COMMON MEMOIRS OF A GLOBE-TROTTER.: August 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Harley Davidson, cult mobike, in India soon- Hindustan Times

Saturday(12-10-2013) Harley Rock Riders Season IV: Find Your Freedom GRAND FINALE CONTEST at "MEHBOOB STUDIO" :- Harley Rock Riders first began in 2010 and is an annual music competition held by Harley-Davidson.
For the first time in my life i had the opportunity to witness the largest assembly of "HARLEY DAVIDSON" motorcycles at a single location in Mumbai .
Excellent evening of viewing classic “HARLEY DAVIDSON “ bikes .Never ever imagined that i would see such expensive and classic cult motorcycles in Mumbai during my life-time.
"STAGE 3 " of the "MEHBOOB STUDIO" in Bandra was the venue for the rock contest.
The first three groups that opened the show at “STAGE 3″ venue of “Mehboob Studio” were 1)Filharmonix (Jorhat) from Guwahati 2)Third Eye Destruction (New Delhi) and 3) Grey Shack (Chennai). These 3 groups were in competition for the "GRAND JACKPOT PRIZE" of performing at the "EUROPEAN BIKE WEEK-2014" at Lake Faak in Austria.
After these three groups performed there was rock music entertainment by three popular groups, A)"Overhung" from Mumbai,B) "Junkyard Groove" from Chennai and C) "SHAA'IR and FUNC" .

"GREY SHACK" of Chennai won the "HARLEY ROCK RIDERS CONTEST".

After the intoxicating “TEST DRIVE” of a “Harley Davidson” mobike and a photo-shoot on a Rs 25,00,000 “Harley Davidson “Road King” i drove home on my local “Bajaj Wind-125cc” with better road confidence! A Great night of MUSIC AND BIKES to remember for a “Been there, Done that, Seen that” experience.

"TEST DRIVE" of "Harley Davidson 883" Motorcycle.

Thursday (10/8/2023):- On the " Harley Davidson FAT BOB 114" launched in 2023 in India at the Harley Davidson Showroom at Prabhadevi in Mumbai.This bike has a price tag of Rs 26,86,000.As for me the " Royal Enfield Bullet 350cc" has been my cruiser bike since 2019.

Thursday(10/8/2023)HORSES FOR COURSES ! :- WHICH 2- WHEELER IS SUITABLE FOR SHORT DISTANCES ON MUMBAI'S CONGESTED TRAFFIC JAM ROADS ? Is it the Rs 26,86, 000 only Harley Davidson " Fat Bob 114 " on which I am posing at the recently opened " Harley Davidson Showroom" at Prabhadevi in Mumbai or the stylish simple non- gear Rs 10,000 ( Rockstar Cycle) purchased at " Decathlon " at Worli ?

Thursday (10/8/2023):- Nothing like a " CYCLE" for negotiating short distances and congested roads in Mumbai akin to " Extreme sports riding". This is my " Rockstar" cycle purchased in 2023 for Rs 10,000 and used for daily commuting in my locality of Prabhadevi- Worli-Dadar. This photo was taken outside the " Harley Davidson Showroom " at Prabhadevi.

I myself cruise long distance's jn Mumbai city on my " Royal Enfield Bullet 350 " and cruise the circumference of approx 5 Kms around my locality of Prabhadevi on my cycle's.Sadly unlike " First World Country's " cycling on Mumbai's streets during peak traffic hours is akin to extreme sports and wonder if Mumbai will ever have permanent " CYCLING LANES" for cycles.Honestly there is no better pleasure than riding on a motorcycle or cycle irrespective of it being a Rs 26,86,000 " FAT BOB 114 " or a Rs 10,000 ( ROCK STAR) Cycle.The choice is yours.

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In a local bus in Yokohama in June 1988.

Had visited the Japanese Port of Yokohama in 1988 and as usual roamed the city like a tourist after my duty hours on board the ship.Among my overseas travels i was fascinated by Japan, having visited most of its ports including Tokyo a few years later.Imagine being the only non-japanese in a local bus in Yokohama! Those were the days when the saying "Join the Merchant Navy and see the World " was a fact of Sea-employment in any capacity, from Captain or Chief Engineer to the lowest rank of Toper(Toilet Cleaners).Port stays of average cargo ships was minimum a week and hence everyone got a chance to step ashore and sight-see or just visit the local pub.

Singaporean Wendy.Tay.Gek my Girlfriend companion in Singapore (1987) during Dry-docking.

Co-Mariner Sanjay.Sawant and myself at South Shields in England..

In 1985, a big group of mazdock engineers discovered "Soth Shields Nautical and Engineering College" for appearing for "Marine Engineering Exams".Myself and sanjay.sawant travelled together to South Shield and studied together along with others for the exams, a 5 months stay in the frozen winter climate of North-East London in 1985/86.This photo was taken by Mr Vinoo.Sequeira, co-mariner colleague in our college campus "Winterbottom Hostel" on 29-12-1985.The thick snow layer indicates the severity of the British Winter, the first time in my life that i was exposed to a prolonged continuous winter of snow.Memories of a life-time.

"The Last Farewell" at "Rudolph Cottage(Bangalore) Wednesday(4-10-2009)

Dad Louis.J.Furtado and myself at "Cubbon Park(Bangalore) on 19-3-1992.

Author(Blogger) Rudolph.A.Furtado and dad Louis.J.Furtado at "Cubbon Park" in Bangalore."Rudolph Cottage" which was under construction during my periodic visits to Bangalore. It took almost 5 years to complete due to various reasons.Dad was 68 years of age in this photograph.During this phase of my life it wasa "Allrounder lifestyle" of hectic shuttling between my "Shipping Career","Rudolph Cottage construction","Private Scandals" and "Facial Hair transformations".This was one of the phases in my life where i didn't either grow a moustache or beard, the "CLEAN SHAVEN" man.

My maternal family at home in Mumbai.(14-3-2001)

In photo:- Aunt Patsy.Gonsalves,mum,Uncle Wilfred.Gonsalves(mum's brother),Aunt Juliana.D'silva(Mums elder sister),Mrs Cynthia Lewis(cousin and aunt Juliana's daughter),Mrs Sylvia.Lewis(Cousin,Aunt Juliana's daughter).Among my Uncles Uncle Wilfred.Gonsalves was very instrumental in encouraging my extra-curricular interests and i never lost a game of "DRAFTS" when ever i played him in our "Byculla house,Room nos 88).In 2013, Uncle wilfred is a wealthy Canadian settled in Toronto, a far cry from the days in which he never ever won a game of "DRAFTS" against me as a school kid.He purchased me my "Stamp Album book", Hockey Stick and pay me "Interest" on the money i loaned him from my mothers allotted "Bank pocket money". I feel this was the beginning of my talent into Stocks and money investment..

After my "BONNY VOTE" with my new "VOTING IDENTITY CARD".

Tuesday(21-2-2017)GOT INKED :- Finally after great running around and inquiries filed for a new voting card at the election office in Mahim. Got back my "VOTERS ELECTION CARD" in 2016 and did my "Bonny(First) Voting" with this new card for the "B.M.C ELECTIONS" held on Tuesday(21-2-2017).Voted at the "Prabhadevi Municipal Secondary School" with the classrooms temporarily converted into voting booths as are most Municipal schools on 'Election Day".From now on will always wear my traditional "VOTERS T-SHIRT" on every election day.

Daddy in Jeddah, the highest paying job of a life-time.

In 1977 Dad and a few of his co- cargo supervisors were transferred to the Port of Jeddah after the closure of their jobs in Mombasa.In Jeddah they worked for "Gray Mackenzie Co" and drew wages on par with british cost of living and hence Dad earned approx Rs 10,000 in 1977, a massive salary. In 1977 a one bedroom flat in our building cost approx Rs 1,00,000 only equivalent to less than a years salary of my dad.In 2013, the same flat costs approx Rs 2 crores! Hence a layman can approximate the purchasing power of Rs 10,000 in the late 1970's.Sadly, he worked for only approx 2 years and retired forever, confined to our house in Mumbai.Those were economically tough financial years for our family as i was only 19 years of age,studying and hence no house-hold income for the family barring dad's savings, especially the 2 years in Jeddah.Those years taught me the lesson of thrift and always saving your money for a rainy day or financial calamities.Overnight, at age of 19 years i became the "Family Man" of the house and began taking decisions in family investments and a beginning into the "STOCK MARKET" and "DEBENTURES", investing my parents money.

Ambitions of owning a car in the early 1970's! At "Bandra Fair Studio".

In the early 1970's we were a typical Bombay middle-class family living in a chawl at "Haji ismail Gani Building".This phot is rare and faded .In Photo: - Driver:- Master rudolph.Furtado,Co-Passengers :- Mrs Greta.Furtado(mum), Mr Wilfreg.Gonsalves(Mum's brother), Mr Winniebald.Furtado(Dad's Brother), Mrs Flossy.Furtafo,Uncle Winnie's wife.We all lived together in a "SINGLE ROOM" at "Haji Ismail Gani Building".Today in 2013, this photograph might prove embarrassing but nostalically humorous.Didn't the great Industrialist Dhirubhai.Ambani begin "Reliance Industry's when living in a common chawl in Mumbai.Honestly, Chawl living has its own charm and community style living,but, as you move up the economic ladder so does the individual living conditions of people., including my relatiives.

Mr Alfred.D'souza ,as a young junior Marine Engineer in Mombasa..

I got the bug of joining ships due to personal interaction with my parents freind Mr Alfred.D'souza pictured on the terrace of our building in Mombasa.Whenever Mr Alfred.D'souza's ship touched Mombasa port he visited our residence and i remember an occasion when he took us on board his ship.Later on migrating to India our family did keep in touch with uncle Alfred who later as a collegian took me on board a S.C.I ship sometime in 1970's.Besides a herideterary link to shipping, should give Mr Alfred.D'souza the credit for creating the shipping interest in me. Through him i got to see a "SHIPS ENGINEROOM" while through my dad i only visited the ships cabin.Childhood school freind Mr Biju.Karian made my dream possible through sheer destiny as it was on his dad's reccomendation that i got a seat as a "MARINE ENGINEERING APPRENTICE" in Mazagon Docks in 1978.I am a firm believer in destiny besides hard work and personal interest.