[SRISRI_90]

Prologue

It was in April 2022 that I got my Team Bhp membership approved. I was so excited that I went on talking about it to anyone and everyone. At around the same time, I joined a whatsapp group of Bangalore based TeamBHPians. After the initial Introductions, I got in with the flow of the group and absolutely loved the fun discussions and debates.

Conception & Planning

Somewhere in early 2023, an idea of having a physical meet was floated, so that Bhpians could get to know each other in person.

As with any group, coming to a consensus is the biggest hurdle. With all the prevailing confusion as to where and when the trip would happen, Bhpian @mohansrides put his foot down and suggested that a monsoon meet should be planned and the location would be coastal Karnataka, particularly Mangalore/Udupi, as these places come alive during rains.
The tentative dates were proposed as the 3rd or 4th week of July.

In stark contrast to the “Monsoon Drive 2023” where there was a huge queue of people wanting to sign up for the meet, our meet plan had members dropping out left, right and center, we were left begging them to make it to the meet.

After a lot of back-and-forth negotiations among members, July 28th, 29th, and 30th were decided as the days of the meet. Local Members @Thirugata & and I were appointed as the organizers of the meet. With our friendly neighbourhood Bhpian from Manipal @samaspire pitching in with recommendations for stay and food options.

The meeting location and the stay for the next 2 days were finalized as Boloor’s Sea La Vie .A place very close to Sasihitlu beach on the outskirts of Mangalore. It is a beachside penthouse with a big open terrace facing the sea on the front side and a river at the back.

Final schedule

Day 1 (28th July): Arrival of attendees to meet location.
Day 2 (29th July): Arrival of remaining Members, followed by Scenic Drive to Lunch location and back.
Day 3 (30th July): Check out and drive to Bhpian @Thirugaatas house for Breakfast and disperse back to respective homes.

Out of the 45 members in our group, the final headcount for this meet was a 'Grand' total of 7 Members (Including 3 Localites)

Final List of attendees

@Malyaj from Bangalore – Arrived by train to Mangalore.
@prkiran from Bangalore- Bravely drove his Jeep Compass, despite Landslides in Ghats.
@Mohansrides from Mumbai – Drove his Honda BRV 900+ km solo to Mangalore.
@vamsi.kona from Hyderabad – Arrived by flight to Mangalore.
@thirugata from Surathkal.
@samaspire from Manipal.
@srisri_90 from Mangalore.

Notable mention of Bhpians who wanted to attend but dropped out due to various reasons
@nikhilb2008, @reignofchaos, @arun_josie, @hserus

A thought came up of inviting local Bhpians from in and around Mangalore for the meet, but with such a short schedule, we would not do justice to the meet, as we barely had enough time to get to know each other.

On the suggestion of @mohansrides, all members of this meet installed an app called Life360, so that we could track each other’s progress during the entire duration of the trip.

The Meet

DAY – 1 (July 28th)

The thought of hosting my First Team bhp meet was very exciting and I could not wait to meet my fellow Bhpians.
There was a problem though. The 28th of July arrived, but the Monsoon did not. For the entire duration of the meet, Coastal KA barely received any rain. Maybe it did not want to “dampen” our spirits.

The First to arrive was Malyaj, and I drove to the Mangalore Junction Railway station to pick him up. He quipped that he would not return the favour even if I asked for a pick up from the Bangalore railway station. He avoided the drive to Mangalore as he wanted to try the Vista dome Train via the Western Ghats.

First things first, took him to Hotel Janata Deluxe to relish some Local Delicacies like ‘Goli baje,’ and ‘Thuppa Dosa.’ Washed it all down with a cup of coffee and off we went to the meet location.



Next to arrive was @thirugata, who lives close by.

We three spent the next hour watching the beautiful sunset at the Sasihitlu beach and discussing topics about anything and everything.
As it got darker, we checked in to the place of stay, right across the road from the beach.
And we awaited the arrival of @Mohansrides, who was driving solo from Kolhapur, having left Mumbai the previous afternoon.

We wrapped up the first day of the meet with a drive back to Mangalore city for dinner at a famous watering hole on the NH 66 aptly named “Route 66”.



Well, that was the end of the day for me, But the rest Moved to @thirugaata ‘s house for a cup of coffee around midnight and later moved to the place of stay.

DAY – 2 (July 29th)

The day when all members would finally meet.
@vamsi.kona arrived on an early morning flight from Hyderabad.
@prkiran started from Bangalore at 4 AM and was driving his Jeep Compass.
Work kept me busy at the office and I could only join the rest at 1 PM.

By then all of them had done with their formal introductions and were chit-chatting like old college friends, @samaspire would join us later at Lunch.

Lovely view of the Sea and our Steeds from the penthouse balcony.


Rare moment when other members were listening to me


The agenda for the day was simple: Eat good food, go for a drive, come back to the stay and chill by the beach. Must say we stuck to the agenda completely

The location for lunch was decided by me as The Estate Resort.
They have a lovely restaurant, aptly named ‘The Panorama’ with a beautiful view of the surrounding Hills.

We decided to carpool for this drive and it was just Kirans Jeep Compass and my Volvo
We had a sumptuous lunch and a nice discussion regarding Team Bhp, it's past and the way forward.
The meal was interrupted by the arrival of Superstar @samaspire, as he walked in with sunglasses on and his neatly kept ponytail Hairdo.

From Left to Right - SRISRI_90, vamsi.kona, Mohansrides, thirugaata, samaspire, prkiran, Malyaj.


After lunch, the group members requested for a short drive on good scenic roads. So we decided to drive to Parashurama Theme Park at Karkala, a monument of a local legend, built on a hilltop offering beautiful views of the surroundings. On a clear day you could even see the Kudremukh mountains from here.

Unfortunately, the monument was closed for maintenance. We decided to have a small photoshoot with the Hill and the monument in the backdrop.





Despite not being able to visit the top to see the view, all members were in high spirits (no, not what you’re thinking), as the road to the location was wide and curvy, just what the members wanted. We had a blast driving on these roads.


With the sun setting, we decided to head to our stay location by the beach to enjoy views of the calm sea and watch the beautiful sunset.
We had a quick drive back to Sasihitlu beach and arrived well in time to watch the sunset.

A Few members pulled out their fancy cameras and started clicking photos of other members and the beach. The golden hour made everything look beautiful.





We spent the next couple of hours by the beach talking about cars, life and a whole lot of Philosophy.

By 8 Pm we were back in our rooftop penthouse continuing our discussions.
The cool breeze and the nice view meant that none were ready to drive out for dinner.

Before we knew it was midnight and the end of Day 2.
Me, @thirugata & @samaspire left back to our respective homes, while the rest continued their party and crashed into their rooms much later.

Day – 3 (July 30th)

The agenda for the day was simple.
Wake up, get ready, head to @thirugata house for breakfast, and disperse back to respective homes.
Thanks to a late end to Day 2, Day 3 began late.

I was the first to arrive at his house at 10:30 AM.
Bhpian @Samaspire informed us that he could not make it as he was busy with family commitments.
The rest of them arrived by 11 AM.

Bhpian @thirugata and his lovely wife Susham had arranged for an amazing breakfast Feast at their house.
The Spread included all the local breakfast specials like Neerdosa, Biscuit Rotti, Mangalore Buns, Pathrode, Sajjige – Bajil. It even included some sweets like Banana Halwa, Ladoo etc.
We wound up the breakfast with a cup of Strong Filter Kaapi.



Me & @thirugata were busy explaining the various dishes to other members, and they were busy finishing up their plates.
It was nearly 12:30 PM by the time we were all done with our Heavy Breakfast.
The last hour was spent making travel plans for their return journey and deciding on the best routes to take. And before we knew it, it was time to say goodbyes.

By 1:30 PM all members had started their return journeys and I was the last to sign off from @thirugata’s house.

Epilogue

What started as a random comment in our WhatsApp group for a meet, ended with a beautiful 3 days spent with like-minded Bhpians and a whole lot of fun.

My measure of how close people are, is by the way I eat in front of them.
With strangers, I eat very civilly and with manners.
But with this group, I felt like it was an old college meet.
I was eating without giving a thought as to what others were thinking.

And that for me sums up this whole meet, even though it was the first time meeting them, there were no Inhibitions at all.
It was such a lovely time spent together, felt like we all knew each other for a very long time.

Eagerly looking forward to our next years meet !

[thirugata]

Thank you Srini for finally putting this together.
Now since you have done the harder bit of writing things in detail, let me do the easy bit of adding few photos.

Men:















And the machines:





This meet was possible only because people took time to travel all the way from different cities, their commitment to this meet is certainly praiseworthy.
It was easy for us locals (borrowing Mohan's words) as our responsibility was just to arrange for accommodation.
This was the first time for me as well to be part of a meetup like this other than couple of breakfast meet ups that I went for in Bangalore.
Looking forward to the next one.

[Malyaj]

Thank you Mangalore and Manipal folks for your outstanding hospitality, and to everyone who could make it. And of course Mohan for taking the lead, without which this would not have been possible. Somewhat like this...





No favours shall be returned though....

[dailydriver]

The most interesting aspect of a TBhp meet report is that it enables me to assign faces to handles. In these times of AI, bots and what not, it also reassures me that the words that say so much about so many things in so many ways across several threads are actually written by a men in flesh and blood!

This is a hatke meet; in that there were fewer people + cars and lesser driving. But typical to all our gatherings, good food seems to have been in plenty and you guys have surely enjoyed it .

It is nice to see a bonhomie build up through the good offices of the forum.

Keep meeting; posting; revving and redlining.

Great report .

[vigsom]

Team-bhp approval to becoming a COO ( "co - organising officer") in a year will go down as a record of sorts. Kudos!

Originally Posted by SRISRI_90

But with this group, I felt like it was an old college meet.I was eating without giving a thought as to what others were thinking

Good to see you all, Sri; the pics were proof of this statement.

Originally Posted by thirugata

let me do the easy bit of adding few photos

Lovely pics there @thirugata. You sure are an ace clicker!

Originally Posted by Malyaj

your outstanding hospitality

Absolutely. Getting picked up from the railway station is the first step.

[udidecoy.2302]

Great to see a Team-BHP meet at Mangalore...Hope to meet up with the gang next time around!!

[Oppanna]

Good one guys. Would appreciate if the next meet plan is announced so that we can make it to the meet.

[vamsi.kona]

First, I need to thank the people who made this possible

@mohansrides (Mohan) for being the one who ideated this and was behind everyone with various ways of convincing, culminating in @malyajs second image in his post above.

@Srisri_90(Srinidhi Srinivas), @samaspire (Samarth) and @thirugata (Kiran Rao) for taking out time from their busy schedule and arranging things.

It was a few years back that I got to know a few people from this forum through the stock market thread and that circle slowly grew into a bunch of people from different backgrounds, cities and professions whom I have never met but had lots of interactions online to know them to certain level. It also helps that this diverse group of people bring in different perspectives and challenge your thinking in various aspects, helping me not to be in an echo chamber of opinions. Social media/Online platforms like this forum enable being in touch with people even if we cannot meet physically.

It was in this context Mohan thought to make virtual identities to meet each other and establish real identities. After lots of to and fro the dates and location were finalised. And from then on Srinivas, Samarth and Kiran Rao took over and scouted for proper accommodation and other things.

The purpose of the meet was to get to meet and know each other and as such there were no hectic location visits or activities to be done or driving around. It was just lazing around and discussing all and sundry in the comfort of the beautiful seafront accommodation that was arranged apart from a short trip for lunch, again at a beautiful resort. The beach itself was clean and literally had nobody else apart from us. It's as if the local guys arranged a private beach for us. Had a great time strolling on the beach and talking as the beautiful sunset was presenting itself with wonderful setting for the camera guys, Kiran Rao and Mohan, who became busy capturing the moments.

Kiran Rao insisted on having a breakfast at his place and the variety of delicious items placed in front of us would have been sufficient to feed a small colony of people. Special thanks to his wife for that. After eating enough to keep us rolling till dinner, myself, Malyaj and Mohan moved on to Udupi and caught up with Samarth, as the other Kiran (@prkiran) carried on with his journey to Bengaluru. Had darshan at the temple before Samarth showed us around and helped Malyaj relive his MBA days. And then we bid adieu in the evening and went our ways to immerse ourselves in our daily lives.

[SRISRI_90]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

This is a hatke meet; in that there were fewer people + cars and lesser driving. But typical to all our gatherings, good food seems to have been in plenty and you guys have surely enjoyed it .

Thank you @dailydriver. Yes, we did have a gala of a time, and the food was just too good everytime.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Team-bhp approval to becoming a COO ( "co - organising officer") in a year will go down as a record of sorts. Kudos!

Good to see you all, Sri; the pics were proof of this statement.

Haha, Thank you !
Hope to host a bigger meet next year and will look forward to your presence.

Originally Posted by udidecoy.2302

Great to see a Team-BHP meet at Mangalore...Hope to meet up with the gang next time around!!

Originally Posted by Oppanna

Good one guys. Would appreciate if the next meet plan is announced so that we can make it to the meet.

Like i'd Mentioned in the thread,

A thought came up of inviting local Bhpians from in and around Mangalore for the meet, but with such a short schedule, we would not do justice to the meet, as we barely had enough time to get to know each other.

We will plan for a bigger meet next year, looking forward to meeting you all

[samaspire]

Finally got to meet few of the folks I interact with every day.

Since I live a bit far from the beach stay, I had less involvement in the actual planning - it was all Srinidhi and Kiran with some goading by Mohan. My meet started with lunch on Day 1 at The Estate. (Its a wonderful hill-top resort located at Moodabidri near Mangalore. It was our first choice for stay, but all rooms were booked for our dates.)

Within no time of sitting down at the table, we were all interacting and sharing food like we were family. It also helped that the food was really good - both veg and non-veg fare. The post-lunch plan was to visit the Lord Parashuram Park which was about 30 minutes away, and then drive to Manipal to catch a glimpse of the rich flora and fauna there.

Malyaj decided to drive with me as he too had recently bought a Seltos. Once we reached the park, we found it closed for maintenance. Someone suggested we climb up the bare hillside, but better sense prevailed and we decided to do photo session there.








Left to Right in ascending order of engine noise

As we were leaving, the Manipal plan was cancelled and we decided to go back home to the beach stay at Sashitulu. Good decision, as we got to witness a wonderful sunset on an almost empty beach. (Sashitulu beach is getting famous as a surfing destination, and it also hosts an annual surfing festival.)

Malyaj drove my Carens on the way back and he felt it was better than his Seltos.




2 of the host cars




Somehow, only my camera captured this perspective

As it started getting darker after sunset, we moved to our resort opposite the beach and continued talking there. All of these guys were so knowledgeable in multiple fields. I learnt so many new things; about IIT/IIM privilege, about planes & their maintenance, difference between viagra and cialis. I also spoke to an actual communist. All the talk seemed to have filled most guys' stomachs as not many wanted to eat much. I left there around 11 and reached home by midnight with plans to come back in the morning for a late Sunday breakfast.

Day 2
The next day something came up at home and I could not go back. But Mohan had plans to stopover at Manipal on the way back to Bombay. He wanted to have darshan at Udupi Sri Krishna Temple and I had offered to show him around. Surprisingly, Malyaj and Vamsi also tagged along with Mohan. I met them at the temple parking lot and took them around the temple complex, showing them places and Gods, a regular tourist would not know about. We could have had lunch at the temple, but Kiran had filled them up with a giant breakfast spread.





From here we moved on to Manipal. We dropped Mohan's BRV at a carwash near my home to wash it off 1000 kms of grime. Malyaj had done his MBA at TAMPI in a previous life, and he wanted to have a look at the new campus - so we all went in my car through windy village roads and back to satiate his nostalgia. Next was a Chai stop at one of the hangouts of Manipal. Don't know if it was the chai, but a couple of guys are now considering settling down at Manipal after retirement.



Parting shots at Manipal.

Mohan drove up from here to Mumbai, while I dropped Vamsi and Malyaj at Udupi Bus Stand to catch a bus to Mangalore - Vamsi to the airport and Malyaj to the Railway station.



PS: If anyone is wondering why I'm wearing shades in all the photos, here's why!

[prkiran]

Originally Posted by SRISRI_90

But with this group, I felt like it was an old college meet.
I was eating without giving a thought as to what others were thinking.

And that for me sums up this whole meet, even though it was the first time meeting them, there were no Inhibitions at all.
It was such a lovely time spent together, felt like we all knew each other for a very long time.

Eagerly looking forward to our next years meet !
[/b]

I’d echo Srinidhi’s thoughts here. Most of us were meeting for the first time but it felt like a get together of old college mates. Had a phenomenal time with the group. Special shout out to the Mangalore boys’ amazing hospitality. The breakfast spread at @Thirugata’s place is still fresh in my mind. Hope to catch up again very soon!

A few random pics from my side. Clearly I’m not really good at capturing human subjects

[samaspire]

This guy above, bhpian mohansrides, is the one who made this happen. He drove down all the way here from Bombay, and then I had to skip on the Sunday breakfast at @thirugata's house. Pretty sure he wasn't thrilled about that.

Some photos of his drive:








This pretty much encapsulates his drive I think. That car saw some serious action that week.

Here are Mohan's words. Quoting verbatim:

It was a wonderful trip.

We had planned everything and had taken into account some contingencies. But, it started to get nasty on the days close to the departure. Schools in Mumbai were closed on government order and so there was more than one vein of worry running across my brow. Still, we had set this meet with great difficulty and come hell or high water, me and my car were going to show up at Mangalore. I had decided that much. So, I got to work prepping the car. Got it fully serviced and changed the tyres which were at 43k kms. Through all this, Nikhilb2008 guided me over the phone. He couldn't make it to the meet; but he was instrumental in me making it safely to Mangalore and back.

Once I started, it was literally pouring on the ghats. The Mumbai Pune Expressway was a spectacle of grainy rain and violent waterfalls on either side. It was a thrill that I was experiencing for the first time. Thank God I had had the sense to change the wiper blades because the wipers weren't wiping as much as they were literally shovelling water off of my wind screen. It looked fabulous and felt at least a little bit reckless. But, once I crossed into Pune, the rains petered away and the roads were in way better shape than I anticipated. It was the best version of tarmac therapy. The road connecting NH48 and NH66 was beautiful. Agumbe ghat was immaculate. The sunlight was a mellow yellow. And the scenery was absolutely stunning. Thick teak forests + lush grasslands + cool weather + curvy roads with slushy shoulders = a dirty car and a happy heart.

This would have not been possible if not for SRISRI_90 and thirugata. These two dudes stepped up and hit it out of the park. The choice of accommodation and eating venues was fantastic. The food added to the experience. And the people who attended made it all worthwhile. A big shout out to Bangalore guys who made it. prkiran is a thorough petrol head who regularly flogs his Compass and this was a great opportunity. Still, the weather must have created doubts in his mind. I am thankful that he persevered. Malyaj chose to play it differently and how!! His choice of mode of travel and his stories at the meet all threw light into his eclectic and brilliant outlook. Then of course there is vamsi.kona who woke up at unGodly hours to fly out of Hyderabad for this meet. Of course, I am told that I left him little choice; but I still so glad that he came bringing with him his uniquely informed perspective to the conversations.

It wasn't a reunion of old college classmates; but it could very well have been. That was the vibe during that weekend. In fact, it was a step above because unlike college classmates who share a field of study, we all brought professional experiences from different industry segments to the table. It was peer learning dialed up several notches.

We talked. We ate. We laughed. But, mostly we laughed.

The highlights for me were the following in no real order of preference:

Meeting everyone in person and hanging out at the homestay talking well into the night. It must have been late for the local guys with families to return to. But, SRISRI_90 and thirugata were exemplary hosts and they never left us alone and unattended until very very late.

The lovely lunch and the extended drive through beautiful Mangalore roads afterwards.

The breakfast at thirugata's house was probably the best meal I have had in years. Not just for the food; but, for the warmth that he and his wife exhibited throughout. In fact the previous evening, after we had finished dinner close to midnight, I inadvertently blurted out that a nice cup of filter coffee would round out the meal. Not a second had passed after I had spoken and thirugata had called home to make arrangements. He insisted that we drive to his house for that coffee at midnight and when we did, his wife was absolutely thrilled to make it for all of us at that hour. What more can one ask for from a host?!

The drive to Udupi with Malyaj and vamsi.kona. We carried forward our weekend conversations in the car and it was super fun. Then samaspire met us and so kindly gave us a wonderful tour of the local sights. The Temple visit was fulfilling and TAMPI was quite pretty. When we stopped at his house to pick up my car, his mother who had retired from her medical practice spoke to us with an involvement and an energy that I doubt people half her age can summon up. And just before I left, she beckoned me over, put both hands on my head and said, "I wish you and your family health, happiness and peace." It was unexpected and so lovely. I tell you I was moved beyond words.

Cheers

[FAIAAA]

Folks, Congratulations on a great experience! Amazing pictures and description.
Would love to join you all on your next adventure. Please PM me the details. Thanks in advance.

[Shreesharai]

Wow a meet in Mangalore, next time do let everyone no if there is a meet sir

[Ganapathy]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Attachment 2509141

This guy above, bhpian mohansrides, is the one who made this happen.....hat. Mohan's words. ....

Gentlemen, You guys really rock. The travelogue is crisp and so well written. It is great to read the different versions from different perspectives. For mohansrides to drive solo all the way from Mumbai, during the monsoon, speaks volumes of his commitment, to making this meet happen. The photos were great, and you guys keep pushing the bar up every time so that lesser mortals are left far behind .
From the photos, it is obvious, that all of you had a lot of fun. Keep it up and keep inspiring us. God Bless