[BlackPearl]

Even the most seasoned traveler here will agree that a 3000 Kilometer round trip over a weekend can be termed as a long drive

The background: Our very own Navtej aka Navsjab told us about his marriage plans about six months back. It was a team-bhp meet where he broke the news to us. The response was overwhelming, nearly 5 cars were ready to make the trip to Bhopal where the marriage was to take place. Planning started, whatsapp group was created, people started pouring in with a lot of ideas. A lot more people started showing interest in the drive, after all how many times do we get such an opportunity! Slowly but steadily the head count of bhpians wishing to attend the party increased to almost twenty.

The jolt: Just about a month was left for the event and people started backing out due to various reasons. The elaborate plans received a big jolt. The head count just two days prior to the drive came down to 5

The last standing bhpians were shuvc, me_sid, avrendu, XetaGLGRocks and BlackPearl. Initially it was decided that shuvc, me_sid, avrendu and XetaGLGRocks would travel in me_sid's XUV5OO and I would take the Thar. But at the last moment my wife had to drop off due to an emergency at office. Shuvc came to the rescue. He proposed that he and I could travel in his Ford Figo as 5 of us in a XUV would be uncomfortable on a long drive. The fact to be considered was that none of us were less than 90 Kilos.

The drive: We started on Thursday night from Kolkata at 9 p.m. Shuvc and I shared the driving responsibilities of the Figo. We took the NH2 route and it was pretty uneventful. This was the first time I drove a Figo and realised why people usually praise this little car so much. Without getting into much details, I must say it is a terribly accomplished vehicle and manages to bring a smile even on the boring stretches of the Kolkata-Delhi highway. Shuvc and I even discussed why we do not get to hear about fiesta 1.6 engine being put on Figo similar to the E-Zens and B-Zens. The previous gen Figo with a 1.6 NA petrol would be a driver's delight.
We reached Bhopal at around 3 a.m on Saturday and the GPS showed 1440 Kilometers. Shuvc and XetaGLGRocks went off to sleep and the 3 of us partied till morning 5 a.m.

The route taken was - Kolkata -> Varanasi -> Rewa -> Katni -> Damoh -> Sagar -> Vidisha -> Bhopal

A few pics en-route -















The Figo parked in front of the Hotel after a ~1500 Km drive from Kolkata to Bhopal -



The events:
Saturday morning we woke up at 9 a.m and after a quick breakfast went to attend the ring ceremony. Navtej had sent an Innova to pick us up. The moment we entered the place where the ceremony was going to be held, the reception that we received was phenomenal. It was a proud moment for all of us to be associated with team-bhp and get such an over-whelming reception.
Punjabis know how to enjoy and the event was a testimony to that. There was music, there was dancing all around and the food was awesome. Bhavneet and Navtej were looking superb!



The mandatory selfie, pic credit to XetaGLGRocks -



We spent quite some time chatting with Navtej's chacha and chachi. The topics were team-bhp and cars and Navtej's chachi turned out to be a huge fan of the Bolero :-D

The evening party destination was a lovely resort. Again it was a lavish affair like what we have seen in movies. It was a bit embarrassing for the 5 of us as we had reached the venue even before the groom. But the good thing was that we could be part of the last kilometer of the procession. Navtej arrived in a pristine white horse. There were fire crackers and Punjabi numbers were being played on huge speakers. People kept on dancing and it was a treat to see all the members of a family, from the youngest to the oldest, being part of it. The energy and the stamina had to be seen to be believed.







The party went on late into the night and we returned to the hotel at around 2 p.m. Next morning after breakfast we were picked up from the hotel. We had a choice between an Innova and a SsangYong Rexton. It was me who jumped at the idea of going in a Rexton as I had never traveled in one before.



It was a big mistake. Being the slimmest member of the ~100 kg club of 5 of us, I was the natural selection to sit at the last row. It was horrible; long live the Innova.
Thankfully, the Gurdwara where the marriage was to take place was quite nearby. Otherwise I would have been paralyzed by the time we reached.





The gift -



After attending the marriage ceremony, we took our leaves from Bhavneet, Navtej and their families. We had a long travel ahead of us. This time XetaGLGRocks also joined in the Figo. The three of us shared the drive back to Calcutta, but it was mostly Shuvc who drove. Xeta and I gave a bit of a support. This was the first time I sat in a vehicle for a continuous 7 hours without driving. The route from Bhopal to Kolkata was the same and it was uneventful.

A lovely weekend came to an end quite quickly, but we are going to cherish the experience for a long time to come. Thanks once again to Navsjab for inviting us and to team-bhp for giving us this wonderful platform to communicate with like-minded people.

Would request Navtej to share some pics as well!

[SDP]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Samba]

A very heartiest congratulation to Navtej. Wish you a very happy and rocking married life buddy.

Its great to see how Bhpians from Kolkata drove all the way to Bhopal to attend the wedding. It was a bad miss for me.

Loved the concept of gift, wrapped with Team Bhp sticker.

And lastly there's nothing to say on a travelogue written by Blackpearl! As-usual its great to read!

[amitjha086]

Congratulations Navtej. TeamBHP has grown from being a community to a cult. Glad to be a part of it.

[StallionAmit]

Congratulations Navtej. Wish you both a very blissful life ahead and many many great road trips in your new Thar.
Great writeup Sumitro (Blackpearl) and a great drive by you guys. Cheers!!

[mi2n]

Hearty Congratulations Navtej. Discussing hundreds of horse power all the time but it was that one horse that took you on your most memorable ride. Stay blessed.

[mayankk]

Legends, all of you gents!

And, Congratulations, Navtej!

[AJ-got-BHP]

Another BHPian bites the dust and a handful of BHPians drive down to Bhopal to celebrate it !! Navtej, welcome to "The Club", needless to mention which one though Just Kidding Brother !!

A heartiest congratulations to Navtej & Bhavneet !! Wish you you guys a blissful married life !! I wish the best to the newly wedded couple who are off to Ladakh in their newly bought Mahindra Thar to celebrate their togetherness. Cheers to the Spirit !!

Sharing a picture from the recent Team-BHP Monsoon Meet of Navtej's Thar which he bought for Bhanvneet :


How much I wanted to be a part of the drive to Bhopal in order to attend the Wedding but instead had to attend my Brother In Law's wedding at Ranigunj during that time and thus had to give it a bad miss. Bhopal is a beautiful place as I remember being there years back for a friend's wedding. Kudos to Blackpearl for penning this down as a Travelogue and great to see all the BHPians having fun. ShuvC is looking like a Rockstar indeed in those pictures and good to see his Figo munching miles flawlessly.

Sharing a picture of myself with wifey Eshita from the Ranigunj Wedding wishing all the best to Navtej & Bhavneet yet once again :

[Dieselritzer]

This is the beauty of our forum, its no online virtual forum, we are real people with real relations and an affinity towards forum members. Heartiest congratulations to the newly wed. Wishing you both loads of good health and happYness.

[Lazy Driver]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

This is the beauty of our forum, its no online virtual forum, we are real people with real relations and an affinity towards forum members. Heartiest congratulations to the newly wed. Wishing you both loads of good health and happYness.

So True ! Team BHP is not just a forum, it is a way of life, the coming together of like minded souls who believe in each other, who have got each other's backs.

Team BHP gives this sense of belongingness & that in itself is a great thing.

[PointZero]

WOW.. only some crazy people can do this..

Live to drive ...

[rahul4321]

That is one hell of a drive. I would conk out at 1000 kilometers a day and here you guys did 50% more on an average. Seriously mind numbing. If i wouldnt have read it myself, i wouldnt have believed it!

[navsjab]

Thank you everyone for the wishes. Having a thread on team-bhp dedicated to your wedding it just beyond words. Thank you Blackpearl

Thank you once again shuvc, me_sid, avrendu, XetaGLGRocks and BlackPearl for making it.

[ALTIMAed]

Hi Navtej and Bhavneet, wishing you the very best on your first anniversary.

Even though I had read this Tlog earlier, I read it again today to re-living the trip that the teambhp kolkata boys experienced from Kolkata to Bhopal and back

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by navsjab

Thank you everyone for the wishes. Having a thread on team-bhp dedicated to your wedding it just beyond words. Thank you Blackpearl

Thank you once again shuvc, me_sid, avrendu, XetaGLGRocks and BlackPearl for making it.

Time just flew by, can't believe it is already 1 year! Congratulations on your first anniversary.