[dot]

Originally Posted by noopster

I grin. And look at the MID, and the grin vanishes.

3.3 kmpl. I don't tell Swanand.

Hmm, wanted to comment on this, but was in no mood that day after Chicca's misfortune. But.

This is the only reason I hate instantaneous FE display. All the fun goes as soon as the cruel humorless display plonk out the figures of your misdeeds.

[msupercool]

Going to Pune tomorrow hoping to get a good weather tomorrow in Pune.Its going to be a great drive through the expressway.

[Akki_5]

Going to Pune day-after tomorrow. I hope the expressway is overcast and i can open the sunroof! I just hope it rains in Pune on Wednesday because in Mumbai, it seems to be a while before it will actually pour.

[noopster]

It's a fair bet the expressway will be cloudy/drizzly about now. Have fun!

[C300]

Brilliant write-up noopster! Keep them coming.

It reminds me of a traffic jam couple of years back when it took me 2 hours to reach flyover from phase-2. I asked the nearby Autowalla the reason for Jam and his response was “Sagle Traffic Police chaha ani kanda bhajji khayla gelet ki ghari”

On a serious note, I fail to understand the exact reasons behind the Hinjewadi traffic chaos in rainy season. I see all the traffic cops in place and roads in drivable condition at least till Wakad. Is it that we all start from the office a bit early at the same time just to avoid the jam?

[mi2n]

Beautifully narrated.
Yesterday was unbearably hot and humid in Kolkata and I literally enjoyed the rains through your post sitting at office. Surprisingly, got a chance to relive the moments on my way back home last night when the heavens opened up at around 7.50 p.m. and i realized how accurate and appropriate you were in describing the situation, especially the traffic behavior.
Since I've been here, I've been amazed by the fact that most of the street experiences encountered by me were already discussed here, so it did not come as something totally unexpected. Last night it was the freaks with Hazard lights on!

[noopster]

Almost a repeat of last Thursday took place yesterday. Funny thing is it was absolutely bone dry for most of the day. In fact as the sun set, a bunch of us from Hinjewadi even dared dream of a mini-meet- some quick calls were exchanged and it became a dinner-with-family plan before we knew it.

We didn't know of course, that the rain Gods were listening in and chuckling gently. The heavens opened up just as we started leaving our offices after 6 pm.

Chances of a meet were dashed. The missus called and ordered me in to GHQ pronto. Suspect Swanand and the others received similar orders since there was not much demur when I announced that I was going straight home. I resigned myself to another boring wet slow drive.

This time I had some company. A young man from the BPO section asked for a lift to Wakad and I was glad to oblige. In one of those quirky coincidences that happen now and then, he turned out to be a petrolhead: a former Honda SA who now provides online help to an earthmoving company's customers.
I asked him what his favourite car was: pat come the reply- Bugatti Veyron.
How about something I will drive in this lifetime? I suggested and he laughed. Tell me what's the best car you've driven?
A pause for thought: the Accord 3.0 AT V6.
Nice.

I told him about how I lusted after the Superb 3.6 V6 myself. Talk shifted to Skoda's horrible after-service and then he told me about a couple of funny incidents back from his Honda service days: how a customer refused to allow him to even sit in the car for fear of ruining the interiors, and so forth.
I asked him how they handled complex pieces of imported machinery like the V6 i the shop. Honda trained us, he said with a fair bit of pride. They identified 2-3 of us and trained us intensively till we knew the engine inside out.
Wow- that sounds exciting.
Yeah. And then a little sheepishly- well, it's all mostly playing with the ECM these days.

Asked him what other cool cars he got to play with: the Civic hybrid, he says brightly.
Civic sold a hybrid in India?
Apparently they did, at a shocking 28 lacs OTR no less. That's double what the regular Civic costs!
Yeah- and it gave a helluva lots of trouble too, he says sadly. Not for Indian roads at all.
Like what?
Like the mechanical to electrical crossover wouldn't happen at times. And some owners complained that they didn't get enough pickup after it kicked in.
That's bad. How's the Prius doing, I ask him.
He seems surprised that the Prius is launched in India. I assure him it has. Obscenely priced, but it has.

Have traded calls with Swanand and he's advised me to take the right turn towards Wipro Phase 1 and then join the crowd at HJW chowk. I take this advice and shave some 10 minutes off the commute.
There is a cop soaking wet in a not-at-all-adequate yellow jumper directing traffic at the chowk and I wonder, not for the first time, why we revile and abuse these public servants so much. This poor guy was doing his job, well at that, and was getting pi**ed on by Mother Nature. No fair.

Jani (that's my companion's name) ruefully confesses that he was supposed to catch a train to Hyderabad tonight but his manager scheduled him to fly to Bangalore on Monday so the trip was cancelled. His friends are probably stuck on the way to the station now, he says a little gleefully. They haven't called at all.
Good for me.

He admires my AT shift and points out that the display FE is showing 3.4 kmpl.
Oh that's for this trip, I say and switch to trip 2. It shows 4.3.
A moment's pause then we both burst out laughing. I remember that I've only tanked up this morning on the way to work and reset the tripmeter.

Time passes quickly. The flyover has knee-deep water like the other day but somehow we plough through quicker. I take anilisanil's left turn after flyover and merge with the bypass, dropping off my new friend on the way.

Took a few trip stats pics this time:

Distance to home: 16 km


Average speed: 10 kmph


Total travel time: 1h44m


Oh yeah- fuel economy- what's that?


It's gonna be a long wet monsoon in Pune!

[dot]

Originally Posted by noopster

a bunch of us from Hinjewadi even dared dream of a mini-meet- some quick calls were exchanged and it became a dinner-with-family plan before we knew it.

You know, north central Pune near the east side is not too far away from Hinjewadi, when seen from the map.

Originally Posted by noopster

he turned out to be a petrolhead: a former Honda SA who now provides online help to an earthmoving company's customers.

Honda trained us, he said with a fair bit of pride. They identified 2-3 of us and trained us intensively till we knew the engine inside out.
Wow- that sounds exciting.

Can you arrange for a meeting with this friend, please. I am serious.

Originally Posted by noopster

It's gonna be a long wet monsoon in Pune!

Thats true.

I was planning to go to Tune-up Plus on Baner road last evening after Amey, Moralfiber, Vikram18 and 1Self's recos. But, The Lady (wifey) was travelling back from Bombay and at 3:30p.m. she gave a call that it was raining and she just hit the Expressway. Something told me to chuck the Tune up plus and wait for her to come back.

Came back home by 5 and started waiting. Since power was going on and off, it was me and son with his legos ("blocks") on the balcony watching the rain. There were some rather interesting father and son conversation.

When power came back, put on "Dirty Harry" DVD. Had seen that ages ago. Son remembered the movie. "Bad man on school bus, baba?" as soon as the first scene played out. My god, what memory. Mental note -Need to screen from now onwards. Power went off again. Thankfully.

Phone call every 30 mins. 1st toll naka. 2nd toll naka. Nearing Wakad. Big traffic near Bremen Circle. Neeta Volvo stuck under Kharki underpass. Back to Pune Univ. Take the new Sangamwadi bridge, dont take Bund Garden!! Started warming food - rice, pig, chickpeas. As soon as the doorbell rang, food was ready.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Thats a lovely blow by blow account of the entire evening. Noop and Dot, well done guys! Well, Noop I wouldnt say 1:44 hrs of commute was bad, compared to mine. You know what it showed? A shocking 2:50 mins! Unbelievable right!

Dot, with that kinda care shown towards the son and the missus, I am sure your browney points are way up there on the chart now .

EDIT: Noop you are spot on about the wifey asking to be home ASAP. Mine was more of an order, with an expression that said something like "Are you outta your mind? Meet at this ungodly time?". That said, home was where i was headed with a minor stop in between. You know the reason for the stop. Same as yours .

[ambivalent_98]

Good post Anoop. Really enjoyed reading it. Didn't know there was a hailstorm rather hailstones falling from the sky !! Its been some years I have seen that take place in Pune.
By the way do you guys have a traffic update network of sorts for folks in Hinjewadi ? Its really useful. We had a local version in my office but now many of the erstwhile members no longer work out of Hinjewadi. I really love it here in the rains though and now that the monsoon is here good times are here again

[noopster]

Originally Posted by dot

You know, north central Pune near the east side is not too far away from Hinjewadi, when seen from the map.

You know what I was all set to take the family for dinner to Arthur's Theme at KP. Once the heavens opened, that no longer was an option! But next time we do make it, will be sure to buzz you and mdsaab.

Can you arrange for a meeting with this friend, please. I am serious.

Well, unless I bump into him again that will be difficult. I didn't take his email or emp No. Sorry!

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Well, Noop I wouldnt say 1:44 hrs of commute was bad, compared to mine. You know what it showed? A shocking 2:50 mins! Unbelievable right!

Yeah I can imagine- Paud Road must have been pretty bad! Next time stop by ay my place!

EDIT: Noop you are spot on about the wifey asking to be home ASAP. Mine was more of an order, with an expression that said something like "Are you outta your mind? Meet at this ungodly time?".

However understanding the wives are, they will never get what a T-BHP meetup means to us, right?

BTW the weather is lovely since morning. I have changed my work timings- early in, early out to avoid the crazy traffic that ensues at first sign of rain. So any evening meet-ups planned, am game!

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

By the way do you guys have a traffic update network of sorts for folks in Hinjewadi ? Its really useful. We had a local version in my office but now many of the erstwhile members no longer work out of Hinjewadi. I really love it here in the rains though and now that the monsoon is here good times are here again

There is a Hinjewadi traffic update thread which a bunch of us use regularly. I think there is talk of creating a pan-Pune traffic and road conditions thread as well. I wish it were on radio- that would be so convenient!

[dot]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Dot, with that kinda care shown towards the son and the missus, I am sure your browney points are way up there on the chart now .

Hmm, I wish. Typically I reside at the bottom of any such charts. Any position higher is normally temporary.

Originally Posted by noopster

You know what I was all set to take the family for dinner to Arthur's Theme at KP. Once the heavens opened, that no longer was an option! But next time we do make it, will be sure to buzz you and mdsaab.

Thanks!
Dont want to turn this into a which-place-is-better discussion, but if you like Arthur's Theme, then there are better places in the area.

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

By the way do you guys have a traffic update network of sorts for folks in Hinjewadi ? Its really useful.

Originally Posted by noopster

I think there is talk of creating a pan-Pune traffic and road conditions thread as well. I wish it were on radio- that would be so convenient!

Lets do something on these lines. Do any of you know if any 3G services can be incorporated directly into a thread? Voice to text or something exotic like that. So people can speak/write and access it live.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Dot, thats a great idea. So basically the rant is live and as it happens .
If implemented, it would be of great benefit to others as well. Dont know the legalities of such systems though.
Also, about the chart thingy, dont worry, I am sure most of us are way at the bottom of such charts in our households

[ajay_satpute]

For the sake of safety of our lives, we did not create any such charts.

BTW, on one side, I wish so much that I should be in Hinjewadi so that I can hang around with the BHPians on a regular basis. However, its good to be in Aundh rather than Hinjewadi, especially for the monsoon season. Its much easier escaping out of Aundh than Hinjewadi.

[Mik]

I have spent the best years of my life (college) in pune and keep coming off and on.
There was this saying we had "Pune ki baarish and ***** ki khaarish kaa koi thikaana nahi.. kahi aur kabhi bhi aa sakte hai"
Your thread takes me back to those days.
Keep it coming!

Damn! I want my dhabeli and wada pao :(