[Blooming Flower]

Dear Team-BHPians,

“Why don’t you join Team-BHP while you are so fond of it?” – was the very question asked by Team-BHP member Samba Da (Team-BHP handle Samba) from Kolkata, during a conversation with him some days before. Since then I was occupied with the idea of being a member of this valued automobile community and finally, I occupied a place among all you BHPians! Thanks to all of you for making this forum richer in contents day by day with your tireless and collective contribution. Team-BHP, to me, is not just a forum; it is a phenomenon, a habit entrenched.

To cut short the jargon of introduction, here I am Debojyoti, born and brought up in WB, presently working as a simulation & design analysis engineer in the R&D wings of a major tyre industry currently located in Mysore. I completed graduation with specialization in Mechanical and Thermal Engineering followed by a post-graduate diploma in Rubber Technology from IRI, IIT-KGP. Although presently I am at Mysore, soon I am going to be relocated in my hometown Kolkata, off to my next assignment.

Doing things of interest purports an unadulterated flavour of life. I always wished to bridge my passion with my profession; so my interests are also oriented accordingly. I believe in periodic (not sporadic) changes in hobbies to keep myself dynamic with multi-faceted stuffs. Needless to mention, since my childhood, I was, am and will be a hardcore automobile enthusiast and ardent traveller (ingrained in me by my parents since very early age) and that is why I am here in Team-BHP. I was addicted to numerous automobile magazines and Team-BHP forum in the first decade of 2k era when I was a mere school-going kid. Apart from this, some other interests have grown in me with the passage of time. I am an avid fountain pen collector (even I write with fountain pens only since when I learnt to write after pencil), a voracious reader, blogger, a nomadic traveller, a multi-genre and multi-lingual music lover, especially with certain biased inclination to Tagore songs (Rabindra Sangeet); thanks to being brought up in a true Bengali culture. I am literally obsessed with perfect sound quality and sound reproduction audio systems and ear-cans. I am also an amateur pianist and a learning photographer.

Coming to my garage, it all started with the sweet exhaust note of my Dad’s 1988 Yamaha RX-100, obviously which was born to our family before my birth. This was my maiden tryst with the pervasive automobile world. As I grew up, I was drawn into the world of both bikes and cars. By this time, I have my Dad’s RX-100 (1988), an Apache RTR 160 (2008), a Pulsar 220 DTS-I (2009), an Apache RTR 180 (2011), a Pulsar 135 (2011), a Honda Activa (2013) and last but not the least, a Kawasaki Ninja 300 (2013) in my bikes ownership list. I was one of the very first owners of Ninja 300 in WB when it was launched back in April 2013. My only last wish in two-wheeler category is to own a HD Fat boy, my dream bike.

But with the dynamically changing mind and philosophy, gradually I got inclined to 4-wheelers instead of 2-wheelers. With sheer concern of safety and responsibility, I preferred cars to bikes for long drives with family. We had a 1993 Maruti Zen LX which was sold in 2010 and finally in 2011, our family got one Tata Manza Elan QudraJet. With its VFM ownership cost and frugal 90 BHP national diesel engine under the hood, I along with my parents had footfalls in most of the major destinations in south India; thanks to my four-year engineering course in Chennai. Then with my job postings, I was in Delhi, the centre of north India travel and finally landed on the kingdom of historic Wodeyar dynasty and the land of Tipu Sultan, Mysore. All along these, road trip was an integral part and I have driven to most of the places around it, even Goa from Mysore, last year. May 2015, I got one Alto 800 in my stable, for daily commuting to my workplace and it made its maiden journey from Kolkata to Delhi before it got the first service! Soon I wish to own a face-lifted 2017 version of Honda City CVT petrol. Initially, despite being scornful to automatic I was somehow convinced to be ok with DSG, then again never CVT. But after the recent test drive, Honda City CVT with paddle shifter simply stole my heart. I can put up with the so called ‘rubber band effect’ of CVT counter-balanced by the loads of features, top-notch safety equipment and a reliable petrol engine in its bay. I got a lot of inspiration and insights from Team-BHP while planning and executing the long drives. Although I got only 90bhp in diesel and puny 47bhp in petrol, which count really less in the world of big horses, I got enough ‘BHP’ in my heart and soul to scorch the road and explore places with those small horses as companion. Thanks to Team-BHP! I wish to know and meet you all with the inception of my journey here.

“Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment”
--Lao Tzu

Following are some medleys of my past rendezvous with land-voyage and members from my garage.

Thanks Again,
Debojyoti (aka Blooming Flower)

[Samba]

Welcome on-board. This is one hell of a detailed introduction with some lovely pics of your rides.

Hope to meet you soon in the monsoon Team Bhp meet for the first time.

Originally Posted by Blooming Flower

Dear Team-BHPians,

“Why don’t you join Team-BHP while you are so fond of it?” – was the very question asked by Team-BHP member Samba Da (Team-BHP handle Samba) from Kolkata, during a conversation with him some days before. Since then I was occupied with the idea of being a member of this valued automobile community and finally, I occupied a place among all you BHPians! =

When you called me, the first thing i realized, on each and every sentence you were giving reference from Team Bhp! Be it travelling or your car buying experience. That's the sole reason i told you 'Why are you not joining Team Bhp?' Glad you are a part of this community now. Hope to hear a lot from your extensive trips across India soon in the travelogue section.

[BlackPearl]

Great introduction Debojyoti! Welcome to the forum, hope to meet you once you move to Kolkata!

[Blooming Flower]

Originally Posted by Samba

Welcome on-board. This is one hell of a detailed introduction with some lovely pics of your rides.

Thank you Samba da. You were the one who put the ultimate impetus to be here. Looking forward to meeting you all soon and be a part of upcoming Kolkata chapters.

[Aditya]

Hi Debojyoti,

That's a very comprehensive introduction. Welcome to Team-BHP. Good to have you on board.

Originally Posted by Blooming Flower

working as a simulation & design analysis engineer in the R&D wings of a major tyre industry currently located in Mysore

I'm sure your experience in the tyre industry will help come handy in solving BHPians' queries regarding tyres.

Apart from this, some other interests have grown in me with the passage of time. I am an avid fountain pen collector (even I write with fountain pens only since when I learnt to write after pencil), a voracious reader, blogger, a nomadic traveller, a multi-genre and multi-lingual music lover, especially with certain biased inclination to Tagore songs (Rabindra Sangeet); thanks to being brought up in a true Bengali culture. I am literally obsessed with perfect sound quality and sound reproduction audio systems and ear-cans. I am also an amateur pianist and a learning photographer.

That's a lot of interests and talents that you possess. I've been a prolific traveller myself and would love to read your travelogues.

By this time, I have my Dad’s RX-100 (1988), an Apache RTR 160 (2008), a Pulsar 220 DTS-I (2009), an Apache RTR 180 (2011), a Pulsar 135 (2011), a Honda Activa (2013) and last but not the least, a Kawasaki Ninja 300 (2013) in my bikes ownership list. I was one of the very first owners of Ninja 300 in WB when it was launched back in April 2013

That's quite a long list of bikes. The 300 is definitely the jewel in the crown. Hope you can spare some time to pen down an ownership review.

Soon I wish to own a face-lifted 2017 version of Honda City CVT petrol. Initially, despite being scornful to automatic I was somehow convinced to be ok with DSG, then again never CVT. But after the recent test drive, Honda City CVT with paddle shifter simply stole my heart. I can put up with the so called ‘rubber band effect’ of CVT counter-balanced by the loads of features, top-notch safety equipment and a reliable petrol engine in its bay.

Sensible choice. You just can't go wrong with the City petrol. It's got one of the best engines in its segment. I'm not a big fan of automatics and CVTs in particular. Still, there's no denying the convenience afforded by automatic transmissions particularly in our overcrowded cities.

See you on the forum.