India by Road

Living in India means a perpetual opportunity to travel to innumerable exotic destinations. And there is no better way to explore and savour this country than through a freewheeling, impulse trip by road

In 1889, Nellie Bly, a journalist of unparalleled courage, embarked on an adventurous journey around the world in 72 days. She travelled by ship and railroad, carried just a small bag and did a 24,899 mile journey, circumnavigating the world. Her musings and memories from the journey, sent through electric telegraph, have come to be important chapters in travel literature.

One hundred and twenty seven years later, it would indeed be hard to find another person who would embark on such an audacious journey, with such minimum resources. With a few honourable and brave exceptions, travel in our society remains rather straitjacketed with a low adventure quotient, depressing especially given the extensive and abundant resources we have now.

Holidays happen in everyone’s life. Tours do take place at every stage of life. People take off on school excursions, college study tours. Picnics with friends and trekking trips. Weekend holidays, honeymoons, family vacations. Pilgrimages, wedding/family function trips. All serving a purpose specific to that age and journey.

Travel does make a big impact. It relaxes people, helps them unwind, beat stress. It helps them to see new places and sights. It enables quality family time. It brings exposure and streamlines habits. It teaches adjustment, flexibility and takes away finicky complexes.

Journeys are known to change lives. Though not necessarily spiritual, a journey changes one’s persona in imperceptible ways. Movies have long since documented the magical impact journeys have on people’s lives, with recent films such as ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Highway’, ‘Piku’, ‘Gamyam’, ‘Journey’, ‘Finding Fanny’, the older ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’, ‘Road trip’, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’, ‘The Way’, ‘In July’, and, of course, the legendary ‘Around the World in 80 days’, weaving stories around what happens while on the move.

The wilder the trip, the greater the romance. The idea is best summed up by author Kurt Vonnegut when he says ‘bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.’ A journey that is born out of pure, unadulterated wanderlust. A travel that’s on a whim. An exploration that reaches out like curls of smoke, reaching into nooks and corners and floats along uncharted courses. A trip on wheels.

India is a country that is a perfect canvas for this exploration. And the exploration has to happen in a freewheeling way, quite literally on wheels. A road trip. What can be done on a road trip? It is a flexible travel that is scheduled as per one’s convenience rather than by flight or train timings. It is a trip that helps us to take the road less travelled. And veer off the set path, exploring new places. Meet new people and savour new experiences.

Go alone. Go with friends or with family. Go with strangers in whom you can find your keenness reflected. A trip of women who drove all the way to Europe and a family of four taking a trip in the car around continents are stories we heard recently in media. So was a Himalayan Safari that a group covered in their Sumos. Bikers and roadies who go in batches are to be found in every city. And so also adventurous people who would want to chip in and make a team.

How to embark on a road trip? Plan a time frame and a geographic region. And plan nothing else. What can be done on a road trip? One can visit cities and places of tourist interest. One can lounge around on a beach or camp in a forest or climb a hill. Stop for a chai or a meal by the roadside.

Check out the nearest and unknown monuments and forts. And natural sights. Drop in at a village primary school and talk to the teacher. Take a break at a paddy field and speak to the farmer. Gatecrash a wedding, or snooze under a tree. Reach out to people that you have never met. The kind that you do not come across in your life. Share a drink, enjoy a homestay.

A village fair in Maharashtra or the magic of Dharani sanctuary atop silent Vindhyas, a mustard field in Punjab or an ancient temple in Karnataka, the tribal hamlets of Odisha, the fishing villages of coastal Andhra Pradesh, camel farms in Rajasthan, women’s market in Imphal, small Churches in Goa, temple fairs in Tamil Nadu, corn on the cob near Barabanki or a holy dip in Ujjain; Sunflower fields in Kurnool to shopping for sweaters in Ludhiana or a ride through fog and rain in Gaya; meet a monk near Mahabodhi and the innumerable Sanyasis dotting Varanasi ghats…there is virtually no limit to what can be seen and felt in a country like India where the landscape, culture, language and culture change every 50 km and each season plays out a cosmic drama.

Much literature has been produced out of travel. From practical tips to detailed histories, from helpful maps to deeply engrossing travelogues. Travel turned people into story-tellers and into filmmakers. It made poets and photographers. And, in the digital era, a road trip is tantamount to a fertile source of images, words, souvenirs, information and experience-sharing that can be shared across the world.

Now, there are many deterrents to travel, naturally. The cost of the trip for one thing. And the time factor is another. Family responsibilities and other compulsions follow. However, as seasoned roadies would tell you, it is actually possible to work out a plan that is not just efficient and effective but also economical. Sharing costs, saving on fuel, staying at budget hotels, cost-effective meals and non-extravagant shopping will ensure that the trip will remain well within the most modest of budgets.

Nellie Bly has the classical prototype for packing efficiently for an adventurous, impulsive trip. Pack easy and light. Nothing more than what you can carry by yourself. Nothing that will stuff your car and makes journey uncomfortable. Always leave space for what you can collect and bring home.

Che Guevara did it. Lawrence of Arabia did it. Walter Mitty did and Christopher McCandless did. So, lose sight of the shore. Sit back and glide on. Stop counting milestones. Gaze into the vast expanses of land, sky and sea. This is meditation like none other. Dig your teeth into a hot, butter parantha. And sip on lassi. It is heaven like no other.

Wake up to a new sunrise in an unknown landscape. It is a beginning like no other. Lie under the sky and count the stars, it is a dream-inducer unmatched. Smell the grass, pick up some flowers, wash your feet in a stream, and sail along a new river. Take pictures, sing a song. Hear the gravel crunch under your tires; let the wind zoom past your windows. Go into the sunrise, put the sunset behind you. Walk, run, stay still, and stay silent. Unplan. Let go. Make a road trip. It is a therapy like none other.

Tips for Impulse travel

• If you drive and enjoy driving, ensure you have a second driver with you.
• If you don't drive, engage a pro, who can stay silent while driving. Ensure your car is in top shape.
• Avoid night journeys as much as possible. It's less safe, ruins your night and the next day too.
• The trip may be spontaneous but do have GPS/Google maps/manual map handy when you set out. Check out the weather too.
• Do some homework about the region you are travelling to. There are always small surprises that you can check out on the way.
• Stock up on water, basic food, blanket, pillow, charger, paracetamol etc. Always get fuel when it is available. And use toilets when they are clean and available.
• Non-negotiables: Music system in the car, sunshades for the window, comfortable seating space in the vehicle, clean drinking water.
• Book hotels in advance for a good night's rest. That way you can get deals in budget hotels. Want to camp? Research first.
• Don't carry valuables. Careful with cameras and phones. Do not loiter anywhere that seems unsafe.
• Try out new stuff - places, sport, food, people but with a bit of caution.
• You are already marking a bigger carbon print with a road trip. Do not make it worse by trashing places you visit. Dispose garbage properly.
• When you take pictures, be in control and in caution. Careful with people who may not want to get clicked and irritable animals, cliff edges and roaring waves.
• Keep someone at home informed of your whereabouts always.
• Take time everywhere, don't overdo. Rapid pace holidays can harm more than relax.
• Record your memories. In blogs, on FB, on travel sites. Take pictures. Store them for posterity. Caption them all. Post them. Photos are no fun tucked away in computers.

Usha Turaga-Revelli