Bosch Advanced Aquatak Launch in Cochin

Sharp, Sturdy and precise are the kind of names one would give  to Bosch Products and on one particular overcast morning I was flown into the beautiful , pristine and green Ramada Resorts in Cochin. There were cars which had weathered time desperately needing a scrub waiting for our presence. The clean up area was abuzz with excitement. Everyone wanted to channelize their Holi  pichkari moves using the latest line of Bosch Advanced Aquatak Launch . The products ergonomically and aerodynamically designed would have pleased the hearts of a lot of motorbike and car enthusiasts for the ease with which it could be handled.

The products in question were the Universal Aquatak 120, Universal Aquatak 125, Universal Aquatak 130 , Universal Aquatak 135 , advanced Aquatak 150 and advanced Aquatak 160 high pressure washers and they were doing a splendid job in terms of removing stubborn dirt under tough working conditions. The high pressured washers differed from one another in terms of water flow rates of 350 to 410 liters per hour as well as maximum pressures that range from 120 bar to 135 bar, thereby offering the versatility and the power needed for different cleaning applications.

Links on a video whilst travelling and using the Bosch Products- 

https://www.facebook.com/shekhar.vijayan/videos/10158644355917037/

https://www.facebook.com/mcshekharvijayan/videos/211160586080961/

Users have a plethora of options, they could chose  from a tried and tested fan jet , a rotary jet and now a new high pressure pencil jet which was particularly useful in removing dirt all over. This enabled the cleaning foam produced to be evenly distributed evenly and quickly over the surface to be cleaned. With the advanced Aquatak 150 and advanced aquatak 160 , Bosch is stretching the limits with two powerful and robust tools for cleaning of dirt anywhere and everywhere. The two models in question  feature a four cylinder “ Quad “ pump which is efficient to the core and has been designed very effectively. The advanced models are light, compact and can be moved and transported easily.

As an influencer and as a blogger I could get my hands dirty- literally, figuratively and metaphorically  whilst using  the high pressure washers in  cleaning up all the cars and bikes on display using minimum effort . One felt like an European artist who just had the precise tools to make a difference and clean the dirt all around. The product is priced reasonably well across the length and breadth of india from INR -7,600/- to INR-35,000/-

Last but certainly not the least The team from Bosch were extremely supportive and sporting (game for a plank too)..Yeah that kind of day 

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - a name to reckon with

Sachin , Sachinnnn , Sachinnnn,Sachinnnn,  wherever the pint sized curly haired gem goes that victory chant will always follow him .

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is quite like Amitabh Bachchan ( his favourite actor ) aka Vijay Dinanath Chauhan from Agneepath which is also his favourite movie . Sachin was the angry young man with a cause taking on the opposition by the scruff of the neck inspiring many with his conduct on and off the field . There are many Sachin moments for all of us - the desert storm where The late Tony Greig with his animated and magical voice letting us know Sachin has arrived and how , the World Cup in 2003 where Sachin battled personal issues and set the record straight on the field and that one innings in New Zealand when Sachin came out as an Opening Batsman and hammered the living daylights of the kiwi Bowlers ( quite sure Danny Morrison will agree )  I for one absolutely love his straight drive which ticked  all manners of conventions showing the makers name with pride during the full follow through . The cover drive was copybook material straight out of a owners manual and when the bowler did try his version of a perfume ball .. Sachin responded with a pull or a hook . Sachin makes India tick .. don't believe me ...how many of us have switched on and switched off the idiot box when Sachin is in form or out , there will always be a debate around whether he was the best or not , the bowlers he faced .. every single one of them from the miserly curtly Ambrose to the fast and furious Dale Steyn had just no answer to the great man's pryotechnics .. the answer lies right there . Sachin is arguably known as the god of cricket . I would say his game is meant for the gods and even the gods  would  have been happy to watch him play showcasing his full repertoire of tricks a  la desi version of Troy . Well destiny certainly was his and and he chose a canvas as big as the cricket field to paint it with all the strong colours possible .
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - he came , he saw and he conquered and I dare say .. still conquering and while he is at it .. happywala birthday Sachin Tendulkar . Have a good one . 

Smaaash - this one really knocked the ball out of the park

I was invited by Smaaash to get a flavour of what their entertainment Center is all about and boy was I in for a ride of a different kind . The Smaaash entertainment Center has a staff which is dressed in shades of blue and they can lighten up your day and drive your blues away like a snap of a finger . The staff is on point , knowledgable and know the Center inside out.

I am a bigggg cricket addict and given a chance I would love to play cricket day and night against bowlers of all shapes and sizes . The Smaaash cricket game has different levels and you get to play bowlers of the pace of Wasim Akram , Brett Lee , Shoaib Akhtar , keioron pollard and also face the spin and guile of Shane warne , Muralidharan, Anil Kumble and Sachin . It's a virtual game you play against these bowlers with live commentary and score . This is the closest you can get to playing bowlers of this pedigree and the experience is priceless.

The finger coaster is another ride if you like a little bit of a rollercoaster in your day ( bangalore traffic can do that to you ) . What I liked about this ride is the fact that you could customise with your fingertip and you can't blame anyone but yourself when you go through this virtual reality game.

I like the idea of seeing tall buildings but walking a plank on the 15th floor of a building to another building with the environment playing truant .. well it tested me  and I came out tops - this was the star attraction - a virtual reality game called Vertigo - walk the plank
The arcade zone has games for the child within you ..whilst the twilight bowling is quite a sight when you bowl the nine pins down . If you have nimble feet and are blessed with focus you might fancy the game which tests your dancing skills.

A word on the in house restaurant which is aptly titled mighty small .. the servings are mighty and made with minimum of effort.

 If you are looking at having a smaaashing time with your family or friends  or want some alone time .. then Smaaash - India's first Urban Sports Center might just work for you 

Rishabh Pant wins heart and the Royal Challengers Bangalore plays Bold

Rishabh Pant ,the south paw who announced his arrival in IPl 2017 with a six has the kind of presence which Sir Vivian Richards will be proud of . His half century was worth its weight in gold ..coming in the circumstances it came in because of a personal bereavement , it deserved nothing less than a win . The rest of his team mates though seemed happy to be in the dugout playing musical chairs with each other losing wickets in a flurry , trying to become millionaires with their shot selection.

Royal Challengers Bangalore with the kind of support they get across the globe and in a city which was once known as the pensioners paradise came to the party at last. The absence of the charismatic Virat Kohli , the hard working KL Rahul and ABD - the man who defies geometric conventions with his audacious shots were sorely felt. It's also an opportunity for the other lesser known team members to make their presence felt and like that line in the trippy movie - Sholay-"Loha Garam hain mar do hatoda" loosely translated as "strike the iron when it's hot" .. Kedhar Jadhav did just that . He played unconventional shots all across the park racing to 69 off just 37 balls giving the Bold army the impetus to cheer the home side all the way through. RCB ended up with 157 for the loss of 8 wickets and from the looks of it on a batting paradise like the Chinnaswamy Stadium one felt they were 20 -30 runs short .. but then destiny has other plans.

The Delhi innings was all about Pant .He showed a lot of heart and spirit to fight till the end whilst his team members did not show the alacrity to partner with him to weather the Rcbian bowling which was top notch. RCB was in control of the game right throughout making the moments count . The spinners making the ball mumble a bit , the pacers with sheer pace and variations unsettling the Delhi batsmen. 21 runs were needed off the last 2 overs and the  penultimate over bowled by Shane Watson was a template on how to bowl right at the death . He gave nothing away and Amit Mishra swishing his blade like Zorro in thin air managed just two runs . The last over was a master stroke by the captain , he gave the ball to left arm spinner Negi . 19 needed off the last over and Pant tried hitting Negi out of the park ended up losing his leg stump and  the game was in Royal Challengers Bangalore's pocket. This win could just be the shot in the arm for RCB to kick start their winning ways and let their numerous fans across the globes rejoice with cheer and unbridled excitement 

My moment with a Martian ( on screen )

My moment with a Martian

I was invited for the life movie premiere which was presented by Sony Pictures in association with Rubin Raj Productions in a city which prides itself in being second to none  in terms of technology and I might just add in vehicular density. The movie premiere was a star studded affair with people from the creative space converging in an hour before this science fiction thriller was showcased at Fun Cinemas in Bangalore City . The backdrop , the selfie station and needless to say Sony Pictures and Rubin Raj Productions were head and shoulders above the rest . The people selected to come and watch this thriller were a right mix of the enterprising community of bangalore .

Life - the movie in a nutshell tells the story of six brave scientists aboard an international space station who have just discovered extra terrestrial life on Mars . All six of them have a destiny of their own which is unravelled as the movie orbits on a course of its own . Let's just say The extra terrestrial from Mars who is named Calvin for all sorts of friendly reasons doesn't turn out to be as friendly as the name would sound . There are lot of defining moments in this thriller and the first encounter the lead doc has with the extra terrestrial in a controlled environment is a scene  to watch out for. This movie keeps you on the edge of the seat and tells how life really is in outer space through the eyes of these passionate and emotional scientists dealing with an enemy from "within ". The movie ends on an open note and whilst you leave the theatre .. you are thinking what if this really happens and thank your stars that at times being too emotional might just not be a good thing whilst dealing with extra terrestrials from Mars.This thriller  was more of a emotional ride than a scientific one for me and on that note I would rate it as 3.5 / 5 with 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

See you at the movies

Trappedthemovie - the review

Rajkummar Rao has bled literally , figuratively and metaphorically in this movie . Trapped the movie works on the premise which has happened with all of us .The lead actor quite interestingly goes by the name of Shaurya and from the looks of it the only brave deed he would have done is asking the girl in his office out for for a butter soaked pav bhaji which becomes an inspiration in the end .Rajkumar through a sleigh of misfortune  gets stuck with a tricky situation which is a test of character for him on all levels . The movie shows how the protagonist navigates his way through this ordeal dealing with a power struggle , deaf people around him and under him and a rat  . One particular scene where Rajkummar Rao goes through the entire gamut of emotions whilst dealing with the aggression of fire and the calming influence of water stays with you .  This movie is not for the faint hearted ... catapults , cardboard boxes , cockroaches and pigeons have more than a passing shot in this thriller. As a viewer you see the film through the tiring but brave eyes of Shaurya .. and let's face it .. if you are stuck in a similar situation what would you do ?This movie is similar and dissimilar with films like castaway and 127 hours as they dealt with nature .. here he is right in the middle of a concrete jungle
and trapped . That's the irony of it . The movie is edited in a crisp manner with the background score adding it's own flavour .It goes without saying Rajkumarr Rao brings blood , sweat and toil in this role .

Trapped - the movie and the media interaction

From the time the trailer of this movie released .. it has intrigued me and as luck would have it .. I was invited for an interaction with the versatile lead actor Rajkummar Rao and the interprid Vikramaditya Motwane at Inox leisure Ltd ( Garuda Mall) by Rubin Raj . The movie in question is Trapped and quite unlike the name the actor and the director answered all the questions with consummate ease and tact ensuring they did not reveal the storyline at any given point. In a nutshell the movie #trapped is all about a man's endeavour to get out of his newly furnished apartment which is set in a high rise somewhere in the far flungs of maximum city aka Mumbai. This movie has tones of castaway meets 127 hours and to know more watch this thriller on 17th march at a theatre near you and on a side note if you hate tea /coffee / popcorn .. go for green tea . Stay fit .. stay healthy whilst watching this edge of the apartment survival thriller !!!!

Rangoon - the movie review

rangoon the movie - bloody hell and kiddo that's a catch phrase used irritatingly throughout this flick. The movie is a tad too long , first half has good moments  .. the second half never ends ..it has unnecessary songs, a Brit actor high on Hindi and it's pronunciation ( I so missed bob Christo here ) and there is a tip off to inglorious bastards for the story and Sholay for the fight sequence.. Saif throughout this movie calls Kangana "kiddo "for some strange reason .. guess he must be doing the same thing at home .. the movie ends with Saif doing a tight rope walk with a sword in his hand .. yeah that kind of movie and there are a lot of things you could do with that sword .. you might just walk out of the theatre muttering bloody hell .

Ghazi Attack - the review

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting so says Sun Tzu in the Art of War. T

Ghazi Attack is a different movie not just for the approach it takes but for the first time in Hindi films a movie on military warfare is shot under water. The movie has a stellar and a very able star cast in Om Puri , Naseer ( albeit in a short but a " politically " motivated role ) Atul Kulkarni who literally speaks from the gut, the tall presence of Rana Duggapati and the smouldering intensity of Kay Kay Menon. This movie keeps you on the edge right from the start . You know you are in for a submarine ride through the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal with very able Naval officers doing whatever they can to keep their nation's flag flying high at all costs. Drills have a new meaning in this flick and one particular scene about the egg and the water drives home the point that the deeper you go , the heavier you feel. I was never a fan of geometry but the way the scenes were shot around geometric  lines and angles .. I would have fallen in love with it if given a chance again . Water here seems to add not just flavour but also becomes another character in this movie when it sees so much of action happening down under. The radio operators played by both the Indian and the pakistani counterparts don't just have an ear for detail but also have insightful eyes.This is a movie which deserves more eye balls as its a grim reminder of the heroes we have who lay down their lives  without expecting anything in  return . The film has been shot well , the jerky camera movements  adding more than just a visual appeal in every scene . This movie talks about honour , ambition , valour in equal terms and the national anthem has never sounded so sweet even at 300 metres below sea level .
General Patton might just love this movie for the values it expounds  

Jolly LLB -2 review

Courtroom dramas always have a sense of drama in them and this flick has quite a bit of it.Jolly LLB sets the premise straight with Jogeshwar Mishra a resident of Kanpur trying the odd even formula which would make a certain trigger happy leader in helping out students crack the English exam .Jolly is a 12th assistant to a leading lawyer and knows all the tricks in the books to get his work done . Akshay Kumar as Jolly is endearing , goofy ,winsome and quite a revelation as a lawyer who grows into the role which is not all black and white initially. This movie is all about a staged police encounter with justice being shown the door.Jolly is waiting for that one moment when he can land a fat case which is worth arguing for and ensure his family lives happily ever after. Due to an untimely death of a pregnant mother which leads to a precarious situation in the courtroom ...Jolly ends up fighting for what is right . The movie has its moments . The courtroom scenes between a top lawyer played by the man who is as animated in Antakshari as he is in the courtroom.. Annu Kapoor and Akshay kumar are whistle worthy . Umud Mishra plays the cop who orchestrates the entire fake encounter to land himself a promotion and his eyes talk more than his dialogues . The judge played by Saurabh Shukla does a mean Shandaar dance and makes his heavy presence felt standing out in one scene where there is a slap , gun shots and a hammer . Huma Quereshi as Jolly's wife knows how to gulp down a glass of whiskey in the neatest manner and that's about it and yes she likes her Gucci dress. This is an Akshay Kumar movie all the way . He wins you over with his sincerity, street smart cred and his ability for standing against a system. The movie has loopholes , a tad too long and the songs are unnecessary but the supporting cast does their job well. If you like Akshay and for the versatile choices he makes which is quite different from the rest.. you will like it .

Breakfast with champions - a review

The Caribbean flavour

By the end of this episode you might just end up humming the champion song which works at all levels because of its really simple singalong  lyrics . Gaurav manages to remove the sheen from the cricketers and make them more humane like all of us . Bravo a teetotaller reveals during the freewheeling conversation that Cricket unites West Indies as against other sports . The breakfast is shudh Gujarati vegetarian fare and as expected Bravo is game enough to try a little bit of everything  revealing a side of him which says it's better to try and fail rather than not try at all.

The Chandni Chowk connection

What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force .. Danny Morrison is in Chandni Chowk .Dan the man  gets a crash course on the gastronomic history of the paratha Wali galli from Gaurav whilst walking through the crowded alleyways . An animated Danny shoots the breeze with Gaurav over puri aloo and a dry hair massage and answers some very interesting questions on his debut match and his desi connection with India

Master class with the tweaker

Bishen Singh Bedi - the man who could deceive you with his guile and loop as a bowler is an interviewers delight . He is frank , outspoken and calls a spade a spade . Gaurav - charming and easy going gets Bish to talk and one feels like a fly in that sprawling garden listening to his incredible stories . He speaks about the inspirational Tiger Pataudi, his moment with Sir Donald Brahman on integrity ,his fellow tweakers .. and that moment when Shane Warne  sought his advice  out before bowling to Sachin Tendulkar. There certainly was sukoon and junoon in this episode

The Rawalpindi express
Picture this .. Shoaib Akhtar running with a f-16 ... with the kind of speed he used to bowl its quite a possibility. In this episode you get to see a side of Shoaib Akhtar who is raw , impulsive , candid and hard working . Gaurav through the course of the conversation over croissants and waffles gets us to know what makes the Rawalpindi tick- that madness and that animalistic run .

The correct man

There is something about Ajinkya rahane .. the way he let's his bat do the talking and then digs into that big omelette of his giving a glimpse of his mindset whilst batting ,his take of what marriage is all about vis a vis the non striker in cricketing parlance and his immense respect for Rahul Dravid.


Bakbak with Zak

It's always tough for bowlers says Zaheer khan nonchalantly .. he with his left arm swing might give the impression that he means business from the word go but during this freewheeling conversation you get to see a side which is nostalgic and has come to terms with the fact that he was a part of a World Cup winning squad in   2011.. and he loves his cheese cake and ghee in no particular order.They say fast bowlers hunt in pairs .. but fast bowlers as next door neighbours ....Ajit Agarkar stays right  next door and he makes an appearance in this episode talking about the size of bats and the Caribbean drawl of Michael Holding aka whispering death  who just loves the IPL ( nudge nudge wink , wink ) and that line summarises this episode pretty well - the mind is writing cheques which the body can't encash anymore 

Spin , guile and English batsmen

A t20 game is not just slam bang stuff . There is so much more to it this encounter at the Chinnaswamy stadium between the home team and the t20 2016 World Cup finalist had all the makings of a classic and it didn't disappoint .

Top 10 moments in this game

1. The Virat Kohli run out right at the beginning of the Indian innings must have cockled the hearts of the English side but not for long
2. Raina is a flat track bully and if it's a t20 he suddenly becomes asterix with or without that magic potion . He was greeted by deodorant balls and he does what he does best , muscling the ball with his full follow through , his straight six was the stand out
3. KL Rahul hit one of the biggest sixes which was around 98 metres and over the roof top . Coming from a touch player like him .. He really upped the ante but then he paid a price for playing across the line a bit too often getting castled by a straight delivery
4. The English Bowlers tried bowling to a plan but the Suresh Raina and MSDcombine had other plans , navigating one particular miserly MoenAli over which was worth gold dust in this format
5. Raina made a quick fifty , Dhoni in this particular innings was playing straight racing to his first fifty in t20 giving Yuvraj time to settle in
6. Yuvraj Singh - when on song is an absolute pleasure to watch . He made love to the ball in the most left handed manner .He  was playing like lord shiva on tandav . He made the most of the 18th over , taking 24 runs , losing his wicket in the process , but the damage had been done .india making a mammoth 202 runs which in hindsight is quite a challenging target in the beautiful Chinnaswamy stadium

7.  The English batsmen were greeted with the wide grin of #nehraji and he bowled a superb first over ..not giving an inch away
8. It didn't take much time for the spinners to get into the contest ..the hard working Amit Mishra leading the way
9. T20 games are not always batsmen pulverising the ball , it gets interesting when there is an even contest between bat and ball . Morgan in one particular over of Suresh Raina took him to the cleaners , hitting him all around the park for 22 runs . The next over proved to be the game changer
10. Yazhuvendra chawal a RCBian knows the Chinnaswamy stadium like the back of his hand and he baffled the English batsmen with his vast repertoire of tricks who wanted to go back home in a hurry . Chawal took 6 wickets for 25 .

The Indian batsmen did set up the score but the bowlers were up to it baffling  the English batsmen with pace , spin and guile making the victory even more sweeter.

Roger that

A game of equals or do numbers say a different story . Two champs who have vastly different approaches to their games . The man who could have been a ballet dancer in another life .. you can roger that . Roger Federer in full flow is poetry in motion . He looks like he has all the time in the world to play his ground strokes all across the court whilst the gent at the other end looks like a man who was born to fight and retrieve anything which comes his way . Good , bad or ugly it doesn't matter .

Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have had an injury ridden backstory  and when it matters the most ... they bring their A game to the court. Today was quite a super Sunday . The champs hitting their straps early , displaying supreme levels of fitness winning two sets a piece getting into autopilot mode in the fifth set giving the sporting Melbourne populace their dollars worth .

Both the champs played with a take no prisoner nonchalance delivering winners from any angle possible . Federer playing the ball early never having a bad hair day whilst Rafa is all rough power maximising his defensive game to the T. Nadal powers through to take a two games to love lead against the champ whose down the line and cross court backhand from Anywhere on the court Is a piece of art .

In five setters Rafa is a fortress he will retrieve ,retrieve and retrieve till the opponent just gives up .This game is like a match up between a rolls Royce and a raging bull and man do they mean business or what . High risk tennis at its best . Both the players bruising each other mentally with the angles on their shots . Nadal is all brute power whilst Federer is grace personified .

Federer for the first time in three and a half hours coming to the net with the score tied on 3-3 delivering a winner to take a 4-3 lead making tennis great rod laver look on approvingly. Roger Federer breaks Nadal on his serve taking his game into auto pilot mode serving for the championship at 5-3 .Federer brings out the aces when it matters the most winning the championship in a five setter which will be written in the annals of history as a battle of greats with hawkeye deciding the final
Point . This was a slugfest between two champions giving their best on the big stage playing a game which is meant for the gods