Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, & Karnataka
Some observations from the solo road trip across 3 states for 1500 km.
Day 1, 6:34 AM Indore, Madhya Pradesh
In the September of 2021, when my friend Suyash and I decided to drive to Pune & then to Indore, I did not really think about the possibility of returning to Bangalore alone. Well, two months later, here I was, on a chilly morning of 16th November, all prepped up, ready to drive back to the second home. "Damn! this is a long drive!".
The realization actually hit me a few minutes later after I left home. I had to stop.
It may be a usual thing for routine travelers, but this was a big deal for someone like me who has barely travelled alone.
Across three states, 1540 km, under the sun, through the rain, just me and my Apolo on the road for the next four days! I made sure to take a photo at this moment, when the daylight struck, to remind me that after this journey life may never be the same again. The sweet sound of the diesel engine filled the much-needed boost and I began my longest solo drive ever, from Indore to Bengaluru!
I had prepared everything a week before. Route info, phone numbers, stay options, snacks, water, a knife, a wood stick, duct tape for emergency repairs, and of course a YT Music subscription. Only after I started, did I realize that the audio jack in my phone doesn't work anymore.
Ouch!
Day 2, 12:24 PM Nashik, Maharashtra
I knew I was stuck with FM / AM Radio for the next four days. The constraint brought an unexpected nostalgia. Being a ‘90s kid’, the flashbacks of those days wouldn’t paint without the sounds from All India Radio, or Vividh Bharti (remember Hawa Mahal?).
It was a delight to hear those channels again in a whole different context.
News, education program, ‘Fauji bhaiyo ka program’, ‘Sakhi Saheli’, ‘Apki Farmaish’, some old songs in between and not sure what all was playing on those AM channels.
As the states changed so did the language, from Hindi to Marathi then to Kannada. The intermittent availability of radio signal was another factor which reduced the modern complexity to a simple, being in the moment driving experience.
“The intermittent availability of radio signal was another factor which reduced the modern complexity to a simple, being in the moment driving experience.”
Day 2, 8:30 PM Towards Kolhapur, Maharashtra
"Driving in silence for hours was like therapy in motion. It's like poetry."
The vehicle felt like gliding in space, curving, changing lanes, and passing other vehicles on these long open highways.
The sound of the engine slowly drowning in thoughts in ever-changing landscapes. Wide roads became narrow, plains became inclines, sometimes there were queues of trucks, sometimes nobody was on the road for miles.
Too deep in my thoughts, I wondered about the exciting next couple of months, the big changes about to come, only to be interrupted by toll booths.
People often tell me that highway drives are boring. It felt otherwise. I enjoy monotony in things.
On the first day, I reached Nashik effortlessly, checked into a hotel, and went out for a walk. Since I had a good amount of time left before the sunset, I decided to explore around. It turned out to be disappointing and the humidity didn’t make it any better. I went back to the hotel to rest.
Day 2, 8:30 PM Towards Kolhapur, Maharashtra
It rained heavily that night but I slept through it. Woke up early to start again at 6 am sharp. Last night's rain had clearly improved the scenery today. As soon as I got out of the city, I entered a beautiful stretch for the next few hours.
Dense morning fog filled empty roads, you could see trees in the distance engulfed in white clouds. The white fog slowly blended into the green crop fields. I switched off the radio and rolled down the window to enjoy the cold breeze.
In that hilly region, I glided on the highway curves like a skater, missing many good locations for breakfast and instantly regretting not slowing down.
After a delightful breakfast, I continued my journey through western Maharashtra. Over the years, I have always complained about the high toll charges in Karnataka and Kerala, but to my surprise, they were nowhere close to the toll rates in Maharashtra. The conditions of the roads also didn't justify the cost either. Surprisingly, the roads in Madhya Pradesh, the state which was once infamous for bad roads, were incredibly good. Super wide & butter smooth!
Day 2, 8:30 PM Towards Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Navigating through these overpaid roads under the hot sun, sometime around 2 pm, I stopped for lunch at a small restaurant in a very scenic location. They had nothing but paneer curry and rotis which I relished.
Up until this point, it was sunny and hot. However, I wasn't unaware of the recent heavy rain in Karnataka. I rested for a few minutes before I started again. I saw massive black clouds approaching. I knew it was not gonna be hot anymore.
I have always enjoyed heavy rains from the comfort of my apartment in Bengaluru for years, but to be in the middle of it, on an endless highway, was a whole different story. Within a few minutes of driving, it was all dark and stormy. The downpour, the likes of which I have never been in, was coming down on the highway. Headlights on, hazard lights on, fog lamps on, cruising at high speed, still ~170km to the next stop, Kolhapur.
I kept thinking how underrated the evolution of design in these modern cars is!
While I was steering my way through water clogged highways, I kept thinking how underrated the evolution of design in these modern cars is!
So many functions in a variety of situations I could just operate with one hand while keeping the whole vehicle in control. Need to clean the windshield? Flick a switch. Need to clean the rear glass? Flick the same switch. Oh, it's raining even more? Flick the same switch again. Oh! Is it fogging inside? Just twist a knob. Such ease of use of buttons, the precision of the steering, apt power delivery and safety, considering everything together the chota-mota designer in me could not stop admiring the design effort put into this vehicle. Mind you, this car is 8 years old and the design of this model must be at least 12 years old, yet this boy pulls at 25 kmpl.
Day 2, Evening, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Around 4.30 pm, I entered Kolhapur. There was no sign of any rain in this city. Though the roads were dusty, at least they were not as crowded as Nashik. I checked into the hotel just in time to catch the sunset with chai, relax and think about today's drive. More than half of the distance was covered and I was excited for tomorrow's drive to Davangere.
Day 2, 7 PM Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Once again, just like the last two days , I started early in the morning. Today's drive was supposed to be easy and just 360 km of highway. I was wrong.
The rain in the last two days had caused havoc. It was already raining when I started and to add to my worry, the roads were already clogged with water. Cautiously I kept moving, gliding past big trucks, giving way to fast-moving Innovas & Scorpios, there was no room for error coming this far.
A couple of hours later, the road signs changed from Marathi to Kannada. I was super excited to have dosa, a proper Karnataka dosa, after 2 months. There is nothing comfier than a hot dosa and a chai on a rainy morning!
Well, the dosa was not on the cards that morning. Almost every breakfast place was closed due to rain or water clogging. I gave up after driving slow and checking places for half an hour. Extremely glad for the snacks my mother and my to-be-mother-in-law had packed for me, they were life-savers!
Day 3, 11 AM Davangere, Karnataka
After driving nearly 5 hours, the rain stopped and as I continued to carefully navigate through broken service roads, I saw a Kamath hotel and a few vehicles parked outside. There was no way I would be missing this!
"Anna, ondu masala, ondu wada, ondu Tea", I blurted out in my broken Kannada. I was just a couple of hours away from my friend's home in Davangere where I would be staying that night. There was no hurry now, I was almost home.
The next morning the weather didn't change despite raining heavily the whole night. Ate Benne dosa with Prashanth Ji and I started again. Bangalore isn't far from here, not more than 5 hours. I mentally prepared myself for another day of the rainy drive, though to be honest my worry was more about the last 10 km than the rest of the 260 km.
To my surprise, the sun came out and I did not see a single drop of water for the rest of the way. Smooth, peaceful drive, excitement filling up, the last leg of the 4-day long journey home.
Today I did not care about efficiency, I floored the pedal at every opportunity!
Day 4, 11 AM Towards Bengaluru, Karnataka
After about 4 hours, I reached the Bannerghatta Road exit toll gate. This was it! The last 7 kilometers. Probably the longest and the most exhausting part of the journey. No matter how far you are coming from, it's the very last stretch that is the most daunting. I was glad to find the road dry but the traffic compensated for it. Slowly crawling, after some time, that seemed like an eternity, I reached my apartment gate.
This was it! I did it!
1540km on the dash. Reached home, without a single scratch on the Apolo.
Safe, sound & happy!
Travelers, bikers, and trekkers often talk about the feeling of achievement, freedom, satisfaction, & growth. I realized one has to go through those experiences to actually understand why burning tanks of fuel and driving like a bus driver, when you could just take a flight, is worth all the effort.
In retrospect, this solo trip was needed. The confidence I gained was required for the next big change coming soon. I was set to get married to my best friend in 2 months.
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