It is not very often that you get to see a vintage car these days, and being able to see not one but several, that too, up, close and personal, is definitely very rare. To add to it, getting a ride with your partner in some of these vintage cars is something most of us can only dream about !!!
Sunday, the 4th of Sep, 2011 was one such rare day for several Floh members. We had the unique opportunity to meet singles and experience the amazing vintage car collection of Sulaiman Jamal, a member of the Karnataka Vintage Car Club. Collecting vintage and classic cars has been Sulaiman’s passion for several decades now, and his love for vintage cars is very evident when he speaks about them. They say a story is as good as the storyteller, and Sulaiman proved this right again. While we all went about seeing the array of cars parked in his garage, he regaled us with interesting stories of how each car was acquired, what state he found them in and how he refurbished them to the present state.
And the cars had us all spell bound !!! There were Daimlers and Austins and Wolseys and Mercedes, each one with their own special charm, indeed it was a tough to decide which was the best. We saw the custom made Daimler which was used by the Maharaja of Mysore, which was huge to say the least and even had 2 inbuilt low small chairs for servants of the Maharaja to press the Maharaja’s feet when he was travelling. Another of the historical cars was one which was owned by Narayan Karthikeyan’s father, and yes, it was in this very car in which Narayan learnt driving !! Like a group of curious and over excited kids, we all went around opening the doors of the cars, sitting behind the wheel and opening the bonnets to see what the engines looked like. And yes, all of us took pictures with our favorite cars to capture this unforgettable afternoon on print.
The best was yet to come. We actually got to ride in some of these cars and a few of the Floh members drove them too !! It was an experience beyond words to find a date.
Post the ride, we all bundled up in our modern and no-more-exciting cars and drove to “Herbs and Spices” for some good wine and a sumptuous lunch. The dress code for the day was Sunday Hats and the best male and female hatters were awarded with wine bottles from “Nine Hills”.
There were 25 Floh members and surprise, surprise, a few more single women than men! I knew only less than 6 folks that I’d met earlier, but the way the event was organized and structured, nobody seemed to feel out of place and the interaction between the men and women was very natural and not once did I feel conscious of being in a group of folks that I’d never met. (Later, a few of us even met up for drinks one evening in Toit and had a great time).
While wine and conversation flowed, we had interesting and insightful discussions on what barriers we face while trying to find a partner and if Floh will be the lucky place where we will meet “the one”? We can only wait and watch…..
