http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php en info@blindrain.com Copyright 2009 2009-08-16T16:07:23+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/the_last_step/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/the_last_step/#When:16:07:23Z The end of a long drive. If we could sum up the last eleven days using words about the wonderful experiences we had, the people we met etc. we would. We did what we did with the understanding that we would try and bring stories that caught our attention or something that was unique about the place that we could talk about, as long as we felt strongly about it. The end of a long drive. If we could sum up the last eleven days using words about the wonderful experiences we had, the people we met etc. we would. We did what we did with the understanding that we would try and bring stories that caught our attention or something that was unique about the place that we could talk about, as long as we felt strongly about it. A better way to sum up everything we did and experienced. Since this is our last blog entry before we pack up and head back to Mumbai, we decided it would be the right time to thank everyone involved. Our followers, who dedicated a lot of their time in signing up and commenting on our blogs- both good and bad- We would have loved to reply but just didn’t find the time. The camera crew that followed us- they were non-intrusive and seemed to be in sync with ours ways of working. The 10 couples we met, especially the ones who spent a lot of time encouraging us and kept us going on this journey. Finally, Team Mitsubishi and the organizers who basically gave us the freedom to follow the road as well as our hearts.  Radhika and Bharath One Foot WIld.   2009-08-16T16:07:23+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/the_art_of_expression/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/the_art_of_expression/#When:15:45:11Z I saw Durgaprasad leaning over on his table, eyes completely glued to the print he was working on. A drypoint. I was completely bowled over by his work. Dark and moody, It was almost exactly an opposite from the person who was grinning sheepishly at me, while I stood there like a gushing fan. I saw Durgaprasad leaning over on his table, eyes completely glued to the print he was working on. A drypoint. I was completely bowled over by his work. Dark and moody, It was almost exactly an opposite from the person who was grinning sheepishly at me, while I stood there like a gushing fan. That was the only just the first department in the MS Baroda University we had gone into. From print making to painting to ceramics to sculpture, it was all out there. The raw energy and creativity of these young artists spread out all over the walls, corners and niches. Speaking to them I realised that I have missed interacting with artists that are out there trying to grasp onto what will become their style, just like I am. With a history of about 58 years, MS Baroda University holds an unbeatable record with the kind of artists it has produced over the past 5 decades. There are some who made it big and some who probably vanished without a trace. Shelly Jyoti,  Nasreen Mohamedi, Vivan Sundram, Dhruva Mistry, Chintan Upadhaya, Indrapramit Roy and several others who have significantly contributed to contemporary art in India are all associated with the Baroda university. In 2007, a student of the university was attacked while exhibiting his work for the faculty as a final year thesis display. The attack eventually led to the suspension of the dean and the return of the student to his native town in AP. Where should we draw the line when it comes to expressing ourselves?  Why should any form of articulation (especially when it is not harmful to anyone) be taboo? My generation seems to be torn between tradition and breaking away into a more independent cosmopolitan way of thought. With an ever-growing need to find a place in this world, I hope our society becomes a little more open-minded when it comes to our artists. As I walked out of the university with these thoughts in my head, I hoped that Durgaprasad would find a way to continue expressing himself. Trivia: Drypoint is an engraving method in which the art work to be printed is scratched directly into a copperplate (and also acrylic sheet) with a sharply pointed instrument. 2009-08-16T15:45:11+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/the_cedia/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/the_cedia/#When:14:16:57Z Why write about the Cedia? As we come towards the end of our journey and we look back at all the places we visited, all the distance we covered, all the time spent on the highway, we realized the one thing that connects all the dots is the car. Why write about the Cedia? As we come towards the end of our journey and we look back at all the places we visited, all the distance we covered, all the time spent on the highway, we realized the one thing that connects all the dots is the car. It has become such an essential part of our daily routine for the last ten days that when this is over, we most likely will be waking up in the morning and looking to get into a white Cedia with the graphic Radhika and Bharath written on the side. This fantastic car has been as important to the journey as our beloved Lonely Planet, all the places we’ve visited, all the people we’ve met and every hotel we’ve stayed at. The Cedia is by far the most debated topic on our blog. However one looks at it, the car had got its fair share of publicity on our blog by its very absence. We didn’t write about the car earlier because we couldn’t comment on a car that we had barely driven. Now that we have covered 3000+ km I feel we have some vague idea as to what the car is about. I remember my first thoughts as I entered the vehicle in Mumbai. As we were flagged off I was hoping I didn’t run over the press photographers. That would have been a disaster. My second thought was how comfortable the car was and before we had gone a couple kilometers Radhika was fast asleep. Definitely comfortable. As we followed our route.. Ahem!..As we attempted to follow our route, there were things that we loved about the car. It was easy to drive and fun. It didn’t seem hassled in the city or on the highway. The main reason for this was the engine and gearbox combination which seemed to match perfectly. We really did enjoy using the GPS which is pretty accurate. Yes-We got lost in Madhya Pradesh but in some of those places even the locals were lost. The highway, especially the four lane expressways, is where we had the most fun with the car. I know the whole event is called The Great Driving Challenge but it really wasn’t a challenge. We drove through Madhya Pradesh where the soya farmers were waiting for rain. We drove through Khajuraho and Varanasi where the only thing that kept us alive was the climate control air conditioner in the car. Varanasi gave us a real taste of how maneuverable the car was with its chaotic traffic and narrow roads. We experienced the brilliance of the expressways all the way from Agra, and we even drove through heavy rain. We took the car on-road, off-road, and every road in between and it emerged without a scratch. The ground clearance is obviously good. Is there any wonder that we like the car? Our list of grouses- The GPS input speed is slow and takes some getting used to. Though we didn’t really feel the need for it, parking sensors would be nice on the already loaded list. At the end of this journey we’ll miss the car. It’s been comfortable, exceeded our expectations and we’ll miss the open road. Our tribute.  2009-08-15T14:16:57+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/dylan_and_i/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/dylan_and_i/#When:13:56:23Z Dylan and I have traveled together since I was 13. Growing up with him meant understanding that music was not about the voice; it was the soul behind the voice. Dylan and I have traveled together since I was 13. Growing up with him meant understanding that music was not about the voice; it was the soul behind the voice. Being on the road alone with him meant a conversation between him and me. He spoke and I listened. I still do. But then again, music and driving go together like hand in glove. It is an essential part of being on the road. Music is what seeps into your thoughts and changes the way you think. The long stretch of road sometimes calls for a voice that keeps you company. He taught me to find myself on the road. With the road sometimes bleaker than I would have liked, he made me realize, in his words “All I can do is be me, whoever that is.” I grew up and left Dylan behind…I made other friends but I always kept coming back to him. The past 15 days would not have meant as much without him sitting next to me, crooning in my ear. Some on my playlist: 1) Bob Dylan: Anything from him but for now I’ll say: One more cup of coffee. 2) Nina Simone: Gin House Blues 3) Eric Clapton: Alberta 4) Counting Crows: A long December, Live 5) Led Zep: Black Dog 6) Floyd: Comfortably numb 7) U2: So cruel 8) B B king:  The thrill is gone 9) Deep Purple: Soldier of Fortune 10) CCR: Proud Mary 11) Dave Brubeck:  Take five 12) Janis Joplin: Me and Bobby McGee 13) Etta James: Somethings got a hold of me 2009-08-15T13:56:23+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/around_the_taj/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/around_the_taj/#When:20:13:34Z Following a parallel track across the river, we arrived and walked the last two hundred meters by foot and when the tree cover broke, we were faced with a view of the Taj that very few people get to see…. The unhindered view of the Taj with the river Yamuna flowing beside it. The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, is not an easy monument to access. Numerous security checks, loads of guides hassling you, and if you manage to dodge the first wave, you then have to face the music from the hawkers. Both Radhika and I have seen the Taj before and we were keen on experiencing the Taj from the point of view of a brilliant photographer we both admire, Raghu Rai. His images of the Taj from where the Yamuna flows are absolutely unique and breathtaking. We went around the back to escape the crowds but to also discover what drew Raghu Rai to this location. Following a parallel track across the river, we arrived and walked the last two hundred meters by foot and when the tree cover broke, we were faced with a view of the Taj that very few people get to see…. The unhindered view of the Taj with the river Yamuna flowing beside it. The Taj is much more than just a monument. The tourist who comes there might view it as such but the locals realize that the city of Agra is built around it. Agra exists because of the Taj. Life around the Taj is just as interesting as the Taj itself. Lives still depend on this monument that was built so many centuries ago. It has a power that cannot be comprehended and an economy that runs around it. Apart from the obvious, there is the unusual. Looking at the life that slowly appeared before our eyes- the cow herd bringing the buffalos back home, the boa that was sliding through, locals sitting by the banks enjoying the view without all the chaos that accompanies the regular entrance, a group of water birds that were using the river as a feeding ground- we found this invisible thread that connects all of the life around the Taj.  Did we manage to reach the spot where Raghu Rai had photographed the monument? Times have changed, visitors are no longer allowed near the banks of the Yamuna. The ripple effect of the Mumbai terror attacks 26/11 can be felt through out the country and this place is no different.  But the next time anyone travels to the Taj take time out to travel to the back, away from the madness and you’ll get a feel of what it is to see the Taj free of the chaos and get a sense of how it nurtures the city of Agra. Points to remember when visiting: Only a basic camera is allowed in. No extra batteries, no food or water bottles, no music players and other electronic gadgets, no books. Especially no books.  2009-08-14T20:13:34+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/tangled_up_in_blue/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/tangled_up_in_blue/#When:20:10:38Z Keen to see an artist who is so much a part of Jaipur history was our story for today.We knocked on his door only to find that he had passed away last year. His daughter, Meenakshi, still continues the tradition of pottery that her father had revived… Keen to see an artist who is so much a part of Jaipur history was our story for today.We knocked on his door only to find that he had passed away last year. His daughter, Meenakshi, still continues the tradition of pottery that her father had revived… Blue Pottery, started in China somewhere in the 15th century, and was brought into India by the later Moguls at RamSinghs time, where it had trickled in from China into Persia.The art initially used for architecture went to flourish as a form of pottery from Kashmir into Rajasthan and then became confined to being a speciality of two local artists named Bholaram and Chudamani. The art started fading post independence. Commissioned by the late Rajmata Gayatri Devi to revive the art, Kripal Singh set up the Shilp Kala Mandir and then devoted the rest of his life reviving and reinterpreting the art of blue pottery. The glaze of blue pottery is made from fuller’s earth and is a combination of Chinese and Persian styles. The design is essentially geometric and floral with a combination of the blue-green palette used, though touches of ochre are sometimes brought in.The palette derived from the oxides of cobalt, cadmium and chromium are used for the glaze and fired in a wood kiln. Being a very fragile and delicate form of pottery the artist needs to work very carefully because it cannot be retouched. Trivia: The moguls used blue pottery to test food for poison. If the glaze changed colour it meant the possibility of the food being poisoned! We have so much of art in this country that is slowly fading away…this travel with GDC has made me realise over and over that there is much to see and to understand about people like Kripal Singh who dedicate their lives reviving secrets of the lost arts. 2009-08-14T20:10:38+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/our_lonely_planet/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/our_lonely_planet/#When:12:25:55Z For every traveler there is one object that they carry with them wherever they travel Our Lonely Planet appears to be well traveled. A true veteran in terms of travel experience. Dog eared and well worn, it’s a miracle that all the pages are held together. The book has made its way through many locations and helped us get out of or get in to places. It has been used to find hotels, a good café, places of interest, or even distances. Though some of the information has been amended we’ve added numbers of new places, made corrections to old numbers, written down details of interesting people we met along the way. The book is now 5 years old and has information which in completely out of date. Some hotels don’t exist anymore, phone numbers have changed and new places of interest have been added in subsequent editions. The heights of the passes in Ladakh are different between the book and the markings at the top of the passes. There are roads marked on the map which exist only on paper. Andamans has a few Islands that do no longer exist. Why do we hold on to our copy? On page 322 you’ll find an entrance ticket to the Jama Masjid in Srinagar and if you happen to flip to page 1044 you’ll find special permission for Ross Smith Island in Andamans. Page 427 has a leaf from the Bodh Gaya tree. For every traveler there is one object that they carry with them wherever they travel- A notepad, a pair of shoes, a well worn pair of jeans, maybe even a torch. These are our constant companions who have experienced everything that we have and are part of the memories we bring back from our travels. They are also the objects that we turn to or the objects that remind us that it’s once again time to put on your travel shoes and head off on the open road. This is our Lonely Planet.   P.s: For some inexplicable reason there is a parking ticket from Bhutan hidden in the pages.    P.P.s- will have to think about replacing it at some point, but for now, we shall continue to add to an already bulging collection between the pages.     2009-08-13T12:25:55+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/unusual_heirlooms/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/unusual_heirlooms/#When:11:51:03Z My grandmother used a betel cutter which was always by her bedside. The beetle nut with the tobacco wrapped in the betel leaf had a very curious smell to it and is a smell I still associate with her. Sitting in the Ganges View, I noticed a betel cutter on the side of a small table. I hadn’t seen one of those in years… My grandmother used a betel cutter which was always by her bedside. The beetle nut with the tobacco wrapped in the betel leaf had a very curious smell to it and is a smell I still associate with her. Her betel cutter was in steel and plain and I had never given it any more thought until I saw some of the extremely well designed collection at Ganges View. Derived from the Malayalam word vettila mallu, this one hinged instrument holds an important role in entertainment, marriage and other rituals.Dating back to about 2600BC, chewing the betel nut is a part of the tradition in India and other parts of Asia. Having started as a part of royal customs the betel nut and its paraphernalia slowly became a part of the local culture in Asia. These instruments made of brass and iron(embellished with silver or ivory) with a cutting edge of iron have a variety of designs ranging from plain, embellished to grotesque.  They mirror the wealth and taste of the owner and like Shashank,  form a part of heirlooms especially in North India. P.s- The culture of chewing the betel nut is slowly dying out in most parts of the world. With this tradition slowly fading away so will the betel cutters. 2009-08-13T11:51:03+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/benares_once_more/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/benares_once_more/#When:13:33:27Z A ton of people, the smells, the voices, the chanting. With Bharath complaining about how everything was wrong in Benares, I started getting a little apprehensive. My favorite city in India might not be the same. I had taken away such a idyllic memory back in 2005, I began to wonder if it made sense to come back and ruin it. As we headed from Lanka after the long narrow roads and crazy traffic into Assi, the first ghat, I began to relax. It was just as I remembered. A ton of people, the smells, the voices, the chanting. What I love about being here is the absolute chaos. Benares, I think, is the absolute celebration of life. A complete mix of life and death, music and silence, ancient and modern. A blur of people and animals with a backdrop of the Ganges, Benares has an ancient energy running through and like it or not you become part of it. Walking along the ghat I see a confluence of all that life offers. A man lying in his boat and singing about his Benares, the Indian child trying to sell me a candle with an English lilt to her voice,  the Sadhus walking along chanting ( and some desperately conning the foreigners) and the celebration of death which runs absolutely alongside life. The mix of people where some foreigners are more Indian than I and some Indians more foreign to India than should be but walking along the same narrow path with the Ganges running along one side is as simple as life should be. 2009-08-12T13:33:27+00:00 http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/radhika-bharath/the_ganges_view/ http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/blog/the_ganges_view/#When:13:05:55Z For me, a place works well when the interiors are in sync with the feel that the city wants to convey. In Benares this place is the Ganges view. What makes for an interesting place to stay at?  For me, a place works well when the interiors are in sync with the feel that the city wants to convey. In Benares this place is the Ganges view. Built on the banks of the river Ganges on Assi ghat,  this family home was revamped into the Hotel Ganges View in 1990. Coming from a family of scholars keenly interested in art and literature, the owner Shashank Singh is artist himself(specialized in painting and print making) and is still associated with the Benares University. The interiors are extremely tastefully done while simplicity resonates through every nook. The walls and niches are filled with paintings, masks and statues from Varanasi. There is art from other parts of North India as well but Shashank is very keen on promoting art from Varanasi. Aspects of Benares, a lecture series, was started by him in 1999 to re-interpret the culture of the city, its many diverse shades and traditions. His hotel is home to many artists and thinkers like Devika Daulat-Singh, Raghu Rai and Arundhati Roy etc. Shashank Singh, an extremely soft spoken man sat with me and as we spoke about the Ram Lila masks that adorn his walls, he told me about how every year he tries to redecorate the interiors to bring in a different aspect of art into his home/hotel. With impeccable service and absolutely invisible waiters this place is a haven for peace and quiet. The Indian vegetarian food made without garlic and onions is very home-style and full of subtle tastes. I would highly recommend the gooseberry curry and the orange juice with ginger. A couple of artists sit on balconies and paint while scholars from Fulbright have a music concert that is arranged for them in the hotel. With the 2 dachshunds sitting at my feet, overlooking the Ganges and sipping my masala tea( yes, we still do have our masala tea) I realize that for Shashank Singh his hotel is his canvas. 2009-08-12T13:05:55+00:00