Fueling Thoughts

I  know, I have used a trite, populist headline to get your attention and hope I succeeded. After all in my abysmally short avatar as an automotive writer, the question popped at me at every step was how to get better fuel economy from a car, motorcycle or even a lorry; not that many bothered to listen to my reply or ever tried out what I suggested. Everyone wanted a magic-wand solution, but I usually started out with “when did you last check your tire pressure?” I  entered the automotive press with travelogues, motorcycling ones. Soon came an offer to write a monthly column for a now defunct Automotive publication. Though it was India's first, it had by then already changed numerous publishers and the incumbent editor informed me that he was publishing it for the last 9 months, without any of his staff having a driving license. Nine months later after penning a monthly motorcycling column along with a series of travel and general automotive articles and f

“What do you mean mill-scale formation would reduce if I start using Emulsified Fuels, I sell the mill-scale!!”                                                                             But at what rates? I asked.                                                                                                   “I always get at least 800 Rupees a ton,” boasted the Executive Director .   “Well considering that steel ingots cost about Rs.25,000 per ton, wouldn’t it make more sense to cut down on waste generation, rather than selling it at 3% of its value?” Silence… Sometimes, the logic and fallacies governing Indian business practices defy all convention, so visiting a new client I am always mentally prepared to hear the most outlandish of claims or experience the most bizarre of procedures. The above conversation was held at the office of a mid-sized SME Steel rebar manufacturer and my pitch was how converting to Emulsified HFO would save them far more money by red

The communication came in the form of a filled up feedback form from my erstwhile website. It was written in very poor English, which was all right as the sender was not from an English speaking country, but the tone was nasty and its insinuations, simply preposterous; that I had stolen his technology!!  I had never heard of this person, his technology or even seen the website, which he highlighted in his note. I replied back in the best Russian that I could muster( as I don't know Ukrainian) , that Fuel Emulsification wasn’t exactly rocket science, and I needn’t copy anything from him and wished him luck. He was apparently not satisfied and in his updated website goaded about how the Americans stole his technology, the Indians (that’s me) pinched it from the Americans and the Chinese just copied from the Indians. At least we were not at the bottom of the list!! Last month it was I, who was sending emails to several companies offering  Fuel Emulsions r

It’s ironic how the world’s two most used energy resources are the ones getting the worst rap. Petroleum is invariably associated with fundamentalist medieval regimes or brutal foreign invasions under the self-righteous guise of ushering democracy. While Coal, which produces 41 % of the world’s and 68% of India’s electricity, is usually thought about only in terms of pollution, mafia, miners dying in explosions and in the recent years; scandals involving corrupt Indian politicians and their Crony-Capitalist friends. Though boasting India’s first colliery but only having 0.37% of the country’s reserves, in  North Eastern India, it is also infamous  for the so-called Coal Syndicate of Assam and the notorious rat-hole mines of Meghalaya. The precarious conditions and safety records of the latter even made it to the pages of the L.A. Times, leading to the current mining ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal. It just takes a short 20 minute ride from Assam's

Some would be smart and sophisticated, others downright rude and crude. One will act as if he is doing  a great favour, another regard you with utmost suspicion as if dealing a thief and the third, talk so condescendingly one would think that you already owe him money. Lets accept it; friendly, sensible clients who pay on time and do it willingly and respectfully are far and in-between. I wish I could write a true self-help style article about how to find great, paying clients. Unfortunately, even after working for decades I am clueless about it and still have to put up with freeloaders, moochers and talk-you-downs on a weekly basis. Thus, as I lack both clairvoyance or the skills of Cold Reader, with wisdom garnered from innumerable  insipid professional experiences, I created a strict manifesto for screening out Shylocks amidst potential clients and regimenting my work. 1. Never Do it For Free. If you are good in something never do it for free even if it is y

A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to visit a pretty large plant, an old one, a sort of local Industrial landmark, but well past its prime where even the signs of decay were showing signs of age. The white wash was peeling off most buildings and most of the metallic structures were either rusty or thickened by innumerable coats of paint. Their staff too, either seemed  approaching retirement age or were youngsters who looked as if they had grown up in one of the employee's colonies and filled up the posts vacated by the previous generation. Fuel Paradise Walking the plant's internal roadways below smoking stacks and trying not to gag in air, breathable only if one is used to the smell of ammonia and rotten eggs, we made our way to see a senior engineer whose age made one think that he had  not only witnessed the commissioning, but even the laying of the foundation stone of the factory. For a change, he was quite amiable, offered us water, spoke about

"I am not running Greenpeace here," proclaimed a CEO of a large company to whom I was extolling the virtues and eco-friendliness of our Emulsified Fuels. My two hour session where  my every point  was cross questioned, countered or simply ignored, all stemmed down to one thing;  by how much would our fuel be cheaper than their current stock.  Though we have already got used to this characteristic routine and now expect it from every potential client, I still can't help getting peeved when industry people,  especially the technical bosses just ignore the ecological impact and the long time maintenance related benefits derived from using a superior grade of Fuel. Car Fuel Once while facing a similar scenario, I suddenly asked my prospective as whether he uses the same criteria of buying only the cheapest fuel for his luxury car and whether he used the cheapest lubricants in it as well. Lets say he was startled for a moment, not used to having vendors qu