In the 70th year of India’s Independence, Meenakshi Arvind, Mookambika Rathinam and Priya Rajpal drove for 70 days, from Coimbatore to London, spanning 24 countries and 26,800 km (including a 1000-km detour). Well, 72, if you take into account the halt in Paris. “We reached on a weekend and had to wait until Monday to get the requisite clearances,” says Arvind. They usually started driving by 8 am every day and stopped when they reached their destination for the day. The worst stretch of road, they say, was through Nagaland. The longest they drove at a stretch was 893 km from Budapest to Bucharest, which is approximately six hours. “We drove at about 120 kmph and were well within speed limits throughout. We did not pay any fines anywhere,” says Arvind. They used ₹1,83,700 worth of fuel, and the vehicle gave them 12 to 15 km per litre. As for loo breaks, “We used them in petrol stations as and when required. Only our night stays were planned beforehand.”
The three women got together when Arvind put it out on Facebook, saying she was looking for other women to join her on her voyage. Rathinam and Rajpal responded, and off they went. Before they set off, Tata organised a two-day familiarisation workshop, where mechanics and engineers briefed them on the Hexa. They christened the car Dhanno.
On their trip across the country, they met other women achievers: industrialist Rajshree Pathy who flagged them off in Coimbatore; Kiran Bedi in Puducherry, Nina Reddy in Chennai, Usha Uthup in Kolkata and Dr Najma Heptulla (governor) and Mary Kom in Manipur, besides several women collectors and police personnel. They had breakfast on the border with the Assam Rifles in Manipur; the members of the small Tamil community in Moreh, on the border of Burma, took them to the Angala Parameswari Temple and bid them farewell with an elai sapadu . “It was the last south Indian meal we had,” says Meenakshi.
MeenakshiAravind, 45, Coimbatore, business woman:
“I learnt driving in an Ambassador. I still love it and I wish they would revamp and make a new one.”
Memorable: The wrong crossing we made from China into Kyrgyzstan at the Tourgart Pass. We could not re-enter China to get to the right exit. It was minus 18 degrees Celsius and there was no way we could drive on. The only place to stay the night was at a tiny shack that we had to share with the security guards. I was terrified initially, but Ruslan and his companions set our fears at rest. We watched Life of Pi and woke up to find the diesel had frozen over. We poured hot water over the fuel hose, and drove an extra 1000km (180km downhill on iced-up roads) to get to our correct destination. I don’t regret the error at all, as otherwise we would never have seen such spectacular landscapes.
The journey Kyrgyzstan was shockingly beautiful. Falling on the ancient trade route between the Mediterranean and China, it has so many varied terrains, from rolling green hills and snow-capped mountains to canyons. I loved the Kashgar market place which reminded me of home. Smelling of spices and bursting with colour. The silk route was all I had read about and imagined. I tasted the beer in each country we drove through! And all the time I was at the wheel I listened to the entire collection of Pink Floyd on my iPod.
The car I loved the Hill Descent Control which came in handy in all the steep inclines and descents, more so when the weather was bad and the roads icy.
Drawback: For a car that size, the 60 L tank capacity is a disappointment because we had to keep refuelling. It could have been larger. In Uzbekistan, where we drove about 800 kms, there was no diesel available at all.
Mookambika Rathinam and Meenakshi Arvind.
Mookambika Rathinam, 38, Pollachi, Agriculturalist :
“When I started driving in the 1990s, it was on an Ambassador and Mahindra MM 540.”
Memorable: Driving through China. We spent 19 days there, and as I had never been there, it was an exciting adventure. I loved the Earth Forests there. Meeting so many people and going through so many countries who all seemed to love India. Induma, Hindustan... In places, because of my skin colour, I was often asked if I was African.
The journey: I loved the long drives with no stops, no interruptions. I could drive at the maximum speed permissible in the different countries. In some, we could go up to 180 kmph. I can’t drive at those speeds here. At least for no more than two or three minutes at a stretch. There, I could drive at a stretch for half an hour or even more. AR Rahman’s music, and Tamil songs, especially from the 1980s and the 1990s made the driving experience extra special.
The Car: Loved the fact that I could use Cruise Control. It helped us in the long straight roads. Because it was automatic, we were spared the task of changing gears on the long stretch. Personally, driving on the right side in the hilly roads was difficult, especially in the blind curves. But strict road discipline in those countries helped a lot.
Drawback: If at all anything, I might like a change in the design of the A Pillar so that the car has more clearance.
Priya Rajpal.
Priya Rajpal, 55, Mumbai, Advertising professional
“I was a late starter and began driving only when I moved abroad to Canada. My first car was a Fire-Engine Red Porsche 994.
Memorable: To travel through Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina... places I had read about in history, was special. But I also felt a great sense of sadness seeing the fence between Bosnia and Croatia. At one time, these were part of a huge empire and now they are reduced to scraps of countries.
The Journey: I was enthralled. I know that there are certain parts of that world I may not revisit, but I would love to. It came home to me how much the atlas has changed from my younger days. So many boundaries, so many new countries, so many differences and estrangements. It was sobering, but it was also so much to take in. The drive changed so many of our perceptions, or at least it made us feel that it had. I played a lot of Shah Rukh Khan numbers ( Dil To Pagal Hai , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai , Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) as Mookambika, who otherwise knows no Hindi, knew them all by heart! Hindi Retro Music kept me good company right through.
The car: The car design is impactful. The Tata design team has pretty much nailed it. The sheer stance and road presence of the Hexa is immense, especially with the 19-inch alloy wheels. I liked the all-black interior of good grain leather on the dashboard, door panels and seats. It has an awesome JBL audio system. It has excellent ride quality and is comfortable over any kind of road.
Drawback: The wide turning radius is sometimes a dampener when driving in the city.
What they packed in : Half the car had spares such as brake pads, spare lamps, wiper blades, inter coolers, two extra wheels and two jerrycans with fuel. Each carried 40 t-shirts with the expedition logo on it, to wear and give away. There were ready-to-eat meals, an electric kettle, dry fruits, paruppu podi, ghee, pickles (Meenakshi is a vegetarian).
The gadgets: Skyroam that is a seamless satellite-activated gadget that can accommodate five devices. It works in 200 countries (except Macedonia). It costs eight dollars a day with unlimited data.
Dhanno.
