[ishan12]

I was fortunate to have shared his company almost everyday for a month.
He used to be a visiting faculty in my post grad institute in Pune.
He used to be called to the institute specially for the new batch Induction presentation. Which was aka, by students as "Baam Presentation". (Any forum members from the same institute would know the college by now )
The presentation was not really academic, rather an exercise in overcoming stage fear etc. Each student had to choose a topic (can be any topic you could think of), and has to present for full 10 minutes in front of a large audience.

He had a concept called "GPL", any boring presentation exceeding 10 minutes, he would get up from his chair and literally kick the presenter in the a** on the stage. (Of course only with male students, and don't ask me the full form of GPL )

Students chose topics from anything in the world (Culture, heritage, politics, science & tech, history, geography, sex etc,) basically anything you could think of. Baam sir used to grill us with questions at the end of the presentation, and the knowledge he possessed about not just automotive stuff but about almost any topic was just mind boggling.

He was a personality you may really like or really hate, but for sure if you meet him you will always remember him for who he was.

Also, it was really inspiring and entertaining to listen to his stories of the times he was in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, crossing the Sahara desert on a Kinetic Honda, getting mugged and Kidnapped in Egypt etc. He certainly lived a crazy life.

He used to call us all MBA grads as "Corporate Kutta"

[anjan_c2007]

Fifth death anniversary tributes to Mr Dilip Bam aged 69, who passed away in Pune at age 69, on 13/10/2016 afternoon. His wit and honesty, coupled with command on the language and his excellent grasp on two and four wheelers together with commercial vehicles have enriched the understanding of countless readers for these classes of motor vehicles. He was forthright while criticising machines or its makers, never losing the opportunity and mince his words when the situation demanded. And rightfully, he would praise the plus points similarly in his own characteristic style.

[ebonho]

Rest in peace Dilip. He was an old friend and mentor from my college days. I was one of his iconic Dirty Half Dozen scooty shootout. That was an epic. Spent countless evenings on his little grilled balcony, late into the night. I miss him.

Cheers, Doc

[am1m]

God, how I miss his writing!

Especially these days where auto journos and brand fanboys have something good to say even about sticker jobs and +50cc increments that pass off as major upgrades and praise brands that release models with high rates of chassis failure!

Originally Posted by ebonho

Spent countless evenings on his little grilled balcony, late into the night.

You were lucky to have known him Doc. I was forever making plans to ride down from Bangalore to just try and meet him as a fan, left it too late.

Any pictures, anecdotes from your end would be very appreciated.

[comfortablynumb]

He really was a character with character. My Apache and I will be forever indebted to him for introducing us to Shirish Joshi's 2 wheeler garage in Karvenagar, Pune. Have not stepped foot inside a TVS ASC after that.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by am1m

You were lucky to have known him Doc. I was forever making plans to ride down from Bangalore to just try and meet him as a fan, left it too late.

Any pictures, anecdotes from your end would be very appreciated.

Tons of anecdotes man. Most would be rule flouting material here though. He was a colourful man who lived a full life, to put it mildly. Very open about discussing anything, be it sex or religion or kissing ass, no topic was too hot a potato for him. He was unapologetic about his views, and if you did not like them, you always had the freedom to not be around him, rather than expecting him to be guarded about what he said.

He was old school Mulla ke uss paar Puneri bamman. A hardcore Hindu, alongside his bohemian lifestyle. He would never tire of reminding me that as a Zoroastrian Parsi, I was the original agni poojak. You guys are the "Param Hindu" he would say. I was too young and raw and not yet mature enough at the time to appreciate the import of his words.

He would never tire of recounting the story of the time he crashed, and was lying in a mountain ditch alongside his crashed bike. And how he saw a feral cat come close and pick up his severed ear in its mouth and walk away with it in front of his still conscious eyes. None of us ever found out whether the story was true or a product of a very fertile imagination, but we would never tire of watching the fervor of his emotions when he would recount that tale. Lol

I was lucky enough to be one of his chosen favourites who would be given one of his many test bikes to keep and ride as long as I wanted. His blue Electra I rode to Rider Mania 2004 at Arambol in Goa. This was before I was a full on hardcore Bulleteer, still playing around with my Pulsar 180. I loved that bike, even with its grumpy sticky gearbox. Then there was the beautiful Yezdi Roadking that I really had my heart set on, but he and me could never agree on a deal price because he refused to go as low as what I could barely afford. I was a student then but he told me that 1) I was a Parsi and you buggers own most of Bombay and Poona, and 2) I would be a doctor in a couple of years and then I could buy many such bikes. He was a specimen, that's for damn sure!

I was always one of the first ones to reach his place before a big ride, so I got to see him preparing for the ride, in terms of his gear. He had a katora style open face ancient helmet, below which he would wear a baseball cap with a long peak to protect his eyes from the rain. One major idiosyncracy was that he would never wear undies under his jeans but a long pyjama (proper striped nightsuit walla) and had devised a nada system that went under the pyjama and hooked under his feet before he put on his socks and shoes, so that that pyjama would stay in place and not ride up and bunch up uncomfortably under his jeans during the ride!

My earliest lessons of riding fast and aggressively in the ghats and countersteering and riding in the densest fog and most blinding rain was from following him on the road and observing his body positioning and the lines he took and his braking points. His most common style, long before it became popularized by Rossi and co in MotoGP, was going hard into a corner, leaning out, inner leg thrown out into the corner as a counter balance, dirtrodding style. He also very effectively used the same style to kick erring dogs out of the way if they came too close on the tarmac when we were at speed.

I've spent a wet cold night sleeping inside a bat infested cave full of bat droppings and cow dung on one of our rides. As well as shivered in fear at his very lifelike stories of the surroundings being happy hunting grounds of hungry biptyas (leopards)! Such that even when riding with another Bullet group once, my friends still roll with laughter at the sight of doc sleeping on the ground and suddenly like Bruce Lee springing to his haunches in a catlike crouch, metal baton in hand, when hearing scampering feet by his ear, and imagining a biptya about to make a very hearty meal of him (*this was in Rajmachi)!

Memories man ...

Cheers, Doc

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Rest in peace Dilip. He was an old friend and mentor from my college days. I was one of his iconic Dirty Half Dozen scooty shootout. That was an epic. Spent countless evenings on his little grilled balcony, late into the night.

Lucky for you doc to know him and spend time with him - cherish those memories. I met him only once at an XLRI alumni meet. Back then I was quite active on my Pulsar riding around Pune (and MH) and we had briefly discussed me joining on one his rides (I guess everyone would ask/request him that). Never got around to ever meeting him post that.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Lucky for you doc to know him and spend time with him - cherish those memories. I met him only once at an XLRI alumni meet. Back then I was quite active on my Pulsar riding around Pune (and MH) and we had briefly discussed me joining on one his rides (I guess everyone would ask/request him that). Never got around to ever meeting him post that.

My dad was XLRI, as is my fua and my cousin (my fuiji's son) and my younger brother and sis in law. I grew up barely a kilometer down the road from XLRI, in the Circuit House Area.

[condor]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I was lucky enough to be one of his chosen favourites who would be given one of his many test bikes to keep and ride as long as I wanted.

Long long before TBHP, when it was just the auto-mags, that's when I came across his name. A room mate of mine in Bombay, Rajneesh, had told me about being with Dilip. Not sure if you guys know each other.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ebonho

My dad was XLRI, as is my fua and my cousin (my fuiji's son) and my younger brother and sis in law. I grew up barely a kilometer down the road from XLRI, in the Circuit House Area.

Wow - no wonder! And that's quite an XL basedom, doc! Lucky you got to live in such an awesome place - and so close to Bauwaji ki chai ka dukan (if his shop was active back then) - I'm sure you had a blast back then.

At the risk of continuing this OT discussion on this thread I wonder if anyone of them were in the campus around the 2007-2009 (if yes, do drop a PM; would love to connect, I'm sure I'd be knowing them).

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Wow - no wonder! And that's quite an XL basedom, doc! Lucky you got to live in such an awesome place - and so close to Bauwaji ki chai ka dukan (if his shop was active back then) - I'm sure you had a blast back then.

At the risk of continuing this OT discussion on this thread I wonder if anyone of them were in the campus around the 2007-2009 (if yes, do drop a PM; would love to connect, I'm sure I'd be knowing them).

Yup, bauwaji was a local legend across generations. If you are referring to the popular adda near the dhobhi ghat close to the river (just down the road from my house). Brother is 75 born, so I'm guessing he was in XL late 90s, when I was already in Poona. Cousin probably a couple of years before. Most of them worked a couple of years (or more) before joining.

P.S.'98-'00

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

We did quite a lot of bike rides around Pune. One being on gearless scooters in Verandah ghat in pouring rain and the Karizma to give us company.

I was there on the SAME ride! The one I referred to just above - the scooty shootout "The Dirty Half Dozen". I remember reading a version of it online some time back. I guess the web page must now be defunct after his passing. If you have it, please share it here.

Cheers, Doc

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I guess the web page must now be defunct after his passing. If you have it, please share it here.

The web page is no more ! RIP

I came across this short video clip of MTV roadies where Dilip Bam is seen on stage with the crowd cheering him up for his feats, then as a 68 year old.

https://youtu.be/PYc1FWvCyBQ

Another 12.00 minute video clip of the Sahara Rider featuring his Sahara trip, the first as claimed by him on a gearless scooter viz. A Kinetic Honda scooter:-

https://youtu.be/fFLQzNcsuUU

(not sure if these video links have already been shared here)

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The web page is no more ! RIP

I came across this short video clip of MTV roadies where Dilip Bam is seen on stage with the crowd cheering him up for his feats, then as a 68 year old.

Dilip had the most detailed map of India I have ever seen hung on the wall over his dining table. He did all his trip planning on that map, to the finest minutest detail. It was huge. And ever present, for as long as I knew him.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The web page is no more ! RIP

IIRC, his son maintains a FB page in Dilip Bam's name. But it's mostly for nostalgia purposes with old pics etc. No detailed travelogues or articles, like the ones on the now defunct dilipbam dot com.