[libranof1987]

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is quite the pleasure to be on Team-BHP, and now, even more so, as a Moderator. I’ve been a part of the forum for over a decade now and have thoroughly enjoyed contributing, and learning from it. The wealth of knowledge, across an immensely wide spectrum of topics, related to automobiles and otherwise, has been a continual delight. I often find myself reading about new car launches, to a neat DIY, then to fighter jets and then on to an entirely different topic, all within a day!

This, is to the credit of all the members, and all the Moderators. So, thank you! To that effect, I am sincerely glad to be on the Moderator team to further Team-BHP!

I grew up in Pune but have spent most of my adult life across India and abroad - studying, working and traveling. Armed with the cliched Engineering + MBA background, I now work in Advisory Consulting.

Automobiles have always fascinated me and while I am not the most technically-inclined, I find it very fulfilling to indulge in them - understand, maintain, and drive them beyond my heart’s content. What has kept me hooked is the the liberty of travel that automobiles offer - the ability to explore, immerse and gain perspective. Be it riding all over south India while in college, or driving across states to the ocean, mountain or someplace new, to hopping buses to destinations, to exploring countries by rail, road and air. An unimaginable privilege!

Beyond travel, I like to explore culture: so I’m up for theatre, plays and symphonies, music, trekking, reading, and aviation. Courtesy excellent threads and very knowledgeable members here, I've been able to further enrich my experience and understanding in them.

Being on this forum has led me to explore several hobbies and activities, and in equal measure, led to friendships I deeply cherish. All in all, a terrific place to be!

[Turbanator]

Fellow members,

My journey with TeamBhp started many Years ago; it went to active participation from casually browsing. I try my best to help others from whatever I know or can do for someone by nature. I feel at home on this forum, given how this has developed. Fellow members have great respect for each other, and we all feel proud to say that we are members of this portal.

I started driving a car way back in the eighties; I must have been twelve or thirteen when I sat in the car and my school friends pushed the car. I drove at slow speeds in the neutral across the street. Gradually, I could muster the courage and move the car in low gears. In later years, I will do the same with my Dad's Vijay Super scooter. Trust me; I have done more stunts on that scooter than I have on the bigger bikes I got later on. It reminds me of my friend who will say, "it's not important what car you drive but at what age."

I have lost more money by buying and selling cars than anything else (don't we all!) I started with Dad's Ambassador and then purchased a used old Maruti 800 (Original shape). This was around 1997; since then, I have been lucky to drive some of the best cars. For whatever reasons, I have been primarily loyal to Toyota, BMW and for a brief period to Mitsubishi. My First Mercedes car happened only a year back.

Apart from cars, my other hobby is Audio. Currently in the process of building my dream 2 Channel setup.

I never thought that I would move to this level here, and when the opportunity presented, I gladly accepted.

[graaja]

Hi All,

My name is Ganesh Raja. I was born in Theni near Madurai, currently settled in Coimbatore. I am an embedded systems engineer by profession.

I started driving cars a little late in life when I was in my late thirties. I love going on long road trips driving through different landscapes and scenery, seeing different cultures, historical architecture, and enjoying local cuisine. I love small things like having tea on a roadside tea stall, having simple food in that roadsize dhaba, rolling down the windows and enjoying that wind on the face in the hills etc. These are memories that stay with us for life. I also love to write travelogues sharing these memories.

Astrophotography is a hobby I enjoy. I love photographing deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae with my telescope and astro camera setup. Looking at these objects and studying them can be humbling. The size, the distance and the age of these celestial objects make me feel so insignificant in both space and time. I like to travel to dark sites with my equipment loaded in the car and spend nights capturing these deep space objects. I also like photography in general. I love shooting cars, animals, birds, landscape and architecture.

I discovered health and fitness late in life in my forties. From being an overweight unfit individual to a decently fit person, I have learnt so many lessons in health, fitness and lifestyle changes. I have tried my hand in endurance sports like long distance running, biking, and swimming and triathlons. I have retired from endurance sport now, but continue with fitness life with strength and mobility training and fasting as a lifestyle. I like to share these learnings with my friends and influence them to convert to a healthy lifestyle.

I have been on TBHP for about 10 years now and am very glad to be a part of the moderator team.

Thank you!

[Omkar]

Greetings!

Life has so far been interesting. Like anyone who's reading this, I too have loved cars since a very young age. Owing to this passion, I graduated as an Automobile Engineer. Fresh out of college, I took my first job as an insurance claims adjuster. But being around banged-up cars all day long and getting engulfed in endless paperwork wasn't for me. Decided to make a living by driving cars + writing about them. Got my first real opportunity with Team-BHP, then went on to write for a magazine and a few other websites. Now, I'm back with India's best car community! On the side, I spent a couple of years managing a car repair workshop in Mumbai with some friends. So, when I say life's been interesting, it's been a journey of exploring different avenues of the automotive industry. From testing new cars to helping with insurance queries to diagnosing car issues to finding the perfect used car...it's been fun. The quest for exploring more avenues continues, and what better platform to support it than Team-BHP.com.

My list of favorite cars is short. It includes the BMW E46 M3 GTR, Jaguar XKSS, Lancia Delta Integrale and McLaren F1. In my eyes, these are truly legendary automobiles. The car journey for me started with my Dad's Alto. Drove the wheels off that car and although it's not in the garage anymore, it will always have a place in my heart. I still have my carbureted Yamaha FZ-S from college, which is old, yet special. Currently, the family has a Swift and a Polo. Most of my weekends are spent watching F1 races or WRC videos, or even some random British Touring Car Championship races. I enjoy playing racing games on my PC, although I'm too old for it now. Going out usually includes a trip to the karting track for hot laps and some wheel-to-wheel action with friends. Other interests include photography, travel, food, coffee, pets, tech and movies.

Team-BHP has always been a great source of knowledge. But for most of us, it has also created a strong sense of community that is unparalleled on the internet (and off it too).

See you on the forums!

[KarthikK]

I am Karthik, an automobile enthusiast born and brought up in Bangalore. Although Bangalore is where my home is, I am seldom found at home because I am mostly travelling somewhere or other during weekends. I’m a software developer by day and entrepreneur by night, well into my mid-thirties now but still the same automotive buff that I was when I was a toddler. I am also a data buff and love to collect all kinds of data and statistics on my travels and trips, vehicles, restaurants, health and in general anything and everything, and then play around with that data. Of course most of it is just useless timepass that I get trolled for later .

As an enthusiast, I prefer riding and driving engaging vehicles with sorted dynamics and powertrains in lieu of modern gizmos or people movers. Practicality can take a back seat and fun is always given preference. When it comes to my own choices for fun, I tend to lean towards sport bikes in the two wheeler world, and towards fast sedans or peppy hatchbacks in the car world.

That said, over the years I have grown to appreciate the diversity in enjoying different genres of automobiles to become a Jack-of-all-trades. Hence, I don’t like to identify as a staunch biker or a staunch car guy as such. I love exploring and learning any new skills in the vast auto enthusiasts’ world with an open mind and a hunger for fun - be it 4x4 SUV action, hitting fast twisties in a sedan, pottering up the Himalayas on an adventure bike, spirited fast rides on a sportbike, or even leisurely riding a bicycle through the countryside, I believe there is fun to be had in every activity on wheels! I have always loved travelling to different places, and experiential travel takes up most of my free time, with some or other vehicle in the garage. Clubbed with my love for anything with wheels, these two hobbies have formed a dangerously expensive and addictive pastime which has been consistently emptying out my wallet for the past 2 decades.

I have been around on Team-BHP for almost 15 years now since 2009, and was a silent reader from 2006-09 before I decided to become a contributor here. I have immense respect for all the information exchanged, the depth of knowledge on probably every topic on earth, the ability to interact with and learn from like-minded enthusiasts (not just via the forum but also via meets and trips) and above all, for being a fantastic platform that this forum has become to enthusiasts around the globe. I am excited to join the support team and contribute to the upkeep and strengthening of the forum as it continues to expand and redline the Indian automotive scene in the days to come! Thanks once again for giving me an opportunity to be a part of this forum!