Category Archives: Bangalore

That day, I had to lose 50 Rupees :-(

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It was the last of my exams of the final semester of my Bachelor’s Degree, The Constitution of India and Professional Ethics. As usual the exam was at 1400 hrs and I left home by 1230hrs. My bike which would start off with a single kick even at 15 degree C, ceased to start even after several attempts/kicks, that too on a Hot summer afternoon.

Was this the indication of something bad at stake? I then pushed my bike for a fair amount of distance and tried my luck, but failed. Finally, I took the bike to a slope and as it gained momentum, I put it into gear and vrrrrom, it started. I was happy at that time, but wait. Did I ignore God’s warning about something bad which  was going to happen in few minutes time. I should have realised at this time, but I chose to ignore.

More than half the distance covered, and I smelt something fishy. I instantly stopped the bike to check my pocket only to know that I had forgotten the Hall Ticket. Now, I had two options. Firstly, proceed to the college and bribe the attender for a duplicate Hall Ticket. Secondly, head back home and get the Hall Ticket.

Since, it was the last exam, bribing for a Duplicate one would be of no use. The hall ticket was just another piece of paper after that afternoon. I still had 1 hour left for the exam to begin and I chose to head back home to collect the Hall ticket. I sped away, and reached home within 10 minutes, collected my Hall Ticket and again started towards college. At this point, I thought I had saved 50 Rupees for myself to drink fruit juice after exam :)

On my way back, I witnessed an accident in the opposite direction at the double road. Since, hall ticket was my main concern, I ignored had the accident. But on my way back, a number of traffic policemen had already gathered at the accident spot, clearing away the crowd and making way for the Ambulance.

To my bad luck, one of the Policeman happened to come in my way and I had to slowdown without any other alternative. He, taking advantage of my speed, stopped me and asked me for the Vehicle Documents. Just at this moment I realised that I had my Driving License and Insurance, but the emission certificate had expired a week ago and it had escaped my mind since I had my exams for the past week.

The policeman demanded 300 Rupees as penalty. I pretended to have no money with me. Then he asked me to give away whatever I had. I had a 50 Rupee note in my right pocket and a 20 Rupee note in my left pocket. At that moment, I took out the 50 Rupee note instead of the 20 one, again my bad luck. He snatched it right away and let me go :(

So, that day, just as I thought I had saved 50 Rupees, I lost it in a few minutes time. If I had not ignored the warning of God, when my bike failed to start at the first kick, I would had my fruit juice that evening. But as they say, if its in the fate, it has to happen.

Heavenly evening in Bangalore

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It was just another day and just another evening when it rained here in Bangalore. But then nobody knew the surprise that awaited just after the rain halted. Clouds cleared within no time and the Sun came out while the atmosphere still contained a few drops of water. Exactly at this time was the Sunset and Oh My God, what an amazing sight it was! :) The orange and the red spread across the horizon. Two eyes were too less to witness and enjoy those moments. The whole drama unfolded and happened within 10 minutes of time and Harsha managed to take some snaps of this once in a lifetime moment.

You gotta love nature and God’s creations. 4th of June, 2009 is going to stay in my memory for a long long time.

Find the Complete Photo Set here.

Hyundai i10 – 5000km – Detailed review

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Suggested Reading: Hyundai i10 – Review in a nutshell

It was about the same time a year ago, my table was flooded with brochures, quotations, price lists and pictures of various cars. Believe me, there is so much of choice available here, deciding on a car to buy is a real task. Maruti Swift, Hyundai Getz, Hyundai i10, Renault Logan, Fiat Palio Stile, Chevy Aveo Uva, Tata Indigo CS and the list continues. Finally, its Hyundai i10 which was the family choice as against my love Fiat Palio Multijet.

The stylish i10 magna cost 4.12 lacs ex showroom. Since we paid annual road tax of Rs. 800, we saved big bucks there. The car has been rather used less and has completed just 5000km in one full year. This included one long trip of 600km and other small trips to Mysore. Having said that, i10 has not been free of problems. There were about 4-5 ocassions where I have made all the way to the service centre to get things fixed up which is a high rate for a new vehicle. Some key points I would stress upon – firstly the negative ones.

Clutch – Clutch and clutch plates are the most vulnerable to wear and tear. i10 surprisingly has a point clutch system which is a bit difficult to adjust for somebody like me who had been driving the old sturdy Premier Padmini for some years. There is no range in which you can release the clutch and it has to be released at the exact point to get maximum pickup and rev. One way its better and its only until you get used to it. Lady drivers and newbies would stall the engine without doubt. Do not use the i10 to learn car driving.

Electronic Power Steering – i10 has one of the best power steerings of all vehicles I have Test driven. The motor driven power steering [MDPS] gives you the ultimate handling experience esp. in crowded city traffic. But then, all of a sudden MDPS ceased to work. It started to feel like I’m driving the old Premier. How on earth can the MDPS stop working within 8 months? The service manager shook his shoulders off by saying that its a  small loose connection but then he actually had to replace the whole system. MDPS cost a whopping 25 thousand INR but was covered under warranty. My sincere advice to all – Do buy the 2 year extended warranty, so effectively you get 2+2=4 years of tension free driving. Hyundai has promised to give monetary benefit as compensation. I will let you know once i get it.

Braking – No car will come to a sudden standstill once you hit the brakes and so is i10. Braking in i10 is not a concern in city limits and slow speeds. But, once you zip into the highway and cruising at over a 100kmph, that is when your heart starts pumping more than normal. With the weight of 4 adults and 100kmph i10′s brakes are a drawback. Perhaps the ABS version would be more secure. Its high time that Indian car makers make think that ABS and airbags are no more a comfort/luxury feature, its a necessity. i10′s braking like most recent cars is Power brakes which would mean that the brakes are ineffective when the engine is off. So, when you are in a slope, do not let the car to move without starting the engine or else you might end up bashing someone on the road!

Engine - 1.1L with 63ps? Just not enough. Load it up with four adults and whatever little luggage that fits in the small boot of the i10, this car struggles to climb the slopes. Seriously underpowered is what I can say. Switch on the AC to level 2 and the car barely moves up the slope. Hyundai, give me 1.3 atleast. Wonder how a 600cc Tata Nano would react to such hardships :P As far as average is concerned, I get 15 in city and 19 in highways with AC off most of the times.

Seating and Comfort – Hyundai wins here. The front seats are very comfortable with the side arm rests at the correct position. The small little gear just below the Dashboard is just at the right place. The rear is pretty spacious too and three medium sized people can easily sit back and enjoy. But, what was Hyundai thinking when they put the Pushback knob to the left of the Driver’s seat? Any child/infant sitting at the back has easy access to the knob and if by any chance the child plays a prank and pulls the knob, the driver is gonna sleep and sleep forever.

Handling and Speeds – Hit Plain roads and i10 is a gem. Smooth as butter is what I can say. The MDPS responds superbly even at high speeds negiotiating curves with atmost ease. MDPS is also handy in city condidtions where steep curves are needed to sneek in between buses :P With its small but spacious design handling in i10 is not at all a concern. I have reached a maximum of 140kmph and i10 has stayed rock stable. i10 has a pretty good ground clearance. So don’t slow down and jump off small hitches on the road :)

Finally, Wear the Seat belt. Happy and Safe driving :D