BHPian Dr.Vikas recently shared this with other enthusiasts: kodaKYLAQ: Camouflage Design Workshop Over the last few years, the policy adopted by Skoda India to invite suggestions & ideas from their customers is truly commendable. Accordingly, TeamSkoda started inviting few distinguished customers in various activities & events organised across India under the flag of FansOfSkoda In Q1 of 2022, the DriveWithSLAVIA contest paved the way to the first-ever chapter of such events by selecting 15 founder members of the FansOfSkoda group. And how could I ever forget the fond memories of the World Dynamic Premiere of koda SLAVIA at Taj Exotica Resorts, Goa? Throwback pic of kodaSLAVIA launch event – It’s really crazy how fast time flies & things progress as by now kodaIndia is preparing for the launch of new koda KYLAQ under its revised ‘India 2.5’ plan over the current ‘India 2.0’ project under which the Kushaq & Slavia cars were built. The ‘India 2.5’ plan describes Skoda’s strategy to emphasize more on the Indian market, following strategic exits from the other markets simultaneously. It’s really a bold move. Skoda India now targets to sell 100,000 vehicles in India every year by 2026, besides exporting to the ASEAN & Middle East countries from the Indian manufacturing plant. As a part of Skoda India’s exercise for the upcoming new compact SUV, a unique but confidential event namely Camouflage Design Workshop was organised at Hotel President, Mumbai & I had an opportunity to attend it along with few other FansOfSkoda members. Skoda India had arranged for my air travel from Kolhapur & a special vehicle for the conveyance from the airport for the next two days. Random Clicks at Kolhapur Airport – A South Mumbai city tour on Saturday evening was one of the special attractions this time. We came across people gazing curiously while our convoy of Skoda cars was cruising in a disciplined manner from Marine Lines towards Nariman Point. Our sight seeing tour commenced from Wilson College & gradually went on visiting Girgaon Chowpatty, Bombay Gymkhana, Wankhede Stadium, Oberoi and Trident Hotels, Mantralaya, Rajabai Tower, Mumbai University, Bombay High Court, Cross Maidan, Fashion Street, Police Headquarters, Flora Fountain, Asiatic Society-Library, St Thomas Cathedral to conclude with photo ops at the Tajmahal Palace Hotel & Gateway Of India. Fans at Gateway of India- Throughout the drive, the tour guide Suraj Hattarkal in the lead car was continuously sharing all relevant information on various historical, cultural and commercially important places on walkie-talkie. His oratory skills & narration was amazing ! In due course the tour, a mention of the 26/11 terrorist attack on South Mumbai was inexorably in order. Pak militant Ajmal Kasab when hijacked a Skoda car, at dusk got confused with the Head Light controls & was eventually caught in the clutches of the martyred Police Constable Shri.Tukaram Ombale then. Salute to the heroic act & ultimately supreme sacrifice of the BraveHeart ! We never knew the leisurely fun on the Saturday evening had even more lovely surprises ahead with dinner planned at Native Bombay a renowned restaurant on Cochin Road in Ballard Estate, popular among customers for its excellent service, pleasant ambience and gourmet cuisine delicacies. Petr Janeba, Brand Director – Media and PR head Sandeep Fernandes introduced us to Petr Janeba Brand Director, koda India at the dining table & no wonder, our dinner then extended till midnight with some informal chatting until we called it for a day at Hotel President. In fact, Skoda India has already collaborated with the well-known Art Designer Harun Robert aka Rob to create the design of the camouflage to be applied extensively onto the test mules. Teamkoda thought that the design should be distinctive & based meticulously on Indian art style. So the special event namely ‘Camouflage Design Workshop with Rob’ was organized to seek innovative ideas & special design elements from FansOfSkoda. Popularized by his TV show, Rob has 2.8M followers on Instagram @artguyrob. Yours truly With Rob – On Sunday morning after breakfast the Workshop started, in fact being amateurs, sharing our ideas on such a big professional platform was truly a unique experience for all of us. No doubt the exchange of ideas with Rob on various design aspects during the 2-3 hour workshop would certainly create some stunning results. His attributes of eagerly listening & further kindly appreciating every suggestion we made, were easily perceivable. Art Designer Harun Robert aka Rob at work – The workshop itself was intended more towards active involvement of all the invitees rather than just a kinda typical seminar. All our desks were fully prepared with a drawing book, pencil, Blue Stick, Cutting Board with blades, Fevicol and a cardboard template in the shape of the new car etc. Everyone was given free hand to express their thoughts, ideas, suggestions regarding the Camouflage design in accordance with their convenient medium. However, a compulsory ‘project’ was also there asking to cut various shapes out of colorful soft sheets using the cutting board & then to paste them on the card board template to form creative designs. We had to stretch our imagination skills to the best for the project & it inexorably reminisced about our school days. Then all our creative artwork was showcased on a display board followed by a photo session with the dignitaries. With Er.Mansur Mohd & Sandeep Fernandes, Teamkoda – Before the conclusion of this unique event, a variety of sumptuous multi-cuisine food from the five-star menu was served for the lunch and then finally it was time to say good bye. Final Group photo – Anyway I’m sure the final outcome of the special ‘brain storming’ session at the ‘Camouflage Design Workshop’ will get lots of praise from the fans & also at the media coverage of the new SUV, kodaKYLAQ !! Cheers Teamkoda with Rob – Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
