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-   -   Duster AWD to the rescue: Hyderabad - Orissa - West Bengal (Durga Puja) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/203319-duster-awd-rescue-hyderabad-orissa-west-bengal-durga-puja.html)

- Sudden trip -
The definition of sudden trip changes with course of time. The intensity although remain the same with respect to the magnanimous amount of least planning time needed. Let me elaborate a bit about the definition of sudden trip according to me.
Back in 2006 when I was still in college life was simple. Study -> get sufficiently good grades and finally placement in 3rd year and no one questions you about your long trips. That’s exactly what I did. I happen to be from a small town of Asasnol in West Bengal. My beloved Ranger Swing with 15 gears was my only partner in crime. Did few solo trips as long as 50kms just to visit neighboring city of Durgapur (another steel city)also some towns in Jharkhand. Almost every other weekend was spent exploring new places in and around the industrial town. Fast forward to 2003, I moved to Delhi , I had thought few times of bringing along my Ranjer Swing to college, I was ready to share homemade sweets and all that with hostel mates, my Swing, not so much. Leaving me with public transport, only good way for locomotion. Visited Nainital and Manali as solo trips but didnt enjoy much. Long trips in public transport was rather most adept way to travel for most, I was not very comfortable with the idea as I had no control over the stop over.

2006 brought along an upgrade in my life. I got placed in a reputed MNC and life was just starting to get greener. My elder brother who thankfully was sufficiently elder to me was earning enough and wanted to share the happiness of the placement. He indirectly asked me what I “needed” to bring back old Ranger Swing days. My answer was prompt, Bajaj discover 110. My brother was somehow not very happy with the reply. He was expecting a bigger capacity bike( he owned a pulsar 180dtsi and I happened to use it at a later point) . My answer was fuel management with lean pocket money. He understood and a blue and black discover 110 DTSi came along.
Apologies, got diverted from the initial definition, moving on . I left the college hostel soon after the placement and started to live with a bunch of school mates who also happened to study in Delhi but at a different location. North Campus, Vijaynagar.

It was a cold wintry night in Delhi in the month of December, 2007. We all sat for dinner at around 12am, yes we had a house party and the momentum was too high and needed an epic exothermic burst to calm things down. Our classmate, the most studious among the lot who didn’t even ride or drive murmured … Shall we go to Jaipur for a long trip in bike? Weather will be good !
The menu for the night was egg-paratha and curd along with a dry preparation of mutton. We thought it was the food speaking but the guy made it very clear. Everyone agreed Yes! Weather would indeed be good in the morning. No one really thought through the night and the drive on a bike. Don’t remember clearly what happened but three bikes with six stags started for Jaipur at 2am that very night. We didn’t have riding gloves instead used a thick layer of Nivea/ Boroline cream and covered the outer surfaces of our finger and hand. That worked pretty well. One of the guys didn’t have a full face helmet he used a thick layer of Nivea from his eyes and below and that worked well too. That was the definition of sudden trip according to me!

Sharing a picture from the archive 2007, 6th Guy was taking the snap.


Life moved on, all trips were mostly planned thereafter; I had proper riding gear by then and was always tucked away neatly, ready to be used anytime. Trips were sudden and unplanned but were not unprepared.
Comes along 2018 and in the month of October semi crazy Bongs go into full crazy mode. Sane ones mostly remain sane. My wife being the sane one here. Her leave for the Puja was already in place however she would not go to our native without me. My leaves were in place too but I in was a dilemma due to the project timelines. Finally the timelines were made clear on 5th afternoon around 2pm. Got on a call with wife.

Me: I got the project timelines confirmed and we can go.
Wife: No point even discussing or checking Train or flight tickets now, so Duster ?
Wife: I can see you are grinning ear to ear !
Me: Sure, why not, will cover few places in Orissa , call it weekend drive.
Wife: Were you actually waiting for project timelines or waiting for last moment so that you can drive.
Me: We need to pack and you need to wind up your office fast.
Me: mentally - that was close !

Durga Puja 2018 was GO!

This was yet another Sudden trip not unprepared but definitely unplanned.
On 5th October 2018, at about 9pm we started for Asansol. Having a 4year old makes packing and foresight simultaneously most subtle. Dry food would be picked on the way however shops were about to close. I went out on the bike and got the inventory updated. I was recently made aware of a beautiful place called Jirang in Orissa. It has a monastery placed delicately at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats. Shared the idea with my wife and the answer was an instant yes with a plan to stay at Chilka lake. Duster started for Asansol and the research for a hotel at Rambha started. We came across Panthanivas in Rambha which falls part of OTDC and decided to book that.

Day-1 (1100 kms 24 hours, non stop drive)
Hyderabad- Jirang- Rambha (chilka).
The plan has always been to cross Vizag before 6am and this time was no exception. Google map shows 11-12 hours ideally but with the Vijaywada NH65 stretch it does not take more than 7 to 8 hours. We crossed Vizag around 4am. Post Vizag till Tekkali was a scenic but monotonous stretch. Followed Google map and left NH16 for 326A. 326A was a newly laid tarmac and we were able to maintain reasonable speed. Tekkali to Jirang is roughly 100kms and does not take more than 2 hours. Good restaurants are sparse but they could be found before entering the monastery. We stopped at one of them for early lunch not sure when we would get another decent place to have food.

Hyderabad - Jirang


Diversion at NH16 at Tekkali


There is also a waterfall before entering Jirang on the left hand side.


Finally the Monastery, the property is pretty spread across unlike the ones we have seen at Himalayas.


The Padmasambhava Mahavihara Monastery also known as Thupten Mindrolling Monastery located at Chandragiri, Gajapati district, in the state of Odisha, India, as the main monastery belonging to the Ripa Lineage. It is said to be the principal Buddhist monastery in Eastern India. It was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in January 2010. The Tibetan refugees who stay at Jiranga or which is also popularly known as Chandragiri, Odisha, call this place as Phuntsokling, which in Tibetan translates to -"Land of Happiness and Plenty". Accord for the monastery was given by the Dalai Lama in 1998. The foundation stone was laid in 2003 and building was completed in 2008 . The monastery, named after Acharya Padmasambhav who was born in Orissa and believed to have spread Buddhism to Tibet in 7th century, is an architectural marvel and a dream project of the Tibetan people in exile settled in Orissa.

Source : https://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...orissa-1333024

The entrance to the Monastery -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbUJj5K-kVg&t=


326A was a newly laid road and it was scenic.


Beautiful paddy fields on the way


Roads were single lane although you could maintain decent speed, blind curves were nicely designed and banking almost perfect.


A man made lake just before entering the premises.


And the entrance to the beautiful Monastery


A wooden structure that's primarily used to store fodder and cotton during the season.


Parking at the Monastery, it was void of any tourists and made the place very peaceful.


Structures/ Hostels for the monks.




The main Monastery structure.


The younger monks played soccer while the elder ones were only to be seen at the Monastery.


The wood works although may look similar the intricacies were slightly lacking when compared to the ones seen at Himalaya.




Bees found the spot equally peaceful at some point.


With a 21-feet high Buddha idol, the monastery would act as a link between Orissa's history and that of Buddhism. During 7th and 10th centuries, Orissa was considered cradle of Vijryana Buddhism or Tantrik Buddhism, known as Tantrayana, he said. Preparation was on in full swing for inauguration of the monastery by the Dalai Lama, who had last visited the Tibetan settlement in 2003. The Nobel laureate is also scheduled to open a Stupa of enlightenment.



We spent around 2 hours exploring the place. Spoke to a monk and he was happy to share the History of the place. Although the Monastery looks relatively new the roots go far behind in time. Evening was approaching and we took leave.

Parting shot with another structure near the main Monastery.


326A never failed to charm us, it was scenic and the road was perfect in all aspect. The duster sailed through its beautifully banked curves.


The drive from Jirang to Panthaniwas in Rambha was done rather hastily as the sun was about to set. If I had the time I would have taken the road via Makarajhola and Purusottampur and entered Rambha, explored the area a bit more. Since I was with family I wanted to get back to NH16 after crossing Brahmapur. Road conditions are decent on this side of the journey.


Why Pantha Niwas was chosen, the main reason was the geographic location.


We reached Rambha at about 9pm, exactly 24 hours we had been travelling and the Duster AWD made things very comfortable. That very night we started hearing news of Cyclone Titli and as per the local meteorological institutes we still had 2 days before it hits the coast lines.

GPX Data summary from Day-1

Day 2 (762kms in 15hrs 45 mins)
We all woke up to a beautiful morning the next day. I had often heard about the sunrise in the Chilka valley but experiencing it first hand was a whole new level.



After waking up to a beautiful morning all the tiredness was lost and we had a fresh start. I was mildly worried about Cyclone Titili hitting the shores of Orissa but the sky confirmed that we still had time. Never got a chance to see the property at night. The property is spread over the southern banks of Chilka and has several types of room available. Bookings can be made online, OTDC portal or via common booking sights like go ibibo. Rates wont vary much irrespective of the season. The staff is very accommodating and helpful. Since we arrived pretty late they were kind enough to serve piping hot dinner at our Villa. Few pictures of the Villa and property.






The Hotel has the Government approved rates written down at the reception. (subject to change)


There is an entrance to Chilka Lake from the backdoors of the Panthaniwas property, our boatman took us to the gate and it was hardly a minute or two walking distance to the Lake.



Floating jetty


Ours was a wooden boat that could accommodate 10 passengers, however it was just 4 of us including the boat navigator.





Little History of Chilka
Queen of natural beauty, Chilika, the largest brackish water lake in Asia covering an area of over 1100 Sq.K.M. is a great attraction for tourists for fishing, bird watching and boating. In winter Chilika flutters with thousands of indigenous and migratory birds of many varieties from far and near even from the distant Siberia. The fabulous beauty of Chilika which has inspired many poets and philosophers to sing its glory is quite evident in the poems written by Radhanath Roy and Pandit Godavarish Mishra. It was one of the outlets of maritime trade through which the traders of Orissa used to sail for south-east-Asian countries like Java, Sumatra and Bali. The atmosphere is just serene and undisturbed amidst the blue expanse of the water on one side and an evergreen range of hills on the other. Dotted with a host of islands with romantic names, a cruise in Chilika will be a life-long memory. But now-adays the lagoon is facing a number of problems sung as salutation, shifting of Chilika Mouth, loss of salinity, extensive weed growth and depletion of fishery resources, increased aquaculture activities, changes in species composition, and many more. There is a tale that is often told to explain the birth of Chilika. The 4th century pirate king Raktabahu was believed to have traveled across the seas in an armada to plunder the rich and holy town of Puri. The citizens of Puri deserted the town in anticipation of the attack. Raktabahu was enraged that the approach had proved futile and therefore directed his fury towards the sea that had betrayed him. The sea parted to let the army march in before the waves turned inn and smothered the entire lot in its tides. The Chilika lagoon is the largest brackish water lagoon in India and is located between the latitudes 190.28' and 190.54'N and longitude 850.51'and 850.38'E. It stretches over Ganjam, Khurda and Puri district. The water-spread area of the lagoon varies between 790 sq.km at its lowest water level and about 1050 sq.km at the highest water level, including 42 sq.km. total area of channels connecting the lagoon with Bay of Bengal.

The Breakfast Island is a unique place in itself. It is basically shaped as a pear and lies between Badakuda and Somolo islands near Rambha, as mentioned earlier. It was the King of Khalikote who constructed a bungalow right on the island, which is although in a dilapidated situation now but somehow mirrors the rich beauty of its yesteryear.




Next was the bird island, which according to the boatman was supposedly to be the hotspot of migratory birds during the season. I could see few branches of old trees painted while with bodily remains from last season migration. This could be a very important spot for birdwatchers. The small island has the option to get onto it. However you can't proceed into the forest area inside. There was this almost life size statue of a Turiasaurus or at least that's what it resembled.


A picture of other islands as seen from the Bird's Island.




This is a "newly" made Shiva temple. OTDC guys managed to make that a spot as well.






The coastline as seen from Chilka


Fishermen at Chilka, if you manage to reach eastern most Chilka (Close to Bay of Bengal) before these guys you have a good chance of getting some magnificent view of a school of Dolphins. Unfortunately the locally made boat propellers make a lot a of chaos underwater which scared away the species.


Rock formations.


After loitering around Chilka in search of Dolphins we finally came back after two and a half hours later. A late lunch at Panthanivas and we started for Konark Temple.



Few closed down industry on the way.

Day 2 ( Continued...)

The hotel manager warned us of Google map making a classic mistake of taking a right diversion much before Bhubaneshwar to enter Konark. He suggested to go till the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar before entering the state bypass for Konark temple.


We took the diversion at Khurdah and the road condition was single lane but decent. Khurdah to Konark Sun Temple is roughly 60kms and takes 1.5 hours. The reason to take this route was to cover Pipli on the way. Pipli is famous for its woodcraft and handicrafts.


I was visiting Konark , an important Historical architecture probably after 20 years and I wanted every bit to count. It was 4 pm already when we reached and the Sun had sunk, Sun sets pretty fast in this part of the country.

Konark, also pronounced, Konarka, or Kanarak, historic town, east-central Odisha state, eastern India, on the Bay of Bengal coast. It is famous for its 13th-century Surya Deula , prevalently known as the Sun Temple. The town’s name is derivative from the Sanskrit words kona (“corner”) and arka (“sun”), a reference to the temple, which was dedicated to the Hindu sun god Surya. It was designed to represent his chariot, with 12 huge carved stone wheels and 7 stone horses around its base. The Surya Deula is about 30 meters high and would have surpassed 60 meters in height at its conclusion. From the 15th to the 17th century, the temple was sacked a mixture of times by Muslim armies. By the 19th century, much of the temple had been gnarled and ruined. Under British rule, sections of the temple complex were restored, but much of it remained in ruins. The complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The Sun Temple, Konārak is sheltered under the National Framework of India by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act (1958) and its Rules (1959). Other germane protective legislation includes the Forest Act, Konārak Development Act and notified Council Area Act. Under the AMASR Act, a zone 100 metres outside the property and a further zone 200 metres outside the property compose, respectively, prohibited and regulated zones for development or other similar activity that may have unfavorable effects on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. All conservation programmes are undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India through its national, regional and local legislature. World Heritage funding was received to carry out an assessment of structural stability. Sustaining the Outstanding Universal Value of the property over time will require continuing the structural and material conservation of the main Jagamohana structure and its sculptures; establishing a stronger functional incorporation of local and central establishment; including the larger landscape setting into the regulated area for development; and addressing the identified threats related to development pressure, environmental pressure, tourism pressure, natural disasters, and local population growth.

The below Video is from UNESCO which explains a bit of Konark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=GqYAggbOh9I

Another Video of how Time is calculated ( found while browsing you tube). Although the animations are shown towards the top of the wheel but the values hold true towards the bottom half of the wheel where the shadows actually form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=K9RF9lLBIMs

The main structure of Konark temple.
A Temple of Great Architectural Brilliance and a splendid blend of Architecture-Art-History, the Konark temple consists of a Vimana (main temple) intended for housing the deity, Jagamohana (hall in front of vimana) from where the worshippers could have a glimpse of the deity and a Nirtya-mandapa (dancing hall), but a separate Bhoga-mandapa (offering hall) was not built at this place. Dancing and offering both were probably done in the same building. In the Orissan architecture this type of temple is known as pancha-ratha-dekha deul, as each of its facades are broken by five small projections to produce an effect of light and shade on the surface and also to create an impression of one continuous vertical line, called Rekha.


As a fact the beauty of shade and light cannot be effected on a plain surface, was known to the builders, as such, the facades were broken by a number of small projections. These projections vary from three to nine, from which they derive the names as tri-ratha (three projections), Pancha-ratha (five projections), sapta-ratha (seven projections) or nava-ratha (nine projections).

For folks who are interested to learn more about the architectural marvel, this is a good place.
http://www.thekonark.in/konarkarchitecture.html

Front View.


A picture just before the sun was about to set.


One of the two wheels that could tell time, unfortunately it was too dark by the time we reached and missed the demonstration.:Frustrati


After entering the temple complex, the left side mostly had the wheels that showed time while the ones of the right were daily chores performed back then. A lot of intricate details was shared by the guide some medically interesting as to how people handled situations back then. Would recommend hiring a Guide , it helps them and they help you understand the history better. Government registered Guide with ID would be preferred.


The temple compound was well lit but I was not happy due the lack of natural light.


The Iron rods holding together the temple is pretty much permanent these days. As per the guide all the rocks were held together by the magnet up top however after it was looted by the Portuguese things have started to fall apart. The Iron rods do take away the charm of the entire place.

We are loosing Konark and nothing much could be done as per our Guide.




Few of the critical wheels. I know for sure these things were pretty accurate.Remember my elder brother validating them when we visited last in 1996.


The Nirtya mandapa (dancing hall) is a big pillared hall built on a very high plinth, in front of the Jagamohana (gathering hall) which was intended for offering arati-nrityas (dances) by the devadashis (dancing girls) during the worship. It stands without its roof, but its style is very likely the same as that of the Jagamohana. The pillars and walls are eleborately carved with dancing male and female figures in various poses, playing different kinds of musical instruments and carrying chamaras, incense burners and pradips(lamps) in their hands.


With a heavy heart of not getting good pictures we left from Konark. Wife engaged in some more shopping at Pepli. Pipli lies 44 kilometers from Konarak. The famous applique work comes from Pipli village, which was established by the King of Orissa for accommodating the craftsmen who made applique umbrellas and canopies for the annual Jagannath Yatra.

The applique craft reached its peak in the 11th century AD, under the patronage of the king and nobility. A craft that originated as a temple art now finds its application in a wide range of household, decorative and ceremonial products. This handicraft is unparalleled in its flexibility and versatility, permitting experimentation and encouraging innovation. Artisans with their skillful blending of myths, symbolism and imagination provide the craft an appealing dynamism.


Around 7pm after some light food we started for Asansol, our final destination. Road conditions are pretty decent till Orissa border post which we were welcome by huge craters. Do note that I have been doing Hyderabad- Asansol by road from 2011 and the West Bengal stretch was the last to be finished, unfortunately this parch was the worse. While returning the story however was different, more on that later.
We bypassed Bhubaneshwar and headed for Cuttak, that saved a lot of time around 11pm at night.

GPX data summary of Day2

Into the Durga Puja days ...
During Pujas most of the Bengali folks make it to West Bengal somehow. That's the time we get a chance to meetup long lost mates. Its kind of unwritten protocol and setup for any Reunions. This year was no different Bhpian Samba agreed to come up, he was joined by Bhpian Sayata and the legendary Bhpian 1100D Bhpian ( although I missed meeting up with Marengo). It was definitely a big deal for them to come all the way from Kolkata and that too during Durga Puja when traffic is at its peak.

Bijou Team Bhpian Meet


Managed to click this picture of Bhpian Samba's new AWD, Halo effect by my AWD's LED


We had a school reunion the very next day however we decided to postpone that to accommodate few more folks who were coming later.
My Wife said we can go to Maithon Dam that was very close by the house. Been sometime we went there when we were in College.
This place was developed by Woordwin , based on TENNESSEE VALLEY, USA, . Named as Maithon Dam ( Mythologically known as "MAI - THAN" ) A Venerate place by every religion .Now it is better known for Hydel Power Plant of DVC , Alongside this dam is a beautiful township , Maithon, fox par by mostly service holders of the Damodar Valley corporation(DVC), an organisation which is instrumental in harnessing the dams resources to produce electricity. Maithon Dam is built on river Damodar. This dam was specially designed for flood control and generates 60,000 kW of electric power. There is an underground power station, the first of its kind in the whole of South East Asia. The dam is constructed on the Barakar River. The lake is spread over 65 square kilometres .n 1942, during the course of World War II, a flood occurred in the Damodar valley region that cut Calcutta off from the rest of the country for a period of 10 weeks. Soon the government sprang into action & called Mr. W.L.Voord, a civil engineer of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He designed the plan of the dams by 1945. Finally the first dam of independent India came up on July 7, 1953 at Tilaiya. Soon Konar, Maithon & Panchet Dam followed in its footsteps in 1955, 1957 and 1959 respectively.

Maithon Dam being very close to our house we have visited the place often. However we noticed a steady progress and growth in the area. A lot has developed around the area. Even the safety of the location seems better with regular police posts and a brand new Police station. WBTDC has its own hotel now just on the ridge of the Valley, overlooking the massive river. Its a good spot to spend some time.

The route ( Google might suggest to enter from Jharkhand Side, but the entry to the resort and other recreational activities is from West Bengal side via the Kalyaneshwari Temple.)


No, that's not an underwater Pyramid in the Dam. Its just Google merging areal footage.


The boating area on the West Bengal side, yes you will enter Jharkhand as well via a road that runs parallel to the river.


Other side of the Bank


View from the WBTDC Resort


The actual Dam, there are 12 such Spillway Gates or probably more.


Few pictures of the Resort




The view


Rest of the Durga Puja was spent working from Home. We went out late in the night. Con: Hardly met anyone and a seperate meetup had to be arranged at a later point. Pro: Bong Duster AWD could enter the Puja premises which under ideal condition needs to be parked a good 2KM away or more.

Taking advantage of night hopping








Durga Puja was about to finish up ( this is when a sad nostalgia sets in entire West Bengal) but Diwali was round the corner.


The last few days we went off to Birbhum, my native for the traditional Family Puja supposedly happening for last 300+ years.


Finally it was time to say Good bye and the promise to meet again on 4th October 2019.


The return leg was done in one day (23 hours) . The Kharagpur Bhubaneshwar stretch was far better than the Bhubaneshwar- Kharagpur tarmac. I had done Kolkata- Hyderabad and Asansol Hyderabad non stop earlier. With the Punto it was bit tiring but with the AWD its always a bliss.

GPX data extract of Asansol -Hyderabad (1619kms ) in 23 hours non stop.


Although this was a very sudden and unplanned trip, it was not unprepared though. We tried to explore a bit of Orissa. I am pretty sure there is a lot to explore in that State and share. Hopefully the route details helps others.
Hope this helps fellow Travellers.

Wonderful write up and very detailed as always, with some lovely pics. I can't help wondering how you manage to those long distances non-stop.

Truly appreciate the additional amount of information that you put in to your travelogues. It will surely help me and other fellow travellers when we get around to doing that trip..:)

Nice write up with so much details and fantastic photos.
Does you and your wife swap driving responsibilities? How could you guys manage 24 hour runs in a stretch, that too with a 4 yr old?

Nothing new to write on a travelogue written by you. As-usual, its brilliant with some nice pics and detailed narration. Loved reading it. Rated 5*

Going a bit offtopic.

:OT

2010 ( Karizma met karizma)



2011 ( Alto met K10)



2015 (Etios met Punto)



2018 (Duster met Duster)



Life goes on. :)

Thanks to Team Bhp for giving me the opportunity to share our decade old friendship over here. Cars/bike & now TeamBhp strengthened our bonding.

Thank you very much for your kind words.

Nope, she does not drive, I took "live to drive" too literally. So when I drive I literally live. Like any other Bhpian I do not like sharing the wheel.
I have been doing 24hrs + drive, non stop for some time now and those hours spent behind the wheel are very close to my heart. Ofcourse Duster AWD makes things easy.
Regarding my 4 year old, he has been doing Asansol-Hyderabad from 6 months.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...d-asansol.html

Thanks brother, I have learnt a lot about life and driving from you. Hope to keep on learning from veterans like you and other Bhpians.

Rated 5 Stars - Though personally I prefer Mars (over 5-Star)

Excellent Write-up and a great trip. Loved the sarcasm sprinkled in


But the humor apart, the thread is quite informative. Can't exactly put a number of how many times I have been inside the Sun temple, but never managed to focus attention on the blabbering of an accompanying guide, irrespective of his ID card authenticity. I am sure many folks next door to it, or even Mai-Than, will be aware of so much detail!


Sorry to have spoiled your special Romantic moment in that picture - won't happen next time.

If there is any school reunion in 2019 do give me a heads up.

A favourite weekend destination for us from Burnpur.
Did you know that yachting was a popular sport in those early days of the dam ?

Cheers

Another epic log with superb pictures. Loved it. Rated 5 stars!

I too had a fiery brick red Hero Ranger Swing, but mine had 12 gears. That was my first cycle that came with a booklet explaining the Shimano gears and mentioned that it needed application of Molybdenum grease! I still feel sorry for selling it off to fellow bhpian vrooooom (sorry forgot the number of Os his handle has) and I wanted to take it back but it had been stolen from his garage :Frustrati

Wonderful travelogue sir.
Even I have been to konark about 2 months ago.
The situation of the temple is alarming and lost its shape badly. :Frustrati

Amazing write-up Dada. Loved every bit of it. I know I was just a few KMs away from Asansol during the Puja holidays. Would love to join you on a road trip back home sometime.

Thank you for your kind words, coming all the way from Kolkata, during Durga Puja means a lot . It was very nice to meet you Dada.




There is a SPAI group that keeps us posted about Reunions.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/344467...56937216858304

There is still the Swimming and Yacht training institutes on the Jharkhand side of the bank. Notice the billboard on the right side, its still active during the season.



Thank you for your kind words.
Shimano SiS revo grip Shift written in grey and black, quite a mouthful but was fun explaining the working principle to mates. The seller didnt have the 42 grease, so applied castrol moly instead sourced from local truck drivers ,poured kerosene in an empty Collins bottle and used that for cleaning the chain.


Thanks
Agreed, archilogical survey could have done a better job at preserving it but I am sure they have their reasons.

Thanks mate, hope to meet you at the next meet.