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Hani Musthafa
TVS Ronnin
6/1/23
Expert Speaks: Hani Musthafa
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Despite being one of the most well-known auto journalists among the Malayali audience, Hani Musthafa is one of the most grounded and humble personalities you would ever come across. In this interview, Hani shares his journey with us. ● How did motoring journalism begin for you? As a child I was very fascinated with automobiles. I have always leaned more towards learning stuff about automobiles than my academics. I developed an ambition to be an auto-designer but due to some family commitments I couldn’t pursue it. However, my desire to do something in the field of automobiles ended up in me writing about them. Initially I worked as a freelancer and contributed content for a local daily while I was graduating from college. In 2010, I started a TV show named Flywheel. I was lucky enough to have access to a lot of cars through family & friends from Dubai. This helped me create a niche by bringing in some dream machines to the show which helped me reach a wider audience. ● What or who has been your inspiration and why? Bijoy Kumar Y, ex-Editor of BS Motoring has been a true inspiration. He was one of the first Malayali to be an automotive journalist from Kerala. Moreover, my passion automotive journalism increased after I started reding more about his journey. ● Have you seen a shift in audience behaviour recently? Yes, very much. Today’s digital age is overwhelmed with content & the key to stay relevant is to move with the trend. Creating a mix of engaging, useful, informative, and entertaining content is the way ahead. ● Do you see a difference in the interest and behaviour of vernacular Vs English speaking audience? Yes, the vernacular audience connects well as they prefer content that is relevant to the local conditions and interests. Whereas the English audience focuses more on getting first-hand information or updates. ● What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in your profession? Lack of personal life, since there is a lot of travel involved. It becomes really difficult to spend time with family and loved ones. ● Tell us about something you would want to do as a motoring journalist and haven’t been able to do yet. As a motoring journalist the hunger for more is what drives us. Driving to some extraordinary destinations like Iceland, going on more adventurous expeditions, driving some classic machines like 300SL are some of the items that are yet to be ticked off from my bucket list. Having said that, I can’t forget the fact that I have been blessed with some extraordinary moments of driving some of the greatest cars on some of the best roads. I have been able to create lot of memories along the way. ● What is your take on the growth of the Indian auto industry? The growth has been exponential. For instance, a decade back, only 2-3 products were launched in a month. Today there are at least 8-10 on an average per month. This is one yardstick to measure the growth. Also, the Indian customer is moving towards personal mobility as a preferred medium of transport. Vehicles are not a luxury any longer and have become a necessity in every household. This has led to an exponential growth in the sales of automobiles. ● How do you see EVs being adopted in the coming years? EVs are the next big thing in the automotive space. They will make their presence strongly felt in the coming decade in our country and around the world. The adoption rate of EVs is panning out to be much faster than expected for a country like India. Interesting new products and fast development of infrastructure is the reason for this, in my opinion. ● Your advice for someone who wants to take up motoring journalism as a career? It is an industry that is shown in all its glitz and glamour, but the hard work that goes behind the scenes is what’s real. If one’s passionate enough to live through it, then there’s probably no better career for an automotive enthusiast. I call it the Power of Passion.

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Saurav Nepal
Review | 01 Jun 2023 In this instalment of Expert Speaks, we talk with Saurav Nepal, one of the co-founders, associate editor and photographer at Nepal Drives, the only English automotive magazine in Nepal. How did it all begin for you as a motoring journalist? My passion for motoring started the day my cousin gave me a copy of the BS Motoring magazine around the early 2000s. That ignited the passion for motoring within me. For school-going kids like us, flipping through the pages of automotive magazines, going gaga over the photographs of exotic vehicles, and gathering trivia about cars was a good pastime. This eventually led us to playing ‘Guess-The-Car’ games at the school bus stop. We requested our parents to buy remote controlled cars and saved pocket money to buy Indian automotive magazines. That passion turned into an obsession in no time. Fast forward to 2012, I landed an internship at an automotive publication and have never looked back after that. What are some of the things that you focus the most on while reviewing a vehicle? Well, reviewing a vehicle involves several well-connected aspects. First and foremost, it’s very important to have a strong, unbiased opinion of the vehicle. Secondly, it’s important to consider your audience's expectations. For instance, the audience looking for a commuter motorcycle won’t be interested in reading about sports bikes and vice-versa. Similarly, if you are reviewing an electric vehicle, you should include relevant information about the everyday practicalities of owning an EV rather than just explaining the tech sheet. It is important to know your audience and deliver the right message and content. Moreover, we try to give real-life examples while explaining a product, because if you just put out the facts and technical jargon, your readers will be bamboozled. Last but not the least, we also try to give a lot of importance to product photography. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words! How do you see automotive content evolving, especially on digital mediums? The internet has fundamentally changed the operations of journalists and news media over time. The ease of creating content and the exponential growth of different digital media have influenced automotive content to a large extent. From comprehensive and insightful videos to short reels and TikTok videos, automotive content has undergone a fascinating evolution in recent years. Not only has the digitalization in the automobile sector compelled manufacturers to change their business model, but the automotive publications are now also leveraging the latest technology and innovation to address their readers’ needs. How is the auto influencer landscape in Nepal? In Nepal, the government considers automobiles as a luxury rather than a necessity, hence, it has slapped heavy taxes on vehicles. However, in spite of the heavy taxation, two-wheelers are still the cheapest mode of transport available. For this reason, the obsession with two-wheelers has always been there amongst the general public. Earlier, the influence was limited to just word-of-mouth, but things are different now. Because the internet has allowed all of us to become content creators, the younger, technically savvy generation is playing a key role to drive the demand for two-wheelers in the country. This is evident from the fact that many people are pursuing moto vlogging in Nepal. That being said, a few are following the traditional route to enter the industry. The influencer landscape, however, has its own limitations as well. While many such influencers take the click-bait approach to storytelling, the need to produce quality content still remains a huge challenge. Also, the dedication and consistency to produce good stories is also a differentiator between journalists and influencers. Nevertheless, these are fascinating times for content creators in the country. How unique is the behaviour of auto content consumers in Nepal as compared to other parts of the world? The behaviour is more or less the same when compared to audiences from other parts of the world. Nepalese audiences generally like to consume travelogues and road trips. Apart from personal and psychological factors, social factors (friends, family, environment) also influence their consumption behaviour. What are some of the most remarkable changes you have witnessed in audience behaviour in recent times? The pandemic has disrupted the audience behavior in such a manner that companies have adjusted their business models to adapt to this change. Right now, audiences prefer their information to be available entirely online. The traditional way of buying a vehicle (visiting local dealers, collecting brochures, having conversations with friends and family) is now being digitised. Hence, a lot of companies in Nepal are spending heavily on digital mediums to develop their customer base and increase awareness regarding their product. What makes the Nepal two-wheeler market special for you? Where do you see it going in the next five years? We are in for an exciting period. On one hand, there is an import ban on two-wheelers above 150cc for inexplicable reasons, but on the other hand, the government has created a policy to encourage the vehicle assembly industry in Nepal. In the next five years, there will be more than a dozen companies assembling their products in Nepal, and that is indeed very good news! As of now, only Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company are assembling their two-wheelers in Nepal. Similarly, the shift of consumers towards EVs and the growth of online retail businesses will also drive new opportunities. Although the shift towards electric mobility is inevitable, the long-term transition will be slower and the degree of adoption will be dependent on the available technology, infrastructure support, and price. That being said, the underlying demand for ICE vehicles will still be intact, especially in the sub-400cc segment. Furthermore, new-age startups, auto tech platforms, personalization, and online marketplaces are also likely to gain a lot of traction in the coming years.
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Rishad Cooper
Review | 01 Jun 2023 Rishad Cooper is one of the very few motoring journalists who have witnessed the Indian motoring journalism industry evolve over the past three decades. Representing the rare breed of specialist two-wheeler journalists, Rishad is credited with being the only Indian jury member for the International Bike-Of-The Year awards for many years. An immensely respected figure in the Indian motoring journalism community, and an avid horologist, here’s Rishad opening up about his journey thus far… You have been a part of the automotive industry for a long time now. According to you, how has the Indian automotive journalism scenario evolved over the years? When I started, automotive journalists covered both cars and bikes, period! Due to my patchy car knowledge, I could only cover bikes, which was unheard of and frowned upon at that time. Two decades ago, the auto industry was small, with the motoring journalism community being even smaller. At every launch, press conference or test ride, we would be the same 4-5 faces, with the luxury of an entire month to pen reports. If anyone had said come 2021, there would be dozens of events and scores of journalists, bloggers, freelancers and influencers uploading reports minutes after experiencing new products, we would have laughed. Yet, here we are witnessing what was unimaginable back in the day. It is an absolute treat to see automotive journalism explode into such a dynamic, mega and unstoppable movement! Which is the best destination you have been to in your professional career, on a two-wheeler? It is hard to pick one destination as I have been fortunate to ride all over the world on 'work', but two standout riding locations were: 1. Lanzarote, a Canary Island-born from volcanic eruptions, where roads offer terrific grip amidst surreal vistas 2. The magical, high altitude Himalayan roads of Himachal and Ladakh. As an automotive journalist, who has been your biggest inspiration and why? Again, it is hard to name just one, but I would name Hormazd Sorabjee for his vast experience and dedication. There is Aspi Bhathena too, who has inspired many with his excellent riding skill and knowledge. Then there is Sirish Chandran, Kartikeya Singhee, Siddharth Patankar, Kranti Sambhav, Vikrant Singh, and so many more, all of them doing great work. Any tips you would like to give to budding automotive journalists of our country? Stay true to the products you review, stay safe and share all your knowledge openly.
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Hani Musthafa
Review | 01 Jun 2023 Despite being one of the most well-known auto journalists among the Malayali audience, Hani Musthafa is one of the most grounded and humble personalities you would ever come across. In this interview, Hani shares his journey with us. ● How did motoring journalism begin for you? As a child I was very fascinated with automobiles. I have always leaned more towards learning stuff about automobiles than my academics. I developed an ambition to be an auto-designer but due to some family commitments I couldn’t pursue it. However, my desire to do something in the field of automobiles ended up in me writing about them. Initially I worked as a freelancer and contributed content for a local daily while I was graduating from college. In 2010, I started a TV show named Flywheel. I was lucky enough to have access to a lot of cars through family & friends from Dubai. This helped me create a niche by bringing in some dream machines to the show which helped me reach a wider audience. ● What or who has been your inspiration and why? Bijoy Kumar Y, ex-Editor of BS Motoring has been a true inspiration. He was one of the first Malayali to be an automotive journalist from Kerala. Moreover, my passion automotive journalism increased after I started reding more about his journey. ● Have you seen a shift in audience behaviour recently? Yes, very much. Today’s digital age is overwhelmed with content & the key to stay relevant is to move with the trend. Creating a mix of engaging, useful, informative, and entertaining content is the way ahead. ● Do you see a difference in the interest and behaviour of vernacular Vs English speaking audience? Yes, the vernacular audience connects well as they prefer content that is relevant to the local conditions and interests. Whereas the English audience focuses more on getting first-hand information or updates. ● What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in your profession? Lack of personal life, since there is a lot of travel involved. It becomes really difficult to spend time with family and loved ones. ● Tell us about something you would want to do as a motoring journalist and haven’t been able to do yet. As a motoring journalist the hunger for more is what drives us. Driving to some extraordinary destinations like Iceland, going on more adventurous expeditions, driving some classic machines like 300SL are some of the items that are yet to be ticked off from my bucket list. Having said that, I can’t forget the fact that I have been blessed with some extraordinary moments of driving some of the greatest cars on some of the best roads. I have been able to create lot of memories along the way. ● What is your take on the growth of the Indian auto industry? The growth has been exponential. For instance, a decade back, only 2-3 products were launched in a month. Today there are at least 8-10 on an average per month. This is one yardstick to measure the growth. Also, the Indian customer is moving towards personal mobility as a preferred medium of transport. Vehicles are not a luxury any longer and have become a necessity in every household. This has led to an exponential growth in the sales of automobiles. ● How do you see EVs being adopted in the coming years? EVs are the next big thing in the automotive space. They will make their presence strongly felt in the coming decade in our country and around the world. The adoption rate of EVs is panning out to be much faster than expected for a country like India. Interesting new products and fast development of infrastructure is the reason for this, in my opinion. ● Your advice for someone who wants to take up motoring journalism as a career? It is an industry that is shown in all its glitz and glamour, but the hard work that goes behind the scenes is what’s real. If one’s passionate enough to live through it, then there’s probably no better career for an automotive enthusiast. I call it the Power of Passion.
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Shyam Kothari
Review | 01 Jun 2023 When it comes to two-wheeler racing in India, Shyam Kothari’s name doesn’t need an introduction. One of the most well-known veterans of the sport, Shyam’s association with TVS Racing dates back to the late eighties. With the distinction of having been crowned national champion in various different disciplines of motorcycle racing, Shyam possesses a treasure trove of experiences and insights about motorsport in India. In this interview with the legend, we try to discover what motorcycle racing was like back in the day, and how it has transformed over the years. When and how did your association with TVS Racing begin? It was around 1988-89. I was doing considerably well as a privateer then. Car & Bike magazine was hosting a dirt track race in Pune, and that is where I met Arvind Padgaonkar from TVS Motor Company, who offered me a place to ride for TVS Racing. What began as a small step towards racing for me and TVS, developed into a full-fledged union that lasted over a decade and we won across almost all disciplines of motorcycle racing - motocross, hill-climbs, rallying, and even road-racing. Your best memory on a TVS race machine? Well, we have so many stories accumulated over those years of racing with TVS that I will share a few from varying disciplines. Around the early nineties, we had the Sinhagad Hill-climb that was conducted near Pune. TVS was a new name in the sport, and they had just delivered a newly set up motorcycle to me for the hill-climb event. During the first two practice days, the bike kept feeling under-powered, and we were struggling with our speed. It was a small outfit with just one technician and I, trying to get the best output from the engine. On Saturday night, a day before the final run, TVS flew a new engine to Pune. We picked it up from the airport and set it up overnight into the existing frame of the motorcycle. Early in the morning, we did some test runs with it, and I was able to find my form and speed. All that effort and commitment helped me set a record time for the hill climb and take the win. That was a perfect moment for us as a new and upcoming team and helped to put us all in the limelight. I remember back then, there used to be a six-event dirt championship. Participants had to finish all the events, and depending on the point standings, the champion would be chosen. We had a good position in the standings and looked like we could take the top spot. Unfortunately, towards one of the last stages, a bus approached too aggressively around a turn and I was pushed off the road. The bike and I both went down a cliff, but thankfully a lot of tree cover broke our fall, and the bike got stuck between the trees. Soon enough, the nearby villagers came for help, and we pulled the bike up with ropes and a lot of manpower. I lost considerable time there, but we still managed to finish second in the final championship standings. Another solid memory is from road-racing championships which were primarily held at various airstrips across the country. The Juhu air-strip in Mumbai was a popular venue for road-racing. TVS was elevating its presence in this particular genre of racing, and Arvind Padgaonkar asked me to come and check out the races. During one of the practice sessions, the leading rider for TVS had a nasty fall and broke his leg. With just a day between practice and final races, there wasn't much time to sign up a new rider. Arvind asked if I would like to give it a try. I had never participated in a road-race before and this was all new for me. But I decided to give it a try anyway. I began the practice and by the end of it, as I rode into the pits, the team said I was in the top two positions consistently. I won that round and then continued to win the remaining championship. It was in 1992, and we as team TVS Racing won the overall championship. For the same year, I was also awarded the Rookie of the Year award. How was racing motorcycle development back in the day? It was all trial and error. There was no telemetry data or large crew with modern-day machinery. It was a continuous process of learning and development where countless hours were spent on the track to ride and develop a competitive race motorcycle. Every time a new part was designed, we would go ride and come back with our feedback. On some days we would break it beyond repair. But it was always understood that this is part and parcel of the development process and required to master the craft of racing. Back in the factory, the components would be re-made or modified based on rider feedback and inputs. The most tedious task was building a sound suspension system for motocross. Every free practice was timed with date, duration and a detailed description of what happened. Whatever positive outcomes came out of us using that setup and components, TVS would implement it within their R&D for their production models. Road racing has evolved with advanced electronic riding aids over the last few years. The motocross machinery is still relatively more mechanical. Why is that so? I believe motocross is more about the durability of the bike and the rider’s skill and endurance. It is less about outright speed and more about the persistence of the man and machine. Road-racing deals with phenomenal speeds which require finer details to be addressed carefully for improvement and safety. In motocross, the bike has to be more durable and has to endure the beating it takes on the rough terrain. Same goes for the rider competing in motocross. Since the speeds are relatively lesser, the need for electronics to alter the bike’s behaviour or character is also minimal. A mechanical modification can yield the required results without having to step into the rich and complex world of electronics. Also, mechanical processes are more reliable and more comfortable to fix than electronics. So when you go racing, anything that eats up time is working against your goal. You have seen the genesis of TVS Racing and been a part of that history. Where does it lead to from here for the Indian giant? TVS has always been serious about racing. It has shown commitment from the very onset of their involvement in the sport, and that is why it is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in Indian two-wheeler racing. The company understands how racing works and also the benefits it draws from all the racing-induced development. When we began our association in 1988, we had a small shed to work in within the company premises. But as we grew and started getting good results, within a span of just 6-7 years, we had a full-fledged facility with all the toys, dynos and equipment at our disposal. TVS was the first to set up a separate racing division, which not many other Indian manufacturers can boast about even today. The whole TVS racing outfit was never an after-thought propelled by marketing but instead a force to drive R&D, to churn out better products for the masses. Now, the company has already ventured into international events like Dakar, and it is only a matter of time that newer and younger talent from the TVS family will be out chasing top spots on the podium at various international events. Wise words for the beginners who want to get into racing today? Start early! If you start your racing lessons after you are 18 or 19 years of age, it is way too late to venture and compete at the international level. Back in our day, it was compulsory to have a riding license to compete in a racing event. Today, that is not required. Kids can start early on, as soon as they turn seven, which I think is a great age to start riding and understand the world of motorcycle racing. As you are younger, your body copes better, and you have better grasping power as well as a higher risk-taking ability. By the time you are in your mid-teens, you have covered all the basics and essentials of racing and are at par with international athletes, provided you train and practice with dedication towards your goals.
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Sirish Chandran
Review | 01 Jun 2023 From the good old magazines-only days to the fast-paced social media-driven times of today, Sirish Chandran has seen it all and has excelled across formats. Apart from having led some of India's most respected motoring publications, Sirish is also among the select few motoring journalists with extensive experience in professional motorsport. In this interview, Sirish talks to us about the makings of a good motoring journalist, what is worth waking up at 4 A.M. on a Sunday, and shares his perspective on the auto industry in general. What essential skills differentiate a great motoring journalist from a good or an average one? The first skill would be to write and communicate well because a journalist has to express what a car or a bike is to the reader or viewer, whether it’s in the written form, as a video or as a social media post. Communication skills are fundamental, and I firmly believe that it all starts with good writing. Even the best TV presenters in the world are great writers, to begin with. A person’s strong command over their audience’s language is necessary. Even some form of motorsport experience is essential, since it helps you learn how to push a car or bike to the limit. You learn what the car or bike is communicating when pushed to its absolute limit. An average journalist would not tell you how the car or bike behaves at the absolute limit. The only way you can push vehicles to their absolute limit is by having the necessary skill set, where motorsport experience helps tremendously. You also need to have the ability to understand how the suspension, engine and powertrain behave at the limit. So all in all, the skills which differentiate a good and an average motoring journalist are excellent writing skills and some form of motorsport experience. Which country has impressed you the most for its collective motoring sensibilities, and why? The Americans have a very strong car culture, even though their cars are nowhere near the Europeans. Even their bikes are not close to the Japanese, though everybody in the US loves cars and bikes, and their enthusiasm is incredible. Also, the magazines that I grew up reading like Car And Driver and Road And Track have pioneered in-depth road testing, where they set the template for us in India. For the longest time, we have also been looking at the British magazines where they have been the benchmark in terms of writing style and photography. But all in all, it has to be the United States. The country is so vast that you have everything from coastal roads to mountains and hill climbs. Even track days are affordable and fun in the US. Which phase did you enjoy the most during your journey as a motoring journo? I’d say the initial days of setting up Evo India. Evo India came up after we set up a rally team here in Pune. Evo Indiawas a by-product of this rally team, and we wanted to create a magazine that reflected the enthusiasm for cars and bikes that we were experiencing while rallying. During the initial years of Evo India, we were running the rally team, and we were taking part in national championships. Our team also won the national championship in the first year of setting up Evo India. So the most fun phase for me was when I was rallying and setting up and building Evo together. Are two-wheelers more exciting today than they were earlier? Why / why not? Two-wheelers are more exciting today because manufacturers are now putting more effort into the styling ability front. Manufacturers make a visible effort to make their products more exciting rather than just focus on plain old fuel efficiency and price. I don’t believe that a car or a bike should be a mere tool for commuting from point A to point B. They are supposed to put a smile across your face, and the vehicles out there today do put a smile across your face. In what ways is social media transforming motoring journalism? Social media is helping us reach out to a larger audience. It also helps us connect to our audience daily. Via social media, we can communicate what we are doing on a more frequent basis, for example, talking about the new machines that we are testing. This helps the audience know what to expect in the following video or the next issue of our magazine. Social media has helped motoring journalists build a strong fan following and a community. It also helps us get useful feedback on what we are writing. With the help of social media, we also get access to cars and bikes, which we otherwise couldn’t have. We have many readers writing to us about their cars or bikes which are out of production, which we cannot source from the manufacturers. Our readers also give us many ideas for different stories, which also helps us put out more content. How do you see motoring media transforming over the next five years? I think it will have to be even more enthusiast-focused because today, hundreds of blogs and channels put out the usual information and daily news of the industry. A journalist’s job is to give in-depth reviews of vehicles to readers because even an influencer can review and say that everything is good. A journalist’s job is much more demanding, as differentiating content is a big deal, and readers would stay with you if you are unique and enthusiastic. Journalism is supposed to be more enthusiastic, authoritative, credible, and in-depth. You have to constantly put out content because readers want to stay connected with you. The more you put out your content, the more your audience increases. You need to be a master at everything. You need to present well, you need to write well, and you have to be able to take good pictures for social media. You also need a great team to put out the content, so it is definitely going to become more demanding. Today, manufacturers prefer working with influencers since all they say are good things. On the other hand, journalists criticise the vehicles, not just for the sake of it, but to make sure that they are improved upon in the next iteration. This also helps in keeping the content genuine for the readers Is the future fully electric in your view? Or will it be a mix of everything? According to you, which technologies or power sources will eventually prevail? I don’t think that the future is going to be fully electric. I believe that electric and internal combustion engines are going to co-exist. There will be buyers who would be okay with electric mobility for daily commute in the city. There will also be buyers who want a proper combustion-engined bike for the weekend to attack the hills. They would like to go through the gears, get that aural feel and experience the rise and fall of the revs. Those people will always be there. One shouldn’t go away at the cost of the other. Today’s I.C. engines can easily comply with the new emission norms with the help of hybridisation. The audience is vast, and one can cater to different segments of people with both. I am a fan of electric vehicles for city commuting, but will I wake up at 4 A.M. on a Sunday to go for a long ride on an electric bike? I don’t think so.
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Rishaad Mody
Review | 01 Jun 2023 The face of the two-wheeler division at Autocar India, Rishaad Mody is one of the strongest voices in the Indian two-wheeler journalism space. In this freewheeling conversation, Rishaad shares with us the story of his journey, as well as his take on what the future holds in store for the consumer and the industry. How did your journey as a motoring journalist begin? It's quite an interesting story. I had just finished my BBA degree, which I did because I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life at that point in time. I took a year off to study for the CAT exam and had some time to kill after CAT until the MBA course started. I applied to Overdrive for an internship, as that was something I always wanted to do. Sirish Chandran was the editor those days and he gave me the internship. Three months later, I suppose they were happy with my work, so they offered me a job, and I haven’t looked back since. This was 11 years ago. It all worked out nicely. I guess I was at the right place at the right time. As a journalist what are some things that you focus on the most while reviewing a vehicle? It’s easy to get carried away by your passion for automobiles, but you need to remember who the vehicle is for, what that target customer expects from it, and what they are going to do with it. That mindset is quite important, I think. For example, just because something is not the best handling, or the fastest machine doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a negative attribute. I try to talk to the target customer through my reviews, understand what they would want from that vehicle, what potential issues could to them and review it from that point of view. Do electric vehicles in their current shape and form appeal to you? I find them very interesting because there are two ways to look at it. One is from the enthusiast’s perspective. For example, I got into this field because I am a passionate motorcyclist, and from that perspective, when it comes to the feeling of connection and engagement, electric vehicles don’t create the same sentiment as ICE bikes, at least not with the technology we have seen to date. So, from an enthusiast’s point of view, I find EVs to be somewhat cold and not very engaging, even the fast ones. But I love electric vehicles as commuter machines. I think a well-engineered electric scooter can be fantastic, especially the ones that have a decent range and good performance. I would switch to an electric scooter today if I needed one just for commuting and had the facilities to charge one. They are calming, easy to ride, and are quite appealing with all the subsidies and of course, super cheap to run. As a form of entertainment, however, where one rides for the sake of riding and loving their motorcycle, EVs are not there yet - for me. Having said that, technology is evolving so fast, and in so many different ways, it’s fascinating. You have got to keep an open mind and see where it takes us. What do you think is missing from the Indian two-wheeler scene at this moment? The Indian two-wheeler scene, unfortunately, has started indeed flourishing at a point when the transition to electric is truly beginning. And by flourishing, I mean not just in terms of people's spending power, but in terms of growth in segments and manufacturer’s willingness to develop more premium, expensive and capable machines. In India, we will never get to experience 600-1000 cc plus motorcycles becoming a normal mainstream thing like you see in western markets and that’s just how it is. Sure, we do have superbikes in India, but our huge taxes have made them prohibitively expensive. Superbike ownership in this country has always had challenges and is only getting worse, with ballooning prices and the recent tyre import restrictions. I really feel where we lost out, though, is the adventure bike scene. We have always had the right environment to have adventure bikes as the perfect motorcycles. We have terrible roads in many places, amazing outdoors to explore, we like comfy, accessible riding motorcycles, we love value for money, and adventure bikes just keep ticking all these boxes. Yes, the affordable end of the segment is growing now, but it’s taken a painfully long time. What according to you are the differentiating factors of the content that you create? Speaking of Autocar as a whole, I believe we are the most reliable, reputed, respected voice in the industry when it comes to telling you about an automobile, without any theatrics. I would say that is what we excel at. Personally, I love motorcycles and I love talking about them. I also love helping people understand what motorcycles would be good for them. I am not very good at dramatic, highly scripted videos and things like that. I just like talking about bikes. What do you think are some of the key challenges that you face as a journalist in this highly dynamic and evolving space, especially with content being driven through social media channels? I think the biggest challenge is how quick and short the content is becoming. You are rushing to get your tweets and social media stuff out, which is shallow in information. In this process, the deeper dive can get compromised if we don’t get to spend enough time with the product, especially on media launch events. This is a reason why embargoes are fantastic, as they allow us to concentrate on the product, rather than getting sucked into the mad rush of dishing out social media content. Talking about social media, what are some of the things that can be done to fight the menace of misinformation? That’s a really deep question, and I don’t think I am knowledgeable enough to give you a clear answer. Misinformation is a serious issue. Mistakes can happen and unintended misinformation that has no malice in it is still fine. But in a world where the social media presence is now probably bigger than the physical presence, maybe we need to have a rethink. Maybe a system where people can’t hide behind a fake persona online, at least not on the biggest platforms. If you have an online persona on a very large platform, maybe it needs to be a verifiable persona. Sure, this is very tricky to put into place but if the world is going so radically digital, then maybe this is something to consider. Honestly, I am just a guy who likes riding motorcycles, and this is way too deep for me. Can you talk about a few things that can be implemented to make our roads safer? It is not an easy fix. Things have to start from the very ground level, and it has to start from all ends. First, the licensing system has to be dramatically improved. Corruption has to be rooted out of the process. Secondly, you need the infrastructure to match. If a major metro city has roads without proper lane markings, without proper zebra crossings, without well-made footpaths, how do you get people to comply? We have badly designed, badly built infrastructure in many places, and a licensing system that fails to bother ensuring that people know the correct way to ride/drive. To top it all, we have a general disdain for the rules along with a complete lack of courtesy for fellow human beings, at least on the road. The rot in the system is way too deep and it's going to take a massive institutional change for things to be fixed - this change has to be pushed by the people. Everyone’s got to want the change. It’s a happy thought, but it will take a Herculean effort to execute, and I stopped holding my breath a long time ago. In the meantime, I happily live by the mantra of riding/driving defensively - just expect everything to go wrong and you should be okay. What makes the Indian two-wheeler market special for you? Where do you see it going in the next five years? There are many things that make the Indian two-wheeler market special. Just the sheer size and the volume of it is incredible. It’s hard to comprehend the sort of numbers we work with. It’s also a very challenging market. We want the best of everything, but also want to pay as little as possible for it. We are very quick to complain when something is expensive, but we rarely recognise and appreciate the engineering effort, or the quality of materials that goes into making something special. To work around that, different companies have different approaches to arrive at what they think is the best engineered product. In India, you have got to give people the best possible at the lowest price possible and we are doing a phenomenal job of it. Being recognised as one of the best places in the world to outsource cost-effective manufacturing is a feat in itself. It’s very exciting how some of the world’s best players want to come and work with us. Things like the BMW-TVS, Hero-Harley and KTM/Triumph-Bajaj associations are awesome to see and a matter of great pride. A big challenge the industry faces is rapid regulation change, and the last five years have been chaotic in that context. The climate emergency is a real thing, and dramatic regulation changes are going to keep happening. I am intrigued to see where it goes. Manufacturers will have to be flexible to keep pace with the changes. Therefore, manufacturers are taking a different approach. Bike makers who used to be staunch rivals a few years ago are now joining hands and making international consortiums. We wouldn’t even have imagined this ten years ago. It’s the way forward and I think it's going to be fascinating to see how things shape out. What are some of the most important things or events that have shaped you into the journalist that you are today? I think having good mentorship is key to being a good journalist. I have been fortunate to have had some of the top auto journalists as my bosses over the years, starting with Sirish Chandran, Bertrand D'souza, Shubhabrata Marmar and now Hormazd Sorabjee. You never stop learning when working with such people, making you a better journalist. I think that it’s also very important to be patient in your career growth, never stop trying to be better and make sure to have fun while you’re doing it. What would be your words of advice for people who are looking to take up motoring journalism as a career? It’s a very shiny, appealing-looking thing from the outside. But beyond riding motorcycles and having a good time, your job is to write, your job is to make videos, and your job is to be good at that. So, first you have got to ask yourself, “Am I actually good at writing? Am I good at analysing and breaking stories? Am I good at presenting?” because that’s what the job really is. The job can be quite physical with 12-14 hour long shoot days being a regular thing, literally come rain or shine. It’s also not a massively lucrative profession and journalism will never be as well-paying as a high-flying corporate job. The money may not be as high, but you get to live a fun life, you get to travel, you get to experience the world if you are lucky, and of course, ride new motorcycles. However, it’s a lot of work, especially if you want to do it well. If you are ready to take it up, please be willing to start from the bottom. Do not expect to start your career and immediately jump onto superbikes and jumbo jets. It takes time. But put in the time and work and you could make a great life out of it.