[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by condor

the ecosport is considered sub-4m. It is only because of this that the price is where it is. Now go and check the length of the Ecosport - with and without stepney. Next, check the rules for modifications. Do let us know your findings.

Dear fellow member,

Firstly, please don't tell me or anyone on this forum, while being disrespectful, what to do! I hope you understand that we all need to maintain the decorum of this esteemed forum and don't have to sound sarcastic or disrespectful.

Now coming to the point, I tried my best to comprehend what you suggested. So going by your logic, everyone who is in the market for a sub-four meter car, needs to carry a measuring tape to ensure it doesn't exceed the legal length. I hope you were not serious about it.

All this, is supposed to be taken care by the concerned authorities as well as the manufacturers. This, in any sane world, is not a cusumer's job to do! We as consumers have the rightful trust in them that these basic pre requisites are taken care of and that's why we don't deserve such nonsense from the traffic police.

Now I'm not saying your point is invalid. Maybe the stepney is not per the legal description of that car but is it really any fault of the customers who bought it? That's the whole point here. And that's why it's not my or any customer's job to check it.

This would be the end of discussion from my end. I have fought enough "real" battles in my life and becoming a keyboard warrior doesn't really amuse me.

Have a good day!

[condor]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Now coming to the point, I tried my best to comprehend what you suggested. So going by your logic, everyone who is in the market for a sub-four meter car, needs to carry a measuring tape to ensure it doesn't exceed the legal length. I hope you were not serious about it.

Now I'm not saying your point is invalid. Maybe the stepney is not per the legal description of that car but is it really any fault of the customers who bought it? That's the whole point here. And that's why it's not my or any customer's job to check it.

Dear Colonel sir,

Apologies if I sounded disrespectful there. A bit of hurry and distraction I would say.

Agree that it is not the customer's fault there. This point about the length was mentioned by Vid6639 in the official review also. The other compact cars are all sub-4m, and none of us have to carry a tape to check it. But with the Ecosport, I am still wondering how they authorities let go of this, or if they turned a blind eye. the ES is an exception that I still cant understand, on this aspect of length of car.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Now I'm not saying your point is invalid. Maybe the stepney is not per the legal description of that car but is it really any fault of the customers who bought it? That's the whole point here. And that's why it's not my or any customer's job to check it.

You make a compelling argument, Sir. The EcoSport's fifth wheel is a nice way to get around rules, the way Maruti has with their mild/micro/jazzy hybrid. Anyone's guess how and why the fifth wheel is not considered part of the 4m rule length. I own an EcoSport so I hope that rule doesn't change.

The problem, one that condor has tried to make, is when authorities hold the customer responsible for such a "difference in interpretation". Another eg. is this:

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...ystem/1707575/

[Chetan_Rao]

Do ORVMs count in a car's width, or antenna in its height?

Why should one appendage be treated 'in' dimensions and others not?

[porsche_guy]

Just came across this hilarious video on my YouTube feed. Presence of mind at work!

https://youtu.be/bIr88lyxXQk

Cheers!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

Just came across this hilarious video on my YouTube feed. Presence of mind at work!

Good thinking indeed. I could not even work out the intention until I saw it happen.

[Ithaca]

A gentleman from Mysore is touring India with his mother since she has not even been to the nearby temple near her home.
Son was in corporate and decided to take his mother on a tour of India. He has taken a break year.

Here is the tweet and video accompanying it.
https://twitter.com/manoj_naandi/sta...57056277450753

This is Mr Anand Mahindra's response to that tweet.
Mr Mahindra has promised to gift the gentleman a KUV 100.
https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/st...70506529542144

If any member knows this gentleman, kindly contact Mr Mahindra on his twitter handle.

India Today Article
https://t.co/snZXwxrf7y

[NPV]

It was a low-key Diwali on a Sunday evening and we'd had a spell of rain and when it stopped, our neighborhood got busy with bursting crackers. We decided to head out to do some apparel shopping. We reached the usually bustling and busy shopping area to find the place rather dull and empty and then realized that all shops were closed for Diwali!

On the way back home, we decided to do some grocery shopping at a local supermarket since parking was easy to find about 100 metres away from the store.
When we were almost done, it started raining cats and dogs and more! We decided to wait it out with our heavy bags and then head to the car when it stops or reduces to a drizzle. After 10 minutes there seemed to be no way the rain was going to stop so we were about to ask the supermarket staff to help us carry the bags to the car and also use their umbrellas. Suddenly, an autorickshaw stops near the kerb outside the store and the driver is waving at us to board the auto. At first we ignored him and then he starts shouting "sir...madam..." and gesturing to us to walk up to his auto! We try gesturing back to him trying to indicate that our car is parked nearby and we aren't looking for an auto.
Now, suddenly my phone starts ringing and its a new number, I pick the call and the voice says "sir, it's me S... in the auto, I will drop you'll off at home". We know this person for more than 2 decades and he used to work then as a driver with one of my dad's friends. He would also double up as a temp driver for my dad sometimes and about 5 years ago bought his own autorickshaw.
I told him our car is parked nearby and he says, he will drop us off to the car all of 100 metres or so away so that we don't get drenched! He drives up to the ramp where the supermarket has a loading area for supplies, so we could easily board the auto. Then he takes us to the car and does his best to get as close as possible to the car, again using the adjacent building's ramp in front of the gate (amazing manoeuvring skills that some of these autorickshaw drivers have!). We quickly get into the car with the bags, thanking him profusely and then head back home. What a godsend this turned out to be, it took at least an hour for the rain to show some respite

Happy Diwali everyone

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by NPV

It was a low-key Diwali on a Sunday evening

Woah....This is quite a heartwarming episode to pen down NPV and coincidentally it had to happen on a festive day.

You have been the creator of this very thread that shares so many stories and incidents and I never fail to get amused at quite a few of these incidents. Your stories are very unique and each time these bring a smile on my face.

Happy Diwali!!

[swissknife]

I happened to see this person who still had a butterfly needle fixed to his hand, to probably continue intravenous injections, traveling in a "share auto" in Chennai.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by swissknife

I happened to see this person who still had a butterfly needle fixed to his hand, to probably continue intravenous injections, traveling in a "share auto" in Chennai.

Why is this unusual or heartwarming? Many people are not fortunate enough to take the time off to even properly take care of themselves. And sometimes, I have seen smaller clinics with limited beds send not so serious patients home and come back only for the next shot. Heck, a colleague even came to a team outing with this still attacked to his arm.

[locusjag]

My wife hollered at a woman riding pillion yesterday on a motorcycle to rein in her dupatta. Shockingly, almost half a Kilometre later, a biker warned my wife to rein in her own dupatta which had been trailing the road from our car!

What's more - before our day was done, it happened again to my wife. Weird.
****************************

A lorry carrying construction materials today blocked all lanes of traffic at Rathnamangalam (in Chennai, on the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road) so that an old lady could cross over. I had just gone by her as she was waiting at a break in the median; I remember thinking - "how long till she gets to cross the road?"

As I watched in my rearview mirror a few seconds later, the lorry that had been following me stopped askance (i.e., across the 2 available lanes) and waited for her to cross over. She took her sweet time to amble over, hunched back and all.

Humanity is alive!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by swissknife

I happened to see this person who still had a butterfly needle fixed to his hand, to probably continue intravenous injections, traveling in a "share auto" in Chennai.

That is a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannula

Its fairly common for a person to have it inserted and go about their normal lives.

Couple of months back my daughter (8 Years old) had a bacterial infection. The doctor gave us two options.

Either admit her into the hospital or bring her twice a day for the injections.
We chose the latter option as the hospital was less than 3 kilometers away and I have the luxury to take "work from home" whenever I want.

[saisree]

This incident predates to the availability of mobile and the local PCO services and the culprits were myself and my dad.

Circa 2003. I hail from Chittoor a small town of Andhra Pradesh. People travelling between Chennai - Banglore, Banglore - Tirupati are familiar with this town.

Its was a Sunday evening, Me and my dad were returning from a temple near the Chittoor old bus stand. Just then a couple speaking in tamil were enquiring for a bus to Kottala, a village near by. Since we were fluent in Tamil we were able to understand their concern and we helped them board a Tirupati bound bus. Asked the conductor to drop them at Kottala cross. (People going to tirupati from chittoor will be able to identify this junction. Its the cross that takes you to Srivari Mettu and Srinivasa Mangapuram temple.) We also told them that it will take some 45-50 mins journey and the bus charges are around Rs 38/-. The couple were arguing that, they were told the journey is only 15 mins and the charge is less than Rs 10/-. We and the conductor were pretty confident and told them that they were misguided. We almost forcibly made them to board the bus and let them go.

Now the twist. After a week or so we wanted to board a local bus to get back to home and there comes a bus with the board - Kottala. We enquired the conductor about the route and we were told that this village is 15 kms away from the town and is located in the banglore route and the charge is Rs 8/- .

We were reminded of the couple and from then, we stopped looking for people asking bus routes.

Don't know what happened to that couple in that non tamil speaking village

[saisree]

Caution Long Post.


There is no dearth for comedies and foolishness when the incident is a tour and it’s with a group where majority don't know the local language

Context

We were a group of 10 people and the plan was to do a self-drive from Chennai to attend my colleagues marriage at Tirupati in three cars. It was the first time many in our group were travelling to Tirupati and the plan had to include darshan of Lord Balaji at Tirumala. So, all the Rs 300/- darshan tickets were booked, gifts ordered and we are all set for the D day. As usual one of the guy had to cancel this trip and we ended up with two cars a Honda Jazz and a Ignis. I had five people in my Jazz and the other four were in the Ignis.

The Trip

The drive from Chennai to Tirupati was eventless. At the check post near the foothills of Tirumala Ignis was stopped. It had some religious writings allover. Security people asked us to remove the stickers or park the car at Alipiri and take the bus to the hill as there were some problems earlier in the hills due to preaching’s. We tried hard with the security team to allow us but they didn't budge to our requests. So we had to park the car and some of the guys took the bus to Tirumala while we parked the Ignis at Alipiri and continued our journey to the hills. We ensured at least one of the guy in the bus group knows telugu so that he can communicate and reach us at a common point for the darshan.

Trap

We assembled at a common point and as per the tradition all the men changed to dhotis. Dhotis brought in a new problem. You cannot carry your wallet and mobile phones unless it the new age pocket dhoti. Carrying Mobile phone inside the temple is already banned anyway. So all the wallets, mobile phones switched off and stashed in my car. Had a very good darshan and had lunch at the free meals. Since a group has to take the bus compulsorily, we engaged a jeep and 6 of the folks jumped into it and started their decent to Tirupati without thinking of their wallets and mobile phones in my car safely parked in the other side of the temple. I gave the fair for the jeep and Rs100/- extra for the folks in the Jeep and asked them to wait at Alipiri bus stand. This time we forgot to include the guy who knows telugu.

Ordeal

We took the car and started descending and there was a 30 min gap between us and the group in jeep. Instead of waiting at the bus stop the jeep group went to the car parking area and identified the Ignis and started waiting there assuming that we will be coming to the parking area to take the car. We came down, searched them at the bus stop. Not finding them, we went to the car park to check if they are there. We didn't find any one and we took the car and started to search for this group outside the bus stand. The group in the car parking went to nearby shop for Tea and some hot bajji's and by the time they are back the car is gone.

Bill at the tea shop was 175/-, they had the 100/-I gave. No wallets and No mobile phones. They don’t remember our phone no's. We didn't turn on the their mobile phones and the game started. We were searching on the main road and couple of the folks from the other group where searching for us, leaving four folks as surety for the bill in the Tea Shop. After some time one of the guy in the group remembered a mobile no, called up a friend in Chennai and asked him to call us and intimate their whereabouts. Finally our ordeal of searching this missing group for two hours ended at the Tea shop by paying up the bill and relieving them from surety.


Learning

1. Learn one additional language at least the one spoken in the next state.
2. Stick to the plan, never deviate.