TATA NANO- THE PEOPLE'S CAR

Ratan Tata announced about the project to launch a people's car, a car with an affordable price for the common people, a decade ago and it was launched on January 2008 in Delhi Auto Expo, with an interesting price 1 lakh(2500$).

In our country it's very common to see scooter families, Dad in the driver seat,Mum holding a child sitting in the back seat,another child in between them and one in front of Dad, going through the " best roads " in our country(in rainy season too). TATA NANO is dedicated to all such families. The engineers at TATA motors, by their determination and dedication gave birth to the cute looking NANO.

It's beautiful aerodynamic design and good finish distinguishes it from MARUTI SUZUKI's "people's car" MARUTI 800. Though our little beauty has comparatively less engine power than 800, it has got many other advantages.

TATA NANO------------MARUTI 800

Engine 623 cc ----------------796 cc

Power 33 ps ------------------ 37 ps

Mileage 20 km/l---------------18km/l

Spacing more -----------------comparatively less

Design best-------------------- good

Finish best ---------------------bad

Overall styling best ----------not stylish

Price 1 lakh*--------------------1.87 lakh*










So before deciding to buy a MARUTI 800, test drive the TATA NANO. More technical description is given below:-

With a length of 3.1 meters, width of 1.5 meters and height of 1.6 meters and with adequate ground clearance, it can be effortlessly driven in busy roads and cities.

The car is powered by an all, 624cc fuel injected petrol engine in the rear of the car. The car produces 33 bhp and this could give it similar performance to the heavier but more powerful MARUTI 800 that makes 37 bhp. The engine is mated to a four speed manual transmission and Tata are in the process of developing a CVT automatic transmission.

TATA offers a price of 1lakh(ex showroom) for it's magic wand NANO, though the on road price may be 1.25 lakhs or more.


Not only families but also the dashing teens and youths may also try this four wheeler instead of buying a 200cc or above bikes.
The features can be summed up as follows:-

. All sheet-metal body, strong passenger compartment

. intrusion-resistant doors

. seat belts

. strong seats and anchorages

. tailgate glass bonded to the body

. tubeless tyres

. lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India

. rear-wheel drive

. all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine

. performance controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system

. length: 3.1 meters

. width: 1.5 meters

. height: 1.6 meters

. 4 seats

. 4 doors

Your's

Bristow

A FULLFILLED DREAM-EXTREME BIKING

Setting off for the journey
My maternal home is in the 'Kashmir of the south' - the mystic, exotic land of Munnar. It was one of my dreams to go on a trip to Munnar on my bike. Fortunately I got such an opportunity during the Onam vacations. Me, with my sweet brother, passionate of biking, started off to Munnar, early in the morning.

My home is at Thodupuzha, a beautiful village-town of Idukki district. Munnar is approximately 120 km away from there.

After filling the fuel, we started from Thodupuzha. The odometer-needle strictly adhering to 50- 60km/h. We had a pit stop at Oonnukal ,where from the scenic beauty starts ,to check the air pressure. Then onwards I maintained a speed of 40-50 km/h so as to enjoy the nature's magic. The speed was even more reduced as we entered the forest. Took many halts in the forest.
Our journey through the thick, dark green forest- Neryamangalam, was really thrilling. Small streams by the side of the road can be seen through out the forest. Each drop of cold water put on our face gave us great refreshment. We could clearly understand the sharp climatic change as we entered the high range,especially through the forest.




Deviating into a narrow ,muddy road from the main track lead us to a cute stream ,a place amazingly blessed with natural beauty.The road, at one time, used to be splendid river, but now devoid of its richness. Big stones ,sharp curves, and potholes all made me feel my bike better. It felt like riding a 'horse'. We stayed there for an hour or so and had our food which Mom had packed. On the way, me and my bro stopped at Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls- the places gifted lavishly with fantabulous scenic beauty. By evening we reached Mom's house at Rajakkadu, a remote village near Munnar. My Grandmother scolded me for taking off on such an 'risky journey'. Not only me but my parents as well got scoldings from my sweet old GM.

Rajakkadu is a place which I like the most because I love "natural beauties" of villages. Me and Brintow spent a day there playing and exploring the village with my cousin. Very next day we started from there to Munnar, early in the morning. I was emotional seeing my GM's sad face(as we were leaving). But as we reached Munnar, nature wiped off my tears with her magical hand.

Each and every spot was crowded with foreigners and other tourists. We searched for a lonely place, and so directly went to the Anayirangal dam that isn't built using cement, not even a single molecule of cement!! It is 30km away from Munnar town. The two of us spent 2-3 hours sharing our ideas and thoughts and talked a lot about our future life, sharing our ambitions and i just thought about the beautiful feeling- 'LOVE', may be my brother too. Our mind was clear and our thoughts were fresh.

The last half an hour was spent on advices! I gave advices to my brother as if I were a mature person!!.

We started back to Munnar through the "Gap road". It was nerve-chilling cold there. We were shivering. At a beautiful spot in the gap road we halted. Then mist came down and we touched the clouds, and it was an amazing experience!! We bought roasted cashew nuts and made a call home. They were happy hearing that we were enjoying the trip.

After lunch we bid farewell to Munnar. Our journey back home was disturbed by rain as well as an hour halt in the midst of the forest due to an accident.

The two of us reached home by twilight. Gave Mom and Dad home-made chocolates and cashew nuts which we bought from Munnar.

That night, we narrated the wonderful trip to our parents. Me and my brother couldn't sleep, unable to contain our excitement, so just laid down dreaming about the next trip...
Final word:

MUNNAR IS SIMPLY SUPERB AND MY BIKE, THE BEST. I got a mileage of 65km/l throughout the journey. Its OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE made me feel proud for choosing such an amazing machine- DISCOVER 125- the best in it's segment. THANKS TO BAJAJ MOTORS FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL 'DISCOVERy'.

Yours

Bristow

UC college welcomes a Legend

Richard M Stallman,the founder of free software movement,hacker,philosopher and software developer. He started GNU project to make a UNIX like operating system. He was at UC college to deliver a speech on FREE SOFTWARE IN ETHICS AND PRACTICE. Ten of us got the rarest of the rarest chance to listen to his speech and to talk with him. The plan was made in an hour and we took off. Though we missed fifteen minutes of the talk, the rest two and a half hours talk raised all of us to a better level.
The information about his arrival was given by Pramode sir. It was really an amazing speech. He deliberately talked about the draw backs of proprietary softwares and more about the advantages of free software. He pointed out the usage of LINUX by we people and told us to use GNU/LINUX because, the idea and the first layout was proposed by them and Linus came to the field years after that.(I felt like a little bit of ego probs) He too mentioned the wrong usage as open source for free software.
He fired Microsoft Corporation for its copyright against piracy. He said that helping your neighbor or friend by just giving him a copy of a software which you've in your hand cannot be named as piracy-a word used for robbery in the deep sea. I too felt it's not fare to give the name of pirate for just copying a software. The speech helped me to understand more about the philosophy of free software(I think).
He beautifully placed bits of humor through out his speech. In the midst of his speech he dressed like a priest just wearing a gown and a hat and imitated like a god. "I'm saint Ignusious, the proposer of Emacs, i bless your computer".Though it was funny, that made us think...I felt like a mono act.


I was surprised to hear that such a world famous personality has no personal belongings including his laptop!. He was so simple in dressing. He just had a plastic bag and cover with him for such a long journey!
After his speech we got a chance to go near him and talk to him. We invited him to our college, but he politely refused and offered us a video conferencing with pleasure. He gave Devidas his visiting card!! I were as if in a dream, a world famous man is sitting in front of us!!
We reached back here at seven in the evening. Myself and Devidas went to meet Pramode sir, to thank him and we were eagerly waiting to tell him about our experience. Sir too was happy and we 'd a discussion for half an hour. And I swear I wont miss any opportunities like this.
your's Bristow

Returns to the world wide web

It has been a long time since i entered a blog post. Now i got connected to the world wide web through asianet broadband. I'd to face some difficulties with the installation of the modem since there's no LAN(Local Area Network) card in my system. Though I managed to get a LAN card I still had to face some difficulties with the installation of LAN card driver for I'm using GNU/LINUX operating system. Let me tell you about the installation procedure, just for the sake of information. Choose a bus master PCI expansion slot, just unscrew and remove the dummy slot cover. Align and insert the adapter in to the slot,make sure the adapter fits securely and the connection is good.Connect the adapter to the network using UTP cable. The installation of hardware is finished , now about the software. For windows os the driver cd will be automatically loaded. Amazingly no special driver's needed for GNU/LINUX.
TIPs:- try the commands ifconfig,dhclient, ifup,ifdown.
Thanking Pramode Sir and Mobin chettan.
your's bristow.

BULLET-THE AUTOMOTIVE ROYALTY

Let me tell you about my dream machine, the royal machine, which announces it's presence on the road with it's naughty,charming,gowning sound-THE ROYAL ENFIELD. Here is a list of bullet machines coming from the royal family.

The dream expands like this,Ride a motorcycle that can take you places. Discover colours you have never seen before. Make friends in distant lands, get used to people staring at you at traffic lights, a whole new lifestyle. A unique motorcycling experience awaits you and me. Here comes the heroes.

MACHISMO 500-really royal

A foxy combination of robust technology, higher torque,

full -bodied look & comfort styling.

The motorcycle features 40.85 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm, unique

19 -inch wheels, 280 mm front disc brake & the same engine chassis configuration being exported to Europe, USA & Australia.

Only 500 motorcycles will be made available country-wide. Hence, the charm of genuine custom accessories, viz. twin spring split seats, leather saddle bags and the Lexan anti-scratch wind screen will wow only a 'fortunate 500'.

THUNDER BIRD-hard to outwin

THUNDER BIRD is built for those who love to cruise ,with a smooth lean burn 350cc engine, constant vacuum carburetor

for easy stars,ergonomic,stepped seat

and comfortable pillion backrest,the laid back THUNDER BIRD roams open highways and circumnavigates crowded city streets effortlessly .

This ideal machine, this easy rider bike won the coveted BEST CRUISER award from BBC Wheels.Power- 18bhp.

MACHISMO-coolest

A real collectors item, the retro styled machismo received the TNS voice of customer award for the no 1 cruiser bike.

The elegant machine is powered by an exceptionally refined 346cc lean burn engine, with a single cylinder,4 stroke air cooled configuration. The beautifully crafted chrome petrol tank comes as a standard fitment. custom made leather saddle bags and wind shield are optional extras. power18 bhp

power.

BULLET 350-the original

The legendary bullet 350 needs no introduction. This classic machine has kept place with advances in engineering and ergonomics.

A long wheel base and bigger tyres increased stability and road grip making it suitable for long distance travel. it also features a neutral finder for an easy shift to the neutral from any gear.

It's aristocratic black and gold livery and thumping engine beat remind passers by that they are in presence of automotive royalty.

power-18 bhp

BULLET ELECTRA -modernised

The Electra is a bullet variant for big city life. A groaning 350 cc engine powers the vehicle.

Push button

start and a transistor coil ignition gives an easy take off. Gas filled shock absorbers in Electra is better enough to overcome the potholes , speed breakers and such urban road disturbances.

BULLET ELECTRA 5S-amazing drive

This variant from bullet comes with a hand full of user friendly features in it including the

left side 5 speed gear shift.

The glass wool silencer absorbs high frequency noises, which seems to be an unnessessary component.

THRILLED????????????????? AMAZED???????????????

THE ROYAL ENFEILD-BULLET

Let me hope that 'roaring sound machine' be mine with in a couple of years...
But something what really disturbs me is the condition of our public roads. Though major automobile companies comments our INDIA as the paradise of automobiles, i think the automobiles doesnt think so because the roads doesnt seems to be sufficient for the new generation amazing vehicles. Let us pray to our 'road gods' to open their eyes.

Fastest growing industry in INDIA-The automobile industry

Fastest growing industry in INDIA-The automobile industry

Let me start my blogging by posting an article which reveals my interests. The automobile industry in India is developing in a much faster rate than any other industries( IT industries are exceptions). I'm very much glad to present before you my first article in which you can see the year by year developments in the industry. Following India's growing openness, the arrival of new and existing models, easy availability of finance at relatively low rate of interest and price discounts offered by the dealers and manufacturers all have stirred the demand for vehicles and a strong growth of the Indian automobile industry. The data obtained from ministry of commerce and industry, shows high growth obtained since 2001- 02 in automobile production continuing in the first three quarters of the 2004-05. Annual growth was 16.0 per cent in April-December, 2004; the growth rate in 2003-04 was 15.1 per cent The automobile industry grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22 per cent between 1992 and 1997. With investment exceeding Rs. 50,000 crore, the turnover of the automobile industry exceeded Rs. 59,518 crore in 2002-03. Including turnover of the auto-component sector, the automotive industry's turnover, which was above Rs. 84,000 crore in 2002-03, is estimated to have exceeded Rs.1,00,000 crore ( USD 22. 74 billion) in 2003-04. Automobile Dealers Network in India In terms of Car dealer networks and authorized service stations, Maruti leads the pack with Dealer networks and workshops across the country. The other leading automobile manufactures are also trying to cope up and are opening their service stations and dealer workshops in all the metros and major cities of the country. Dealers offer varying kind of discount of finances who in tern pass it on to the customers in the form of reduced interest rates. Major Manufacturers in Automobile Industry *Maruti Udyog Ltd *.General Motors India *Ford India Ltd. *Eicher Motors *Bajaj Auto *Daewoo Motors India *Hero Motors *Hindustan Motors *Hyundai Motor India Ltd. *Royal Enfield Motors *TelcoTVS Motors *DC Designs *Swaraj Mazda Ltd Government has liberalized the norms for foreign investment and import of technology and that appears to have benefited the automobile sector. The production of total vehicles increased from 4.2 million in 1998- 99 to 7.3 million in 2003-04. It is likely that the production of such vehicles will exceed 10 million in the next couple of years. The industry has adopted the global standards and this was manifested in the increasing exports of the sector. After a temporary slump during 1998- 99 and 1999-00, such exports registered robust growth rates of well over 50 per cent in 2002-03 and 2003-04 each to exceed two and- a-half times the export figure for 2001-02. Let us hope for the new releases soon...