[gk1234]

Good lord, I had nearly given up this time, for I was almost certain of being rejected. Again. Oh well, pretty sure GTO got tired of rejecting my requests, and must have taken pity on me.

Jokes aside, I'm really happy now to be part of this community. I'm Keerthivas, and I'm a lawyer practising in Kerala. Although I was born in Cochin, and did a good chunk of my schooling here, I have had the opportunity to study elsewhere, including Ooty and Bangalore. I live in Cochin, and look for occasions to visit my family in Delhi.

I'm no motorhead - you ask me to explain the stuff beneath the bonnet of a car, and I'll happily point at the number plate and the tires. Heck, I barely know how to put the spare wheel to good use. So yeah, I became a member not because I know everything about a car, but despite not knowing enough. But, I love driving. Oh the good lord knows I do, and while I don't really baby my cars, I love keeping them clean and taking them out for a good spin now and then. For what I lack in automotive knowledge, I make up with sheer enthusiasm for good, long drives in good, nice cars. I firmly believe that a man can be judged from the appearances of his cars.

I used to drive a Hyundai i10 until recently, when I had to purchase a much larger, much safer car for highway duties (besides, I learned driving on my i10, so you can imagine the current state of the clutch), and that was when I truly began exploring Team-BHP. I can't stop being amazed by the depth of knowledge and information shared on this portal on a daily-basis by the members here, for it helped me choose my current ride - the new-gen Skoda Superb L&K diesel. Although the erstwhile Skoda dealers had done well to maintain the brand's horrible reputation in Kerala until recently, the improvements noted by the members on the Superb review thread to the brand as much as the product, and the regular discussions on the car helped me realise how good a product it is, so I finally bought it, after being fully persuaded by this portal. I have a lot to say about my car, which has its share of flaws, too, and I'm keen to share my thoughts on Team-BHP over the next few weeks so that others visiting this site find the information useful.

When time permits, I check out new car launches, and take them out for at least a short test drive, if I can help it. This way, I get a more hands-on experience at trying out new cars, just for the fun of it! With respect to other interests, I am a casual gamer and I am very proud of my PS4, and will not hesitate to defend it against the Xbox One, in the event of a keyboard war. I am a big fan of Apple products, and I follow the news on technology and consumer electronics, regularly.

Anyway, I think it's time to save something for another post. Pretty sure this is more than what an intro needs to be on this forum, but hey, here's hoping and looking forward to an infraction-free community experience on this portal! After all, 4 attempts, man. This better last long!

[JayKis]

Originally Posted by gk1234

Good lord, I had nearly given up this time, for I was almost certain of being rejected. Again. Oh well, pretty sure GTO got tired of rejecting my requests, and must have taken pity on me.

Anyway, I think it's time to save something for another post. Pretty sure this is more than what an intro needs to be on this forum, but hey, here's hoping and looking forward to an infraction-free community experience on this portal! After all, 4 attempts, man. This better last long!

Welcome to the forum. Nice to know that your persistence paid off

[ChiragM]

Hi Keerthivas

Welcome to Team-BHP. Glad you continued to apply even after getting rejected a few times.

I am sure your technical knowledge of cars will improve over time.

Looking forward to your review of the Skoda Superb. Do let us know how the dealers performed as well. I am sure a lot of BHPians would be interested.

[SajiNSalin]

Welcome gk1234 to the forum. Here you find all sorts of friendly advice and if you are stuck in the back of beyond, you can be pretty sure that a member will bail you out. I speak from experience with a vehicle breakdown on the other side of Rohtang pass (Leh side) and a member towed my vehicle for 7 hours to Manali! Such is the bonding of this fraternity.

Enjoy long drives; you have possibilities of Kochi to Delhi and further north to Leh. But do practice changing the tyres, as you never know when you will have a flat tyre. It is simple and very useful to know that.

[gk1234]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Hi Keerthivas

Welcome to Team-BHP. Glad you continued to apply even after getting rejected a few times.

I am sure your technical knowledge of cars will improve over time.

Looking forward to your review of the Skoda Superb. Do let us know how the dealers performed as well. I am sure a lot of BHPians would be interested.

Thanks Chirag! I’m working on the Skoda review. Bear with me for a few days, as I’m trying to cover everything leading to the purchase of the car. My hunt for a new car lasted over 18 months, so I do have a lot to write about. Also, I’ve had to get the car to the service centre twice in the last 3 months, so there’s that to talk about, too. After all, no review of a Skoda is complete without reviewing the dealer and the ASS.
Stay tuned, and thanks for the welcome!

Originally Posted by SajiNSalin

Welcome gk1234 to the forum. Here you find all sorts of friendly advice and if you are stuck in the back of beyond, you can be pretty sure that a member will bail you out. I speak from experience with a vehicle breakdown on the other side of Rohtang pass (Leh side) and a member towed my vehicle for 7 hours to Manali! Such is the bonding of this fraternity.

Enjoy long drives; you have possibilities of Kochi to Delhi and further north to Leh. But do practice changing the tyres, as you never know when you will have a flat tyre. It is simple and very useful to know that.

Thank you, Saji! I can’t help but grin every time I spot a fellow Malayali on team bhp.
And yes, I love long drives, although I can’t imagine driving all the way to Delhi from Cochin! Some day, perhaps.
Thank you for the tip. No one says how much of an exercise it is to change tyres! It’s a proper workout, I tell you.

[amitoj]

Welcome aboard, Keerthivas!

Originally Posted by gk1234

Good lord, I had nearly given up this time, for I was almost certain of being rejected. Again. Oh well, pretty sure GTO got tired of rejecting my requests, and must have taken pity on me.

Yeah, I am pretty sure you got in not because the mods took pity on you
You can give yourself more credit for this achievement

[anjan_c2007]

Welcome aboard. Four attempts and the fifth one made history !

I am reminded of a poem "King Bruce and the Spider" that many of us were taught an school. The poem needs to be an inspiration for everyone. Some excerpts from this great poem by Eliza Cook (1818-1889).

King Bruce of Scotland flung himself down
In a lonely mood to think;
Tis true he was monarch and wore a crown,
But his heart was beginning to sink.

Now just at the moment a spider dropped,
With its silken cobweb clue,
And the King in the midst of his thinking stopped
To see what the spider would do.

It soon began to cling and crawl (to the ceiling dome)
Straight-up with strong endeavour;
But down it came with a slippery sprawl.
As near to the ground as ever.

Again it fell and swung below,
But again it quickly mounted,
Till up and down, now fast, now slow
Nine brave attempts were counted.

"Sure," cried the King, "that foolish thing
Will strive no more to climb,
When it toils so hard to reach and cling,
And tumbles every time.

Steadily, steadily, inch by inch,
Higher and higher he got,
And a bold little run at the very last pinch
Put him into his native cot

"Bravo! bravo!" the King cried out,
All honour to those who try!
The spider up there defied despair-
He conquered, and why should not I?"

And Bruce of Scotland braced his mind,
And gossips tell the tale
That he tried once more as he tried before
And that time did not fail.

[gk1234]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Welcome aboard, Keerthivas!
Yeah, I am pretty sure you got in not because the mods took pity on you
You can give yourself more credit for this achievement

Haha, I guess we’ll never know! Thank you, for the warm welcome!

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Welcome aboard. Four attempts and the fifth one made history !

I am reminded of a poem "King Bruce and the Spider" that many of us were taught an school. The poem needs to be an inspiration for everyone. Some excerpts from this great poem by Eliza Cook (1818-1889).

Thank you for sharing it! It’s made me google for more about this lovely poem!

[Thermodynamics]

Welcome aboard Keerthivas.

I am eager to read your review. Wish you may also contribute to the forum with discussions related to legal issues such as infringement, custom mods, logo cheats etc.

Appreciate your perseverance and I am pretty sure you weren't selected because of pity. It took me seven times .

[gk1234]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Welcome aboard Keerthivas.

I am eager to read your review. Wish you may also contribute to the forum with discussions related to legal issues such as infringement, custom mods, logo cheats etc.

Appreciate your perseverance and I am pretty sure you weren't selected because of pity. It took me seven times .

Haha, I was joking about being pitied. There’s a certain quality to the content on team bhp that members are expected to generate, so its only natural that I was let in only after meeting that expectation. All the more reason I’m glad to be here now!
Thank you for the warm welcome. I’m working on the review, and hope to have it ready by the 1st week of June, if not sooner. Caught up with work, since courts are reopening next week.

Also, if I may ask a query: is it possible to upload a short video clip to my review? I know that I can hyperlink YouTube videos, but this is just a 20 second clip of a certain aspect of the car. Just curious.

Edit: @Thermodynamics: sorry I missed your part about contributing on legal issues. I’m certainly looking forward to doing that, and will be following the ongoing discussions in this regard. Thanks again for the reminder.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by gk1234

Also, if I may ask a query: is it possible to upload a short video clip to my review? I know that I can hyperlink YouTube videos, but this is just a 20 second clip of a certain aspect of the car. Just curious.

Yes, you can of course provide a link of your video or anyone else's as long as due credit/s are given.


Welcome on-board, enjoy your stay

[AjayJohri]

Originally Posted by gk1234

I'm a lawyer practising in Kerala.
I used to drive a Hyundai i10 until recently
helped me choose my current ride - the new-gen Skoda Superb L&K diesel

Welcome to the club! From i10 to Superb: how do I become a lawyer too? Enjoy your visits here. Happy driving and detailing!

[gk1234]

Originally Posted by AjayJohri

Welcome to the club! From i10 to Superb: how do I become a lawyer too? Enjoy your visits here. Happy driving and detailing!

Haha, thanks for the welcome! The Superb is purchased for family use, and not as a personal indulgence, although, I admit, the car’s developed a soft corner in my heart these days.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by gk1234

And yes, I love long drives, although I can’t imagine driving all the way to Delhi from Cochin! Some day, perhaps.

Well, imagine riding RD 350 all the way from Delhi to Cochin. That's what my BIL's friend did a decade back. Took close to 10 days to reach thanks to numerous visits to the garage enroute.

Anyhow, congrats on your membership and enjoy your time here .