Sunny side up
Cyrus Dadachanji & Mohit Midha
4th - 5th April 2007
On the 21st day of our rally, a strong camaraderie has been created amongst the participants. Now that we do not have any more country borders to cross, people are moving freely between cars. We have almost 1300 kilometres to cover in the next two days. The drive will be interspersed with the regular halts along the way, and a night halt at Udaipur.
We arrived at the Flag Off point wearing the gaily coloured turbans that had been given to us the previous evening. It was quite a sight - a sea of yellow T-shirts, with agile coloured turbans bobbing on it. Our convoy was flagged off by Ms. Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Being of royal descent, she held her own with true charm and elan, joking with participants and lightly ribbing our favourite Maldivian, 'Little Ali', before waving us off and wishing us God Speed. The convoy gathered speed as we cruised out of Jaipur and hit the National Highway 8. This Highway is part of the prestigious Golden Quadrilateral project which will finally link the metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, in the four regions of the country. This six-lane highway is one of the finest that we have driven on so far, with an official speed limit of 120 kmph and surface quality that tempts you to go much faster. Our Pilot Car however thought fit to stick to the 80 kmph mark, leaving us rather hot and bothered, figuratively speaking.
It was well past noon by the time we convinced the Pilot car to speed up. The temperature outside the car was almost 45 degrees, but we were cool as cucumbers thanks to the Safari's excellent air-conditioning system. The car's multiple blowers cooled the voluminous cabin effectively, ensuring that we could keep our eyes on the road and not the temperature. We were now cruising at three digit speeds, but it seemed as though we were crawling – that's how good this road is. It's broad, with a smooth surface that has dividers lined with beauganvillas. In fact while driving you almost feel as though you are stationary, while the Safari merrily munches mile after mile!
Now we had a new challenge on hand. How do we communicate with the Afghans who spoke just a little Hindi and a smattering of English? Iqbal, our security chief, otherwise known on the convoy as India Delta, started talking to them in Farsi, a language they understand. Now, he acts as a repeater and interpreter of messages regarding driving instructions and direction changes. But I have to take my hat off to them. They have adapted beautifully and slid into the groove almost effortlessly.
The landscape between Jaipur and Udaipur is typical of the desert region that we are travelling through. Flat, arid land dotted with scrubby bushes and bordered by the imposing Arravali ranges. The only thing to break the monotony was the divider lined with multi-hued Beauganvillas.
Today is a day for gifts and presents. Since last evening, we've been showered with gifts ranging from a coffee table book on Rajasthan to turbans and Rajashthani Pagdis or Princely headgear, suiting material and exquisite Rajasthani miniature paintings. Not to forget, hundreds of oranges at every small town we visited. We arrived at Udaipur shortly after dusk, freshened up and headed to a nearby auditorium to view a cultural show. I don't know whether it was the variety of performance or the sheer energy of Rajasthan that evoked an encore from the audience and left most of them simply amazed. The cultural show included everything from 'Qawali' - a form of group singing, to puppetry and local dances. The piece de resistance was a 'Pot Dance' where a dancer balanced 11 pots on his head and then danced barefoot on naked sword blades and broken glass!
On 5th April, we had a really early start. By 5.15 a.m, we were on a roll. The drive from Udaipur to Talashree on the outskirts of Mumbai was rather uneventful, barring one puncture that was quickly fixed. Thanks to fast pilot cars, wailing sirens and fabulous road, we covered almost 650 kilometres by 6 p.m. After a brief welcome ceremony and refreshments, we hit the road again, for India's financial capital, Mumbai. We had tried to prepare the rally participants for the Mumbai Traffic, but I think it hit them like a sledge hammer.
Mumbai is Maximum City. The city where the people or commerce never sleeps. Despite the Pilot Car's best efforts, it was not possible to part the traffic adequately. So, cars kept populating the convoy, until a few stragglers were left behind. Now, you can' exactly stop 28 cars in the middle of the highway to wait for people to catch up - but that's exactly what we had to do! It took about 30 minutes of 'sweeping' by Sandeep, Sierra Delta to all of us, to get the convoy back in order. Quite an experience for non-Mumbaiites!
At 9.30 p.m, the convoy finally rolled into the parking lot at Gateway of India. We had the privilege of being welcomed by the Chief Minister below the Gateway of India. It was a historic moment near a historic monument, both captured to the accompaniment of a million flashing bulbs! It was with a tinge of sadness that we unburdened our trusty steeds and placed the luggage in open topped buses provided. The cars will be shipped to Sri Lanka, where we shall meet them again in a few days. Until then, a touch of well earned rest and relaxation is in order. At least tonight, we shall sleep like kings (and queens), to arise at our will. Tomorrow, we head for the city of the noble Peshwas, Pune.
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