My Experience Dealing with a 221G F-1 Visa Refusal

221G Visa Refusal

Many international students plan to travel to the US for a Masters's degree or a PhD in their subject of choice, and if you have all your documents and finances in order, getting a US visa has been known to be a cakewalk for the most part. Sure, COVID-19 changed all of that and made getting a visa slot a challenge because of consulates shutting down and appointments getting cancelled. Most of us had to travel to consulates far away with the hope of getting our visa approved in good time before the start of our academic program in the US.

I am from Pune, a city in Maharashtra, India, and we have a US Consulate in Mumbai, which is just 3 hours away by road. Naturally, this would have been the consulate of choice for me, but as luck would have it, I could only manage to book a visa appointment at the Kolkata Consulate. Despite the challenges involved in getting a slot for both biometrics and the F1 visa interview, every other person I followed on social media was posting stories about their successful consulate interviews and approvals. 

There seem to be plenty of presumptions floating around visa approvals like, “Those who have been issued US visas in the past, those who have their finances in order, those who have been admitted to a renowned university should get a VISA without even the slightest trouble.” Since I had travelled to the US a few times before, I had been issued two US tourist visas in the past, my funding was in order, and I was all set to study at UC San Diego, a top-ranked university in the US. These facts made me confident that I would easily be granted an F1 visa, but I was wrong.

On the morning of my appointment, at 8 AM, I was ready and awaiting my turn to attend my interview. The previous candidates before me were very excited since they had their visas approved. 3/5 of them were going to the US to study Computer Science, and all of them gave me a thumbs-up with a wide smile since they were relieved to have their visa approved. This perhaps signified that the visa officer was in a good mood and he sure seemed to be. Everything seemed to be going smoothly during my interview, until we started speaking about my Major, Masters in NanoEngineering. I was even asked the ultimate signature Kolkata consulate question, “are you married?” and I chuckled and said no. But to my disbelief, I was handed a green 221G Slip and asked to walk out with it. 

What is this 221G Green Slip?

So I got a slip which roughly read, “Your US visa has been REFUSED under section 221G of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. The application will be reconsidered when Administrative Processing is complete." It was indeed very heartbreaking to be handed a letter which says visa REFUSED.

Why 221G?

The work experience and domain of certain applicants can pertain to topics of national importance like Aerospace, Defence, Energy, Materials Science, Engineering Design etc which feature on a classified list called the Technology Alert List (TAL) released by the US to the Immigration authorities. If you read online about the TAL, you will soon realise that almost all hot topics in today’s engineering world right from Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence, Batteries, Drones, Energy or even Robotics could be potentially linked to a topic on the TAL. In light of this connection, the US consulate wants to perform additional scrutiny on our profile before handing us a visa. 

What To Do Next? 

Every consulate has a unique 221G Slip, which is unique in both colour and content. Typically, most consulates request the following information:-

1. A resume with a detailed academic and professional background, complete with a list of publications. 
2. Details of international travel within the last 5-10 years.
3. Past research experiences and research intentions in the US
4. Letters of financial support, an invitation to the program, supporting documents from any US source etc.

The only thing to be done is to gather all of these as requested and mail them to the consulate immediately, and wait patiently. Sadly, there is no fixed time for this Administrative Processing, and consulates go on record and estimate a minimum of 60 days to give us their decision. The long wait is perhaps the worst part of a 221G processing.

It is very easy to feel stressed in a situation like this since all of our grand plans of studying abroad depend on our visas. It does not help that most of our friends who are also travelling to the US cannot relate to our problems. They are naturally excited about booking tickets, packing bags, making living arrangements and making new connections since life is all set to change. I feel going for a higher education program is an experience, and it’s certainly not a race. 

Did I Know About 221G?

I got to know about a potential temporary refusal under 221G since a close friend of mine with a similar background, had been handed over a White slip during his interview in the New Delhi Embassy after he told the visa officer about his interests in battery technologies. On the other hand, I knew quite a lot of folks going for courses in NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Physics etc. who had their VISA promptly approved and so I was hoping that I would be in the second category.

Some myths which I wanted to debunk that I heard from my peers who did not receive 221Gs:-

• “Do not talk a lot about your background if it pertains to topics which are enlisted in the Technology Alert List. Rehearse an alternative research interest which does not include topics in the TAL”
• e.g. Do not say that you wish to study Materials Science with a focus on energy materials, but say that you will focus on Environmental Materials. This shall help you avoid a 221G slip.
• I was advised to say that I was keen on studying NanoEngineering and its applications in Environmental Sustainability, and I said it and was still handed the 221G slip.
• “Some consulates are better with 221G than others.”
• The Kolkata Consulate was not handing over 221Gs slips and it had not handed a 221G slip a day before to an MS NanoEngineering candidate, but since I was handed a green slip here, it’s safe to say that I debunked this myth.

So if a consulate wants to further examine your profile because of your Engineering Major, previous experiences, or anything that could trigger an alert, then they might stop you, regardless of how well prepared or perfect your documents are. After connecting with many students who had received a 221G Slip, I realised that there were freshers and professionals from all sorts of majors, including Computer Science and Electronics, who had no direct connection to a TAL domain whatsoever. There was very little in common between all of the aspirants I interacted with. The only thing that was common though, was a deep sense of concern for what was to happen to our visa and when we’d hear about it.

So, from my experience, I feel there is no secret way to avoid a 221G Slip. It can happen to anyone and it could even happen to the best prepared of us. The only way ahead is to be truthful about your ambitions and deal with things as they come.

Things Which Can Be Done In This Situation:

• Book your visa appointments for as early as you can so that there is enough buffer between your interview and scheduled travel, in the event that you require a 221G administrative processing.
• A friend of mine received his 221G slip on July 10th while his classes were starting in the second week of August. It was definitely a lot stressful for him.
• I received my 221G slip on 20th of July and my classes were starting on the 23rd of September. My consulate took more time to complete the administrative processing, but it was helpful to have more time at hand.
• Be optimistic, stay patient, and stay very positive.
• Carefully assess what has been asked on your 221G Slip and promptly review and submit all your documents within 1-2 days of your appointment.
• Keep preparing for your travel to the USA
• Don’t waste your precious time worrying about the uncertainty. This time is best spent with family and friends.
• Find 221G groups on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook etc, since these help us connect with a similar pool of aspirants. This helps stay alert about 221G updates on consulate groups to make educated guesses of when your case could be reviewed. However, too much dependence on such groups might also be detrimental to your peace. So I’d suggest giving it a tiny fraction of your day to check for case updates on the CEAC Website.
• Give a slight nudge to consulates by emailing in a few weeks after your appointment.
• Some consulates might respond, and things might just tip in your favour, while sometimes nothing will happen at all. 

End Implications

If everything is in order (which in most cases, it is), then you will get an email requesting your passport for stamping at a VFS centre and shortly after, you will get your visa. Sure, there could be delays and maybe you’d have to push your travel ahead by a few days or weeks, but this too shall pass. Staying patient and positive is the only thing in our hands.

Side-Effects of 221G

• You may be issued a VISA of 3-4 years, compared to the typically issued duration of say 5 years for an F-1 student. This implies that you might have to renew it a little sooner before your re-entry into the US.
• You may have an additional line on your VISA, “Clearance received on XX/YY/ZZ date”

Other than the fear and a prolonged wait time to get your visa, there is no difference between you and someone else who had their visa instantly approved. There’s no point fretting and questioning why things happen a certain way and why they might only be happening a particular way for you, but with positivity and patience, there always is a light shining at the end of the tunnel.

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Here's Another Story About Greed And Chocolates!

Most Indian kids have grown up by listening to stories told by grandparents and they are stories about great kings, evil witches, families, farmers and so on. 

You've most probably heard about the story on the Candy Jar. A monkey or a boy tries grabbing too many candies from the jar and dropping all of them inside. The story on greed? Of course you must have heard it, in some form of the other. 

So, here's my story, and it relates heavily to the current scene in India. I'm not a huge fan of every kind of chocolate out there but I like the occasional bite. So, there's this series of Chocolates that Nestle markets as the Quality Street. It's a collection of chocolates, toffees and candies. 

My sister and I had them when we were in England and they were quite common there. In India, Cadbury, dominates every brick and mortar store and so, we always had a small packet or a big box of Quality Streets when we had a generous relative or a friend coming from abroad. 

My sister and I have different chocolate tastes. And why shouldn't we. We hardly look like each other. Kidding. 

I personally love the chocolate strawberry delight and the orange delight. It's a thin chocolate coated mint and fruit flavoured chocolate that is sour and sweet to taste. I've been in love with Strawberry Delight since ages. My sister and I would occasionally squabble and leap at the last one. Life went on in its fast pace. In Jan 2017, my sister moved to the US for her education and I was the only warrior at home to conquer the Strawberry Delights. 

Let's quickly get back to November 2016. Honourable PM of India, Narendra Modiji, announced a Demonetisation drive and declared old Indian currencies of denominations 500 and 1000 to be invalid from a date in the future. 

And by January end, I requested a dear family friend of ours to bring me a packet of Quality Street. Quality Street packets are variable. Some may have 3 Tofees and 7 Candies, while some could have just 1. 

When I got my share of Quality Streets, all for me, it had 6 Strawberry Delights and 5 Orange Delights and I was delighted and pleasantly amused. 

I ate my favourite, the first day itself. And thought it'd keep the Delights secure at the bottom of the packet so my dear family wouldn't stumble and swallow those delicious pieces of fine chocolate. 

Life got busy, like it always does, and I totally forgot about my Sugar Love and didn't get that feeling of popping in a delight in my mouth every now and then, until a few days back. 

I decided to empty the packet and see how many delights I had left. And I was really happy to see atleast 10 of my favourite flavours still in stock for me to devour! I picked up my Strawberry Delight and took the wrapper off with a lot of ❤️. And I closed my eyes and sniffed the sour cream and strawberry essence before biting it. And when I moved for the bite, I almost spit it out! The chocolate had hardened! It was almost as hard as a rock! And I was shocked!

A quick trip to Google Revealed the Nougat inside the candy hardens in tropical climates and that pretty much explained why the candy was inedible! It upset me a bit, but it was an important message! I waited and waited, and hoarded the best chocolates of the lot, only to boast about having them all along, and in the process, I lost the ability to enjoy them. Had I eaten them, shared them with everyone, they could have made everyone else really happy! The good news is I still have 6 of them that aren't hard as a stone, but the time's definitely running out for them!

So, moral of the story : Hoarding and being greedy brought me to a point where I had nothing left anymore!

'Enjoy the little pleasures, as and when they come! Don't wait to celebrate everything together! You never know if, when or how you'd get to celebrate again!' In light of the demonetisation, it's pretty much the same story! Everyone who had money in cash (pretty much the way 80% of Indians dealt with transactions), suddenly couldn't do anything with the money anymore.

The bundles that were stashed away in #Swiss Banks and shady lockers, and the bundles of the hard working who only earned in cash and stored them for use whenever, suddenly became fuels for bonfires! The money that could have been used to go see the world, to help uplift lives, spent on luxuries suddenly became a liability people never foresaw!

Greed never does anyone any good. Maybe it is a beautiful feeling for a short while, but it never stays! There's a certain satisfaction in living the moment and postponing or holding back on those emotions or events rarely does anyone any good!

So, the story our grandparents told us when we were little, the one on candies and cookie jars, is truly an inspirational one for all of us in our lives!

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An Account Of Our First Dog, Kiara!

I was terribly missing my dear Kiara and so wish to share something I wrote about her.

My Dear Kiara. 

Today, 26th September, 2015, my dear Doberman Kiara left this world. She was a unique dog in every way I can remember. Here's some account of my Kiara and me.  

Kiara, was the name of Simba's daughter from Lion King of which I was an avid fan since I was a little boy. We brought home a Doberman to guard our home after nasty thieves broke into our garage and stole the car stereos. Seriously, just the stereos.

Kiara, was not much than a foot long and was as tall as two medium size pillows. She was a very cute puppy who came home one evening in a basket. We were new to having pet dogs and so we brought her in the living room. The first thing she did was went around the living room confused. Then, she nervously urinated on the marble floor and did the next big thing shortly. 

Grace was always her thing! 

Mom got very upset and insisted she be kept out of the house in the parking. So, we kept Kiara out of the home and she kept on barking for a while until she mostly fell asleep. The next morning, she was super fresh and jumping. She had completed her first night and was looking like a bright penny. She was so jumpy! I dare say more bouncing with excitement than a bouncing ball. She was literally waving her docked tail so vigorously that it could set of a million oscillations.

She quickly got used to our parking and that was where she spent majority of the time as she was brought in to be our guard. Kiara was very pretty. She had a soft yet shiny fur of moderately dense black hair. She had brown markings on her eyes and knuckles like a typical majestic doberman. 

Kiara loved to jump. She kept on growing in height and length but her jumping almost brought her to my height back then. I used to hold her hands and dance with her. "Let's dance with the Kiara" is what I would say. :)

Kiara was always always hungry. When she was very small, she ate from my childhood bowl of Thomas The Tank Engine. LAter on, she got her own elegant steel container that was double the capacity. Kiara loved to eat. She loved eating almost anything. She was fast at quickly grabbing plastic bags, rotten food etc. from the roads. At first, I would risk and put my hand in her mouth to remove the bag so that she would not even possibly choke. However, in the later years, I stopped taking those risks as she was showing signs of not altering her ways.

She was very unusual I felt. She was very calm. She was very loyal. She never barked unnecessarily. She was brave but not a showoff, unlike my Labrador :P. Kiara stayed loyal to us till the very end. She loved my father a lot. Rather, she first loved him the most. She would bounce on seeing him. As time passed, I began getting closer to her. She started loving me equally too. Not just me, but everyone. She was always there when you felt like patting someone. She would sit for hours and hours if you wanted her to. 

Since she wasn't the super aggressive type, we hired a trainer to train her some basics. She never changed her sweet personality but picked up a few tricks that she did till the end. She learnt to Sit, to Sleep, To Stay. To Walk with us. To Stop. To Not Eat Until Commanded and most importantly, to shake :P

Disney's Simba's Kiara!

Every dog eventually sits. But Kiara and I shook hands almost everyday... She was so cute that she tried to shake both her hands at the same time. She grew to be a pretty Doberman but never gained too many muscles. She was fit, but quite lean. We never let her free when she was a child because of our own fears and lack of dog handling knowhow. So, she was taken out on leash all the time. I personally feared letting her out on the road because was a terrific runner. She was super fast and though lean, pretty strong. 

Kiara would always stand up to face stray dogs if they began moving towards us. She was our protector. She barked at cats and other dogs but rarely at humans. However, she was always proactive and on the lookout for visitors. People were scared because of her mere presence. 

Kiara always barked when dad got home. She used to begin barking when my bus was round the corner or dad or mom's horn were audible over the horizon. She would be ready with her tiny tail and sharp eyes to great us. 

Kiara was very obedient and very humble. She was not a crybaby. She accepted the lifestyle we gave her. She loved us nevertheless. Giving dogs a bath is a pain in the neck. But, bathing Kiara was easier than bathing ourselves. She would bear the water, even though cold, and would patiently sit until we were done cleaning her. :)

She would then rub herself dry by jumping and vibrating about or occasionally scraping against the walls. She loved sun-bathing in the open sun. When she was very small, she was pretty destructive. Along with her regular pedigree, she actively munched two to three brooms and one to two buckets per week. She would bite them thoroughly leaving a mess each morning and this naturally incurred her wrath. 

She has taken a few beatings but she would never give up on us. She loved dad and mom even then. Maybe even more after that. After a few years, Kuki, the Labrador was brought home. Kiara was a great sister. She would never bother Kuki. Rather, Kuki would actively bother Kiara. She bit Kiara, pulled her chain, stole her food and what not. But, the two became close and got used to one another. In fact, I realised their proximity completely today.

Kiara meanwhile, developed tumors along her pelvic regions. We were worried initially as Kiara often fell very ill. But, she fought tumour and maintained her energy and passion till her last breath. At times, she could not even walk, but still, she was ready to fight it out. 

She was a fighter. She has fought so many incidences. Skin infections, hundreds of ticks, dogs, fever, tumours, plastic bags and even stones I think. Since Kuki was the newbie, we trained her better and she even found a naturally place in the home. But, Kiara was never trained that way. So, when she occasionally entered home, she would take a round tour that ended at the kitchen. She loved to eat as I'm repeating for the 4th time I think. 

Kiara has never ever bitten anyone in the family. She was so gentle that she even grabbed her biscuit elegantly and slowly. You could trust her with even your hand and she wouldn't do a thing. She was a fast eater and so even gulped Kuki's food very fast. She had a strange habit of eating anything. She ate flowers, leaves, potatoes, bark of trees and what not. Whatever she could manage, she ate. She maybe ate more roadside food than all the food in the world made by roadside vendors :P.

Oh well, that was my darling! :/

A Late Post, But Sinhagad With College Friends, Bike And Hike

Terrain, Google Maps.

So, thanks to Facebook, we came to know about a cycle ride to Lavasa and a couple of friends and I were interested in going. One of us three (Vatsal), is already a pro cyclist and a runner in top form completing marathons after marathons.

I spoke to a dear friend of mine, Kaustubh, who studies at Hyderabad and told him about our plan. He warned me it was pretty difficult. He told me it was roughly twice the difficulty level of going to Sinhagad by cycle. Sure, the one way distance seems just 57 kilometres approximately, but the last ghat is the one that most cyclists fear. Both, upstream and downstream :P, for obvious reasons.

So, I proposed we try going to Sinhagad, and check how we fare there on cycle and then think about Lavasa. However, Vatsal was convinced he was going for Lavasa and we respected his call. So, the plan was made and Yash and I decided to go to Sinhagad by cycle. Rest of my friends decided to drive to the base camp by scooter.

So, we decided to leave at 4:30 AM, since we would be cycling. Yash, came over to my place for the night before and we slept considerably late. Around 00:15. And I'm impressed we were out at 4:48 AM. Hormones are an amusing substances I think. They get you high and pumped when it's time. On a normal day, I won't be able to wake up at 6;00 AM even on sleeping at 10:00 PM but being up at 4:20 AM and out the door shortly was an amazing feeling.

Ignore the estimated time. It is the traffic during the day.

It was pretty dark we thought. The society street lamps were misleading indicators. We both had small lights mounted on our bikes. I had a Btwinn Vio, tail lamp on the blinker mode and a white light on my handlebar ahead. It was hardly bright. I gave Yash my other light and it was considerably brighter. We had to cover a distance of 28 kilometeres and we were pumped. It was my new Merida's first big ride afterall.

We decided to go via Warje. It was pretty cold. Around 17 degree celsius at nearly 5 in the morning.

The main road, Karve Road was decently light. Activities on the road were a minimum too. Early to rise paper and milk distribution teams were getting ready on various corners of the main road. We were smoothly cruising at nearly 25-30 km/h on the main roads. Yash was on his Mountain Bike, Fuji Nevada, a 27 inch wheel rough and tough mountian bike while I was using my Hybrid Merida Crossway, with 28 inch wheels.

We both had our Strava applications on and were tracking our ride. As we entered Warje Village, I began getting a sense of the gradient that we had never experienced whilst driving to our farmhouse from the very same road. So, cycling does indeed give you a feel of the road in true sense.

Then, as we crossed Warje village, the lights totally went out. Not that there were too many cars on the road, but there were civilians on their morning walks, vegetable vendors offloading their produce and even small kids around. We had our White Lights on but the road was a mystery to us. We couldn't see the tarmac so the potholes on the road were another story altogether. I was periodically using the Hydraulic Lockout option on my fork but I advise keeping the fork unlocked when you don't know the road in front of you. The sudden pothole makes you jump off your seat :P, for all the wrong reasons.

The apt way to summarize it for a guy : If you don't have a gel pant or a gel seat cover for your saddle or both, you'd be playing ping pong with your seat, almost every now and then throughout the journey.

ISO 1250 can't lighten this up either.

We then crossed Shivane and Uttam Nagar at a steady speed. The roads were pretty smooth as we started touching NDA Road and we were cruising. We had to take a right towards the bridge across Mutha River and that would connect us to Sinhagad Road. A visit on google just told me it was the Kudje Khadakvasala Link Road. We spotted the intersection in good time and took a left but it was totally dark. The darkest I've ever seen a road. This is how it nearly was. I'm pretty sure Yash won't deny as I was trailing him.

Link Road, Camera FLASH on.

The road was flanked by trees on both sides and it was peacefully scary. We kept on going until we were on a bridge that took us acorss the river and the magnificent Khadakvasala dam was on our right. We didn't stop for photographs but it was a grand sight.

The Sky, ISO 1250, 

We even passed a cemetery on the way to add to the horror early morning. And then, we were on the other side. We stopped by the road to have a quick status update on our phones and we were staring at the backwaters of Khadakvasala.

The road and our surroundings were a spooky feeling, but the sky was A MASTERSTROKE. It was a sight to behold. A sight to sleep and stare it. The perfect stargazing sky. We weren't carrying professional cameras but I made a modest attempt at trying to capture the beauty of the sky. It was 100 times brighter and elegantly lit than my picture portrays.

First halt. That's Yash. Fuji (R) and Merida (L). Say hi.

Then, we met our gang who had reached on their Scooters. They took the lead from that point and would wait at the base camp. So, Strava has a feature called Auto Pause. And Auto Resume. However, even after cycling for another 8 kilometers, Strava was still paused for me. A moment that made me want to throw away my phone but Yash's phone wasn't acting up, so that helped me stay sane.

Wonder why I'm so affected by silly things like electronic gadgets with a magical probability to fail any moment. So, moving on, we reached the base and took a call to cycle up the Ghat to the fort Sinhagad. We were pretty tired, Yash and I and were considering climbing till the top. However, the thought of parking my 4 day old cycle was daunting and I didn't want to do it. Yash accompanied me and we decided to cycle up the 10 km slope.

The curve with the benches. Scenic turn. 

The light had touched the foothills and Yash had hoped to see the sunset at Sinhagad, but we were late. Even our scooter buddies were :P. However, we did manage to see the sun rise to it's glory whilst cycling to the top.

A mini solar glare right below the sun.

The ghat was incredibly tough. But, I don't want to get to the climax just as yet. We kept on going until one of us wanted to rest. We decided to keep walking or cycling till we could. We reached a spot with benches and a great view and stopped there within minutes of our climb to the top. We got moving in another 5 minutes.

And within minutes, I knew Lavasa was a long shot for me. Handling the Sinhagad ghat was turning out to be a nightmare for me.

We stopped at a point to capture the sunset.

Stud on the lookout.

The view was phenomenal as we started climbing higher and higher, getting tired and tired, yet gaining potential energy. Yash and I kept reassuring ourselves, we were getting closer and closer. Google Maps was helping us give an estimate of the distance we had to ride.

The road uphill was steep, rocky and proving to be a test for even gasoline engines. But we were moving anyway. Don't ask how :P, yet. So, in the end, after an uphill journey where we majorly walked, we reached Sinhagad.

Carrying the cycles over flights of stairs.

The parking lot had a lot of tourist vehicles, and only a few cyclists. We had chosen the tougher task of riding uphill while our friends were climbing up. We expected them to reach before us, but, it so turned out that we made it to the top, nearly at the same time. We beat them to it perhaps :P. We could attribute the slow hiking time to being out of exercise. It turned out that Vatsal was climbing with a kilogram weight on each of his ankle and that was a clear indicator of his fitness and strength.

We decided to walk around the fort, but parking our cycles wasn't an option we would even remotely consider. So, we initially carried the cycle. Disclaimer : We - Vatsal and Yash since my shoulders aren't very mighty.

Spot the trail :P. Yes, there's a cycle trail amidst these bushes.

The stairs were atleast 17cm in height and very rugged indeed. I was pretty comfortable when the cycles were in air.

Parth, Chandana, Twinkle, Nupura, Yash, Me, Vatsal, Maitreyi

However, after a while, Vatsal and Yash decided to ride them down the stairs and I almost flinched. I probably didn't tell them, but I was minor level worried. The worry when someone has your brand new phone without a case. The worry when someone holds a laptop by the lid. That kind. Well, since Merida was only a few days old, and a Hybrid, I was initially freaking out. However, they were pretty confident the cycles had it in them.

We visited a famous spot called the 'Vaara (Wind) Point' popularly or the Tanaji Kada, I think, and we ended up taking lot of pictures disturbing the privacy of a couple of couples and families :P. So much fun.

Builder xD

Almost forgot. For the uninitiated, Sinhagad is home to literally dozens of भजी , ताक , दही , काकडी , करवंद , कैरी , आवळा vendors. And, almost everyone wants you to eat at their hut. Everyone makes the nicest offers. Everyone runs to you. "मी छान चटई घालून देतो तुम्हाला. गरम गरम बटाटा भजी घ्या ना पोरांनो !"

Why ride a bike when you can carry it!

We had committed ourselves to a vendor for few of the above commodities and so, dodging and evading the rest of the friendly folks, we found our way to a hut where a table was already laid out for us.

We ate decently and started heading towards the parking lot. We had decided to stop for curd and buttermilk at an old lady who recognised me from last time.

The dahi offered in earthen pots. Fresh, and soft indeed.

Parth loving the dahi!

So, after we were done munching, we decided to head down. I was under the serious impression going downhill would be pure fun and that it would be the best thing ever.

Well, losing PE is an amazing feeling, but the rate at which KE enters our cycles is scary. We could maybe even have touched a 90 km/h had the road been straight downhill! The road was obviously rocky, and we soon realized downhill was no pushover. We had to brake. Pedalling was out of question. Our gears were locked to their highest ratio. 8x3 and 9x3. Our forks were unlocked. It was very scary. A wrong maneuver and we could have been at the bottom of the valley!

The curve.

Yash was leading the way and the moment he applied his rear brake, the wheel skid and the cycle drifted. This was scary to watch and all that I saw ahead freaked me out even further. We even made a micro pit stop and adjusted the tension of his brake calliper.

The turns were almost blind. Speeding was a desire we couldn't afford. Cars weren't keeping in their lanes. We were going considerably slow, but even with the utmost caution, Yash slipped on a curve as a Swift wasn't in its lane and the speed was too much for even the finest pair of disc brakes.

I quickly jumped off my bike and ran towards Yash. He was bruised but his track pants prevented deep scraping. He was pretty shocked post the incident, and I was an eye witness right behind him. I probably never told him, but I was scared. I saw his wheel skid and also saw him fall off his bike. Luckily, his cycle was undamaged thanks to a pedal and he wasn't gravely injured too.

Merida.

We weren't carrying a first aid kit. And we decided we should. Helmets, also a strict must, though I was wearing mine that day. Then, finally, the ghat was over. We made it down in great time though the very tiring aspect of the entire journey made us lose track of our Strava data. However, the moment I was home, it didn't matter to me anymore.

We weren't running a race. We had decided to go have fun whilst also testing our strength against the mighty Sinhagad, and I sure knew I wasn't strong enough.

We decided we would get regular, practice harder and finally conquer a lot more terrains. We witnessed a beautiful sky, an adrenalant ride and touched the heart of Maharashtra on two wheels, and we aren't gonna stop anytime soon ;)

Reviewing The JBL Mini BT Reflect

The struggle to find the perfect fitting and sounding earbuds was almost seeming unending for me until I finally got my hands on the JBL Mini BT Reflect Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds.

For the uninitiated, I've been trying the following earbuds for the past couple of months.

1) Jaybird X2 Bluetooth Earphones
2) RHA MA 600 Earphones - Wired
3) Samsung S7 Stock Earphones
4) Apple Earpods

So, having tried all of the above, I didn't find the right fit anywhere. They all sounded really good. But, they couldn't stay in the way they are expected to.

I don't blame the buds, but term my own ear canals or ear shape slightly variable. So, yeah, they didn't FIT, to say the least.

The JBL Mini BT Reflect was out of stock on the Indian JBL and Harman Sites for like eternity. It was out of stock on so many online portals like Amazon, Flipkart and even Snapdeal, which I barely use.

I had almost lost hope, but found the earphones on Tata CLIQ, a portal I never thought I'd use. Found both the Blue and Red Variants in stock for Rs. 5999.

The order was placed for a blue bud and the order went to CROMA Surprisingly. So, after a long wait, due to logistical issues thanks to Diwali, received my earphones 2 weeks back and have been trying them on ever since.

UNBOXING Experience :
The box was pretty neat. The earphones were already wearing the Medium SPORT buds. Two  other options are bundled. A Small Sport fit and a regular fit. Medium is my size and decided to try the sport fin first.

My earbuds were already precharged but I don't know how much. I could instantly pair it with my Galaxy S7 and get a feel of the JBL Legacy Sound as they call it.

Pairing : Pairing is a breeze. And it connects within 2 seconds with already paired devices. I've tried the device with around 4-5 phones and they pair pretty rapidly each time.

The bluetooth range is pretty remarkable and I could listen to crackle free audio with my phone kept away around 20 ft. Bluetooth audio cracks when penetrating walls and so that's not recommended.

One peculiar thing is an annoying pause of a second when I took the earbuds for a run with the phone in my back pocket closed with a zip. Probably a minor connection instability. 

Design : 

 The earbuds fit in pretty well. And they aren't too heavy. But they aren't having a tiny footprint. I can't wear them inside my helmet. The best element of the design is that they don't fall off. Even while running very fast which is the whole point of the BT Reflect Mini.

The earbuds have a central inline controller which houses a volume up and volume down rocker and a power of pause/skip multipurpose button. This controller houses the USB Slot for charging the device. There is an indicator LED for identifying the status. It also houses a microphone.

Earbuds are made of silicon while the buds are made of plastic probably. The wires are pretty flexible and don't annoy while running. They are made of reflective materials. JBL Mini BT Reflect is IPX4 resistant.

Experience : The earphones won't fall off. They provide a fantastic seal and instantly cut off ambient sound from the background. The sound quality is good and feels like a premium $100 earphone which retails for Rs. 5999 in India. I'm not a sound techie, but from everything I've heard, they sound great for the price point.

Try a variety of EQ modes for a better experience.

The Little Things And The Cons : 

1) The earphones are slightly big and stick on your ears. Could have been smaller and better.

2) The earphones could have had a dedicated app for controlling basic properties like sound, EQ etc from JBL. 

3) Android phones cannot see the % battery left.

4) The LED lights on the device aren't too helpful. Just let us know if the device is on or not.

5) No included clip for attaching the spare wire that stays hanging at the back.

Overall, a good product for those who want a secure fit, with good sound isolation, for the price point. 

Using The Apple Pencil And My Opinions : Not quite there yet

Since was sister was coming back from the US, we shipped an Apple Pencil and an iPad Pro 9.7inch to her and I got to use them both from the 15th of August, 2016, our 70th Independence Day.

Unboxed : So, this is what the box looks like. This is the first generation Apple Pencil and retails for $99 with no student offers and discounts whatsoever. And no, it's not included with any of the pricey iPad Pro Models. The box  is rather heavy and includes a layer of documents, the pencil itself and an adapter to charge the pencil via your standard Apple Lightning Cable. Apple also includes an extra pencil tip and I wonder when I'd have to use it.

Look And In-Hand Feel : The pencil is an all white product and is a single piece of hardware with no buttons at all. The end of the pencil features the Apple Pencil branding in metal and that end detaches to reveal the Apple Lightning Port for charging purposes.

The cap features a small magnet that keeps the end well adhered though there is a small movement and play while twisting the pencil end at times. However, the pencil is build really well.

The Apple pencil is nearly as long as a standard Indian pencil. Except, it might be nearly 3 times as heavy. It could get very slippery due to the glossy construction.

Setting Up The Pencil : The Apple Pencil is really easy to set up the first time. All I had to do, was remove the end cap of the pencil and plug it into the lightning port on the iPad and the iPad on screen instructions take care of the rest.

It first enables bluetooth and then the pencil is connected. Your iPad is still an iPad after the pencil is connected. For the few seconds it needs to be there, the Pencil looks really bad. There's a fear that somebody will knock off the pencil sideways when kept on the edge of  a table. There are no special software suites for the pencil. The pencil can be used to touch and swipe across homescreens and be used to enhance performance and usability in creative drawing apps.

The only preinstalled app where the Apple Pencil can be used effectively is the Apple Notes app.






Apple Notes is a very simple interface. It has the ability to select a couple of colours. There's three instruments for typing. There's a scale for drawing straight lines. That's about it. It's pretty basic that way. I managed to compose a mathematical problem using the Notes app and this is what it looked like. There's no sketch to shape like the Samsung Galaxy Note or even Evernote style features built in. However, tilting the pencil shades very much like a pencil and that is remarkable.

The Apple Pencil, is INCOMPLETE or USELESS without a couple of great drawing apps and the product would never be recommended to anyone by me if there wasn't a comprehensive set of apps available.

Since I'm not a drawing kind of guy, I only used the Pencil to test it's ability with handwriting and basic notes.

My father tested the Apple Pencil briefly to try out the overall Notes app. He shall be using it full time in his clinic and I'll upload the details briefly.

I'll be giving the Pencil to other users who primarily draw to test the quality of the same.

I'll wind up my review very quickly now.

PROS : The pencil is a step in the right direction to convert traditional writing to digital writing. It does its job fairly well I'd say.

It is a 10X leap compared to other styluses that the market offers currently. Most of them feature no pressure sensitivity and rubberized inaccurate tips.

Palm rejection is INSANELY GREAT  on this Apple Pencil across a variety of apps. You can finally rest your wrist in a normal way on the iPad screen.

The Pencil responds to our angular dip and pressure too. The Apple app community is ever growing and that means better and better apps every day.

The pencil battery life is great provided you pair and unpair it from time to  time. Battery life is indicated on the iPad itself.

CONS : Apple does not do much to improve the productivity of the pencil. Without apps from the Apple Store, the Pencil is an Accessory you wouldn't need or would ever use.

Samsung has done their Note lineup a lot of good with great software and intuitive features.

Writing on the pencil, STILL feels Unnatural. Sure, it's a lot better than ever before, but no, it still feels digitized. The Pencil glides on the smooth iPad Pro glass and there's no friction like the conventional writing experience.

The iPad Pro does not feature Force Touch. There's no haptic feedback or feel as if we are writing on paper. It could have been done. Force Touch is clearly missed on this device. 

The pencil, is NOT very convenient to carry. It does not feature a clip. Carrying it is a bother. There's no magnetic attachment to it. No Apple official accessory actually helps own and carry a pencil. It's heavier than a traditional pencil and it's too smooth to be held for prolonged periods of time. It lacks the texture of a traditional pencil.

It lacks the ability of erasing by tilting the pencil towards the end. Pressure sensitivity is supported but FEELS unnatural thanks to the smooth iPad display, near 0 friction and the lack of a Force Touch Display.

COULD DO BETTER :

The Pencil could be a great tool in the years to come. It needs a few refinements.

1. Better Software and Intuitive Features by Apple to enhance productivity and show developers the way.
2. The design could be lighter and feature better grip and also a clip.
3. The Pencil should feature a Smart Connector pin next time so pairing via bluetooth would be a thing of the past. Currently, the easiest way to pair is plug it in 5seconds.
4. Pencil should charge via the smart connector or be made so that it never needs charging. It should become a part of the iPad Pro in a way you never imagined it to be. Just pick it up and draw and write. Never worry again.
5. The iPad should feature serious advancements to accept and respond to pressure sensitivity.
6. Apple should bundle the iPad Pro and the Pencil in one box to show customers their commitment to the pencil.
7. The price should be nearly $49, half of what it retails for.

On a concluding note, I'd say, it's a great device, but it's NOT QUITE there yet.