Three friends, a mini SUV and miles of open road. Thus begins the story of The Great Indian Footprint, a journey across India in 41 days. Krishna Kumar, CEO of Green Pepper, Midhun Aravind, CEO of A-Team Adventures and Nithin George Charuvila, CEO of QPlay Tech, who set out on this road trip from Kochi on February 14, are just back after clocking 12,000 km, invigorated by the experience.
They undertook The Great Indian Footprint to spread awareness against honking. “When we decided to go on a road trip, we wanted it to be for a cause and what better one than this?” asks Krishna Kumar. The idea of the campaign was to spread awareness on civilised driving. Adopting Young Indians’ (the youth wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry) campaign, ‘Horn Not Ok Please’, they took the message across to the people, interacting with them and holding road-side campaigns.
They travelled to 15 States and 41 cities and were hosted by the Young Indian volunteers in eight cities. “On most Indian roads, honking is abusive. People are always in a hurry. We are trying to say, through this campaign, that if you maintain lane discipline and follow the rules, there is no need to honk unless of course there’s a blind spot ahead,” says Midhun. “When we started, we took a pledge that we would not honk, and were surprised to find that it is indeed possible.”
However, the journey was not a Kochi-to-Kashmir trip, they clarify. They started along the West Coast and then gradually worked their way up, avoiding the expressways the best they could, so that they could explore off-beat tracks.
For the professionals, the trip was as much about personal discovery as it was about the cause. “We each had our private agenda. For me, it was about breaking free from a certain lifestyle,” says Nithin. Work in IT usually guarantees late hours and an addiction to junk food, he explains. “I knew a trip such as this would disrupt things and I wanted to do it.” While for Krishna Kumar, it was a test of endurance and will power. “I just wanted to see if I had it in me to complete the expedition.” Even for the adventurist in Midhun, the journey did pose its challenges. Driving for long hours through unfamiliar terrain was testing. “I have been part of many expeditions as part of work and otherwise, but this one was different. We were discovering the true spirit of India,” he says.
Initially, friends and family had a lot of questions. “They were concerned about our safety. Though we knew we would be connected (through the mobile phone) throughout, things could have gone horribly wrong if one of us had fallen ill, for instance,” says Midhun. Days before the trip, the friends sat together, identifying the routes, mapping them and generally, collecting their thoughts.
The journey helped them change their perception of India. “The prejudice we had about some places was shattered. Kashmir, for instance. We went to a dargah in Srinagar and were surprised by the hospitality of the people," says Krishna Kumar. “Same with Bihar. My idea of Bihar was far removed from reality. People were extremely helpful,” he adds.
The way one sees a place depends on how one reaches it, the friends say. Breath-taking views, delicious road-side food, all add to the “experience” of a place. They stayed at army camps, navy guest houses, school guest houses, seminaries and even palatial boutique hotels. “At Pahalgam, Kashmir Valley, when the lights went off in our hotel room, I casually opened the windows and was spellbound by the insanely beautiful scene—snow-capped mountains, a starry sky… and the sound of wild streams. It was a magical moment,” says Krishna Kumar. The traditional Kahwa tea was an experience in itself, a delicious drink enriched with nuts, which they relished.
The team steered clear of the usual haunts in a city. “We were not tourists, but travellers. As much as the places we got to see, the people we interacted with excited us,” says Nithin. “The locals were curious about us and our mission. Despite the language barrier, they were eager to talk to us and help us with directions. Basically, I’ve concluded that people are awesome,” he adds. The friends, however, did not rely totally on people for directions, when Google maps seemed like the more accurate option.
Taking a break from work during the peak period felt a tad like daredevilry, but their employees too seemed to share the spirit of their mission. “Everything was in place, it was as if I never left,” says Midhun. The young CEOs recommend taking time out to travel.
The real-time data of the expedition was made available to the public (their supporters) on The Great Indian Footprint's website.
The trip was partnered by EVM Motors and Nissan sponsored the full-option Terrano, which they lovingly named Valentina. Tasty Nibbles, Kerala Tourism and Travel Monk were others who supported the mission.
