The story behind the birth of "The Bike Chronicles of India"
And then I discovered "Blogs"..
In 2006 I had just finished the first year of my MBA and as per the curriculum requirements; I needed to undertake a 2 month "Summer Internship" assignment. As luck would have it, I managed to get internship with one of the Major Auto Manufacturer (and its NOT Bajaj Auto) of India.
The 2 month Summer Internship was about "Impact of Social Media (Internet) on the Indian Automobile Sector". You might now ask what is "Social Media"?
In 2006 most of the Indians who were online had not heard of the term “Blog” or knew what a blog actually was..
I used to be one of them..
That form of media, powered by the internet and in which the content is provided by common people like you and me and in which there is mass involvement, is called Social Media. Internet Discussion Forums, Online Groups (Yahoo groups, Google groups etc.), Online Communities like Orkut, Video sharing sites like YouTube, Photo sharing sites like PicasaWeb, Flickr and of course Blogs are part of this Social Media.
Even though there have been active bloggers (all non auto related) in India since the early 2000’s, in 2006 most of the Indians who were online had not heard of the term “Blog” or knew what a blog actually was. In fact even I used to be one of them.
So what is a "Blog"?
In my own very simple words: A “Blog” is a “Personal Website”.
It is like an “Online Diary”. “Blog” is actually a short form of the words “WeB-Log” and the act of maintaining/writing on a blog is called “Blogging”. Thanks to Bollywood celebrities like Mr. Amitabh Bacchan and Aamir Khan who have their own blogs, most people in India who are active online now know what a “Blog” is or must have at least heard of the term “Blog”.
Why did I start “The Bike Chronicles of India”?
During my Summer Internship (mid 2006), I did come across a few “Yahoo Groups” and a few “Internet Discussion forums” which were created to discuss about Indian Automobiles. Strange as it might sound today, but in mid 2006 Orkut was relatively was new phenomenon (in India) and not many had heard about YouTube..!!
In mid 2006, I also couldn’t find a single blog which was dedicated to two wheelers from India. There were a few blogs here and there but they mostly abandoned by the authors after a few posts. Later I did come across "Motorcyclist at large" (which was a few months old back in mid 2006).
Nevertheless I did finish my Summer Training and started my second year of my MBA. During that time I had an Idea that since there weren’t any serious Indian blog dedicated to covering Indian two wheelers, why didn’t I start one?
And that is how I started “The Bike Chronicles of India” in August 2006 as www.Indian2wheels.blogspot.com. Towards the end of 2007 I went in for my own domain and now the new url of “The Bike Chronicles of India” was www.2WheelsIndia.Com.
What is the Mission and Vision behind “The Bike Chronicles of India”?
When I started this blog, the initial 1-2 months there weren’t too many visitors. But slowly as I continued posting, the number of hits started to increase steadily. What started as an “Online Diary” soon took the shape of a one stop source of news, views and reviews on Motorcycles of India. Presently, TBCI has enabled me to connect with like minded individuals not only from India but also from across the globe.
The Mission behind TBCI is still evolving and I believe that it will continue to do so. But the Vision has always been a clear one for me, i.e. to continue Blogging about 2 wheelers (mostly motorcycles) of India for as long as I can. Maybe after 50 years I will look back in time and see the Two Wheeler Scenario evolve chronologically over the years “through my eyes”.
Now, won’t that be something..??
Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
