Run # 596 Shivaji Park Gymkhana

 It is never a tricky situation for BH3. This run coincided with a very important cricket match. So, without batting an eyelid, we organized a city run from Shivaji Park Gymkhana so that we could wind up the run, and get tipsy enough to be back home on time for the wonderful clash. 

Brokeback Mountaineer and Shivaji decided to mark this one. They made a couple of attempts to make it a bit challenging, but the hashers decided against it and stuck to the road. 

The run, a superb walk around Dadar, Mahim, and Matunga took us through the streets, onto the beach, and attempted to get us to climb boulders (hashers decided to walk around). 

The run even had a lovely Vada Pav halt which was thoroughly enjoyed by the lot. 

Shivaji Park is a bustling ground with more than a million cricket matches going on at the same time. That's a perfect place to watch the chaos unfold while you sip on ice-cold beers. And that is what we did. 

Hashers discussed the possibilities of venues to go to after the Pan Asia Hash event. It was eventually decided that the infamous satellite dish antenna scene from Don 2 would be recreated; the lineup TBA. 

With that, and a few beers down our throats, we headed out of the venue to our homes for the upcoming match. 

On ON!

Run # 595 Butt-ler pad Bandra

We're always hunting for a lovely spot to run from. It could be anything, a pub, a bar, or a parking lot for that matter. As long as the venue is good enough for us to chill and sip cold beers, hashers will accommodate themselves anywhere. But that wasn't the case this time. 

A couple of months ago, we ran from Rajodi Beach, a lovely spot nestled on the outskirts of the city; all credit to Buttler. 

As if exposing us to that wasn't enough, Lenny Sampey aka Buttler took it a notch up and invited us over to his SPOT ON residence in the heart of Bandra. 

With that, on a lovely Sunday morning, hashers from across the city made their way to this standalone house in Bandra which Buttler calls home. And what a lovely day we made out of it. 

The run, hared by Buttler and Rear Entry and Wackopedia took on a walk through Bollywoody Bandra. We crossed past what a lot of our "superstars" call home. If that wasn't enough, the run became even more exciting when the hares through in a bit of the jogger's park and a lot of the bylanes, bringing out the best of Bandra with its tiny houses from the yesteryears; the real Bandra. 

The almost 9km run took us around the suburb and brought us back to chilled beers and fun conversations. Not to forget the yummy bitings that kept doing rounds, thanks to the Sampey family. 

The hares were iced and applauded for their wonderful run. 

Dr. Porn was iced as he shared his recent experience with the hash in the UK

Lenny graced the ice for being an excellent host. 

FUBAR was iced for some reason. 

Bombay Hash also announced the comeback of its Easter Weekends. A big attendance from BH3 is not signed up for Pan Asia Hash 2024 in Johor Bahru. Urging more hashers to join the fun. We also announced the 600th run of Bombay Hash which coincides with the 41st anniversary... that's a reason to celebrate again. 

With the announcements made and the icing is done, we put our beer cans on the ground, sang the hash anthem, and ate the yummy Hersche's biryani. 

With the tummy happy and full, the hashing day was concluded.

ON ON!

Run # 594 | Huseni Farm, Karjat

 The Invisible Markings Run

Bhanpurwala Farm aka Husaini Farm never ceases to amaze and it didn't disappoint last Sunday too. With monsoons playing havoc, the whole of July and then going on a sabbatical in August, the wonderful hashing day in Karjat was only dampened by the lack of rain. 

It did, however, rain incessantly the day before; Saturday. It also happened to be the day when Bicep Bubbly and FUBAR went to mark the trail. More on that later... 

Run # 594 was a party of sorts. It started with hashers, almost 40 of them, making their way into the farm post 9 a.m. And it became apparent that it was going to be a feast later on. 

Bonsai announced the run at 10 a.m. followed by a pretty long description of the run by FUBAR, the bunch left and started on their trail. 

The Run

After a short walk on the rough road, the hashers were soon diverted into an incline, completely ditching the road for the rest of the trail. 

And what a trail it turned out to be, minus, one minor detail... the markings laid by Bicep Bubbly and FUBAR on the climb up had all but disappeared. This put the hashers off their stride as they all were stranded on a beautiful hill top, waiting for the hares to figure their shit out. 

After the tiny inital hindrance, things got back on track as the trail led the hashers throught some amazing wilderness, streams, paths, lush greenary and a picture perfect view. Flozzie, our visiting hasher from Kenya, who thought that this was a flat walk, eventually would mark this a 10/10 trail. 

  

Even the markings were abundant on the climb down. The excitement kept going up though, as, once down the hill, the trail diverted to a waterfall and a step stream. A bunch of us decided to spend extra time here as we soaked in the clean, cold and refreshing water for some memories. 

Post Run

While the trail was an absolute fun one, things back at the farm were also brewing up a delicable treat for the taste buds. Hashers came back to a spread which included but was not limited to:
Peanuts (or as Wacko and FUBAR say it, "our salaries")

Snacks (Pre-run Candies snacks by Osama and Bollywood Boobs)

More assorted snacks by the Bawa Gang

Assorted Bhajiyas

Chutney Sandwiches by Chediya Chutney (Romel)

Yummy Cup Cakes by Meenal Che

Barbecue: Assorted veg, Corn and assorted meats; with Mr. Husaini himself at the helm, serving them up. 
Cool cans of London Pilsner beer to wash all the yummy food down

And of course, biryani for lunch.

Not to mention, there was also a mix of AP Dillon, 80's Retro and some 'Dil le gayi teri bindiya' type tracks in the background. 

Circle

Hares

Bicep Bubbly and FUBAR drank on the ice for a wonderful trail which, apart from the marking fiasco, garnered a fabulous 10/10

Mr. Husaini, Flozzie, Cunt Llyod, and Makes Me Cum were next on the ice. They were cheered for hosting, visiting, first-timer, and 'shaam ko ghar aaya' roles respectively. 

Cunt Vishal was iced for being the first to commit to hare this run and then backing out the last minute. 

Nazia was iced for short-cutting. She did not do the waterfall, instead, took the road back. Upon hearing this, Shining screamed out lout, "What waterfall?". He was iced too.

Osama and Bollywood Boobs were iced next and the BIG SURPRISE was revealed. All those who attended this run were given Beer Mugs, courtesy this couple on the ocassion of BH3's 40th anniversary. A big round of cheers and applauds went around upon this. 

Beer mug, courtesy Bolly Boobs and Osama

Post the anthem, chit chats and beer continued and lunch was on. 

P.S. It did pour cats and dogs the moment we reached Panvel... None thoughout the run, courtesy; Dearly unloved, Wackopedia... 

On On to September. 

Run # 593 | Freemason Hall

 History, Heritage, and a lot of beer!

The title pretty much doesn't sum up the Sunday that the hashers spent, crawling around the streets of South Bombay. There was of course a lot more that happened that day. 

So, forty-something enthusiastic hashers turned up at Freemason's Hall for what they thought would be a lovely rainy day. Then... Wackopedia walked-in. He wore the smile of the Grinch, as what followed him... was the sun shining brighter than ever. The dark clouds had disappeared and the wet land dried as fast as the sweat showed up on everyone. 

With hopes in our hearts and a skip in our step, Baby Dick, the cheap chief Hare, blew the bugle, announced the run, and off we went. 

The run was truly an amazing walk. Over the next 8kms, we walked through some prominent landmarks in Bombay including, but not limited to, The RBI building, Gateway of India, Taj Hotel, Fashion Street, Oval Maidan, Asiatic Library, Marine Drive etc. 

By the end of the run, the rain jackets had dried up and the sweat had REALLY built up. But what an amazing hashing Sunday it turned out to be. 

Back at Freemason's Hall, gathered hashers chilled under the comfort of a room with fans (not something we are used to), and what a welcome change it was. The beer station was already seeing a little crowd and those not at the beer station were not there cos they were already holding on to their glass of liquid gold, a glass of very chilled beer. 

Venkat, imparting some history behind the Freemasons

Now, you do not come to Freemasons and not have a tour of the building. Our host, Venkat took the onus and gave all the hashers a nice tour of the hall and also took us inside what they consider to be their temple. Hashers sat in a long row of chairs as Ventak shared with us, the history behind the venue and the Freemason's culture. 

Back in the hall, hashers continued with their beers and bitching until the invisible GM decided she had drunk one too many beers and announced the circle. 

HARES:

Hand Cock, Leaky Faucet, and Fartashaty graced the ice for a well laid run. No complaints there. The run unanimously scored a 10/10 - the ZERO rainfall

The Grinch aka Wackopedia

Wackopedia made it to the ice cos we didn't get wet during the run. It is well established that the only time it rained in his presence was at Huseni (though after the run was over). 

Freshers were then inducted on the ice. They made sure they commit to coming back for more of this awesomeness. Only time will tell. 

Venkat, the host for the day was iced and we couldn't thank him enough for the wonderful arrangements he had made for the bunch. 

Hashers then indulged into a lovely spot of lunch arranged by Freemasons. The food was yummy and a welcome change over the biryani. With the cameras loaded with pictures, and a belly full of beers and food, the hashers called it a day; excited for the August, Run Of The Year!

ON ON.

Run # 592 | Malcolm Baug (Jogeshwari)

THE BOOBS RUN!

(Bawa's on One Big Sortie) 

The Wackopedia Rain curse has been lifted to a certain extent!

As the hashing bunch poured into Cyrus' den in Malcolm Baug, we could not help but notice the slight drizzle that persisted in spite of knowing that Wackopedia was going to come for this run. Then again, we claimed that the drizzle would turn into sunshine the moment Wackopedia arrives. 

BH3, celebrated Run # 592 from Cyrus' lovely den in Jogeshwari. With the weather on our side, it was a refreshing welcome to the monsoon in the city. 

Hared by the Bawa trio i.e. Cyrus, Hand Cock, and Wreckless, the threesome laid out an awesome run. We started off with a walk inside Malcolm Baug (special permission was needed for it AND we were not allowed the click frenzy). Malcolm Baug is a serene settlement of Bawa Bungalows and the quiet lanes make you feel you're on a hill station trip. 

Back on the road, the hares took us through the streets of Jogeshwari. We crossed the old IBC and it brought back some past hashing memories. The rain kept keeping things cool and the run was a refreshing one. So much so that a few hashers even halted for chai and 2 vada pavs (no prize for guessing here). 

Even more good news awaited once we were back at the base. BH3 has moved to London Pilsner, a beer loved by a lot of hashers. DYK, LP was once our official choice of beverage?

Circle:

The hares were applauded for the run, criticized and

praised for the use of red tape, and were overall blessed for a good run. We did forget to give them the pisspots to drink from. But then we made up for it by giving them pisspots to drink from. (What were you thinking we did?)

Visiting hashers, Virgins,

and 2 timers were iced next. They happily embraced the cold solid water and had a ball of a time drinking from a pisspot. 

FRB's from the run. 

LWB's (Last walking bastud's) enjoying chai and 2 vada pavs.

The Cyrus family was also iced for letting us the space for the run and spoiling us with their lovely hospitality. This was also the apt moment for Cyrus to FINALLY get his hash name. A little birdie informed us about a certain letter, which, Cyrus had difficulty pronouncing. The letter also happens to triple up to make the name of a super duper hit movie of the SOUTH. 

We pounced on the situation and the general, 'hahaha', mentality and gave him a name.

THE LETTER IN QUESTION - 'R'

THE SUPER DUPER HIT MOVIE - 'RRR'

CYRUS was christened, RRR aka Rejaculate, Rest, Repeat. 

A few others were on the ice just cos either we put them there but mostly cos they were enjoying the feeling it gave their sore butts. 

What else? 

The Hash anthem was sung, biryani was had, more beers were gulped and wet hashers (either due to the rain or otherwise), headed home and maybe slumped. 

See you on the next!

On On!

Run 591 | Grant Road

 One of the most liked places for us hashers to run from within the city is Late Mr. Irani's (RIP) lovely terrace in Grant Road. 

And we were glad to be here after so long. 

So, on a crisp and hot Sunday morning, hashers gathered outside the gate of the building which happens to be BANG opposite the Grant Road Railway Station. While were shuffling the crates from the car to the terrace, a cabbie was heard cursing. The words he used got instantly graved in our minds and Wackopedia accepted the cabbie as a guru... "Lund ke Balgam"

The hot topic of discussion was also the very fancy way, this run was marked. There was no tape, no chalk, no map; this beauty was marked with a riddle, actually, a few riddles put together. And the riddles were made up of Bollywood songs. 

The trail was as follows:

na na karte pyaar tumhi se kar baithe - 

apni azaadi ko hum hargiz mitaa sakte nahin - 

kabhi warden road kabhi ...... .... - 

hum bewafaa hargiz na thé (par hum 'hotel 😜' book karna saké) - 

पाद aa rahi hai, mujhe पाद aa rahi hai - 

hai huku hai huku hai hai - 

left lo aur dekho baarish (nahin) ho rahi hai - 

jaggu dada ka adda aaya, dhoop mein gaand fatt gaya  - 

yahan pe jayenge lekin bhel nahin khayenge - 

aur left mein naahi pav bhaji khayenge - 

Vihar coffee House (yeh bc jagah pe koi film ne dhyaan nahin diya, BC)! - 

left at z grade bhojpuri movies ka purana thikana - 

iss theatre ke aas paas mein sirf gay aur fairies milenge - 

take left to arrive at station pin code 007!

So, the next time you are in town and are supremely bored and want to walk, just decode this and you'll be good to go. 

We crossed quite a few landmark spots and we also crossed the building which was gifted to the right hand of Mr. Mukesh Ambani. If I was given a property this big, I'd retire. 

The View point was shut so we stood next to it for a group picture. The sun was right on top but our spirits were high. Either that or the circuits in our heads had burnt off. Either way, good pic eh!?

Back at the venue, the fans were turned on and hashers chilled on comfy chairs and chilled Kingfisher while it lasted. 

Issued in public interest:

When I say chilled Kingfisher while it lasted, I meant that we served the last batch of Kingfisher. We shall now be sipping on the cool refreshment that London Pilsner brings with it. 

Yeah, Bombay Hash has moved to London Pilsner and a certain few hashers couldn't be more happier with the welcome change. Thank you Kingfisher for your support all these years. 

So, after Osamas snacks were devoured and FUBARs salary was munched up, Bonsai announced the circle and every one stood around 6 lil blocks of ice that were melting away fast. 

Shivaji was iced for the wonderfully riddled run. Wreckless, Cyrus, Hand Cock, Ninja and Leaky Faucet accompanied him with a wow to hares runs in the future. 

Next on the ice was Wreckless and Hand Cock, the birthday boys of May. 

Fartashaty decided to wear new shoes to the run. We loved the shoes as much as he loved drinking donated beer from the shoe. 

Fartashaty was also put on the ice for organizing the lovely venue for us to run from. We all raised our cans and paid our respects to Mr. Irani. 

I guess London Pilsner has already started working its magic on the hashers. By the time we were done with the anthem, Cyrus got very patriotic and motivated and offered a venue for the June run and also commited to hare the said run. Yippee!

Note: The June run is going to be a city run! 

With the assumption of a monsoony June run, hashers split, with enough time to watch the IPL finals which actually, eventually, ended on Tuesday.

ON ON!

PS: Osama is up for grabs! Anyone interested!?

Run # 590 | 3 gunna lagaan maaf

 13 men; 13 notorious men gathered outside Shivaji Park Gymkhana on a Sunday morning. What followed was an absolutely... well... unmarked run through the streets of Dadar and Matunga. 

Run # 590 was an all-out, "Why shouldn't boys have all the fun" run. Yes, a 100% guy run (unplanned) as the ladies decided to puss out of this one. 

Wackopedia and Shivaji have finally spent enough time with FUBAR to fuck this one up, BIG TIME! But it was fucked up in a very good way. 

The run flagged off outside the Gymkhana. Neither Wackopedia nor Shivaji, who also happens to be the Hare Raiser, spoke of markings. They nicely wrapped the run with words we couldn't make out and suddenly said ON ON! to disperse us. 

BUT, before all that happened; Osama decided to show up for this one with a car full of goodness from a little place in heaven known as Candies. Yup, Osama laid a 7-course styled breakfast in front of us with eatables ranging from Chutney/ Cheese/ Chicken sandwiches to puffs and samosas and the world-famous Bandra; potato chips.  

This was followed by the grand entrance of Chediya Chutney which guaranteed a round of yummy-tasty, home-made chutney sandwiches. 

All this put us in a really good mood to wonder or worry about the markings; of which there were none. 

That aside, the trail took us through the hustle and bustle of Dadar and Matunga and got all of us back to the Gymkhana safe and sound. 

Once back, we pumped another round of snacks with the addition of the Chutney Sandwiches and headed to the roof of the Gymkhana for some cold beers and conversations. 

ON ON!