How shall we celebrate 75 years of Indian Independence? Together suggests taking a journey through India. Here are two free travellers to motivate you.
NANDABALA
Before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Rajath Ramachandran, an MBA student, and Niranjan Kumar, a colourist, decided to go on a trip to explore India on their motorbikes. Their adventurous and fun filled experiences and stories honestly make one want to grab their motorbike and set off to explore the country.
At Gokarna, they had slept on the beach, by pitching their tents and laying out tarpaulin. As fun as it may sound, Rajath and Niranjan did not have a peaceful night at Gokarna; they were constantly disturbed by the dogs on the beach and were woken up by one in the morning.
They stayed at the outskirts of Goa, exploring the beautiful state for a few days. From Goa, they headed to Maharashtra. After entering Maharashtra, they searched really hard for a place to stay; but their efforts were in vain. As a last resort, they went up to a stranger’s house and asked them if they could stay there. The residents of the house were very warm and kind to the travellers and invited Rajath and Niranjan to sleep at their farm.
Then they were off to the city of dreams, Mumbai. Considering the expense involved in staying in a hotel room, they came up with the most spontaneous plan ever- they decided to cover the entirety of Mumbai in a single day and push off. They had only one mischievous regret that they could not see Antilia, the residence of the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family.
Another iconic destination they missed was the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Gujarat was one of the toughest places to find sleep, due to the constant business atmosphere of the industrial state. Gujarati food was a revelation to them, and they enjoyed it thoroughly.
After travelling through Gujarat, they entered Rajasthan. They explored Rajasthan and its lovely forts and palaces. They had explored Udaipur, Ajmer, Jaisalmer and many other places. Rajath and Niranjan were taken by surprise when they came across a lakeside in Rajasthan, for they were expecting the state to be very arid and dry. The duo decided to stay at the lakeside for a while, but a local family brewing alcohol told them that they could not stay there. They did not know the way towards the main road, the family offered to help. They were taken through highly forested and isolated regions to the extend of being so frightened of what is going on. All went well and after reaching the main road, they set off to the national capital.
At Delhi, they explored all the major tourist destinations. But their stay went slightly longer than expected. They had to get their phones repaired and get other necessary stuffs organized before setting off to Haryana and Punjab.
In Punjab, they experienced the kindness of a Gurdwara for their food and accommodation. The ambience at the Golden Temple at Amritsar touched them deeply and they decided to extend the trip for a few more days, to bask in the peaceful atmosphere. Due to the Covid restrictions, they were unable to watch the parade of the defense personnel at the India-Pakistan border; Niranjan and Rajath were really looking forward to watching the parade.
They explored Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The cold weather was quite different from the weather they were used to in the South. They had some beautiful memories made here too- and one of them was sleeping in a sunflower garden. What a sight it must have been in the morning! They explored the places in Kashmir like Gulmarg and Pahalgam, and had to face rains at Gulmarg. At Himachal Pradesh, they trekked through a lot of places and enjoyed a local festival too. They also spent a lot of time in the Garhi village of Kasaul, spending time along a riverside. And then they began their return home.
The nature of their trip was very different, says Niranjan and Rajath. They covered a very minimal range of distance a day, and enjoyed every little moment on the way- they stopped when they felt like and stayed at Dhabas. There was no urgency in the trip, it was more of a retreat and soul-fulfilling journey. And the memories of this trip would surely have helped them survive the lockdown blues a little better than the rest of us.
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