Four bankers and a mountain

Four UAE banking professionals will climb Africa's highest mountain — Mt Kilimanjaro — for a children's charity cause

through GULF NEWS
DUBAI: Four UAE banking professionals will climb Africa's highest mountain — Mt Kilimanjaro — for a children's charity cause.

They will be joined by four others from other Gulf countries and are expected to reach the summit on February 10.

Sundar Parthasarathy, 41, Dinesh Pai, 41, Gopal Iyer, 41, and Vemuri Srinivas, 38, hope to improve the lives of underprivileged children in India through the non-profit institution - CRY (Child Rights and You).

Speaking to XPRESS, Vemuri said: "We have asked CRY to create an online link on our climb so that people can directly donate their money to CRY. The payments will go through a secured payment mode.

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"There are multiple causes that CRY supports; however, we wanted to focus on education. We will strive to empower needy children in India through CRY."

Sundar said the bankers have set a minimum target to collect around Dh36,000 (Rs500,000) which they feel will be easy to achieve. What will be tough, however, is the uphill challenge awaiting these men.
Except for Gopal who has trekked to the Everest Base Camp in May 2010 (among other mountain treks), his team-mates will be on a major mountain mission for the first time.

Gopal said: "I have done other climbs, including the Thorang La Pass in Nepal (5,416 metres) and the Gangotri-Gomukh-Tapovan (4,460 metres). For me the Kilimanjaro will be easier to trek."

To prepare for the task ahead, the bankers have been doing dry runs in the mountains of the UAE. "We climbed Jebel Hafeet with a 10kg backpack. It helped us gauge our physical and mental fitness," Sundar said.

The banking executives have pitched in Dh15,000 each to cover the cost of the expedition.

The team will fly to Nairobi from Dubai on February 2 and take a domestic flight to Arusha in Kilimanjaro, set at 1,400 metres.

Dinesh said: "Mt Kilimanjaro will be a challenge. Without prior mountaineering experience it probably will be stupid to climb, but it will be even more stupid not to attempt it."


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Make change that stays

'It's not the mountain we conquer-but ourselves.' Sir Edmund Hillary

Daily life makes us succumb to routine, rat race and personal goals. There is element of 'goodness' and 'generosity' embedded in every human being that needs to be rekindled.

At some crossroads of life, we receive these 'higher callings' which urge you to participate in the societal needs from which you have benefited.
A reawakened group of eight middle- aged Indian executives from UAE, Kuwait and Egypt congregated to touch the lives of underprivileged children in India through the institution CRY - Child Rights and You. The effort is being crystallized through a charity hike planned at summiting the highest mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro (5895 mtrs). And the challenge is that these are eight normal people pulled out of comfortable lives with no previous climbing experience. In their attempt, they will be battling-20 degrees of biting cold, altitude sickness and gasping for the rarefied air.

The team expects that the sunrise on the summit will comprehensively reinforce and revitalize their perspective towards life and society. The climb is scheduled from 4th February, 2012 to 10th February, 2012.


You as a person can make a difference and participate in this effort. This gesture can significantly change the life of an underprivileged forever.

All you need to do is fill up the below form to initiate the difference. The last date for accepting your generosity will be March 12, 2012. All the funds will be directly received by CRY.

Link enclosed

http://www.cry.org/apps/donation.aspx?pagetype=GMI2012

My Indian Driving Experience

During my last trip to India, managed to persuade my mother for dad's car keys. The stress behind the wheel made me admit to WHO facts on Indians topping in blood pressure and heart ailments. We have very few or NO rules! Two lanes become five lanes at any given point of time.

This blog is a compilation of various drivers / people I have managed to encounter. We can see an orderly chaos and beleive me its much safer than what we feel it would be

Two Wheelers
Often referred to as an all terrain bike - fit for enterpreneurs- they are also quick, show similar traits of adaptability, and take quick decisions in maneuvering across dividers, cars and people

Cars ( Four Wheelers)
Can be an eptiome of Indian hospitality - noticed a group of 6 in a small car

Trucks
Can be compared to Indian Public Sector Units (PSU's) - they are a necessity evil. they have some amazing graffiti and funny lines like horn OK please etc., If you mistake it for an invitation for honking - be cautious - no matter how hard you press - they dont budge an inch

Tuk Tuk's ( Autos - Three Wheelers)
Often refered to as common mans car. It is worth mentioning that they form the life line for many stream transportation across India. Only the island of Mumbai managed to keep them away

We also need to share the same road with cows, bullock carts, pedestrians, school children et al.,

On a positive note, we tend to accommodate every moving element on the road and still reach our destination safely. I beleive the key trait of being accommodative evolved within us

At The Gym

After going to my neighbourhood gym for a month and running on the same treadmill ( which refuses to start with the "START" button but gets moving when I change the incline ) I've compiled a list of some of the people i've come across at the gym


1) Miss LV
She seems to be at the gym to be seen and not to work out. I always end up wearing aything which comes my way - I did notice she is on coordinated outfits every day. From her pony tail ribbon to her branded shoes to her sweat band all look in perfect sync every day. She seems to be a perfect ' merchandiser' at an LV boutique
A little warning to those entire freshers - following them can create a hole in your pocket

2) Control Freak
Apologies to the lady who seems to be controlling her spouses simple yam - these are the people who tend to amplify their workout sessions. They make a perfect ' PR spin doctors' at work. Thanks to her the instructor shows up on time every time
A little warning to those entire freshers - follow them at your own risk

3) Dreamers
I fall into this category. These are the people working towards a fitness goal and tend to limit their stretches to minimalistic levels. They perfer the tried and tested route and go for a fixed regime every day even though normal is boring. They make a perfect ' Teller' in a bank whose only job is to see those millions moving within his hands every day
A little warning to those freshers - following them may lead to monotony

4) Bollywood Connection
These people are the gym to work - they give complex to our own six pack bollywood stars - wonder how their body is contored in all sorts of expressions. They make perfect ' Models' for branded toned bodies
A little warning to those freshers - stay away from them as they tend to make you feel miserable
5) Sunset Boulevard
She seems to spend more time on her make up than at the treadmill. She moves around the gym with hand towels and you can see a trail of them within minutes of her being at the gym. May be she is a perfect ambassador for waterproof layers of MAC
A little warning to those entire freshers - STAY AWAY