The great darshan – Lalbaug cha Raja

The talk

Me: Mom, lets go to Lalbaug for the darshan. Mom: When so and so went there, they had to stand in line for more than 12 hours ! From Morning 10′o clock till night 11!….  Me: We wont have to do that as we’ll go during odd hours… Mom: Not now. Your sis wants to go there too. we’ll all go together!

The darshan

So sis and I decide to go to Siddhivinayak on Tuesday. Our logic was – it being Ganesh festival and swine flu, the crowds will be diluted and less in numbers.And we were right! We did not have to wait for even 20 mins at Siddhivinayak temple to get the darshan.

The diversion

I had done it before – When people had to wait for 10-12 hours in the queue, I went on my whim and was able to get the darshan in 1-2 hours! And today I felt like doing that… So instead of turning the 2 wheeled menace left, I turned it right! Sis was immediately excited – “Are we going to Lalbaug? Why are we turning right? Did you forget the road?”. Lest she protests, I pretended to not hear her under the helmet We found a nice parking spot for the 2 wheeler and started walking towards the Ganpati pandal. We were looking for something that said “Lalbaug cha Raja”!

The Instinct

Sis had been to the same pandal more recently than me. She even had a good sense of direction (at least, that’s what I thought!). I asked her if we were at the right place, and she said yes. The decorations were grandiose and there was also a queue and crowd. I believed her. The queue was less and I attributed this fact to my keen instinct for such things! It was not till we were in the queue and waiting for the darshan when we realised we are in the wrong pandal! This was Ganesh Galli and Lanbaug cha raja was 2 lanes away The man who shared ths deep insight with us also told us that the queue there was only 20 mins long. He had just had the darshan there! WOW! 20 mins @ Lalbaug is like winning the Ganpati lottery! People have to wait 10 hours and more to get a glimpse of the elephant head god! My instinct proved to be correct!

The other pandal

The other pandal was not what we were looking for, but it was still the same God and the decorations were good here. So we decided to stay. It was here that we decided to call home and ask mom to come to where we were. “Mom, the queue is only 20 mins long, please come soon” She refused! We both were livid! I suggested we skip the darshan and go to pick her. But only after taking the darshan here.

The idol and the decor were both nice @ Ganesh galli.

About turn

We decided to take a cab on our way back as there would be parking issues. But I had a good parking spot in mind and we ended up taking the car as it would be faster. We would park the car at a distance and then take a cab from the parking place to the pandal. We had not reached too far from our house when it happened!

The accident

As the car was descending a bridge, the car in front suddenly slammed on its brakes. I followed suit, but it was a moment where anything can happen as our car, with all 4 wheels locked up, was skidding and the distance between our car and the one in front was gradually diminishing. I had to do something else the result would not turn out to be good. Who knew what had happened ahead and a series of “what ifs” ran thru my head!

As soon as I found an opening I swerved the car to the left and took my foot off the brakes and stepped on the gas. I avoided the car in front and managed to avert disaster – I also managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the cause – unfortunately, I also saw a cab go over a man lying face down on the road towards the end of the bridge! The idiot cabbie was driving with his lights switched off – a standard but deadly practice amongst the cabbies of Bombay! I presume the man had either been stuck by some other vehicle or he had had the misfortune of falling in front of the vehicle. The man could have been drunk too…

Because of the traffic, I could not wait to find out what happened of the man but a few cars, including the one that was ahead of me, had stopped to help the man. Mom was shaken, sister was stirred! I drove on. The cab responsible for the accident had jumped the signal ahead and fled. A few people on bikes took off after the cab in an attempt to catch him.

The next couple of miles were passed in silence. It was only when some driver cut me off at a circle, and I returned the favour, that mom spoke “Spike!, How are you driving?” she yelled at me…. Normalcy

I told mom, there is an unwritten rule on the streets of Bombay – If someone cuts you off and you do not return the favour, you will get cut-off by motorists for a whole entire year. “Did you not know that  mom?” I asked. Sis started laughing… Of course, no such thing exists, but Mom didn’t know that and she bought it

The Queue

We proceeded as planned, parked the car and took a cab – the queue was long, it also started raining when we got out of the cab. We were told the wait was a good 2 hours from where we were standing! I was disappointed as my instinct did not work and I had to make Mom wait in queue under the rain (we forgot our umbrellas in the car). But I hid my disappointment as I wanted mom n sis to be in a good mood. “The rain will pass in no time, look the queue is moving already.” I said with a smile. Our spirits lifted as the rains slowed and stopped. The queue moved with surprising agility!

But soon the wait proved to be illusionary – the queue started moving fast and we were close to the idol in no time. Mom, sis and I finally got a glimpse of the lord! The wait in the queue lasted a mere 30 minutes in lieu of 2 hours!

The darshan!

Bliss… Mom had a darshan of this famous idol called “lalbaug cha raja” after more than 35 years of living in Bombay! That in itself was deeply satisfying for me!

Note: lalbaug cha raja =King of Lalbaug. Lalbaug is an area in Bombay famous for hosting large Ganesh Idols with lavish decorations during the Ganesh festival. The idol is believed to have divine powers to grant your prayers if you pray with utmost faith and conviction.

Lives upto its name – Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXi Review (2006)

The swift is a marvel of Japanese Engineering, European styling and Indian Manufacturing!

~ How did I choose? ~

It was It was difficult to buy a car from overseas – but it could be done, I said to myself. I started by calling some friends and checking reviews on Mouthshut. Having owned an Esteem, choice was to just buy a sedan for their sheer handling. But dad said no! With his age, getting in and out of sedans was a problem for him. A jeep or a minivan was out of the question in Bombay. So the only option was a hatchback! I primarily dislike all hatchbacks in India for their high centre of gravity. You see, I like to speed and a high CoG can be a little problem… Diesel vehicles were out too as the travel is not more then 1500 km/month.

I dislike Hyundai bcoz their cars look good on initial value, but maintenance costs are higher and they get you on spares – said my mechanic and also neighbour who owns one. I said to myself, let me just get an Indica and be done with it – sasta, tikau and patriotic too My gf’s brother had just got his Xeta and even she suggested it to me. I booked one!! However, having sat in one earlier, I knew it was not the car for me. I want performance and good looks too !! A quick family vote and out came the results – dad didn’t want to go for a petrol Indica, His words “Petrol car should be a Maruti” – Also found sis and mom didn’t like Indica. Out goes the Xeta and the booking was cancelled. The Zen Estilo is ugly and looks cramped; Wagon R feels unsafe above 80 KMPH. The popular choice by elimination was Swift, which was my preference too in the first place!! It also had a few extra BHPs over the Xeta. It’s just a testosterone thing ladies

A quick look on safety features and the natural choice was the top end model – ZXi – why settle for less!. It has a plethora of features that enhance safety and also includes air bags. Did you know air bags are not even an option on any of the Tata vehicles? Simply appalling! The colour once again was settled by a quick vote and the winner was “Red” – mom’s choice. A few calls around the city and the car was found. Comment from gf – “I knew you would go for Swift” *how wicked* !

I liked the car the moment I saw it. With its contemporary European design, it looks so inviting, almost begging me to get behind the wheel. The features are great and the seats are a delight!! Before buying, I had thought of putting in sportier seats in my next car, but the OEM seats are already comfy and sporty too…. I loved them!! Points to Maruti for not cutting corners here!!

The Electronic Power Steering is superb. The wheel feels like guiding a butterfly – effortless and it makes city driving a breeze!! The engine is super and is nicely mated with the gearbox. The car has a sturdy feel to it. The quality of interiors is also very good. Once you get in, the vehicle seems to wrap around you and isolates you from the outside world. I like the fact that it has small windows and an even smaller rear windscreen (with a wiper too). I read in some reviews people have complained about not being able to see while backing up, but it’s a plus for me as I love privacy!!

For me, not having electronic side mirrors or a factory fitted sunroof was a bigger negative. What I agree with the other reviewers is the nagging rattling from the left front door. Why are so many people complaining about these rattles from new cars – MARUTI LISTENING? Fix it guys!!

Other than this – I have nothing to complaint about and I’m very picky when it comes to cars. Ask the dealer I bought the car from. I kept them on their toes because of the poor customer service they gave me.

Why should you go for ZXi? Here are some reasons – It has an auto climate control, wider tyres and the ZXi label on it! Besides offering you a superior ride and handling, people notice it Not enough ? Here are some more experiences.

~ It can avoid you an accident ~

Pls see comments section on how ABS and EBD in the Swift and some quick thinking on my part, a cyclist and a cabbie save the day! {Posted at the end}

~~~ ZXi with ABS and EBD is the way to go ~~~~

It can render your girlfriend speechless ~

I was on my drive to Pune and having been on the expressway twice in 3 days already, I knew the road pretty well by now. It was on my 3rd run that – if I may use such a reference – I really “found” the car! The gf was talking n talking about something that was quite trivial to me and I was enjoying the drive at 120kmph. Seeing a traffic-free road ahead, I floored the pedal – talking was still on – reached 150 – talking was still on – reached 160 – talking was still on – reached 165 (my previous best on the expressway!)… I was really excited now.. the excitement however was misunderstood for interest and talking increased – reached 170… 175… 180… 185 .. I stayed there for about 10 seconds and I knew we were maxxed out – nirvana was attained – I was one with my swift! If the swift were an airplane – I was maverick – I was supersonic baby!!

I pointed the speedometer to my gf and it may sound ironic, but the speed put the brakes on her incessant rambling and rendered her speechless. I was thinking – I’m glad I have a witness. When we reached saner speeds, I planted a kiss on my Swift – I could sense a twinge of jealousy from the passenger seat – It was a “sweeeeet” drive!! You know the money is well spent if the drive makes you feel so good!!

Point to note is – the car was so stable even at high speeds as it was not noticed by her till I pointed out the speedometer!!

~~~ ZXi with its wider tyres, quite ride and stability is the way to go ~~~

~ Engine ~

The 1.3L 16V 32bit Hypertec engine produces 87 bhp and torque band starts from a low 1500 RPM range and stays flat till 5500 RPM – very good for city driving as it minimises gear changes. Being all Aluminium, its lighter, it has better cooling ability and a better acceleration then the Getz.

Mileage – 10-16 KMPL with AC. +0.5-1 without.

~ Award Winning Drive ~

Look at the number of awards won by the car. It has won car of the year awards in 9 countries, the 10th one being India!! http://www.marutiswift.com/awards_inter.aspx – With all these awards backing your purchase, you are surely driving a winner!!

While on the website, done forget to check out the “Super 6 advantage” and the “Evolution links” that describe the Swift’s birth from a motorcycle to a concept vehicle to a stylish passenger vehicle that retains the “Gotta have it” flavour of the concepts. You can also check out the complete specs of the cars and models and prices on the site.

Thanks to Maruti Suzuki for bringing a truly international quality product to India !!

Hope you enjoyed the drive – let me know your thoughts

!! Spike !!

The incident !

It was night and the headlights were quite ineffective in what lay ahead due to the ambient light and the incessant Bombay rain. As I approach the narrowest portion where the car will just fit in the gap b/w the barrier and the taxi, I see a cyclist spring up in between the left headlight and the centre of the hood about 15 feet in front of me. I must be doing 45-55 kmph. I hit the brakes to avoid hitting him, but there are loose stones and gravel on the road so the car skids. The ABS kicks in and it stops the wheels from locking up – Its a situation when the ABS can somewhat be your nemesis….. I hit upon the realisation that the car was not going to stop or even slow down….. I made a decision that its better to hit the taxi than the cyclist as it will not cause human harm. It is at this time that I thought of a gamble…. I can turn the wheel!! If I cannot stop, it will make me slide on the gravel with the wheels not pointed straight and this will slow me down…. So I turn to my right – to hit the right side of my Swift to the left side of the taxi…. and I start the slide – This causes 4 things to happen –

1) gravel and stones start flying to the left

2) the car starts to turn slightly right unwilling

3) I slow down a bit and buy me more time

4) the cyclist – who I could now see was a bhaiyya on a black Hero ’doodhwala / tiffin-carrier’ cycle with hooks on the back carrier. – He hears and maybe even feels the stones on the cycle and immediately swerves to the left as the barrier curves making the lane wider.

It was this move on his part that relaxed my heartbeat a little as the worst possibility of hitting and injuring a person was out of the way.

This gave me more time and space to deal with the reluctant right hand turn into the taxi.

I now turned the wheel to my left to try and straighten the car and shift from 3rd to 2nd gear to apply engine braking and this causes me to slow down further and to send a slew of gravel and stones flying into the side of the taxi. This makes quite a sound that even I can hear with closed windows. The taxi driver, with his slightly open windows, would have had a much more pronounced sound effect and he swerves a little to the right giving me room to move ahead. My right foot is off the brake and pat on the gas – I zip thru the melee – unscathed!!

Welcome to Bombay

~~~ ZXi with ABS and EBD is the way to go ~~~

PS: The original article written by me is here.

Whos really to blame for accidents – Men or Women!

I just finished reading a blog by “Angel’s Flight”, http://phoenixnme.blogspot.com/2008/08/so-much-for-women-being-bad-drivers.html and while I was tickled by the post, it also did something amazing! It made me think!! Now let me warn you that this sort of event happens only once or twice in an year so all of you who read this are actually reading something rare and therefore – amazing! Before I start digressing and forget the reason for writing this blog, let me share my take on the blog.

Angel states the following reasons why she thinks men are bad drivers and women are good drivers. Let me tell you why I beg to differ!

1. About twice as many men as women are killed each year in crashes. Even though Men tend to drive more miles….not twice as much…but just a little more.

My Take: The reason for this is simple. Everyone knows that men and women are opposites – and it is the law of nature that, opposites attract. All the men killed in road accidents are therefore being killed by women drivers. Thus, a higher death of males automatically indicates that there are more bad women drivers on the street!

2. More men tend to have the condition Sleep Apnea, and Drivers with this problem are FIVE times more likely to be in an car accident.

My Take: While I am not going to question the authenticity of these facts, it is important to know how these men got sleep problems in the first place. Women Nag! Men who get nagged by women hardly get time to sleep. This is why they get sleep apnea and sleep deprivation. Thus, the real cause of accidents happening due to this reason are women!

3. A National Safety Council analysis found that men account for 81% of all drivers with blood alcohol concentration .08 or greater who are involved in fatal crashes.

My Take: To avoid being nagged, men go out and get drunk. Then they get a call from the woman who asks the poor drunk guy to get home ASAP! This causes men to get in an accident while being drunk. It is completely unfair to blame men for accidents caused from this scenario.
There is also another theory that could very well be true – Women like free drinks and readily accept them from men. Problem is – like their driving, they don’t know when to stop! These drunk women then get into cars – and as we know, opposites attract – they go out and kill more men on the road. Some of these now dead men simply happen to have blood alcohol concentration .08 or greater. The important point to note is – the accident was the woman’s fault.

4. Men are more likely to speed.

My Take: Men only speed because they are trying not to be late for a date with their GFs or they are trying to keep up with an appointment with their wives! After all, a smart man would any day risk the possibility of an accident over the certainty of being nagged if he is late!

5. The actual number of men killed in car crashes has declined from the year 1997 to 2007 (48/million to 45/million). This decrease can be attributed to *drum roll please* The number of WOMEN driving has increased!!

My Take: I disagree with this reasoning. I think the number of men killed by women in road accidents only decreased because a higher % of women have become lesbians in recent times. According to the theory of “accidents caused due to attraction” – these women would now target other women instead of men. Thus, the number of men being killed has automatically dropped.

Did you know that the rear-view mirror (no pun intended) was invented by a woman? Now this can be a good thing for driving, but it is important to note how it was invented. A woman, who was applying makeup while she was driving, just happened to accidentally see the road behind her. Thus was born the rear-view mirror.

No wonder manufacturers have started putting vanity mirrors behind sun-visors these days!

To further illustrate why women and makeup can be dangerous, I’ll tell you a true story.

A truck driver was trying to pass a mini-van on a hilly road.

The driver encountered a plain stretch of road and it was ok for him to pass the van. He starts to pull alongside to make the pass when a hand darts out of the van and signals the truck to stop. The driver gets back into his lane but does not see any vehicles from the opposite side that would make it unsafe for him to pass.

Thinking that he may have missed seeing something, he waits till he comes upon another stretch of open road. As soon as he starts to make the pass, the hand darts out again to stop him. This frustrates the driver a little bit and he starts smoking a cigarette to regain his composure. He awaits another open stretch of road but no sooner than he starts to make the pass, the hand darts out again to stop him. This happens for another 7 times!

The flustered driver follows the mini-van when it pulls up into a parking spot. The truck driver is angry and demands an explanation from the driver of the mini-van and asks why was he signalled 10 times while trying to pass the van on a clear road?

The WOMAN in the van calmly replies – “oh! Did I stop you from overtaking? I was merely drying the nail polish on my fingers!”

Fascinating! Isn’t, it! While you are still reading, let me tell you that the use of makeup by women can also cause accidents on the road when women are not driving. How many men reading this have almost been in an accident because they were busy watching a hottie – wearing makeup – on the street! Women go to great lengths to ensure shorter life span of the male species. Men on the other hand don’t bother about their appearance too much! This automatically reduces death among women who drive.

Bottomline – Women are unsafe and dangerous – not only inside, outside but also on top of motorised vehicles – and are still the number 1 reasons for causing accidents on the road. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Simply see these video and trust your own eyes…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xyn-9cn0nE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jzvy478bmI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8sbuVcUe4&NR=1