[anantc93]

Hi everyone!
I read in one of the intro threads on how getting a membership to Team BHP is comparable to an IIM interview. I disagree! Writing an intro here required more courage than an IIM interview, which is why it took longer than a week for me to start this!

I'm Anant, 25, working as a Product Manager with Sprinklr. Explaining what I/Sprinklr do/does is the most difficult part of my job. We make a platform for brands like Nike, Uber, Dell etc. to manage all their social media efforts across channels like FB, Twitter, Insta (and 23 others) from one place. Typical Indian Kid - B.Tech + MBA , with a typical Indian family - dad worked (just retired 5 months ago) in Haryana Government as a doctor while mom is a housewife. That's the boring part. The fun part is that I am an only child so my laptop has been my best friend since more than 15 years, which means the first time I drove a car was long before I got 18 - Need for Speed Second Edition!


The first time I came across Team BHP was more than 6-7 years ago, I don't even remember what I was looking for on Google. But I was so intrigued that I became an avid reader for months! College happened, and I lost track of BHP. Fast forward 6 years. Our romance rekindled 10 months ago when I started looking to buy my first car with my own $$$
Spending 8 hours daily on Team BHP became a norm, I went through multiple ownership threads and reviews of Merc CLA, C-class and BMW 3 series (moralfibre's 110 page long 3 series thread was completely read in less than a week, FlyingSpur's problems with runflats, drmohitg's JOYful story and many others). The sheer amount of unfiltered, unadulterated information available here makes you keep coming back to read, even if it is on a topic which is completely unrelated to you! In fact, this might not be a secret to you folks, but dealerships and brands are actually scared of what happens on Team BHP. One of India's biggest mass market car maker recently became a client of Sprinklr's and I have been in meetings with their marketing and care teams very often in the last few months. Their biggest fear on social media is not from Facebook or Twitter, but TEAM BHP.

Back to the topic, after reading all the reviews I finally purchased an all black 3 series - the Batmobile!

I have previously driven my father's Volkswagen Polo which I took over once I got in 4th year of undergrad (the charms of having a home in the same city as your college). It will always remain my favourite vehicle. My opinion might be biased because my father also had a Chevrolet Aveo, the steering and gears of which made it feel like you were dragging a 10 tonne truck instead of a car! But the Polo drove like magic, so light and fluid. And to think of it, our next best bet when we were buying the Polo was a Chevvy Beat! I was in Ahmedabad for 2 years for my MBA but I used to come back every couple of months to Delhi because I couldn't manage a long-distance relationship with the red beauty.

I don't know what it is that attracts me to cars and driving (surprisingly or not so surprisingly, I am not at all a fan of bikes). I secretly smile when my girlfriend wakes me up at 6 in the morning to drop her off to North Campus, from Gurgaon. Other than driving, I am your regular nerd - into video games (League of Legends, Age of Empires anybody?) and poker.

And HUGE HUGE THANKS to GTO for letting me be part of this fable. Third time lucky!

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by anantc93

Hi everyone

Congratulations! Welcome on board.

From NFS to a BMW is a nice transition. That you get to work with a major car manufacturer is perhaps the icing on the cake for you.

A word of caution though: do take care on what you post/reveal about the accounts you handle at your workplace. Internet can make careers and break them too (touchwood).

this might not be a secret to you folks, but dealerships and brands are actually scared of what happens on Team BHP. One of India's biggest mass market car maker recently became a client of Sprinklr's and I have been in meetings with their marketing and care teams very often in the last few months. Their biggest fear on social media is not from Facebook or Twitter, but TEAM BHP

Instead of putting a smile on my face, this actually saddens me. Team-Bhp is a forum that doesn't expect anyone to be afraid of its infuence. Although it is true that we believe in not sugarcoating our comments, we DO NOT terrorize, denigrate or devalue manufacturers/sellers. All we want is fairness for all the parties involved.

That said, it is reassuring to know that we do count as an important voice. Thanks for sharing this.

Spending 8 hours daily on Team BHP

Believe me, you aren't alone in this .

Have a great time on the forum.

[airbus]

Welcome Anant to Team-BHP. Your introduction was very nice. I know, it's little hard to get membership in Team-BHP. In fact, many of my friends asked me if I can give some tips to get membership in this forum

I have been driving since 1994, but to tell you, I have become a much safer and better driver after joining this forum.

Best wishes

[pavi]

Hey there (just like Jonny Lieberman starts MotorTrend reviews),
Welcome to this awesome forum of enthusiasts, and Congrats on your purchase. All black look is so sexy, I just love that look. Wish if the chrome lining on the doors were also glossy black. Could you please share more pics of your car, especially the sides.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Welcome aboard, sir! That feeling of getting through the membership moderation is truly priceless

A first car is always special and yours would be even more special! A Bimmer as a first car is something to boast about. Do pen down a bit about your Batmobile.

Do go through the forum rules and abide by them. Infractions and getting banned are the two worst things that can happen to any BHPian

Drive safe,
Varun

[androdev]

Welcome to t-bhp! Enjoyed reading your introduction. A Polo, followed by a 3-series and now t-bhp membership - your car scene is rocking

It's always interesting to see how outside world perceives t-bhp because for most insiders it's just chit chat among a bunch of driving nuts.

Drive safe!

[anantc93]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

A word of caution though: do take care on what you post/reveal about the accounts you handle at your workplace. Internet can make careers and break them too (touchwood).

Thanks for the advice, will keep in mind

Instead of putting a smile on my face, this actually saddens me. Team-Bhp is a forum that doesn't expect anyone to be afraid of its infuence. Although it is true that we believe in not sugarcoating our comments, we DO NOT terrorize, denigrate or devalue manufacturers/sellers. All we want is fairness for all the parties involved.
Agreed, and the fairness is what any brand tries to beat by marketing and advertising. They can't buy their way out and thus it's very important for them.
That said, it is reassuring to know that we do count as an important voice. Thanks for sharing this.

Originally Posted by airbus

I have been driving since 1994, but to tell you, I have become a much safer and better driver after joining this forum.

I remember reading here sometime back about rules of thumb of identifying bad drivers, helped me stop a couple of things that would get me judged from forum guys

Originally Posted by pavi

All black look is so sexy, I just love that look. Wish if the chrome lining on the doors were also glossy black. Could you please share more pics of your car, especially the sides.

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

A first car is always special and yours would be even more special! A Bimmer as a first car is something to boast about. Do pen down a bit about your Batmobile.

Pictures will be uploaded soon, once I get my car back from the workshop. It's been there for 14 days now. Trauma. I have a separate thread (2018 BMW 320d - 5 runflats gone bad in 4 months!) in the wheels and alloys forum explaining the trauma.

And thank you everyone for the warm welcome here !