In a conversation with team Invigorate

With only a couple of days left for one of the most exciting auto expos the city has seen in the recent times, ExPRESS Magazine representatives had a gala time in a conversation with team Invigorate!

1) Tell us about your first event , i.e. Invigorate 1.0?

- Invigorate 1.0 was quite an unexpected and out-of-the-blue event. Just a month prior to the scheduled date, when we tied up with the Lighthouse club NGO and came in close contact with personnel of the named brands, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes Benz etc. With the help of Mr.Tapash Das (Indian representative of Lighthouse), we came in contact with personnel from other prominent car manufacturers whose dire interest in this auto expo sparked a new adventure and challenge for ten of us students. Our college is one of the three automobile colleges in Eastern India. With such support we wanted to launch an event to create a new educational and technical experience for the budding engineers. With the wide-spread share of our posters over the social media, we got a startling response from other colleges and finally we were handed with an assignment for hosting Invigorate 2.0.

Team Invigorate

2) What makes your event unique from the other auto-expos?

- It started as an educational event. It took a lot of effort on our part to make it an unique one from the rest.  In other auto expos, you'll be charged for entry passes unlike ours. Yes, it is absolutely free of cost and the invitation goes to everyone.generally out there,the owners come to display the car models and show the start up of the engines without moving into the underlying technical details . While here, we arrange for demonstrations, its working methods, the processes and as well the marketing and sale strategies.It is completely a non-profitable event .

3) Where does your passion for biking stem come from?

Akash Sinha at Invigorate 1.0

AKASH SINHA :- Well it had started right from my childhood, I used to ride Royal Enfield Classic 350, thanks to my dad (giggles)! Its sound, design and everything fantasized me .Also gaming had an impact on me too, so even that aspect has to be considered, you see who doesn't like wheels? It adds a thrill to your life (laughs)!

4) What were the difficulties faced while organizing such an event?

- Launching of such events come with lot of difficulties. The first approach was not taken seriously, as we are just mere students. But eventually we had to convince them a lot and our close alliance with Mr.Shweat Kamal (CEO of Porsche in India) got us DSK Benelli's response as well as Mohan Motor's. With that came the hope of being able to pursue other companies .

5) People must have turned you down, so what was the take on there?

- Definitely with companies turning their back at us, we had to be persistent over two months to get an assurance from them . We acquired a commendable support from Mr.Supriyo Dhara (mentor of our automobile department) , whose close tie ups with major companies made it easy for us to reach them since it would be a gain for both the parties.

6) What do you think of the biking scenario of the country?

- Generally the first sentence Indians will ask, "Kitna deti hai"?(What's the mileage?) ! They are just concerned about the mileage unlike the true devotees of bikes who judge a bike embracing all its intricate details and we honor them . so we are basically concerned about them , the passionate bikers and this is the platform where we look forward to , 'Unite the real bikers of Kolkata in one place' .

7) What are the new inputs Invigorate looks forward to?

- We'll carry on with few more non-profitable events to initially gain popularity and then once we're successful there we shall go professional . We also look forward to include young engineer's own modified vehicles , that'll be highly appreciated !

8) Is that something that has never been done before in the city?

Akash Sinha (One of the core members) - Well no, after a visit to the Elite Car Club, I have seen a modified vehicle using the V8 engine, which stood an amazing chance in between the Ferrari and Lamborghini.So that was a sparking inspiration for us to provide a platform to those who are interested in the automobile field.

9) People towards whom you want to extend a note of thanks ?

- At the very first , Mr.Taposh Das deserves a special thanks, without whom we wouldn't have come across Mr.Dave (The US representative of the Lighthouse club) . secondly Mr.Shweat Kamal (CEO Of Porsche India), whose extremely humble and cooperative attitude along with the sincere approach towards companies, got us immense aid. I would also like to thank Mr.Rahul Thakkar, Mr. Mayur Yadav( Sales manager of Audi India), and Mr.Supriyo Dhara, whose assisstance got us KTM International, Madras Rubber Factory and others.

Yes Sir, that's a real Cayman, be there at Invigorate 2.0 to get a fantastic
exposure to some of the coolest bikes in the world.

10) What do you expect of this event?

- As we've previously mentioned, it is basically launched as an educational event , to give an understanding ride to all the students and provide them with enough marketing and technical knowledge about their favorite cars on road. also to make others aware that the young team of Invigorate has the talent to create such an event, completely new to the cooperative world. We're not bragging , but as per our knowledge , Invigorate might be the first to organise such an event (probably) .

11) Can you name the few bikes which will be displayed on 12th April ?

- First , I would mention DSK BENELLI , The TNT - 300, 600 I , YAMAHA YZR and R3 , FAZER , FZ-16 ,FZ-5 ,  ROYAL ENFIELD CONTINENTAL GT , TRIUMPH DAYONA 675 , DAYONA 675 ABS , KTM RC 390 & BAJAJ AVENGER T20 . H2, and the world's fastest bike is also coming.

That's the DSK BENELLI, and yes sir, it's coming!

 Be there at dr. Sudhir Chandra Sur degree engineering college by 11am. (540 Dum Dum Road, Surer Math, Kolkata - 700074) to feel the thrill! 

Directions :- Get down at Dum Dum metro station, and take an auto towards Nager Bajar, get down at Surer Math, a passer-by will surely point you out in the right direction, its a 2 or 3 minutes walking distance from that place!

If you're coming from Nagerbazar side, take an auto towards Dum Dum metro station, get down at Surer Math right after you cross Motijheel college. Turn left, walk for a couple of minutes, and BAM, you're there!


INTERVIEW BY :- HIFZA ABID AND SHREYA BASAK