India Drive - Onward

India Drive - Onward Pictures

OPEN episode came to a close by end October 2014. I didn’t have much savings; but I realized 4 months’ notice period is a good thing! There was no suitable employment in sight. Couple of months had gone, with me doing nothing with zero income. I read some books, met friends most evenings. But how long? I did not want to come under any ‘depression’. While Chandratal was a dream, there was another one which I had been living with for a few decades. Drive down to Kerala. If I couldn’t find friends for Chandratal drive, how could I have dreamt of friends joining this longer  drive. Solo? There I go..Independence Days and Republic Days are great windows to drive out as clubbed with Sundays, you get a longer break. Since I was unemployed, I don’t know why I decided on 26^th Jan. Nevertheless I did. 

Since it was a very long journey, it took me a lot of time to pack my car with suitcases, bags and other stuff. I also packed a tent. Just in case.. I needed clothes to cover winter and summer as I was getting back to Delhi in March. I had to be back in Delhi by 8^th March as my younger daughter had her Maths exam of 10^th on 9^th March. I was the Vice President of the Magazine Association (AIM) and had the responsibility of organizing the Indian Magazine Congress, which was in Madras. I needed formals. You can imagine how much I had to pack in my car. Shiraz is super-efficient; but it was 1.30 pm by the time I left Delhi and my target was Gwalior. (I had no hotel reservations in this trip. My friends, Suresh and Krish and my niece Purnima, helped me with late afternoon/ evening bookings in all ‘pitstops’)

News of 26^th Jan 2015 was that Obama decided not to visit Agra the next day, which he was scheduled to. But I reached Agra by evening. My beast took 2 hours 45 minutes flat, thanks to Republic Day and Taj Expressway. One had to go through the city and I was stuck in Agra for some 35 minutes. 6.30 pm, I was in Gwalior. I paused for a while at the bypass to think whether to go to city or drive on further to Jhansi which is only about 100 KMs away. What will I do at 6.30 Pm in Gwalior? If it was earlier, I could have visited the palace and said Hi to Jyotiraditya! By then, it was dark and roads were really bad. From UP, I had entered MP for a while before reaching UP again. (Gwalior is in MP and Jhansi in UP). By the time I reached Jhansi it was close to 9 pm and the MPT hotel which I had thought of staying was soldout for a wedding. But I managed a decent place nearby which had a basement parking.  One can’t stay in hotels which have roadside parking as the car was full of things. State tourism hotels provide the best options as they are always centrally located and have spacious compounds, obviously with ample parking space. 

Khajuraho, my first ‘destination’, is just about 3 hours drive (175 KMs). I left Jhansi hotel around 11.30 and reached my MPT hotel in Khajuraho by 3 pm or so. Parked my car and took a cycle rik to Khajuraho temple complex, a group of hindu and Jain temples. This UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for Nagara style architecture and erotic sculptures. The Chandela dynasty built most of these temples between 885 CE and 1000 CE. 

MPT hotel stay was comfortable and food delicious. Next morning, I headed out to Chindwara via Sagar and Narasinhapur. Amazing highway where one could clip! I had read about a tribal (Gonda) museum in Chindwara which is the reason why I chose it as my second destination for visit and nothing to do with Kamal Nath! Contrary to expectations, I found a nice little resort in Chindwara. While talking to my friend, Suresh Selvaraj, in the evening, he asked me what I was doing at Chindwara and why I am not going to Pench, the tiger reserve. Honestly, It hadn’t crossed my mind. I decided to wrap up the Tribal Museum visit early and head to Pench. In fact, there wasn’t much in the museum except for some tribal implements, weapons and clay models of hutments and tribals. I drove to the MPT resort in Pench- Kipling’s Court, named after Rudyard Kipling whose ‘Jungle Book’ is based on Seoni forests. Seoni Forest is Pench Tiger Reserve now. They had rooms available; but almost all safari Gypsys had already left. The manager told me to have lunch quickly and take the last Gypsy which meant I got a solo ride. I did grab a beer too to wash down the buffet lunch. I can’t forget the taste of the river fish curry which I never expected in middle of MP. 

My MPT property was very close to the gate of the park and got there in no time. At the gate, I heard some conversation between my driver and the guards about tiger sighting, in their dialect. My driver asked me to take a safari ticket for a particular route. Each Park has a different rule for safari routes. Here one could buy a ticket for a particular route. 

Some 40 minutes into the safari, I saw a couple of stationery gypsys ahead of me indicating the grand event- sighting. It was a kind of blind right turn as on the right was hilly. Then I saw this tiger lying down just ahead of us. While it was sinking in, as multiple attempts in Corbett had yielded no results, Collarwali got up and started crossing the road royally. Mine was the  third Gypsy from front. She crossed the first one to the side and started walking down the left side of the other Gypsys. It was a royal show lasting a few minutes as she walked on the road for some time before vanishing into the forest behind us. 

I was quite thrilled with my achievement and Suresh Selvaraj who recommended Pench was god! I asked the driver how long the whole safari is. He said another 3 hours. I asked him if I could sight a lion! He said ‘ Kya saar’. I said ok, if not a lion, more tigers. He said you have been lucky to sight a tiger instantly. I said ‘ ok, we will go back I that case. I am sick of seeing deers and elephants. I got back to my room and took nap only to wake up soon and share pics on FB. 

The evening I reached the resort in Chindwara, while parking, I had felt clutch was a bit free kind. I had not faced a situation like that before. My car was just 2.5 years old had merely done about 23,000 KMs. When I was 10 KMs from Nagapur on the bypass, this thought was ploughing my mind-whether to drive on straight or go to a Skoda workshop in Nagpur. I decided on the latter. Workshop was on the other side of the city and it took me a couple of hours to reach, navigating the traffic in the city.  They checked the car thoroughly  and said everything is fine. Topped up all oils; that’s all. When I drove in, the guy at the entry point had asked me there is any particular reason I hadn’t renewed by Skoda Road Side Assistance (RSA).  I didn’t even know it was over. I had thought its for 3 years; while it was had 2 year tenure. I asked him if it can be renewed there. He smiled and I paid for it while checking out. I did think a couple of days later that guy was really God. While driving out, the friendly mechanics at the Skoda workshop told me that I would come across terrible roads an hour from there. About one and half hours later, one of the called to ask if I cleared the bad stretch. I said I have not come across any. He said I will soon.. 

When I crossed a Toll Plaza, I asked if this road goes to Adilabad and that guy said yes. I drove on; but was feeling that my highway has suddenly got shrunk, though it was in very good condition. I thought of asking some on the road. He had a shocked look when he replied I have come some 45 KMs wrong way. This highway goes to Chandrapur. Phew! 

While driving back to NH 7 (it was the longest highway in India from Srinagar to Kanyakumari. Now NH 7 is highway from Punjab to Uttarakhand and old NH 7 is NH 44) , I stopped by and asked the idiot at the toll plaza who told me Adilabad is straight why he misguided me. He said he didn’t hear me properly. I when got back to my highway, I stopped and went back to see if there was any sign board. It was a 90 degree turn and there was no signboard. 

Now comes the fun! As soon as got back to the highway, I realized what those mechanics meant by bad roads. Tar was ripped apart and there were huge dips. There were gigantic trucks with haystack wavering at each dip! Driving alongside is unimaginably scary. Its not that the entire stretch is bad. There were relatively better stretches, where one would speed up beyond 25-30 KMs which I had been doing otherwise. When you drive ‘fast’, suddenly you will come across dips which will throw you up a few meters! 

Adilabad stay was nice. Some Roja Hotel. Not only the mutton curry, the fish curry was also good. While driving from Adilabad to Hyderabad, I did cross Wazirabad, the HQ of VST, makers of Charminar cigarettes. My dad used to smoke Charminar and even when he had 555 State Express gifted by his brother whenever he is on leave from Brunei. I loved the smell of ‘roasted tobacco’ as claimed by the brand. I smoked Charminar plain till I joined the Times. Then I switched to Charminar Gold Filter till Vispy Saher threw the packet away and said ‘man, you are killing yourself’. He used to carry 2 packets of Rothmans 20s. 

Thayt made me make a quick switch to Gold Flake Filter kings, which I smoked till 28^th Feb 1999 – the day my Anahita,my younger daughter, was born. After witnessing her birth in the maternity room, I walked outside the hospital to the cigarette shop which only had Classic Regular among the Kings series. That was my brand till I had an angina and eventually a CABG on 25^th September 2015. By March 2016, I started again and that ‘Lights’. After experimenting with few from Gold Flake lights to Classic Mild, I did my final switch to ESSE Gold. I smoked it till 25^th April 2021 when I came down with Covid and stopped smoking. 

I was always enamoured by Charminar. At one point of time, I thought I should work for VST Industries and will take the help of the Tobacco Board Chairman, who was a close friennds BIL, for that. But, TOI and Media was written on my head! 

By evening I was in the Hyderabad hotel booked by Suresh.It was near Lakdi ki pul. Wooden Bridge. When I drove in, I saw a liquor vend right outside- a luxury. Helps to replenish stocks. Mine is a long drive.After a few drinks, I decided to hire a cab and go to Paradise- a paradise for Andhra cuisine. I am not a fan of Biryani. I relished the Hyderabadi mutton curry, Sikri Pomfret, rotis and double ki mitha. I had retained the cabbie who took me to Fateh Sagar lake which looked beautiful in the night. My amateur pictures can’t do justice to it. 

My cabbie had promised to take me to Golconda Fort next day morning for taking pictures from outside and to take me right outside the city where highway starts, so that I don’t get lost in the city traffic. There I go to the highway to Bangalore. It was such a beautiful road that one could zip. There my have been stretches of 25 KMs where there was no one on the street or no village on the sides. Bangalore was still 100 odd KMs to go and Suresh was waiting to have a drink. I was going down a small culvert when I thought my clutch is kinda free, an indication I had got while parking at the Chindwara resort. But Nagpur Skoda had cleared off; topped up all oils just to be safe. I had bit more to go on the culvert; but, the car was stuck. Thankfully, I saw 3-4 young guys walking up on my right. I requested if they could push the car on the side towards the bottom of the culvert. They were very helpful. I told them I will manage now.  I called the Skoda RSA. Thank God the Nagpur Skoda guys had got me renew it. Really what a providence!  That’s why he is really God. But I didn’t even think the phone would connect and they will help given the remoteness of the location. The girl at the RSA, it was a Bangalore call centre, said she knew exactly where I am stuck and is sending a pickup van. But it would take 2-3 hours. I had no other option. 

I realised next to where I was stranded is a lonely house. A little later, the owner came up and asked what happened and if I need any help. In a mix of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. I didn’t need any- I had alcohol, water and chips! Bonnet was the bar. One huge mistake I made was to keep the park light on, which I did to make sure the zipping vehicles see mine on the left. This was in addition to the Distress triangle. He was retired, wife a house wife and daughter going to the college 10 KMs away. He doesn’t drink; but offered me snacks and food. Gave me company by chatting up. The highway is 8 lanes, going upto 12 lanes soon. 

My clutch fail was around 5.15 pm and Suresh the hero reached by 8.30 or so. Pick up truck came only by 10.30 or so. But it did come. The RSA girl asked me to take a cab to Bangalore and claim upto Rs.2000. But I went back with Suresh to his house.. 

I woke up late the next and Surie too me to the Skoda workshop where my car got towed to. They had very nice GM, one Chinnappa, who was extremely friendly and helpful. He showed the condition of the clutch when the whole thing was opened up. It was like some pieces of metal and a lot of powder! My car had only done about 20,000 KMs and not completed 3 years. I had a 4 year warranty. It costed nearly Rs. 100,000 as there is no warranty on ‘wear and tear’. 

Apart from my Magazine Congress responsibility, I also had to ‘help’ Manorama on the launch of their Décor Magazine, which included recruitments. Livingetc was edited by Mridula earlier which I had lunched it from Images and I had recommended her as the editor of Decoration International. Manorama reached out to me for an interview of her in Delhi, where they wanted me too. I left the car at Suresh’s and flew down to Delhi for this meeting at the Taj Mahal. I stayed on for 3-4 days in Delhi which helped me cast my vote too. It is when I was driving from Bangalore to Kannur that I heard the exciting news of AAP returning to power with a huge majority.  At least, there was an alternative. 

There was some confusion on dates and Suresh was riding to Goa the day I was getting back to Bangalore. I stayed at Suresh’s; but went out wth Krish that evening.  Amma had prepared an amazing spread for breakfast next day. She came down with me when I was leaving, offered some prayers and kept lemon ahead of the tyres and asked me to drive through. Her belief I had to respect. 

Suresh had given me hand drawn map to get out of his Whitehouse apartments and hit the highway. NICE Road, Tumkur, Mysore, Madigari, the fork from where one should take a right.. 

Drive through Coorg was nice- no traffic and good roads. My impression of Coorg is that its really beautiful! Will stay some other time and explore. One could drive down from Kerala. There was an elephant training place before I hit the Kerala border. The previous day, to my horror, Krishnanand  told me without getting drunk that on Kerala border they check the car for alcohol. Mine for sure because of Delhi registration. They seize and break bottles if one is carrying in excess of 3-4 bottles. Crazy. I am on a long drive to Kerala and return to Delhi lasting many weeks. I called my father who told me I should insist on meeting senior cops/ excise guys and explain the situation.  I had the entire lientery printed out. I was not smuggling alcohol to Kerala. I had kept stock because after a hard day’s drive I needed a drink and I can’t go around looking for a vend in unknown destinations. When I saw a ‘KALLU’ (TODDY) board in Malayalam only I realised I had entered Kerala. It was via Iritty border. Local comrades had suggested a place where I checked in. I only had to order some beef curry as I had a lot of Dosa, idli and Adai which Suresh’s Amma had packed for my lunch. 

I must have left the hotel around 10 am. It was a long day. Need to reach Ottappalam after seeing a few places in Kannur, visiting Kappad in Calicut Dist. and Elamkulm Mana in Malappuram Dist. Headed straight to Payyambalam beach which is very unique because of memorial columns (on their graves) of political leaders.  There are others too like prominent freedom fighter and editor, Swadesabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai and literary giant Sukumar Azhikkode. Next was the Portuguese fort- St. Angelo Fort. 

St. Angelo Fort or Kannur Fort as it is called locally, was built by Portuguese in 1505 CE. It was constructed by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy in India and is named after St. Angelo or St. Angelus. (Vasco de Gama landed on the shores of Calicut in 1498.) It was captured by Dutch in 1663 and was sold to Ali Raja of Arakkal dynasty in 1772. Eventually, British took control over the Fort in 1790 and held it till India got independence in 1947. 

The 4 KMs long Muzhappilangad Drive-in beach is considered to be the longest drive-in beach in Asia. After buying the entry ticket you are driving straight into the beach and one can drive along the entire beach. Long broad shore and rocky formations not only offer ideal swimming conditions, but also provides a safe place for migratory birds. During winter, over 30 species of migratory birds visit Muzhappilangad beach. 65 odd KMs from there is Kappad, the place where it all began! Kappad ,in Calicut district, is where Vasco da Gama landed which marked the beginning of colonialisation of India. From Kappad, I drove into Malappuram district and crossed Perinthalmanna town to reach Elamkulam Mana, the house where EMS (Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboothirippad) was born. For a communist, it was like a pilgrimage. I stopped the car outside and walked in to take pictures without anyone noticing. Then I saw 2-3 relatives outside the house. I told them I have come from Delhi to see the house where one of the tallest leaders of Indian communist movement was born. The lady sneered and said ‘but he never lived here beyond the age of 15’. They won’t understand my sentiments! Then I saw Kunti Puzha, the river EMS grew up around, flowing beside the Mana.  

I did not have to come back to Pernthalmanna to go to Ottappalam; there is another route via Cheruppulasseri. Narrow; but superb road. I reached Ottappalam by late evening. Krish had booked a hotel. I was in Ottappalam to meet parents of my friend, Deepa. Next day morning, Deepa’s father came and guided me to their house in Palat Road. Ottappalam has given three foreign secretaries to the nation. KPS Menon, his son KPS Menon (Jr.) and his (junior’s) nephew Shivshankar Menon. I had breakfast with the old couple, checked out their 150 year old traditional Nair tharavadu and left for Cochin. Had lunch at my cousin, Swapna’s, took a nap and drove to Kayamkulam by early evening. I was home by 7.30-8 pm. It was 10^th February. Journey had begun on 26^th January some 3000 KMs away in New Delhi. 

The biggest and most important temple in my village, Pullukulangara, is Dharma Sashtha Temple, which is perhaps 150 years old. Differentiation between many hindu gods is very thin. But Sastha and Ayyappa are very diverse concepts. However, devotees pray to Ayyappa in our Dharma Sastha temple. Today, my father was saying this was only a Devi temple earlier. Fearing Tippu Sultan’s attack, Dharma Raja, the King, recruited an army of Muslims and the place he identified for keeping them had an Ayyappa temple. So, he relocated Ayyappa to the Devi’s temple. She got some company! I grew up around this temple and I spend a lot of time around it even today. Janatha Library & reading Room of which I am the secretary, is right across the road and after closing the library around 7.30-8 pm, I go to the temple to catch up with a few friends. There are days I sit on the Kalathatt alone, when everyone else is gone and God is put to bed. 

Temples have grown in proportions and numbers in the last 40-50 yeas or so. Affluence has led to this exponential growth. Earlier, there were genuine devotes in the temple in the evening. Today’s crowd has no devotion. Temple today is a highly commercialised institution. There used to be one temple festival lasting 10 days. Now there are at least 75 and its growing in numbers! They are just adding more days to festivals as they can make more money.

For the temple festivals, in Jan-Feb months, there are these processions which are to showcase ‘spending power’ of various karas (localities)  who hold each days festival. Now its Chinese floats that overpower the whole festivities. Hindu gods with Mangolian faces, normally!