are the two major differentiator here. 

The Sennheiser's ability to record distant sounds and reject sounds coming from behind or the sides is amazing. From the 3rd floor balcony when I was trying to point at the road below I could hear two young boys talking but couldn't see them. I couldn't hear them without the mic. Incredible ability. 

My first recording with the Marantz though was Ma's voice, as I always knew that is how it would be. I had hoped I would record a song of her but that is not how it happened. She wasn't prepared to sing at that time last night. Just spoke a few words about coming to the new flat and that was it. 

The recording was done in MP3 with the internal mics in stereo mode. I had still not been able to work out how to change the recorder set up, like sampling rate etc. Finally I worked that out. 

There are three pre-sets. I made preset 1 for MP3 recording at the lowest possible resolution with internal mics in stereo mode. This is for casual recordings at home - like Mampu's blabber or me singing etc. Preset 2 is for external mic in mono at highest possible resolution. This is obviously for bird call recording with the ME66.  Preset 3 is for external mic in stereo. This is for serious recording of environmental sound like on a sea beach or dawn chorus or traffic noise etc. The recording level is set to auto for preset 1 and manual for the other two. If recording noisy environments I might turn preset 3 in ALC mode later.

My First Impressions 
I am not quite the veteran to be able to comment on the quality of a new recorder right away. It will take me some time to get used to it and discover its features and then comment on them.

However, here are my basic impressions. The recorder feels strong and professional to touch. It is not as cheap looking as the Edirol. The battery chamber opens and shuts smoothly. No struggle and no cheap feeling that it might break any moment. This is a difficult area for most gadgets made with cheap plastic. My Garmin Fortrex used to need an American cent to open the battery chamber and you always felt it would break any moment. Subsequently the fine aluminium plate inside the battery chamber broke, making the gadget useless. The eTrex 10 also has an extremely cheap plastic cover for batteries but at least it is easy to open.

The battery chamber of the Marantz even has a black ribbon to pull out the batteries. The batteries needed some effort to slot into position. I am using Varta batteries. I think I will have to get four more batteries. Perhaps Sanyo's Eneloop. They hold charge for a phenomenally long time.

The XLR cable that I procured from Visual Media Systems with the K6/ME66 (in case you are a complete newbie worse than me - these are two different things that make up the total microphone  system together. The K6 is the powering module where there is a battery. This module needs to be attached to the bottom of the ME66 which is the actual microphone doing the recording. One is useless without the other)  goes into the left jack for mono recording. The Rode has a Left and Right split and they went into L&R jacks.

The recording quality is great. There is hardly any hiss. The built-in speaker isn't very loud. It cannot be used to record and immediately play back the call to bring out any bird from the bush. I guess my next target for that should be a pocket speaker. The hunt is quietly on :-)

Sound Investment

God has been extremely kind to me. Things that used to be dreams are slowly but steadily being realised. Last night I had one such long cherished dream fulfilled. The Sennheiser K6/ME66 microphone arrived home. I experimented with it and found it to be more than adequate for my purpose. I am happy with a capital H :-)

Let me write the whole story. 

Ever since I made my first recording of nature sound with my mobile phone in CKBS (that was quite a few years ago) I got hooked to the idea. After a lot of planning and research, I found the Edirol R09HR would suit my purpose just fine. When you are planning to buy such items in Calcutta just deciding on the model is not enough. You have to find out how to procure it also. I hunted down a dealer - Bobby of Fancy Market - who had the recorder in stock. It wasn't a smuggled in product but came with proper documents. I bought it without any hesitation. It is a gem of a recorder for the cost. Roland has discontinued the product for whatever reasons but, touch wood, it continues to serve me well, as on date. 

It is very handy. Very intuitive. It can record acceptably well if you are not using microphones, which is funny. This last point disappointed me a lot. I realised this inadequacy of the recorder much later though. First I bought a Rode Videomic Pro (another round of major time consuming research went into finding the right source for the brand) complete with its deadcat windshield. The result wasn't great. You get very hissy sound. I thought it was probably the problem of the microphone. 

Search meanwhile started for another recorder because I know I am going to be in this for a long time. After reading a lot of reviews and opinions expressed by experts in various forums over the years, I realised that the Marantz PMD661 Mk II would be the ideal buy for me in terms of price and quality. I wanted a recorder that would be able to accept XLR cables as all good microphones come with XLR. But Marantz is just not available in India. And the price was also pretty high.

I had considered the Tascam HD P2 also. It looks very professional and accepts CF cards (which in my notion is safer than SD) but considering its size and cost, I zeroed in on the Marantz.

I don't know if it was my persistence and insistence but Monisha gave her nod for the recorder and sanctioned the budget. That's the power of dreaming, I suppose.

After several months of dreaming and unsuccessfully trying two different sources for bringing it over, Monisha finally found a savior in one of her ex-bosses who now lives in New York City. He was contacted and he said he was due to come in a few months for a family marriage reception and wouldn't mind bringing this over. After several months of wait he came last year but only as far as Bangalore where he left it with one of Monisha's colleagues. An office colleague of mine finally helped me bring it over to Calcutta. 

In the meanwhile, I have sold off my Røde Videomic Pro. I have also got a Røde NT4 for stereo recording. This is when I started having doubts about the Edirol's ability to handle microphones but I was still not sure. Roland's brand equity to me was still stronger than that of Røde. The recording is low and hissy, I found. But I wasn't too sure whether it was Røde's fault or Edirol's. I thought perhaps Røde is not as reputable a brand as it is made out to be.

This is when I thought I must get a Sennheiser K6/ME66 for the Marantz. This is the de facto standard equipment in bird call recording. Even Telinga has its saucers designed with this mic in mind. In fact for almost a year, I didn't even touch the new Marantz. It remained locked in the box. 

After several months of patient wait and another few rounds of dreams, the mic became a reality yesterday. When I finally got the funds for it a few weeks ago, I spoke to the Chennai-based Visual Media Systems (my Rode supplier) who said they had it in ready stock. The price they quoted is more or less the same as the B&H price of New York. I didn't think twice. 

The D-day of arrival was yesterday. Being childishly impatient I personally brought it from the courier company's office. After returning home yesterday (August 20, 2014) the first thing I did was bring out the Marantz and unbox it.

I love playing with gadgets. Learning about its features. But over the years I have learnt that modern electronic gadgets come with lots of features not all of which I might need. That's why I just take out the things that I need to know for my own purpose and start walking, picking up the other things as I go down the path of discovery.

Now, let me write the Marantz review in another post.  

Battle with HbA1C

In my twelve year old ongoing war against diabetes, I won a small battle against HbA1C last night. A couple of days ago I had given my blood sample for test, before setting off on the Sandakphu trek tomorrow. I have been exercising (at least thrice a week) for more than two months now. Naturally I was curious to see what, if any, has been the impact.

In January my result was 8.2. I was very disheartened, if not totally devastated. My insulin intake was 24/20 and I take so many other medicines on top of that. Even with so much of medication this dangerously high level was unacceptable. Anyway, without losing heart I started an exercise regime and cut down on my morning breakfast food quantity. I was eating two eggs and a few toasts but now I made it just one egg because my ACR levels were also dangerously high. My exercise of course was not just to battle A1C but also to prepare the muscles and lungs for the Sandakphu trek. 

Within two days I started feeling hypoglycemic within 3/4 hours of break fast. To my horror I found that while my blood glucose level was 60 at the height of hypo hypoglycemia, it was more than 180 after just 3 chapatis for lunch. I felt quite helpless. What do I do? Not eat? I asked Suranjan. He was a senior consultant in UK before coming back to India. Though not a diabetologist, he knows the basics. He said, if your system cannot handle 3 chapatis in one go take 2. Eat the 3rd after 2/3 hours. 

This, I realised, is a game changer. Within a couple of days I started feeling hungry (and hypo-ish if ignored for some time) every three hours or so (the lowest I found was 47). As things stand right now, during the entire day I am eating more than I used to but I am eating less every time that I eat. Another game changer was the frequent use of the Accucheck. Two hours after every meal I started checking the blood glucose levels. I soon realised what quantity is enough and what is not. For example, one evening after feeling considerably hypoish I ate a double egg roll (a favourite but banned item for its high calorie content). In two hours the glucose level shot up to 220. Such immediate results keep you motivated or give you warnings that you cannot ignore.

I also started progressively reducing the insulin levels by 2 points. Finally I brought it down to 16/12 where I rested for a while. As of today I am taking 14/10. Let me see how the body takes this small change.

Yesterday at the clinic counter I felt a little nervous to pull out the report card. I would have been happy to see it at 7, below which is "desirable" for a diabetic. But lo and behold - it was 6.1. I have never felt so much on top of the world before. Below six is normal and that should be the goal for everyone. 

Let's hope this continues. Someone told me that the human body gets used to a particular condition within six months. So probably my body will get used to an exercise regime in six months and it may not work for me. But I am keeping my fingers crossed. 

Right now my only worry is how to combat the hypo glycemia on the way to Sandakphu. It's a back breaking hike throughout the day. Shall I stop taking insulin altogether? Let me see how the body behaves.

I have experienced two odd things in these last few weeks. I eat break fast at around 7.30 and like clock work I feel hungry exactly at 10.30. One day I realised it was almost 11.30 and no trace of any hunger. I checked my glucose level and it was 180+. I am absolutely clueless as to why this happened on that day. Did I by mistake take less insulin? Quite possible.

Another evening I had an invitation at a friend's house where I had a little biryani and mutton. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling hypoglycemic. I checked and sugar level was 60. I felt a little panicky. Monisha said there wasn't anything much at home. Wanted to eat a banana (it boosts glucose level fast) but there was none at home. So ate some grapes. I got a thin loaf of bread with some peanut butter and added a little sugar on it. I wasn't feeling hungry at all. I felt a little panicky and ate one more loaf. In the morning the sugar level was 180+ again. I felt sad :-) It's like a stock exchange index on a volatile day.  

Buying A New Vehicle

I had been wanting to buy a Duster even before it was launched in 2012. I loved its looks and the price. "Shockingly affordable" is quite the right description, as it is sold in Europe with this tag line. However, in India it is not so shockingly affordable for us because of extremely high luxury tax and other economic reasons (better explained in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations). Also I wanted to wait and see how the car established itself in a new market. After all, its Logan, despite being a very nice no nonsense car, had been a spectacular failure. I wanted the brand to establish itself - ownership reviews to come in - service network to grow and take root etc before jumping into the fray. 

Then came the shocking accident of Monisha's father and his subsequent death that set us back emotionally and financially quite a bit. This was in 2012. The next year, 2013, passed trying to recuperate from the shock. In 2014 we decided that if certain expected payments came in we would go for a new car. We debated for a while whether we wanted a sedan or an SUV. If it was a sedan we would buy the Honda City. If SUV we would go for the Duster.

I can't pin point the exact moment when I decided to go for the Duster but on team-bhp I asked a general question whether anyone had done a Ladakh in a Duster and I got directed to a few such posts. I realised that people were saying very nice things about the Duster.

Then started the arduous process of negotiations which is still going on. 

Monday, March 10, 2014

We have booked the Duster. We are going for the Diesel 85 PS trim. Officially called the RXL Options version. White. It is the highest model of its class that comes with ABS, EBD, dual front airbags, alloy wheels, rear defogger and a medianav. 

Going through the process of negotiations is quite a stressful one and at the end of it all I felt emotionally very drained. I couldn't buy it from the dealership that I wanted to because they, I realised, were trying to push an old new car to me without budging a bit on the price. I was offered a September 2013 model white car at Rs 11.70 lakh, which was substantially lower than the official on-road price of Rs 12.33 lakh. They were waiving the insurance premium and add an additional discount of 14k to make it 11.70. 

I took the test drive as I thought this was quite an okay price for me. I don't mind buying a slightly older model if the price was so low. I asked them to consider bringing it down a bit more and they brought it down to Rs 11.67 lakh from Rs 11.70 lakh. 

Then I realised that this waiver of insurance was nothing special for me. All Dusters are now being sold without the insurance premium. I asked them to think very hard and offer the lowest price as I would cross check it with the other dealer in New Alipore. They sent the young frontline sales guy Irfan to my office. He brought it down to Rs 11.60 lakh. I told Irfan very clearly that if the other guy gave me a substantially lower price I would settle it with them and not come back to them. He said this was the lowest they could offer. This was on Friday. 

Meanwhile, Monisha spoke to the other outlet in New Alipore. They said come over to our dealership and we would better the price of the AJC Bose Road guys. I went and told them, see I will not tell you how much they have quoted us. You quote a price. If it is substantially lower than their price then only I will buy it from you. He did some calculation and said Rs 11.60 lakh. But he said this is for a current model and in any colour you want. 

This gave me a shock. This is already a much better deal than AJC. I told them see your price is not significantly lower than their price. It is competitive but not significantly lower than them and there is no reason for me to ditch them. He said, "sir you tell me what price you want." I said, if you give it to me at Rs 11.50 then it is significantly lower than theirs and I will take it right now." 

He said can you give me the cheque right now? Even a 5k cheque will do. I will convince my MD to approve this price. I said yes. He phoned his MD and pleaded with him and then came and told me the deal was done. 

We shook hands and Monisha wrote the cheque. He would need the photocopy of our existing car's registration card, tax token etc. They would show to their principal Renault that a sale of our Esteem has happened through them where they have taken a hit of X amount which the principal would pay. This is being passed on to us in the form of a discount. The Esteem is not being sold at all. The bottom line is, our Esteem remains with us. But we get the discount. 

On Sunday we went again to the dealership. A wheel of fortune was to be rotated by Monisha. One of the gifts on offer was Rs 10,000 cash discount. Monisha's wheel stopped at discounts worth Rs 4000 at some 5-star property. Monisha said, for official purposes it should be deemed to have stopped on the 10k discount :-) 

So that's the final price. A new white Duster that costs officially Rs 12.33 lakh on road is going to be mine for Rs 11.40 lakh. 

We have sought delivery on the Bengali New Year Day. April 15. Right now we are busy finding the best finance deal. That's another stressful process.

Friday, 14th March, 2014

Today Monisha applied for the loan from ICICI Pru. We are taking a 4-year loan. I want to keep the option open for selling the car off before the 5th year. With the Esteem we realised that after 5 years you have to cough up a lot of cash which just does not make any sense. On the Esteem we had to spend almost Rs 1 lakh to keep it going. First the road tax, then we had to change the tyres, battery and spend about 30k on the suspension. Quite meaningless really. Makes sense to sell it off and get a new car. Our loan was for 5 years. So we carried on with the car. Then came a point where we thought we must drive the car for long to justify the spending. Ended up spending even more :-)

Thursday, 20th March, 2014

As things stand now, our loan has been sanctioned. Monisha has signed the agreement with the bank. I have been given the engine and chassis numbers. I checked the VIN and it says the car has been manufactured in India in 2014. We have already paid a token payment. Tomorrow a more substantial amount will be paid. We want the delivery on Poila Boisakh.