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Miss Dakar, Jutta Kleinschmidt

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Dakar Rally 1979 Writing about the Dakar women of 2021 led me into a rabbit hole into the world of Dakar history. I was simply curious to find out who the pioneer of this revolution was and who followed their footsteps. After all, the Dakar Rally simply is a test of grit with a love of the wilderness along with no gender discrimination or bias. Martine de Cortance Marie Ertaud Women have always been up to the challenge, even though their contribution is not highlighted enough. The first edition of the Dakar rally, (then known as the Dakar-Paris Rally) began in 1978 and women began participating from the very next year in 1979. That year was also hailed as the most successful edition in female participation in bikes with 7 brave women, from a total of 90 participants, decided to cross the desert on a motorcycle. The first seven women, all French, were: Martine de Cortanze, Marie Ertaud, Pascale Gueurie, Christine Martin-Lefort, Corinne Koppenhague, Martine Rénier and Marido. Of these
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The Women of Dakar - 2021

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It has been almost a month since the Dakar Rally of 2021 began and a fortnight since it ended. The truth is that I miss it already. The excitement, the nail biting moments and the solidarity of the enduro sports and more. Hence, this is my attempt to shine a little light into the world's toughest rally till date. The Dakar Rally has been fascinating me for nearly a decade now. The fascination was pure simple - the relationship between the ride and rider was the sole focus in this endurance masterpiece of the rally world. In the recent years, my interest has been piqued by the home grown talent that has entered the gruelling race. From Aravind KP in the Sherco Racing company and CS Santosh sponsored by the Hero MotoCorp teams, Indians are entering the race one by one. This year even witnessed Harith Noah become the first Indian to complete in the top 20 as the cap of first to complete Dakar was taken by Santosh in 2018.   #44 Sanz Laia (esp), Gas Gas, Gas Gas Factory Team, Moto, Bik
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Seeing the bigger picture - there is more than beef ban!

I know I am stepping into a minefield by just saying beef ban but still, the controversy around the issue is something that I have been giving thought recently. As an ardent reader, the news is something I don’t miss as much as possible. All through it, I see columns that talk about how the beef ban is disruptive, hurtful but is there anything more to this subject than what we can see to the naked eye? Can we not have something laid out clearly be treated straight forward. Let us see the same topic in a different light. Simply put, the human mind always grasps the negative connotation much faster than the positive one. The usage of beef ban implies that the government is stopping people from eating beef when the larger stress should be given to the protection of the cows. Yes, not consuming beef is a part of the protection of cows but that is not the only section involved in the process. The emphasis put on only one part of the whole leads to a misunderstanding of what needs to be
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The hope for me

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When I first heard the death of Chester Bennington and the idea that it might be a suicide, it got me thinking like everybody on what pushed him over the edge. I will never know the actual reason why but only remind myself that I am blessed to have a support group, lucky to be looking forward to something in the future. As crazy as it sounds, I maybe to an extent, envision what growing old would be. Watching an old couple amble along for a walk can give us #goals. Then if the couple is cycling together or running a marathon, all sorts of hashtags fly around. So this tech savvy generation I belong to, does it only cook up miles of online content and retweets? Is there something beyond that point and thought that makes us feel this way? Every time I see my grandmother (who loves to be busy and on her feet), I am amazed by her grit and liveliness. She can take a walk and name every single plant growing in the wild. She cooks in the kitchen with four kittens tangling around her legs an
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Danish Diaries- Farvel Danmark!

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-farvel-denmark/ It is still hard to believe that it has been six months in Denmark. I’m back into a comfortable routine in India and at times my brain does not register the fact that I was in Denmark the week before. Yes, I missed the spices, the warmth, humidity and so much more but there are things that Denmark will always stand for in my heart and soul. BEING DANISH RED AND WHITE EVERYWHERE  A Danish Table (Source- Internet)  I love the fact that the Danes take pride in the fact that they are Danish. It is a fierce pride and love that manifests in various ways. It does not go hand in hand with a nationalistic arrogance thereby making it a spirit you also want to join along. Danish flags in front of homes is a common place. You will also know if it is Dane’s birthday if you see the red and white colours in the party decorations down to tissues and tiny flag toothpicks. It was a first for me to see a national flag in a birthda
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Danish Diaries – Danes Away!

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-danes-away/ In all the writing about Denmark and the various things that I have come to learn about, I realised that there are many Danes who have contributed to the world in different ways. It can be surprising to know that few of the people that I want to talk about are well-known names to many. Their contributions are so many that I cannot list them all but here are a few of them. Niels Bohr Einar Wegene and Lili Elbe Niels Henrik David Bohr who lived from 7 October 1885 to 18 November 1962, was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding the atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr developed the Bohr model of the atom. The Bohr model shows the atom as a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons. Bohr was the first to discover that electrons travel in separate orbits around the nucleus and that the number of electro
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