Photography: Mrinmoy Choudhury, TVS
Some places make you feel alive, some touch your soul, besides the experience which stays with you for a lifetime. This year, I travelled to Rann of Kutch, Gujarat to experience Rann Utsav 2.0, with which TVS Motor Company aims to blend the culture of the region with the excitement of motorcycling.
After a long day of travelling, starting from Pune, I reached Bhuj city in Gujarat. But the journey was far from over as I had to take a two-hour bus ride to Dhordo village. For the uninitiated, Dhordo is also known as the gateway to the Rann of Kutch white salt desert. Not only this, Dhordo is also globally recognised as the ‘Best Tourism Village’ by the UN World Tourism Organization and is famous for hosting the annual Rann Utsav.
Upon reaching my assigned tent, I was treated to authentic Gujarati food for dinner and called it a night. The next day went as planned, as TVS organised an experiential tour to ‘Gandhi Nu Gaon’, which translates to Gandhi’s Village. In 2001, a horrific earthquake that occurred in Bhuj levelled more than 60 percent of the area, resulting in the loss of many lives and houses, affecting the lives of people in the region. However, the government, along with a few organisations and NGOs, took the initiative to build it back to its former glory.
But what I was about to see was eye-opening. Gandhi Nu Gaon is a model village with only 35 families residing in it. The people of the village and the region are originally from the Marwad region of Rajasthan, who migrated to the Kutch region about 600 years ago. Hence, the culture is a mix of both Marwadi and Gujarati, bringing in the best of both worlds. After a brief interaction with the Sarpanch (head of the village), I took a tour around the village, saw the women working on local garments while the men worked on handmade wooden articles. It was truly mesmerising to witness how raw materials turned into beautiful pieces of art. From the mud and glass work on the houses to the handmade souvenirs, everything seemed surreal, especially for a city person like me. The village also has a school where children come to study. Away from the city and its complexities of living, village life seemed peaceful.
The next destination was the motorsports arena, which again required a bus ride back. After a brief introduction from the TVS team, I found myself gathered around the stunt arena where two professional stunt riders on their souped-up Apaches performed some amazing stunts. From there, I moved to the Ronin Drift-R arena where riders were sliding their rear wheels out on the oval track, putting their skills to test on the flat track, besides a tough obstacle course designed to test the capabilities of the Apache RTX, the first adventure tourer motorcycle from the homegrown manufacturer. But the dust hadn’t settled yet as I was about to witness some gravity-defying jumps and backflips at the FMX arena. With jumps over 40 feet in height, it sometimes made me wonder if gravity ceases to exist for people who have adrenaline shots for breakfast.
As the sun started getting closer to the horizon, it was time for the main event where TVS was about to unveil some special motorcycles. The Rann of Kutch edition motorcycles unveiled at the event drew serious inspiration from the region, amalgamating its landscape, culture and art forms. The Apache lineup and the Ronin were specially prepared. From the blues of the skies to the colours of sunset and the barren salt desert, every motorcycle seemed to exude the region’s beauty. However, these motorcycles were more cosmetic in nature, with no changes to the mechanicals. TVS does not plan to produce these motorcycles on a larger scale, and hence there was no price announcement either.
With the high heat of the desert, days became excruciating, but nights were the stark opposite, with temperatures dropping quickly enough to enjoy a good night’s sleep. But that wasn’t the case for me, as I was part of the morning batch riding to Dholavira, the road to which is also known as the ‘Road to Heaven’. And so it was, as a huge fleet of Apaches, Ronins and RTXs rode in the dark towards the horizon, which slowly shifted colours to mark the arrival of the sun. By the time I reached my destination, daybreak had already happened, with the sun, more like an orange blob in the sky, popping its head out like a small child playing hide and seek. Mesmerising is the least I could say, with flocks of flamingos (native to the region) flying across the skies. After around 15 minutes of staring at the sky, taking pictures and soaking in the calmness, I headed to a resort for the morning fuel.
The Road to Heaven is arrow-straight, and it gave me the opportunity to test my ride for the day, the Apache RTR 310. With a clear view of the road ahead, I took the chance to whack the throttle wide open and worked the gearbox without the clutch, thanks to the bi-directional quickshifter on the BTO unit I was riding. The Apache RTR 310 is a very capable machine with a host of electronics and adjustable suspension on the built-to-order variant. Apart from the slightly buzzy engine, the motorcycle exhibits superior handling and gives you the confidence to push harder. I was doing triple-digit speeds, fast enough to kill enough bugs and mosquitoes, for which my helmet ended up being the graveyard. After about 200 km of riding back and forth, I can say the Apache RTR 310 is a capable motorcycle that can handle both spirited corner riding and long tours with a mate.
The following night was even more interesting as I went stargazing, possible only in places away from cities and pollution. The open skies and blanket of stars seemed to sing nature’s lullabies in my ears. The following morning, as I headed back to my city, I couldn’t help but wonder about the place and how it exists. The landscape, the people, the sounds, the art and culture, and the feeling I came back with. It took me a day off work for my body to recover from all the travelling, but my mind still makes excuses to wander off to those vast landscapes every time I scrolled through my phone gallery, full of frozen moments I wish I could go back to. Looking forward to 3.0.
