[silversteed]

Originally Posted by IndieGooner

... I have never seen an MLA/MP on such a humble vehicle.

This is the Peerumade (Idukki district) MLA, Vazhoor Soman and his official vehicle, a Mahindra Major. (not sure if it's actually a Major or an MM540)

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Adrenaline on the streets for all bystanders. Seeing the fun and frolic another girl joins.

https://Youtube.com/watch?v=QbK6wlHa0wY?feature=shared

This is scripted. It is in Udupi as a part of Janmashtami celebration. For Krishna Janmashtami, people put various costumes and go around house to house, shop to shop performing. The most popular is the tiger dance "pili vesha" troupes. On the day after, there is competition as well in the carstreet in front of Krishna temple.

Same troupe at one more spot

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yPwsXXbcTps?feature=shared

Here is a link to this year's dance from the same people

https://youtu.be/LV9u-kjP8vg?feature=shared

[ex-innova-guy]

So this happened this year in February. Our village is near Mangaon, Raigad which is around 3.5 hours from where I stay in Mumbai. We had left Mumbai on a Sunday around 5:30am and had reached Mangaon around 11am since my dad had some work in between. The day went by and nothing out of the ordinary happened but my dad was supposed to come home around 6pm but he didn’t. Instead he called me and told me to drive to the nearest Govt. hospital as soon as I could. I didn’t tell my mom about where I was going as I knew he was not facing any medical emergency and my Mom would have gotten anxious. As soon as I drove passed the nearby hospital I could see literally 100s of people gathered around it.

Many people drive to Konkan coast via the Tahmini Ghat route. On that fine day 5 youth who were in their mid-20s from Pune had decided to take a trip to Dapoli in their Skoda Rapid. The Rapid driver was overtaking a car when a speeding localite on his bike clipped the right side ORVM of the Rapid and went on to collide with a bike coming from the oncoming direction. Since they were coming from a cricket tournament all the localites were essentially carrying; stumps and bats with them on their bikes. Most of them were riding triple seaters and the Rapid driver was scared seeing this in his rear view mirror and immediately started speeding. Localites were chasing him all the way when he reached a small town which has some really big speed breakers where he eventually was caught up and blocked. Except one person in that car everyone was arguing and soon localites overpowered them. My dad was nearby and soon hearing the commotion rushed to the scene. Took control of the situation and soon told them to take the injured people to the hospital while he will drive the Rapid and the guys to the hospital. I know most of you would not recommend this but in that moment it was the best decision. Needless to say those localite kids were injuried a lot because of them being on bike and falling at approximately more than 70kmph.

After reaching the hospital all the localites were demanding money from the Rapid guys and even tried to beat them all again. My dad had clearly instructed them to not get out of the car in any case and they did the same. They had locked themselves inside. All this drama continued till 8pm which had started around 5pm. My dad asked them if they would like something to eat and they were too scared to answer. Brought 2 vadapavs for each and I still can’t forget their smile.

After this they were told to meet the Sarpanch of the village to settle the issue. The car driver had called his family and they were soon going to reach. Meanwhile we arranged a T-shirt for the driver. 7 men soon came all the way from Pune; sat and discussed with my dad about what had actually ensued. My dad told them that he clearly wasn’t in fault as he was overtaking properly but people on the bike recklessly tried to overtake him too from the right and couldn’t control the bike. His main fault was in running away from the scene which led to all this chaos. Soon proceeded to the discussion place and monetary discussions were being held and it was settled off. Till date that car driver still calls my dad and checks on us when we are coming to Pune as he wanted to give us a Party. Needless to say we have done more than 20+ trips already to Pune since then but just knowing that one person was saved because of my dad is more than enough for me. He probably would have gotten even more hurt if the intervention didn’t take place on time.
Ohh and all this ended around 12:30am and what a roller coaster day it was.

Learnings from this:
NEVER HIT AND RUN!
Stay as calm as you can in every situation.

[NPV]

Here's a recent experience from our visit to Kerala, for me and the family this was no less than a miracle and reinforces our belief in a supreme power, karma and destiny.

Background:
About 16 years ago was when we last visited the Sree Krishna temple (Guruvayoorappan) at Guruvayoor with our then tiny tot for whom we had done a Thulabharam there. In the ensuing years, somehow we were unable to plan another visit to this ancient temple which is the home of the powerful deity Lord Krishna.

Cut to this year, last month we visited Kerala for two events on consecutive days. The last few months have been extremely busy at work and it has been very difficult to take more than a day or two at a stretch, so we could only manage a drive to attend both events and return to base.

I recently bought a new car, so we wished to visit our family deity at Alathur sometime, but it wasn't possible during the last Kerala trip.

With the Oct 2 holiday coming up, we had a long weekend, but the Karnataka bandh played spoilsport. Eventually, we decided to do a quick 2 day run on Saturday and Sunday which would hopefully avoid the long weekend rush both ways.

I called the hotel where we usually stay at Palakkad and they were full, it was the case at most other hotels there as I found out. Alternate plans were to start very early from Bangalore, visit the temple at Alathur, stay at Coimbatore or Salem same day evening and return next day. I thought why not visit Alathur temple then drive to Guruvayoor, visit the temple there and return next day. My crazy idea was shot down by the family because the long weekend meant even more crowds at Guruvayoor! Checked with my brother in law who had visited recently and he said this isn't such a bad idea since we can usually get darshan at the temple in 4-5 hours in the evenings. Next was to look for a hotel close to the temple, checked with my friend and BHPian @ranjitp1 and he mentioned Krishna Valsam Regency is good. Called them up and booked the room, was actually pleasantly surprised they weren't running full during the long weekend.

With a 4am start we were able to make it to Alathur by 10:50am and had a great darshan at the temple, last before they shut at 11:30am. There was intermittent rain and oversized trucks that slowed us down.

From there, we headed to SNR Chips in Alathur and then to Guruvayoor with a lunch stop at the famous Pathans pure veg hotel in Thrissur which was on our bucket list for a long time. So far everything was good and we were already feeling happy and blessed and hoping for a good darshan of Lord Krishna at guruvayoor that evening.

Reached Guruvayoor at 3pm, checked in, rested for a bit, freshened up and we were at the temple around 5:30pm.

The Sree Krishna temple, Guruvayoor experience:
We enquired about the Rs.1000 ticket which would cut down the waiting time, but they had stopped it due to the evening rituals that day, so we joined the general queue. Till 9pm, there was no movement of the queue and then around 9:15 we started walking towards the sanctum.

As luck would have it, due to the crowd, darshan was only from outside the entrance of inner sanctum for barely a second or two!
There were intermittent heavy rains as well and finally we decided to head back to the hotel, dropping our earlier plan to eat at Ramakrishna lunch home in East Nada.

We reached our hotel at 10pm and headed to their restaurant. The place was almost empty and we were the last few customers dining there (they close at 10 actually). During dinner, the person at the table behind us started a conversation and enquired about our darshan and how long it took, so we explained what happened. He said it's a shame that after driving from Bangalore and visiting after 16 years we did not get a good darshan. Then he asked our plan for the next day and also offered to take us for the morning VIP Nirmalya darshan and we can enter the inner sanctum as soon as the main doors open. We were completely lost wondering if this was true or just a dream! We immediately agreed and got ready by 2:15 and reached the temple at 2:30. Around 2:40, one of the temple officials called out names from a register and let us in to assemble before the main door of the temple. In the midst of a truly divine atmosphere of people singing bhajans, we entered the temple exactly at 3 when the doors opened. An extraordinary darshan ensued, followed by spending time inside the temple.

The stranger who helped us is a government official who visits the temple every month. His name as you may have guessed by now is one of the most popular amongst the several names of Lord Krishna.

What an experience this was, feeling truly blessed!
Such experiences reinforce our beliefs. Do good for others in whatever small ways possible and others will help you when you need it most and in very unexpected ways.

Sorry for the long post, mentioned the background only to highlight the fact that there were too many things that could have been different and we may not have met that person, and never had this wonderful darshan of the Lord. Hence, I can't brush this off as just a coincidence, yes a divine coincidence maybe.

[Fiatfan]

That was truly a divine intervention through the Gentleman you met who gave you the darshan you deserved. Always some supreme power exists and comes to the fire at the nick of the time.

BTW curious to know which is your new vehicle you bought. Being a hardcore auto enthusiast, couldn't resist asking.

[NPV]

I've been crazily busy at work and haven't found enough time to pen down some interesting recent experiences. Here's another from a Kerala trip in Sep this year.

After replacing my Dzire with the Tata Harrier in June, due to my work schedules, I was only able to drive the car on the highways around Bangalore in the 100-200Km radius. These were mostly solo drives or with friends and was my attempt to get familiar and comfortable driving this car. The family was also longing to go out of Bangalore in the Harrier and we had this opportunity in September when a trip to Cochin and Thrissur was planned to attend couple of events in the family and friends circle.

So, we set out on the first trip in the Harrier outside Bangalore with the family. Stopped for breakfast in Salem and all was well, soon we had gotten to the 6 laned section after Chengapalli. Around 10:30am, somewhere near Avinashi and 300km into the drive, I see a quick notification flash something like "Drive mode malfunction" with some beeps followed by the check engine light coming up. I felt there was a slight loss of power and luckily found an exit to the service road that I took and stopped to check. The vehicle would just go off on engaging Reverse or Drive position on the Shifter and the engine sound had changed. Restarting the car after a few minutes didn't help.

I called the sales manager at the dealership in Bangalore from where I bought the car (also had the car's first service done at their service centre) and he quickly put me on to a Technician from their service centre. The technician tried to guide me guessing that it was a DEF or DPF issue, but it didn't help. Finally, the sales manager asked me to call the Tata helpline. The lady who handled my call was very helpful and after a few minutes, after I shared a nearby address and some landmarks to identify my location, she said she is arranging for a flat bed truck to have the car towed to the nearest Tata Service centre. There was a restaurant almost right where the car was stranded on the service road. While still on the phone with the Tata helpline, I locked the car and gestured to my wife and daughter to walk towards the restaurant. They were still shocked and wondering what had happened to the car, but their calm demeanor helped me stay calm and handle the situation without getting worried/tensed. We ordered some coffee and juice and I continued to talk to the Tata helpline lady who then put me in touch with the driver who would meet me soon to tow the car. I asked the lady how we would reach the service centre once the car was towed. To this, she mentioned that she could arrange for a taxi. I thanked her and said I will call back regarding this.

I also called a good buddy in Bangalore to inform him about our situation. He then called my wife and was on the phone to offer moral support and also to guide us if we needed anything.

While I was hoping that there wouldn't be anything seriously wrong with the car, I also didn't want to miss the events that we were going to attend so started working on a Plan B. I spoke to a known Innova Taxi guy in Coimbatore and asked him if he was free to drive us to Cochin, Thrissur and then drop us back at Coimbatore and also told him that I would make this decision based on what the Tata service centre tells us. This taxi driver was somewhere in Kerala, so he spoke to another of his contacts who had an Etios. The Etios driver called me a few minutes later and I told him I will confirm in couple of hours after the car is taken to the service centre.

Next, the flat bed truck driver called me to confirm my exact location. Turns out he was not very familiar with the area but wasn't too far away, he estimated about 20 minutes to get to my location. At this point, I was thinking I would have my wife and daughter take a taxi to the service centre while I traveled with the driver in the truck.

In about half an hour, the truck arrived and the driver was not just an expert in towing the car, but also a nice human being. He asked me to slot the car in Neutral and then winched it up the ramp while I was inside handling the steering wheel to keep it straight. My first ever such experience and I I was very nervous and scared but managed it. Then I slowly got off the Harrier, locked it and jumped off the truck. When I told the driver my plan to have the family take a Taxi, he said if they're fine, we could all sit in the truck's cabin! Reluctantly, I asked my wife and daughter thinking they'd laugh it off or give me a dressing down, but I was pleasantly surprised when they said they're up for it

My wife and daughter felt the truck was too high for them to climb, so they quickly went back to the restaurant and returned with one of their staff and a plastic chair! They used the chair to climb into the cabin. I thanked the guy and when I offered him some money, he rejected it outright saying it's just a small help and he doesn't want the money.

Now, we were on our way in the truck to the service centre which was on Trichy Road in Coimbatore, a good 47km away. In the truck, my mind was racing thinking about the turn of events that morning, but instead of cursing my luck and brooding over it, I called the service centre to get some landmarks to reach their facility. In an hour or so we were at the service centre but it was lunch time. The truck driver again helped unload the car from the flat bed and he left. He told me I didn't have to pay anything since this was arranged by Tata.

My wife and daughter waited at the customer lounge while I was waiting for the service manager and technician to return after lunch. In a few minutes, they arrived and the tech actually managed to drive the car into the service centre bay though it felt like the engine would go off anytime.

My wife and daughter walked to a nearby restaurant to have lunch and also carried back some food for me. In the meantime, the service centre ran diagnostics and found that the intercooler hose clamp had to be fixed/tightened! An hour and a half later, the car was ready for us to drive after they confirmed that there weren't any other diagnostic notifications to act upon. I went on a short test drive with the tech and we were all set to leave. Again, there was no payment to be made and once I had the Invoice (Free Of Cost mentioned on it) and gate pass, we set off on our journey towards Cochin. Before hitting the road, I made quick call to the Etios taxi guy to say we were ok and didn't need the taxi.

I think this could have happened any time but just my luck it had to happen that day. Anyways, Tata motors took care of the towing and obviously didn't charge anything for the fix. I lost 6 hours in the whole drama though! While I could have posted this on the Tata Harrier thread or created a new thread for this to do some manufacturer bashing, I think posting it here makes much more sense since this was in the end such a heartwarming and unusual life experience. This was something that could have happened with any car, but what was really important was how we handled it, how the Tata helpline and their towing service helped us and all the wonderful human beings around us who helped us during this "ordeal".

All's well that ends well!

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by NPV

All's well that ends well!

I do agree with the heartwarming part with regard to the way the tow truck driver, hotel employee, the taxi guy and most importantly your daughter and wife responded to the mini crisis. Unfortunately and alarmingly, there's hardly anything unusual about the sudden breakdown of the mighty Harrier.

Of late, there are too many reported incidents of new cars abandoning their passengers midway through their journeys. While some cases are because of genuine faults, far too many instances are results of poor QC, from the factory, the dealership as well as service centres.

Reminds me of a banal statement that I had read somewhere:

It's really funny that my money makes someone boss while I suffer loss!!!

[adisan]

Video - Man's Lucky Escape - Venomous Cobra Found Inside Helmet
(News report in www.NDTV.com)

Excerpt:
A man in Kerala narrowly avoided a venomous snake bite when he discovered a small cobra inside his two-wheeler helmet.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by adisan

Video - Man's Lucky Escape - Venomous Cobra Found Inside Helmet
(News report in www.NDTV.com)

A few important takeaways (or is it takes-away?):
- Call the forest department to handle snakes, and not "influencer snake-charmers". If possible, try to ID the snake using apps like Snakepedia.
- Baby cobras are more dangerous than adults - the former bite only to kill since they don't have control of the muscles that regulate the flow of venom into their fangs despite having large quantities of venom ready for delivery and fully developed replenishment system. Adult cobras might also do a dry bite, it's not always that they inject venom.

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by NPV

This was something that could have happened with any car, but what was really important was how we handled it.
All's well that ends well!

True. But this happens too frequently with a TATA Car. Precisely the reason I avoid a TATA after owing one for 11 years. There were not even a single long trip in that car where something or the other fails. In most of the drives, more than attractions and restaurants, what I used to search first is the TATA Service center locations or FNGs. Good thing is, if the issues are minor then the TASS team will fix it right there on priority provided we say we are on a trip with family and need help. To my luck, I never had to cancel a trip because of these breakdowns, but many times it spoiled the mood depending on what failed. Worst being the Air conditioner

[Rajjay]

Originally Posted by NPV

While I could have posted this on the Tata Harrier thread or created a new thread for this to do some manufacturer bashing, I think posting it here makes much more sense since this was in the end such a heartwarming and unusual life experience.

I really appreciate your positive mental attitude and patience even though it was an irritating experience

[Nonstop-driver]

Originally Posted by adisan

Video - Man's Lucky Escape - Venomous Cobra Found Inside Helmet
(News report in www.NDTV.com)

I once found a house lizard in our 2006 Hyundai Accent. The usual parking was under a tree near the common playground and it must have found its way inside somehow. One morning I was driving the car for an errand and saw the lizard crawling up the A-pillar. While its not venomous or dangerous, it still caused a panic. The road was clear so I could quickly bring the car to a stop and exit the cabin. It took another 30 mins to guide it out of the cabin without letting it get under seat gaps or whatever. Post that I spent 5mins reviewing the cabin every morning for the next 3 months

[anjan_c2007]

Popped up in a WhatsApp group

[NPV]

Here's the third and last edition (I promise) of an unusual, funny and heartwarming experience from a trip to Kerala last month.
After a hiccup en route during the onward journey to Cochin (read that here (Unusual / funny / heartwarming experiences on the road) if you missed it), we reached safely by 8:30pm.

Next day morning we attended the family event and after a slightly early lunch, we started towards Thrissur for the next leg of our trip. We reached our hotel around 3pm, checked in and then wifey said she was yearning for a good filter coffee. Being a Sunday (read safe/legal parking may be easier to find!), I said we can go to Bharat Cafe that's on Chembottil lane just off the Thrissur Swaraj Round. On an earlier trip I had been there and loved the snacks and coffee hence I was keen to take the family there. When we were still turning right around the Swaraj Round (Bharat cafe was still about 250m away), I found some free parking space on the left and there was a KA registered car parked there and a row of 2 wheelers in front of it. It was a long time since I'd visited Thrissur last and usually I prefer to take an auto to this area and I vaguely remembered that the Vadakumnathan temple inside the Thekkinkadu Maidan had a paid parking lot, but I had a brain fade and decided to park behind the KA car since we could not spot any No Parking signs. Locked the car and we set off on foot towards Bharat.

We had a very satisfying round of evening snacks and strong filter coffee and were walking out when my phone rings. I pick the call and the voice at the other end speaks in Malayalam and confirms my name, then I ask why he's calling and he mentions my car's registration number asking if it's mine. I affirm and then he says I have parked in a No Parking zone and need to pay a fine. I told him that there wasn't any No Parking sign and a car and other 2 wheelers were also parked. He just said I need to ask the cops on patrol duty nearby for the "Traffic Enforcement" office, go there and pay the fine. I was shocked and asked if the car was towed to which he said it's still in the same place. I was relieved since I was already imagining how these cops and their towing staff would handle cars with scant disregard when towing (just the previous day I had the experience of towing and knew that the plastic cover below the bumper needed to be opened to access the Tow hook). The guy cut the call and we started walking back to the car with me almost running!

On the way I saw a traffic Sub Inspector who resembled actor Surya in the Singham movie and stopped to ask him where I need to pay the No Parking fine. He asked where I'd parked and was surprised that it was fined. I told him the same story of there being no No Parking signs, so he said since I'm new to the place I can request the cops to let me off this time. But once I told him someone had called and told me a challan had been raised, he said just go there and pay it off it's just Rs.250. I asked him for directions and he asked me to walk down the MO (Municipal Office) road and turn left near a temple and I can find the Traffic Monitoring office and ask them where the fine is to be paid. Thanked him and walked towards the car. As soon as we got into the car, wifey and daughter started a Gyan session saying why I took a chance parking the car in an unknown place, blah blah. I just requested them to stay calm saying I will handle this (in my mind I was contrasting this with the previous day's experience that was much more serious and they had been so calm then)!

So we reached the temple, turned left, saw the Traffic Monitoring building and then drove further since I wanted to find another safe parking spot A little further away, there was a street full of shops and all of them were closed and cars were parked on both sides and no No parking signs anywhere. I asked my wife and daughter to stay in the car while I walk to the place, pay the fine and return. I walked up to the Traffic Monitoring building and asked one of the plainclothes cops there and he directs me to the first floor of a building near a public parking lot opposite. I go there and the parking attendant there says there's no traffic cop office there and the building is closed! I walk down on the MO road, see lot of government buildings, senior police officer's offices, Thrissur town police station, etc but not the place I was looking for. I call back the number and the guy says it's on a lane near a church opposite the Traffic Monitoring building. The road curves in front of the church and I walked down that road and still don't see my destination. I call the guy back and he says look for a lane and ask anyone for the Traffic Enforcement office. Asked a shopkeeper and he said he didn't know, so I was completely lost at that point. I even thought maybe someone is playing a prank on me. When I walked back towards the Traffic Monitoring building and the church, this time I was on the other side of the road and I finally spotted a small lane with a Vanitha (Women's) police station. I went inside the lane and asked the lady cops there but even they didn't know where the fine needs to be paid. I saw a cop (jeep driver) there and requested him to speak to the person I was in touch with regarding the fine so that he can give him better landmarks to locate the place. I called the guy and handed the phone over to the cop and guess what - it's right in the adjacent building and it's the "Thrissur Traffic Police Station"! For the life of me, I couldn't understand why the guy kept saying look for "Traffic Enforcement" office! I thanked the cop and walked to the next building. The guy who had been in touch with me was sitting at the entrance with a register and many names, vehicle and contact numbers listed; he was talking to another traffic offender and gestured to me to meet the guy in the next table to pay the fine. I went over and paid the fine, they had a fancy device on which it generated a print out for the offense and fine amount paid receipt. On close scrutiny, it mentioned the offense as "obstructive parking". Damn, this now felt like a scam targeting people who were new to the place. Anyways, I was in no mood to argue or fight over this.

As soon as I stepped outside, the rain gods lashed down and there was no way I'd be able to walk back to the car which was about 500-600 m away. My wife called me just then and asked me to take an autorickshaw to get back since the downpour continued. This was a lane that is almost invisible from the main road since the driveway starts at a weird angle where the road curves and there were no autos in sight. I just stood there wondering what to do next and hoping the rain will stop or reduce to a drizzle soon (a distant dream since these Kerala rains usually lash very heavily for a few minutes and then go completely silent for a few minutes before they restart yet again). Suddenly, I see 2 cops coming out of the building and getting into a Jeep for their patrol duty. I asked if they could drop me off near my car, but being cops they did a complete round of interrogation of my background, where I'm from, where I'm staying in Thrissur, purpose of our visit, etc etc. and then finally asked me to sit in the Jeep. I guided them to my car and we were there in 2-3 minutes.

Imagine the shock on my wife and daughter's faces when they see a Police Jeep stop right next to our car in pouring rain (their minds racing with thoughts of yet another No Parking offense) and while they're wondering what's happening I open the door and get down (maybe they even thought I'd been arrested for the offense!). I quickly thanked the cops and off they went.

Earlier that afternoon I had told my wife that we can try Bharat Cafe for snacks and then Pathans for dinner which was also close by. But after this incident, wife and daughter didn't want to be anywhere near the Swaraj round again , so we just ate our dinner at the hotel where we were staying.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by NPV

But after this incident, wife and daughter didn't want to be anywhere near the Swaraj round again , so we just ate our dinner at the hotel where we were staying.

Funny one indeed! Reminded me of the first time I had driven down to Charminar (Hyderabad) on a Sunday afternoon, to enjoy some biryani at Shadab. After two full rounds of the area, I failed to locate any parking. So I stop opposite Shadab, in front of a store which was closed. My friend steps out to asks the locals if this can be a safe parking spot. A cop was walking towards our car and my friend asked him for parking suggestions. He smiled, asked us to drive ahead a couple of 100 mts, get in one of the by lanes and park there. Those shops were not supposed to open that day/that time of the day. And we did that.

The cop was coming to challan my car but thanks to my friend, he ended up becoming our guide.