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What I love about driving in India
Last month, we discussed how bad roads, terrible traffic, stray animals and pesky 2-wheelers made some of us consider giving up driving entirely. This week, let's look at the other lane of the coin and celebrate the unique pleasures of driving in India.
Last month, we discussed how bad roads, terrible traffic, stray animals and pesky 2-wheelers made some of us consider giving up driving entirely.
This week, let's look at the other lane of the coin and celebrate the unique pleasures of driving in India.
Things I love about driving in India:
Early morning empty roads
The cool morning air, the deserted roads and a license to slice through all the traffic signals that haven't woken up yet. Nothing quite like an early morning start to a road trip!
Unique dhaba food and eateries along the way
Be it your favourite dhaba, a random McDonald's or the small stall selling sugarcane juice beside the highway, you will never find yourself lacking options for a place to eat along your route.
100% Alertness required
Unlike some other countries where every highway drive is an 8-lane snooze-fest, in India you have to be 100% alert and mentally present whilst driving. You never know what surprise might jump out at you, and as a result the whole experience of driving becomes much more interactive & involving.
Lovely 2 lane countryside roads
Despite thousands of kilometers of new multi-lane concrete expressways being built, the majority of Indian roads are still 2 lanes of black-top meandering through the countryside. Every single inch of highway in India has it's completely unique identity. This makes the scenery more interesting, and more memorable too.
No two drivers are the same
Every driver on the road has a very unique personality, compared to the rather homogeneous drivers in most developed countries. These differences span a very wide spectrum too. On any highway trips it's fun to follow them and try and figure out who they are... Do they have excellent road manners and understandings of safe driving, or are they a ticking time-bomb waiting to end up as a head-on collision? How much engine braking are they using? Are they riding the brakes? Do they have good foresight? Are they in the right gear for this hill section? These probably aren't thoughts that preoccupy the minds of normal folk, but I'm sure BHPians will understand
Non-stop entertainment
There is no shortage of things to make your eyes pop or give you a good chuckle. Be it an aggressive driver stuck behind a slow moving vehicle, overloaded goods carriers a few degrees away from a topple, a dog in a saddle-bag, or people carrying precariously balanced oversized cargo on 2-wheelers (mirrors, mattresses, mother-in-laws and the likes).
Cultural diversity
Thanks to India's amazing cultural diversity, driving through different states or even districts will allow you to see and experience different cultures. Often portrayed through the language, the style of dressing, food, architecture and even quirky driving habits of that specific locale.
Fastag and Tech
Slowly yet surely, there has been a positive change in the way tolls are collected. It's still nowhere near full and seamless adoption yet, but it has definitely made trips on highways that much more enjoyable and hassle-free. Extra points for not having to roll down the window or exchange currency with toll booth attendants during these COVID times.
People are always willing to lend a helping hand
Be it guiding a lost traveller, getting some manpower for a push-start, replacing a flat tyre or hitching a ride to the nearest pump for a liter of car juice, most people are very helpful. This is a blessing, as compared to some other countries where breaking down on the side of the highway can be a very scary and lonely experience.
Familiar highway sounds
Sounds can be just as descriptive and colourful when it comes to painting a picture of our highways. Like that distant soft hum of a lorry's tyres on a stretch of tarmac. If you know what I'm talking about, just the thought of that sound has probably transported you to the side of a highway somewhere. Sounds can be entertaining too, like when your ears perk up to the possibility of being overtaken by a supercar only to find out it's a petrol econo-hatch with a broken silencer!
Varied landscape
If you are doing a cross-country drive, you will encounter mountains, deserts, flat lands, oceans, rivers, wildlife sanctuaries, and more. The temperature also varies giving you a unique experience of driving from freezing weather to 40+ degrees Celsius.
Mountain roads with no real speed limits
There is nothing more enjoyable than taking your car out on an empty mountain road. Some might even consider it a religious experience of sorts. Interestingly, some incredibly remote locations have really well made stretches of road. I remember after hours of bad roads, we came across a fantastic piece of tarmac on our Spiti trip.
Unique art-forms & captions on trucks
Truckers are the backbone of our economy, and they spend days away from their family just to keep the nation running. Most of the trucks on our roads are highly decorative and have slogans like "India is Great", "We 2 Ours 2", "Beti bachao, Beti Padhao" and of course, the infamous "Horn OK Please". No two trucks are the same and if you read between the lines you can get a hint of what's most important in the trucker's life, be it family, religion, patriotism, or just straight up bling.
Well-mannered truckers
Despite our archaic laws being quick to blame the bigger vehicle in case of any mishap, truckers are actually some of the most disciplined and considerate drivers on our roads. Seeing a truck execute an overtaking maneuver (including an immediate return to the slow lane) with autobahn-worthy precision always puts a smile on my face. Tip: When a truck moves out of his lane just to let your car pass, a super-quick beep of the horn just as you cross the truck driver's window is a convenient way to say thanks.
Musical horns of trucks
Travel enough on Indian highways and you are certain to have encountered these air-trumpets in hyperdrive. The melody of a hit song can make it an interesting incident amongst a sea of bland beep-beeps. Sometimes the catchy air-horn tune echoes in your head for longer than the last Bieber hit did.
BRO's hilarious road signs
On the way to Ladakh, you will be greeted with multiple witty slogans by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Known as the mountain tamers, these guys definitely know their humour.
Automotive attractions
Places like the vintage car museum in Udaipur, Auto World in Ahmedabad - Pranlal Bhogilal's collection of cars, the Heritage transport museum in Gurgaon and others are attractions that every enthusiast will want to visit at least once if not multiple times.
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