| Greetings!
Introduction
I thank the Moderators of TBHP for accepting my request in my first attempt!! Happy--yes very much, euphoric--maybe not... with age comes certain level of detachment.
I'm Dr. Murali, a dentist by profession-- in addition to twiddling with teeth and smiles, I shape young minds heading a department in a college. I am trying to teach ethics to the new generation and believe me it is a challenge.
My other passions are travel, wildlife (includes birds), nature, environment, culture, tradition and ancient architecture, not necessarily in that order.
Being a late bloomer (as far as driving goes), I learnt driving in the US of A while pursuing my Masters program, much after my teens. One weekend, I was behind the wheel for the first time and a fortnight later was driving cross country with my cousin to be part of the 1996 summer olympics at Atlanta. Of course it was an automatic sedan.
Before graduating, I picked up a used Toyota Corolla 2 door hatch for around $800 and did some crazy travel in it including some soul searching drives. My sister-in-law later learnt driving with the car and named her Betsy. Eventually, Betsy was given away for charity...
Returning to India, I went back to driving school to get used to a stick shift and also to unlearn all the rules and regulations, etiquette, etc I had learnt while driving in the USA :( The first car I bought here was a used Maruti 800 and decided to go for a new car when it got stranded on the road one fine day, though with a minor issue of loose connection.
My first brand new car was Fiat Palio MJD in 2008. The decision making process was aided by coming across Palio Users Group (PUG), perhaps the first professional automobile group started in India. It has been an amazing learning experience ever since. My association with the members is still very strong and I am sure there are quite a few of those members here. A big shout out to all the guys here....
It was a fairy tale journey with the Palio for 10 years and I clocked 2,30,000 kms (no typo here) before parting with it. I've used it as a mini SUV, taken it on crazy terrains, crossed rivulets, etc. The best part was it responded to each challenge thrown beautifully. The drive, planted and tank feel, seating comfort, power on tap, etc are legendary.
Change is the only constant and was planning on a new car, only reason being the external parts on the Palio were getting expensive and it needed some work. Renegade was a much awaited car which is yet to see the light of day. Reaching a meeting venue an hour early by over-estimating the Bangalore traffic led me to buy a Tata Nexon Diesel... this is the absolute truth. To kill time a friend and me went to check out the car, they did not offer a test drive and never bothered later too. Contacted a different vendor and struck a deal and in exactly 13 months I've managed 30,000 kms on the odo.
The journey continues and I hope I can contribute a bit in this amazing group..... | 
6th December 2019, 12:38
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Thanks
