[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Dude. stop being narcissistic.

As they say, "karmanye vaadhikarasye, maa phaleshu kdaaachanaa....".

Edit:-

That should read:-

As they say, "karmanye vaadhikarasye, maa ratings kdaaachanaa....".

Old school guys like me never bother with such things.

[mallumowgli]

Agree with Backseatdriver. To hell with ratings. Most of the time even after enjoying reading a wonderful thread, i forget to rate the thread.

Or may be people are frustrated that there are only 5 stars whereas this thread deserves more!!

[ampere]

@Star the sheer volume of snaps and their sequencing is a gargantuan task!
That effort itself as some one said needs you take a break!

Amazing.

[macbeth]

Hello Star,

Travelogue is great. I am good friends with the Spirited One and he did tell me of the trouble that you all faced before the start. You sure kept the spirits of everyone around

Regards

[laluks]

Dear StarVegaBond,

I respect your decision, and can only say we'd miss you a lot. It's our loss mostly.

I sincerely wish to appologise for calling you by funny names based on certain events, if that had hurt you.

And as a parting note, the ratings were like this 13 votes, 58 Individual ratings could also be like 5,5,4,3,5,5,5,5,5,4,4,4,4 for the distribution. That shows appreciation and everyone loved the log.

I know it was not the stars that mattered.

Best Regards
laluks

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Agree with Backseatdriver. To hell with ratings. Most of the time even after enjoying reading a wonderful thread, i forget to rate the thread.

+1. Here we are writing and uploading pictures like no tomorrow, and get no rating. [Good that there is no dislike button.hehehe] Still it does not stop us. Did it?

Originally Posted by laluks

Dear StarVegaBond,

I respect your decision, and can only say we'd miss you a lot. It's our loss mostly.

I sincerely wish to appologise for calling you by funny names based on certain events, if that had hurt you.

And as a parting note, the ratings were like this 13 votes, 58 Individual ratings could also be like 5,5,4,3,5,5,5,5,5,4,4,4,4 for the distribution. That shows appreciation and everyone loved the log.

I know it was not the stars that mattered.

Best Regards
laluks

This reminds me of essay writing.

Is that the effect of number 13?

Come on man. The voting statistics are just his "numbers". He never meant that he will stop writing due to this.

And ya, waiting for the log. [Oh no, only 2 smileys allowed!!!]

[roamingrao]

Dear Starvegabond,

please dont get peeved by the ratings. We're waiting for the next episode with bated breath. We hope you continue to treat us with the rest of the vacation story. Thank you.

[MX6]

This thread deserves a 5* rating. Hope my click on the 5 stars now bumps it from the current 4 to show 5 stars there.

While a person logs his travel not with the intention of getting star ratings, it is indeed a dampener when someone clicks lower ratings. But it's the law of sampling. There's always someone who has different set of expectations.

Here's a rating from my end Star. None less than 5 stars. The one photo of sighting a leopard so close itself tells how exhilarating your trip was.

EDIT: And yes. My 5 stars has pushed your 13 member 4.46 4 star display to 14 member 4.5 5 star display.

Now the thread is where it truly belongs!

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

This analysis tells me that some one is really unhappy with this travelogue. Again all this is trivia.

@Star,

something exactly like this happened with my Rajababu log,
after that, i simply ignore the rating and fuss.

Deel chhota mat kar....
....as you are Star.....
...i think the Star don't need another star to shine.

Looking forward!!!

[nandans2005]

Hi Star,

So, Finally the trip is over. I was with your family all the while from the start to the end.

452 pictures , including information on states, directions ,cuisine and much more.

I know how much of effort it is to write & post. I see that you have been posting sometimes late into the NIGHT. Why do you do this? > for the guys out here. You are making people well informed about many places.

My thoughts of posting my domestic/abroad travels have not worked at all, since it is lot of effort & demanding on oneself to post. Its not easy to do it. I personally know this for sure.

This is one of the best travelogue i have ever read in my lifetime for sure.

Keep it up man. Mind blowing Effort.

I simply loved it.

It calls for a 5*, nothing less than this. Rated too.

Well done.

[StarVegabond]

Dear friends from virtual world, some friends in real world as well


Since yesterday, there has been too many PMs, messages etc on this topic.

Some of you have requested me to stop being self centered.
Some of you have asked me to stop being fussy about ratings
some of you have politely requested you to continue
Some of you have clicked on 5 STAR to push the rating of this thread up.
Some of you have sent PMs, Apologies etc

I am really really greatful to all you for showing this courtesy towards me.

I would like to clarify or re-state by position on this subject.

It has never been about the ratings. Even though any person looks for approval or appreciation from larger community/society, it does not make or break things or situations.

My writings are intended for remembering some good times spent with the dear ones so that we can re-visit to those moements whenever we want.

Basis of my particiaption in this virtual community here was to remain a anonymous common man (not a famous man). If i wanted to become famous here, i would not have adapted a screen name, but my real name, put in my picture there as a part of Avtaar and publicised my achievments, got endorsements from people, opened my fan clubs in other forums/other social networking platforms etc

Whenever i post any information about any other person than me, i generally take his/her/their consent for doing that. This is a basic ettiquette one has to follow in life. This is the rule in real life also about disclosures about third party.

When a member of this forum accidentally finds me somewhere on this earth, he enquiries, we spend some good time exchanging wishes etc, that person comes and posts the pictures without taking concent from me.

Today the information posted may be harmless (i don't now about future) as of now, but over future years many such harmless information might get posted resulting in a unwanted persona of myself being established, which might result in unwanted consequences including privacy related issues.

This is not accpetable to me. I can not stop travelling, i can not stop recording my experiences, but i can certainly ensure that i project my wanted persona on these virtual or social networking sites.

When i post my pictures or images or information i am ready to face the consequences of the same. When other's post the information about me without my concent, then generally I may not in a position to face the future consequences of it.

In my business communities/networks, i would certainly invest my energies to become famous or well recognized etc. but here, i wanted to remain common man, face in the crowd.

But i can not prevent this from happening if i continue to be part of such communities or forums. Hence it is best withdrawn from such communities. These thoughts existed since last couple of months. This event simply became the tipping point.

Again this is my personal view, applicable to me only. Each one has to assess what is good for him/her and then act accordingly.

Hence please do not think other wise that i am Self Centered Dude or narcissistic or rating hungry or elusive or shy or any other adjective.

Ofcourse i will be reading this forum as well in future as it is great place to learn information about Indian Road Scene and Automobile market. But i will disengage myself from being an active member or contributor.

Thanks for reading, thanks for your understanding.

[MX6]

SVB.
Huge last post there. Here's my word (since I didn't PM you).
People always form opinions. I move ahead with people's opinion with this thought. I live for me. Not for others. Finally this is the real me. And their opinion about me can be right or wrong. I don't have a control on their opinion formation.
Secondly, this is a forum visited by 1000s of them. You get to see the opinion and rating of those who are members. But you don't get to know what people who are just readers think off. There might be over 1000s who want to click the 5 * button but they don't have permission!

Anyway, my putting 5* there was not to bump up your rating. Inadvertantly me and 3 others who followed me giving ratings bumped it to where your thread actually belonged. As I mentioned earlier as well, everyone here has a different set of expectations. I put up my log as it happened. The one's who like it will take inspiration. The one's who don't will trash it. I remember that someone incidentally did hit the 1 star on my Omkareshwar trip log too I guess. But then I let it go. Ratings are welcome but not mandatory.

Finally your log did end up with the ratings it deserved. Remember your thread, Kuch Khatta, Kuch Meeta. Guess, this is a mixture of both!

All the best to you as you are disengaging from active posting here. But we'd have loved to read your experiences once in a while. I wouldn't be surprised to see you come back after a break! That's the magnetic pull of T-BHP.

[jeevmenon]

The aftermath:

To everyone who loves SVBs TLs, 100 lashes each to me. I am solely responsible for this mess. I am feeling miserable after re-reading SVB's post twice and still unable to believe that I am responsible for this, but I am. Sorry to all, though I know that may not be sufficient. Safai ka mauka deejiye.

Prelude:
I have not been reading/following this thread, as to be honest - my personal opinion - writing umpteen pages and taking months to finish a week journey and then reading them and following it daily - not my cuppa - one of the reasons why my last thread-starter was a "Single post: xxx". Give it in full in one shot. Its an other thing that I could not post more than 30 snaps and the whole thread got a little shabby and jumbled up. Full marks to you SVB for writing perfect TLs.

My wife has been actively following it and one day when I returned from office she mentioned about some OTR happening on this thread - not the TL but something about ratings. I did not bother much.

Last weekend:
We left for another of our trips during Pongal and I have just reached 45 min back after an 8 hr drive and I logged in. No posts in my thread. I thought of checking the ratings issue on SVB's thread and wooo wooo. My eye lit up. Damn! Whats all this? I attend an office conf call and back on this. Re-read it.

Then:
So, here it is. I met SVB at Chinna kanal on 29th Dec. Met him/Nandan and family after my wife realised it was v&v on that hill road out of their cars were seen in "photos" of SVB TLs. Your honour: Please note this pt. "photos" of the kids. Had I been alone, I would have just drove on.

SVB asked for a photograph of all of us. He took one group snap. I followed it up with 3 clicks. Just 3. I dont have anymore and you must all trust me for godsake. One on the general crowd and an other as SVB was crossing the road. These were random clicks. Maybe people dont like it. I find those snaps to come out real good as people are at their natural best. We part.

Now:
I have NOW deleted them from my PC as well. I used 2 of them in my TL. The third I thought I would PM to SVB and delete from my system but PMs dont allow attachment - I just found after I tried doing it. Now, I dont want to get into more privacy issues by asking SVB his email ID. One never knows. Indians are acting like Americans talking about sue-ing/privacy etc and I am just back from a rural town in GOC where people are mirror-like. One day I will be off all this crap and get to pure GOC life. Its all because we are so inward in our outlook, me, my family that such things come out - my opinion.

Wifey who is sitting alongside is a bit agitated and adds some more facts. SVB mentioned when we met him "It feels nice when someone recognizes you" - How could we have recognized SVB if he had not put those clear pictures of wife and kid in many of his earlier TLs? During the Tranquebar or Kaas TL there was some talk about SVB being elusive and I remember having heard about it. So I had no plans of putting it up. But this time he put lot of his own snaps in his TL - wifey told me. And so I put the couple of snaps. So maybe by law it could be a violation but as far as misuse of the same is concerned it is not, since they are available elsewhere and by the owner himself. But I am not a vakil. Discussing more about it makes life, human relationship more convoluted. One on paper, one by law, one when you see and talk. We will cease to be emotional humans, I am afraid. Life is simple and beautiful, my friend.

And infact I did not mention about the meeting at all in my Single-Post TL and wifey tells me about missing it. I say, its a bit personal stuff. SVB comments on it and asks about my missing to write about the meeting, so I write about it. Your honor: Pt to be noted. If one does not like limelight, why do we ask about such things. And if the common man wants to contribute only informative things or things-to-learn topics then this meeting had zero information value for the forum. Personally, maybe true - we knew few more people on earth.

There were responses to that from SVB and others. There were posts on the SVB thread too after that. So, I find it hard to believe that this privacy issue tipped it over. Who ever writes here likes the limelight. Talking about being common-anonymous man and then feeling good about being recognized is all contradicting, it appears.

Making friends appears to be very tough. I thought I was doing good off late about the same, but this incident has put me two steps behind. I need to suspect everyone, even myself maybe!

My apologies to all once again.

[MX6]

@Jeev. I was reading what you posted. My 2cents on privacy issues. T-BHP is more closely networked site where you get to know one, you get to know more. I always had an issue of strangers taking pics of my daughter in public places. Here in an open forum, I've put many photos myself which can be misused in any which way. I don't know whether I have double standards in asking people not to click snaps of my daughter, but I myself float it free. But one thing is I atleast sensitise people that it is not a nice thing to openly come with requests for barging in to someone else privacy. But how much of privacy do I finally maintain?

So I continue the same way. Sensitize people that it's not prudent to take pics of strangers. But I put edited pics of my daughter aesthetically done. I might be an idiot, but am an Idiot with purpose. Because beyond a level, I've realised that one can't maintain privacy in a forum like t-bhp where like minded people end up becoming friends in real life too!
I remember Nandini and her biker husband meeting up with chevy_lover and his wife in bigbazaar in pune and recognizing each other. I saw Mrs. Chevy lovers pic in TOI along with a chrismas tree and proudly told my wife that she's married to a T-BHPian!

You are right in the fact that people come here to become famous about their acheivements. I put up so much about me including my broken legs and the travails as I feel that this forum has very few members who pretend. Not like a yahoo chat room where a 18 year old blonde happens to be a 75 year old takla next door in reality! This is a serious motoring forum where true moto enthusiasts get together and take the relation to the next level by having meets. So my feeling is that it's not apology that should come from you so profoundly.

We all like Star. I was miffed when he reported a post of mine which I thought was on a humorous note. Then I realised that everyone is different. I crack a thousand jokes on many of the members, In one of the t-bhp meets, a member was literally taken apart clinically by others. I played the goat in a lonavala mega meet and had the most embarassing time in front of khoj and others. It happens sir.

You are right in one aspect. Privacy issue doesn't tip anything over. SVB himself let out my name in my other log which is stalled currently in Sringeri
But then MX6 in reality is that. May be it was a bit tougher for a person as reticent as him.

We just pray that SVB comes back to logging when he has spare time because as he himself terms it, life is all Kuch Khatta Kuch Meetha!

But this new year a lot of people are looking at other priorities, including your's truly. More on that on my log when I continue my return "leg" from Udupi.

Cheers.

[akaush]

SVB,

Just read your complete travelogue. Added 5 stars. I like the way you narrated things.

How did your ANHC hold during the trip? I have taken my ANHC around north India whenever I am in India, but it has taken a lot of underbelly hits and I dont feel safe enough to take the car out for long rides.
Yours is a long journey, did you have any bottom scrapes? You were traveling with 4 adults and 3 kids with luggage.