My 1st day in Castrol on 1985-08-12, exactly 38 years ago

On this day exactly 38 years ago, viz. 12th August 1985 (it's 12th August 2023 today), I had climbed upto the 3rd floor in a wood, brass and iron caged lift and walked in with pride through the huge and dark polished teak door into the portals of INDROL Lubricants and Specialities Limited (the erstwhile name of Castrol India Ltd those days) at 14 India Exchange Place, Kolkata 700001 as an Executive Trainee, almost fresh out of B-school. 

Ever since that day Castrol runs through my blood. It's almost like I dream, drink, eat, breathe, smell, bathe and of course worship Castrol everyday, although I had called it quits after a shade lesser than 7 years in January 1992. Without elaborating further, I can only say that the umbilical cord with Castrol India Ltd has remained firmly attached till this day and has only grown stronger with every passing year. Hopefully, I will be able to hold on to the attachment till the day I breathe my last. 

Castrol made me a truly confident man. 

Castrol made me a real roadie. 

I love Castrol from the core of my heart ❤. 

P.S: On this day I can't stop thanking the three stalwarts who mentored me, had total confidence in me, gave me absolute liberty to perform and treated me with so much of love, warmth and affection. Thank you Late Dr Bijoy Kumar Barman Sir (ex- MD cum CEO), Dilip Guha Sir (ex- Director Marketing) Sir, Ramesh Chandra Mahajan Sir (ex- GM East) 🙏. 

Sirs, wherever you are, please keep showering me your affection. 

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* Indrol 

* Castrol 

* Castrol India Ltd 

* Castrol India 

* Indrol Lubricants And Specialities Ltd 

* Castrol Made Me A Roadie 

* Indian Roadie Recollections

My WB38A0582 has rolled on roads far and wide between 1991 and 2022

My LML Vespa 150 NV (MyWB38A0582) on 2 wheels only. 

Registered in July 1991 from Asansol (WB). 

My faithful vahan must have rolled 2.25+ lakh kms between July 1991 upto this day, viz. 2022-11-22. 

Fuel economy: 31 - 33 kmpl (within Kolkata city even after 31 years. 

Engine overhauling: Yes (a couple of times). 

Cluth plate replacement: Yes (a couple of times). 

Tyre replacement: Each of the tyres of the three wheels (including stepney) must have been changed 5 - 6 times. Most of the times (not always), MRF has been the tyre of my choice. 

Starting from Kolkata, my faithful has been to Bardhaman, Durgapur, Asansol, Barakar (WB), Chittaranian, Purulia, Bankura, Bishnupur, Bolpur, Suri, Rampurhat, Baharampore, Chakdaha, Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Farakka, Malda, Arambagh, Kharagpur, Baripada (OD), Balasore, Baripada, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Brahmapur (OD), Srikakulam, Vizianagram, Vizag (AP), Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir (OD), Deogarh, Keonjhar, Saraipalli, Raipur (then MP, now CG), Dhanbad, Jharia, Bokaro Steel City, Dumka (then BR, now JH). I might have missed out mentioning a host of more locations. These trips on my LML Vespa were invariably solo rides undertaken mostly  between 1991 and 1996. 

All these towns are in the same place where it used to be 35 - 40 years ago. I was taught where these places are when I was in school and came to know about a lot more when I roamed around India during my years with Castrol India more than 30 years ago. 

Now you know why I don't need to stare at some moving dot or an arrow on a dumb online navigation map while driving or riding. I do stare at it if I need to move from Patparganj to Mahipalpur in Delhi or Churchgate to Oberoi Mall in Mumbai. 

Photos clicked at Madurdaha in East Kolkata on Tuesday, 2022-11-22 at around 12.30 pm.  

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* My WB38A0582 

* Castrol Made Me A Roadie