Tuesday, 25 March 2025

This Time of the Year

How does Nature keep its clock? And synchronises it, year after year?

It is again this time of the year.

When Madhu Malti weaves its magic

When Golden Trumpet shines

When Tesu the flame of the forest is on fire

When the Bougainvillea paints itself pink

When the Guava trees start flowering again

When the Neem shows its tiny flowers silently

And much more! Provided you have the patience to observe!

Another season around Holi and spring in Secunderabad has just gone past. Sharing few pictures to tell that it is again this time of the year.













Here are the links to some of our earlier stories related to Nature.

Tree Bark As Rat Poison - read about a tree whose bark acts as a poison for the rats who eat away the roots of plants in a garden or field!

Nature's Clock - How the custard apple fruit synchronises its arrival with Diwali every year in one part of India? Like a geo-synchronous satellite, Diwali dates change every year. But the custard apple starts to ripen in the tree on dot! Read on.


Brahma Kamal A Smart Plant - Smart watch, smart cities and now a smart plant! How does it synchronise its blooming around a full moon night? Read on.


For more pictures around Holi and spring, you may browse our picture story linked below:

Why I Love Golfing? Not because of exercise but because of being with Nature for four hours! Golfing buddies would love it too!

Hope our stories have triggered some inquisitiveness about Nature in you. Do share your observations of the world around you!

Nature and its seasons return every year. On dot. Without fail. 

Only we humans may not be the same. We may lose some hair, put on some weight. Shed a tooth or two or develop creaking knees. We may add a member or two to our family, or lose another. That is the cycle of life.

Do find time to enjoy the Nature. As Wordsworth said in his poem The Tables Turned, 'Let Nature be your Teacher'!

Sharing another story on learning from Nature is linked below:

Life Lessons from Madhu Malti - This creeper has many life lessons for us. Read on.


Signing off with another picture from our yard of a favourite fruit of many in India and overseas!

You are welcome to our home, pluck a mango or two (or more!) and eat it. You will feel the difference in the taste and falvour of fruits grown and ripened organically!

Thanks for browsing

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 25th March 2025

#Nature #Seasons #Spring #Flowers #Trees #Shrubs #PowerOfObservation #StandAndStare #Secunderabad #MadhuMalti #Bougenvillea #Ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #homegardening #organicfarming #naturallyripened

Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Coastal Photography Excitement

Who doesn't like to fly like  bird? And , get a bird's eye view of the earth below.

During our recent trip to New Zealand for the Ironman at Taupo, we could shoot some aerial shots. Sharing a few. Credits Ankush and Ghumakkad. 

Crocodile up in the air! Clouds creating surreal shapes against a setting sun.


Volcanic terrain in New Zealand


Landing at Sea Level at Auckland.


Approaching Taupo's undulating hills in a turbo prop




Sail boat in Lake Taupo. Don't miss the clear waters and blue skies of Taupo.


Taupo Marina with the yachts


Turbo prop frozen in time. See the video.


Auckland shore line.






Lastly, Singapore Harbour.


Golf course 

Ships in harbour

So next time on a flight,  grab a window seat and shoot. 
Results will surprise you.

To give our readers a taste of New Zealand, its unpolluted environment, picturesque country side and well kept parks, given below are the links to our other stories on NZ:

Huka Falls - Crystal Blue Waters

Public Park in Taupo - Caring for the Children

Aerial Photography - New Zealand coastline

Ironman New Zealand 2025 - A Curtain Raiser

Ankush Is An Ironman - Story of Grit and Daring despite a bike crash

Lake Taupo - Why is it so Iconic

Rock Paintings - Recreating Maori Art

Harnessing Geo-thermal Energy - Geo-Thermal Park at Taupo

Thanks for browsing

   -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ankush Bhargava/Singapore/4th March 2025

Sunday, 2 March 2025

Ankush Does It! The Ironman

"Ankush Bhargava You Are An Ironman" blasted the speaker over and above the loud music at the Finish Line of Ironman New Zealand 2025 (IMNZ-2025) at Taupo! The sweetest six words ever! It couldn't have been more thrilling than this.

"Well done, well done, Son! Superb," is all I could say! He completed the gruelling Ironman 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run in 15 hours 57 minutes! No mean feat. See the short video clip below.


By the time I could hop across the spectators area near the finish line, the medal ceremony was over. You can see Ankush being escorted by a volunteer (yellow tee shirt) after receiving the medal.

We had visited the finisher's ramp a day before. But Ankush refused to pose for a picture on the red carpet in advance saying he will take a picture only after finishing the Ironman. Single minded focus and humility, would you say? See the daylight pictures below:

Ankush is now an Ironman!

Two years of even more gruelling workouts and practice (and missing out on an event in Talin in 2024 due to visa challenges). 5AM onwards every day. Even earlier on the weekends.

Every week, 150-200 kms of swim, bike, run besides strength training. All this along with his job and parenting tasks (his spouse Prabs has been away setting up her venture in Hyderabad). That is Ankush for you at 46 years of young age!

After the finish, his reaction: "It was a different experience" with teary eyes!

Starting the swim at 8 am in Lake Taupo,  he crossed the finish line three minutes before mid night! Most of us can't even walk for 16 hours at a stretch leave alone swim, bike and run consecutively! But Ironman athletes are a tougher variety. They keep going.

Near Miss

Ironman (IM) athletes don't give up even after accidents or injuries. Of course, IM athletes receive God's blessings for their persistent hard work. As the Hindi couplet by Sant Kabir Das goes:

जा को राखे साइयां मार सकै ना कोए  

बाल न बांका कर सकै जो जग बैरी होए 

Roughly translated it means that one who is sheltered by God, can not be harmed in any way even if the whole world goes against him. We are grateful to God for sheltering and protecting Ankush from all harms. Sharing few incidents both before and after the IM event.

Hit by a Motorbike in Chennai

While preparing for the Ironman, Ankush was doing a long ride on the East Coast Road in Chennai on a Sunday morning. He does it regularly to build up endurance. One day a group of motor-bikers were overtaking him. One of them who was doing a wheely, crashed his motorbike on Ankush. He got injured with a hole on his elbow. He lay bleeding on the road and was helped by a rider passing by. Later my grandson Ansh brought him home. The injury meant loss of few months of workouts. The wound took few months to heal (still healing 8 months after the accident!). God only saved him. But it also gave the ladies in the family an opportunity to dissuade Ankush from participating in such 'dangerous' sport. I had to step in and convince everyone that accidents can happen anywhere. Therefore, we must let Ankush continue. 

The Night Before IM

Like any athlete before a major competition, Ankush too had anxiety the night before the race. After an early dinner, both of us hit the bed. After two hours of tossing and turning, Ankush woke me up saying he can't sleep. During Ironman Malaysia too he couldn't sleep the whole night. Result- he couldn't finish the race. Sleep is most important before a day long endurance event like this.

I tried calming him down and also gave one tab each of Dolo and Citrazine. Prayers to God also helped. He managed to catch 4.5 hrs of sleep. Ready to go the next morning.

So, for a Dad there is never a dull moment. 

Swimmer's Kick on the Face

Mass start of the swim in deep waters is a melee. During the transition briefing a day before, it was cautioned 'Keep clear of the crowd during the start. You don't want to be in a washing machine with 1000 swimmers!' That is precisely what happened with Ankush. He got an accidental kick on his face during the start. It dazzled him. He was gasping for air and gulped some water. Still disoriented, it took him a while to regain his composure. Result: He went off track and lost a couple of minutes in the starting itself!

Sharing a few pictures of Haka, the Maori dancers who came in a boat and Ankush swimming at a distance.



Zoom the picture below to spot him swimming in the lake.

Swim Tracker Halts

We came to know of his 'deadly' start of the swim later. However, more drama was unfolding earlier. After about an hour of the swim, Ankush's tracker stopped on IMNZ App. It didn't move at all for next 20 minutes or so. A stationary tracker signifies a race abort due to injury etc. Such unpleasant thoughts started flooding our mind. Prabs and Ashi too observed it in India and USA respectively. I then rang up IMNZ number which was busy. Sent an email requesting them to confirm all was well. By then more than 30 minutes had elapsed. Another call. The person answered saying sometimes the tracker chip worn by the athlete may have got stuck or malfunctioned. Still we requested him to check with the teams at the swim site. After a minute or so he called back to confirm that none of the athletes appeared stuck or otherwise. The tracker was still stuck close to the finish line for 40 minutes now. I requested him to once again confirm that all was well with Bib No. 793. After two  minutes we saw the tracker moving magically. Same time he called back to confirm that Ankush was nearing the swim exit and moving towards bike transition. Similar confirmation came on email. It was such a big relief. We all know that we should remain positive at all times, but at such junctures negative thoughts sprout like giant mushrooms and cloud our thinking. We appreciate the prompt response of IMNZ teams.

Bike Crash

Ankush was riding the bike steadily through the countryside. In his words, "The countryside is so beautiful with hundreds of cows in adjoining fields. One cow spotted me and all others turned their faces together. It gave its call 'Baunn baunn' as if saying 'all the best' to me". As announced earlier, at any Aid Station, the riders could discharge their gel packets, bottles and other trash in wide trash bins while riding. While discharging an empty water bottle and other trash with one hand, he lost balance and tumbled near the 57th km ais station. He crashed on the road. With bruised right thigh, left rib cage and a cracked carbon handle bar, he was moved by the volunteers to the Aid Station. Equipped with a para-medic, bike mechanic and IM Staff they said "We can't allow you to continue the race with a cracked handle bar." Mercifully the para medic cleared him. With Ankush's reasoning that he will be riding more on the aero bars and not on the handle bar, they agreed for him to continue the race. But his handle bar was taped up around the crack. He lost 15 minutes or so. Our IM tracker app showed no movement. But we did not know that he had a crash. Once again, God saved him. He pressed on. No pictures of the crash, just memories! Once again God saved him from being severely injured and being aborted from the race.

As he crossed at 84km spot, where I used to sit and cheer him, he did say 'Had a crash'! Couldn't record it but a second later as he whizzed past, I asked the volunteer whether he was aware of any crash uphill. He said he also heard the biker say it. Then he added "But he looked fine" and I nodded. We let it be. See the last part of the video clip below.

What Ankush's Son Said

[01/03, 22:54 New Zealand time] Ansh Bhargava (Final year of undergrad in Chennai): Crazy man he is, I slept woke up, ate, ran a 5k, played tennis, slept again and he's still at it😭😭

[01/03, 22:54] Ansh Bhargava: Insane

[01/03, 22:57] Harsh Bhargava (Grand dad in New Zealand with Ankush): Not insane, but passionate 👍

[01/03, 23:00] Ansh Bhargava: Insanely passionate!!

The Medal

A metallic medal so beautifully designed was awarded to all IMNZ25 finishers within the cut off time of 17 hours. The medal could be engraved with the name and time taken by the Ironman for swim, bike and run. See the pictures of the medal of both sides. First picture is taken against the blue sky, a characteristic of Taupo and New Zealand.



Few more pictures and video clips as I cheered him during the bike and run.
Different coloured bands were given to each runner after completion of a lap of 10.5 kms each. Nice way to identify. Now Anuva our grand daughter gets to keep the bands.


Video clip of bike cheering.

Two clips of cheering during the run. Ankush's running shoes in two different colours became popular with the locals. watch the video.

Run penultimate lap. He was tired but maintained the steady pace to complete the marathon in 5:46h.

And the last 100 meters of his marathon. He kept up the pace. See a short clip shot just before midnight in Taupo.

We all in the family are so thrilled on Ankush's achievement.  He has made us all proud.

On a personal front, it was a challenging outing for me. My brother who had been operated for cancer developed sepsis and was in critical condition when I left Jaipur on 20th Feb. He passed away while I was in New Zealand. I could neither perform his last rites nor attend the Tiye ki Baithak (3rd day rituals after the demise) in Jaipur. But my presence here in New Zealand and Ankush's success as an Ironman, gave me some kind of solace. Thank you God for giving me the strength to cope with the situation.

Those of you wanting to know more about Ironman, please browse our curtain raiser linked below:

Ironman New Zealand 2025 - A Curtain Raiser


Before we close, a special round of applause for the entire org team of IMNZ-2025 including the volunteers and the people of Taupo who came in large numbers to cheer the bikers and the runners. They had pitched their tents with chairs, barbecue and all, to cheer the runners along the lake, late into the night on Saturday 1st March.
Hail Taupo and hail New Zealand.

To give our readers a taste of New Zealand, its unpolluted environment, picturesque country side and well kept parks, given below are the links to our other stories on NZ:

Huka Falls - Crystal Blue Waters

Public Park in Taupo - Caring for the Children

Aerial Photography - New Zealand coastline

Ironman New Zealand 2025 - A Curtain Raiser

Ankush Is An Ironman - Story of Grit and Daring despite a bike crash

Lake Taupo - Why is it so Iconic

Rock Paintings - Recreating Maori Art

Harnessing Geo-thermal Energy - Geo-Thermal Park at Taupo


Thanks for browsing

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ankush Bhargava/ Taupo/ 2nd March 2025

#IronMan #NewZealand #Taupo #LakeTaupo #IMNZ2025 #AnkushBhargava #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb


Friday, 28 February 2025

Ironman New Zealand Curtain Raiser

Is Ironman a big deal? To which Mark Hollander a post-Covid Ironman replied "It is a monumental achievement that demands unwavering dedication, physical endurance, and mental fortitude. It also gives you sore legs the next day and bragging rights for the rest of your life!" 

Ironman started as an endurance sport in Hawai in 1978 which was won by US Navy personnel. The Ironman New Zealand  in 1985 became the first overseas event outside US. For the first 14 years it was held in Auckland. It then moved to Taupo in 1999. My son Ankush is participating in Ironman New Zealand on 1st March 2025 (IMNZ-2025 for short). Ironman is currently held annually in more than 50 locations worldwide including Antarctica. This story is a curtain raiser for IMNZ-2025 in Taupo.

What is Ironman

It is a swim, bike and run event. 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike followed by 42.2 km marathon run in that order same day. Yes, the same day. The total comes to 140.6 miles. Half of that is 70.3. There is a shorter event called the 70.3. Ankush  had completed 70.3 Ironman in Goa in 2022. You may browse his story in the link below:

Ironman in the Family


The Venue

Ironman New Zealand 2025 in Taupo has a happening venue. With more than 2000 participants it was buzzing with activity two days in advance. The registration desks were all manned by volunteers who were students as well as teachers from schools in Taupo as well as Auckland. Taupo is a beautiful city with the picturesque Lake Taupo where the swim part of IMNZ is held. See the pictures below.







Registration Kit

The kit had the bib for the run, waterproof tatoo for the swim and stickers for the bike and transition bags. In addition, it had a hand-written letter by a middle school student addressed to the participant. It was such a sweet gesture. See the pictures below.






The Preparation 

Most participants bring their own bikes. the bikes have to be unpacked, re-assembled and tested. Similarly, one has to acclimatise to the water temperature and do a short swim. Bikes along with change of clothing and shoes for the run have to be deposited in the 'Transition' area in advance. Transition briefing was done by the IM staff a day in advance. See more pictures below.











Now all ears are tuned to the hooter to be sounded at 8 AM tomorrow. It marks the start of the swim to be followed by the bike and run. For the next 17 torturous hours the athletes will toil continuously to qualify and earn the title of an Ironman. And yes, sore legs the next day and bragging rights for the rest of their lives!

All the best to Ankush and rest of the participants of IMNZ-2025. 

To give our readers a taste of New Zealand, its unpolluted environment, picturesque country side and well kept parks, given below are the links to our other stories on NZ:

Huka Falls - Crystal Blue Waters

Public Park in Taupo - Caring for the Children

Aerial Photography - New Zealand coastline

Ironman New Zealand 2025 - A Curtain Raiser

Ankush Is An Ironman - Story of Grit and Daring despite a bike crash

Lake Taupo - Why is it so Iconic

Rock Paintings - Recreating Maori Art

Harnessing Geo-thermal Energy - Geo-Thermal Park at Taupo


Thanks for browsing

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ankush Bhargava/Taupo, NZ/28th Feb 2025

#Ironman #IMNZ #IMNZ2025 #IMNZTaupo #Taupo #NewZealand #IronmanAthletes #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh