Twenty- five Seven

When a car is more than just a car.

January 25, 2015

I’m looking for a car that’s cute & sturdy,versatile,reliable,comfortable and technically advanced.

I am a city driver whose route generally consists of driving through narrow , congested lanes when I go for my weekly bhaji shopping. So my current Santro is ideal for me. But I also love zooming down Marine Drive and would love to push the pedal past 60kmph without feeling a wobbly protest. So perhaps it is time for me to get a new car. And what kind of car do I want?

STYLISH & STURDY

So when I went to Phoenix Market City to have a look at TATA’s latest offering , the BOLT, I was struck by its stylish good looks. Unlike the Nano with its “blow and I’ll flyaway looks”, this car looks like a mean machine with its sturdy, solid look. But it doesn’t look menacingly powerful, it looks friendly too. Just look at the picture of me with the car. Doesn’t its grill look like it’s smiling at you?

VERSATILE & FUEL EFFICIENT

There are cars and there are cars. There are cars that are meant for driving up to a red carpet event – cars that are as long as the train behind your dress, sparkling like the diamonds you wear around your neck and classy like the purse you clutch or the person attached to your elbow. And there are cars that need to be tough, to drive over dirt roads while you travel the country side in search of adventure or chasing the deer. And there are cars that you need to fly with the wind as you speed down freeways alongside the coast. But can you really have three in a garage for just one? A car for each mood and each fancy of yours

The BOLT Petrol variant comes with a 1.2 cc engine that allows you to drive in three modes – Sport with more power, Eco with more fuel efficiency and City that perfectly combines the two. So with a BOLT, I’ll get three cars for one, coupled with fuel efficiency.

RELIABLE

It’s embarassing to have cars honking behind you as your car huffs and puffs on a steep slope, gasping for power, or revs up viciously when stuck in the dirt. BOLT’s Revotron 1.2 l turbo charged power steps up with a slight touch of the accelerator and makes steep slopes seem flat and getting out of sticky mud a breeze.

But safety comes first and always every time, so there’s no point in being fast if you’re going to land up in the emergency room in no time. With traffic the way it is, you have to be able to stop within the blink of an eye, and stop safely so that you don’t crash into the car in front or skid on a road that’s just wet with the first slush of the season.

I was also relieved to hear that BOLT has a service centre close to my house

ROOMY & COMFORTABLE

Even for a small person like me, space is important. especially when I have to squish in the back. I was amazed at the leg space for the passenger at the back even after the front seat is pushed to the back! But what really amazed me was the fact that the driver’s seat could be moved UP as well as in the FRONT so that short drivers like me can drive with ease.

With its Rugby seats ( great for large people) and 60/40 rear seat arrangement, the small dickey space can easily accommodate 3 passengers + luggage for an airport/station pick-up or drop, with a smooth, easily manageable and collapsible back seat mechanism .

And what’s more, its roomy back seat allows three passengers to comfortably fit in without having to clutch on to the sides for fear of sliding in so on a day it can easily sit 4 passengers+driver.

But what I really liked was the ease with which I could operate the dickey with a simple lever to store my vegetables and kit bag leaving the car interior clean and tidy and free of fishy smells.

TECHNOLOGICALLY SMART

I was thrilled to find that the music system was none other than Harman, a system used by luxury cars like Mercedes Benz. But that apart, the music system is easily controllable with buttons on the steering wheel.

No more “go straight, straight left and then right”

And what’s more with GPS that enables navigation from MapMyIndia, I don’t have to stop strange rickshaws, taxi drivers or people on the road, for directions to places I don’t know.

No clandestine calls while passing the cops

Equally exciting is the possibility of making phone calls with Voice Recognition and BLUETOOTH connectivity that enables you to ask your car to call your mom while you are still driving! And you can continue talking and driving without the mobile phone .

Easy to spot the time

With a hundred things to do, I always want to know exactly what the time is, something I find hard to read on my current dash board display. So I was happy to see this clear display where I could read the figures without squinting my eyes or groping for my spectacles.

This post is a part of the Get. Set. Bolt. activity at BlogAdda
A Valentine Fantasy

January 23, 2015

Gellinger / Pixabay

Frankly, I’m way beyond Valentine’s Day.

But the other day when I was cleaning up my cupboard, I came across a
small wooden box which I’d long forgotten about. I opened it and was surprised when I saw a thin, gold chain with 10 delicate hearts strung on it.

Immediately, it brought back memories of those Valentine Days past when each one was marked by a special little heart gifted by my Valentine who by then was very much my husband and significantly much better half.

Why did the hearts just stop at 10, when we’ve been together for many, many more?

Well quite simply because with little children (as more than adequate proof of your love) in tow, it’s hard to demonstrate the love all the time.

Besides, with maturing tastes, the little, gold hearts changed to keepsakes
that were more substantial – jewellry that I would pass on to the next generation.

But the announcement of the Baggout Contest, set me thinking once again – what would I do if I had all the powers in the world to give my Valentine the most memorable day in his life? After all, love doesn’t diminish with age, in fact with each passing year of shared experiences, there’s more love to go around. So dear genie, by the powers you have gifted to me, I would like to………………..

Transport myself to Italy’s Amalfi Coast with my Valentine and all those he loves most –his mother, his daughters and his two-year-old
grandson.

And on this brilliant sunny day, the winter chill still in the air,
we’d step off from our yacht and into a horse carriage at the pier.

Through cobbled streets of the picture postcard town, we’d clip-clop till we climb up to the top of the hill when the road merges with the earth to make a dusty track.
We’d bid farewell to horse and carriage and continue walking on our way, a
motley group, trampling through grasses on hills kissed by the waters of the sea. We’d trundle on until we spy a country cottage in an olive grove and there we’d find a red checkered cloth spread upon a rustic table.

And on that simple sun-dappled counter laden with a sumptuous spread; we’d slowly savour all the food he can’t resist and sip the whiskeys he just collects.

With conversation and laughter flowing,

we’d feast on a meal he’d never ever forget: Fresh, crispy salad of olives, arugula and fat tomatoes, grilled mozzarella steaks

and chunky French fries with a freshly prepared honey mustard sauce,
crusty hot garlic bread and crunchy fruit – juicy strawberries drowned in
vanilla cream. A meal like this so simple yet replete with taste made more special with all the love around – truly there can be no greater joy than this for a man to share his bountiful happiness with those with whom he has bonds so deep that nothing in the world can snap: breaking bread with family, sharing memories, unbridled laughter and promise of hope, a love that spans four generations.

Then after this rich repast, dear Genie, please arrange for
a long siesta in a hammock underneath the trees while in the background we can hear the sounds of Andrea Bocelli’s angelic music playing. And then as the sun begins to set, you’d somehow whisk us (preferably on a magic carpet from Isfahan) to the sultry balminess of our tropical home where once again by the seaside, we play football on soft sand still warm. The happy gurgles of our grandson as he deftly kicks the ball on the run, mingled with the soft chatter of our daughters’ words, the mellifluous tones of his mother’s voice as she sings the “(Mere Mehe) boob” song he so adores transporting him back to childhood days when his life
was simple and free of stress.

What could be more perfect, dear genie, than a day spent in
the company of those you love? What bliss it is to enjoy the things that make you happy, and that dear genie, would be my Valentine’s gift for a love that’s only growing still.

This post has been written for Baggout’s Blogging Contest on Valentine’s Day. Baggout provides awesome deals on Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Snapdeal, Amazon and 100+ other online stores.

p.s. Since this post was written the two year old grandson has turned 6 and joined by his brother Little Po and cousin Ms. Papaya.
Sunrise from my window

January 23, 2015

This morning I was at the kitchen sink preparing some cauliflower for my lunch while my egg was bubbling on the boil. I happened to glance eastward and saw the sun rise from behind the clouds. I just couldn’t help capturing this gorgeous moment when pink and gold light up the sky, bringing a dash of colour to the morning grey.

Mumbai has a mild winter and this year it has been even milder. The good thing about this is that we do’t have to take out our woollens from their moth balls and we don’t have to suffer the unhealthy smog. The downside is that we don’t get to change our wardrobes and continue to look pretty much the same as we’ve looked all year round!

My beautiful Imperial towers

The bay under a pink sky

More bay under a pink sky

I love the peace at sunrise when the only sounds you can hear are of yourself getting ready for the day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead of you!

I am linking this post to Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge

and Skywatch Friday from where you can get to see amazing skies from around the world.