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Old 11th October 2012, 18:18   #1
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Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

Hello everyone, my name's Shashank and I am from Bangalore. Like most of us here, I've been visiting Team-BHP's website for over 6 years now and have learnt a lot from this website and finally made the effort to register for a membership.

I am an auto enthusiast from my childhood and going by what my mother says, the first word I learnt to say 'car' and then it was 'light'. My father is my biggest inspiration in the world of automobiles. My first car ride was apparently from Mandya to Bangalore in my grandfather's Ambassador Mark 1, which he had purchased used in 1978, a year before I was born. From then on, we've had a lot of cars in the family.

My father's first car was a standard herald, 1966 model, purchased in 1983 and I simply loved that car, especially its musty smell of the interiors. He sold that in 1987 and picked up another std.herald, this time a 1967 model, in a much better condition. There was a young mechanic called Raju, just behind Mandovi motors, Wilson Gardens, Bangalore, who had started out servicing cars in 1984. Well, let's just say he got the right start with all our cars and he learnt the tricks of the trade much sooner than he would've otherwise. My dad used to spend about 3 to 4 hours a day there until, his uncle started an automobile garage called "Adarsh Auto" on Siddaiah Road, Bangalore, where he would tune the Rally cars of those days and was a very popular man. I probably would've been under his tutelage, if not for his passing away in 1997. A great man who was one of the pioneers of motor sports in Karnataka.

In 1988, my grand father gave way to new technology and sold his trusted amby to make way for a used 1985 model Maruti Van (the original Japanese engine et al.), which I still have and stands proud inside my office gate.

In 1990, my father sold the herald to make way for the 1962 model Fiat 1100. We really loved the car until one fine day in Hyderabad, a guy came and made an offer which my father couldn't refuse and there went the Fiat. Then came a 1985 (the original launch shape) Maruti 800 and then a Fiat 118NE (whose gear box was awesome, but the car shell was junk, because we purchased it used in Chennai) and then a Zen and finally in 2005, he bought his first new car, a Baleno.

As you must have figured by now, it always was old cars which caught my dad's fancy. I bought my first car in 2005, a 1992 model Tata Sierra, which was in a pitiable state when she came to me. Even after spending a fortune on getting her in a good shape, I was not happy with the outcome, so I sold her and bought a new Swift in 2006, which is still with me.

Last year, I test drove a friend's Tata Nano and I immediately fell for it. I had been contemplating on a Reva to beat the traffic in Bangalore, until this happened and having heard from him that he was wanting to exchange it for a Santro, I picked her up. So there, came home, a 2010 model Nano, which I seriously think is a dream car for a city like Bangalore. I'm smitten by it. It's cheaper than other cars, it has awesome space for a person of my size (I am 5'10" and weigh 110 kilos) wherein I can get in and out of it without a problem, gives great mileage for your rupee, even if someone were to scratch the car - you do not care as much, with the Tata AMC, for the 20,000km service, I spent Rs.65 at an authorized Tata Service Center.

In fact, its practicality appealed to us so much that my brother picked up a new nano as well.

Disclaimer: I don't sell cars or have no one in the family selling cars, because after reading this, I felt I was pitching in for a nano too much.

As for the 2 wheelers I've owned, my first was a TVS Scooty in Hyderabad and then a Hero Splendor in College and then a RE Thunderbird which I purchased in 2003 and still love riding it around.

Have done many rides in South India and then the greatest of them all was in 2007 when I did Delhi-Leh-Delhi on my Thunderbird, carrying my bike from Bangalore to Delhi by train and then from Delhi to Bangalore by VRL transports.

In 2010 we (3 of us) drove from Bangalore to Leh, Srinagar and back in a friend's Ford Endeavour and that's been the my greatest car journey so far.

This was a long post and I'm really excited to be here on the forum as a member and I am looking forward to a lot more interactions with you all.

Cheers!
Shashank
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Old 11th October 2012, 18:50   #2
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

Welcome aboard TBHP Shashank. You seem to be like most of us here. Petrol in your veins and very enthusiastic about the vehicles you own.

Considering you have already done Bangalore Leh twice I can only imagine the trips increasing in the coming years with the encouragement and posts you will find here.
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Old 11th October 2012, 18:58   #3
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

welcome on board dude. your Leh experience on bikes sounds very exciting. Do post the experience along with photos if you have some.

cheers!
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Old 11th October 2012, 18:58   #4
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

dude, what a shame - not even a mention of cycling? Think you're the same chap from bikeszone!

welcome to BHP - good to know the automotive side of u!
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Old 11th October 2012, 19:01   #5
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

Welcome zipkill, have a pleasant stay here.

Adarsh Auto, wasn't this the place where MRF and JK rally cars used to get prepared back in the day? If I remember correctly this place was on one of the by lanes of Siddaiah Road. I used to know the guy who ran it, but sadly cannot recollect his name right now.
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Old 11th October 2012, 19:13   #6
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

@pganapathy: Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, the next time, I hope it will be on a bicycle.

@phamilyman: LOL, yes I'm the same guy from bikeszone. I completely forgot to mention about my new found love for bicycles. Thanks and good to catch up here as well.

@vikram_d: Yes, that was the place. It was started by my dad's uncle, Mr.Subhash Chandra. A lot of them got their rally cars prepared, including Team Kadur etc.
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Old 15th October 2012, 18:05   #7
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Re: Fraternal Greetings to Fellow Team-BHP'ians

Hearty Congratulations Shashank and Welcome to Team-Bhp.

Leh is almost heaven and you have been there twice.
Looking forward to your ownership report and travelogue.

Thanks for sharing.!
Have a nice day.
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