9 days Delhi to Bangalore road trip in a Jawa by Footloosedev in December 2019 - January 2020

9 days Delhi to Bangalore road trip itinerary. 

The 10 days road trip between Delhi and Bangalore covering Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharasthra, Goa & Karnataka may just be an ideal dose of a brief all-India journey!

There is nothing like a road trip to explore and understand a place better. As you skim through a region you not only slowly understand the geography better but also get to see some of the best views of the country that you can miss otherwise. And if you are one of those people who enjoys learning about cultures and a local way of life, there’s even more for you on a road trip. 

Road trips are better than any other means of travelling, and when it comes to a country like India, where every 500 kms take you to a new world, things become even more interesting. Keeping this in mind, I recently planned a 3-week and a nearly 3000 km road trip between New Delhi and Bangalore. Honestly speaking, I understood my country better in those three weeks than the entire 4+ years of full-time travelling put together. 

If you too can afford a few weeks, want to understand India better, and can plan a road trip somewhere, I can suggest my route map. 

This New Delhi to Bangalore (or north to south India) road trip will take you across 5 Indian states, a constantly changing landscape, and a big-time culture shift. From the original 3 weeks, I have carefully cut short the duration to 10 days, because I understand that for some people, time does matter! 

Delhi to Bangalore Road Trip Itinerary:
Before initiating the journey, I handpicked a few places that I didn’t want to miss. This included Udaipur in Rajasthan and the coastal stretch between Mumbai and Goa. I have done Mumbai and Goa coastal last year in 2018 and knew what beauty it can offer. To my knowledge, the Mumbai to Goa stretch was going to be the highlight of the journey. But as I started, I realised that roads in Rajasthan offer an equal opportunity to endorse a road trip in India.

Having said that, if I were to suggest a few highlighted stretches out of my entire Delhi to Bangalore route, I will suggest Jaipur to Udaipur, Mumbai to Goa (via coastal route and not the highway), and Goa to Marvanthe. 

Please note that if you will Google navigate for between Delhi and Bangalore, it will suggest you the shortest route via Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, avoiding Rajasthan and the western coast. I took that route during my return journey (from Bangalore to Delhi which took me only three days to cover the entire distance). Where you will certainly find better roads on that stretch and the journey will be quicker, you will miss many places. Having said that, if the idea is to enjoy an all-India Road Trip, I won’t recommend you take that route. 

Delhi to Jaipur to Udaipur: 2 Days in Rajasthan

The two-day road trip taking you from Delhi to Jaipur and Udaipur, before you enter Gujarat can be brief but a fairly good introduction to all that a road trip in Rajasthan can offer. I mean if I talk about myself, before this motorcycle trip I always thought that Rajasthan is only all about old heritage towns and forts… but only a few days of riding in Rajasthan, and I was proved wrong.

Rajasthan isn’t just about exploring old towns and appreciating architecture but enjoying beautiful landscapes and road trips too. From desert trails to winding mountain roads, Rajasthan has something for everyone.

I remember as soon as I left Ajmer and started towards Udaipur, the highway constantly changed from open straight stretches to winding and narrow curves. At times it gave the most cliched desert-like landscape, before dramatically changing into a Hampi-like setting with mountains of big boulders to be only seen all around.

From Udaipur, I went straight down south towards Ahmedabad. But had I taken a right, and west towards Mount Abu, things would have been entirely different, offering a Himalayas-like setting.

A two-day road-trip, doing Delhi - Jaipur - Ajmer - Udaipur, is a short but nevertheless a good introduction to the kind of experiences and rich landscapes a road-trip across Rajasthan can offer. 

Udaipur to Vadodara to Mumbai: 1 Day of Boring Highways

Udaipur to Vadodara and further south to Mumbai is a boring stretch of the journey – with good highways of course, but almost no natural beauty to enjoy a road-trip. The first 100km from Udaipur was still okay with the periodic change in landscapes but as soon as I entered Gujarat neared Vadodara, the journey became monotonously boring with nothing but a long highway and a lot of traffic to deal with.

Vadodara to Mumbai was also another boring stretch of the journey with nothing much to see and do around. If colonial history interests you, Daman can be a good place to explore on the way (located 150km north of Mumbai).

The highways between Udaipur and Mumbai are overall quite in shape with only toll-roads connecting the entire stretch. Though it’s very tiresome to do the journey in a day, I suggest you try it because there is literally no beauty on the way. If not, break the journey in two days (choose Ahmedabad or Vadodara or Bharuch to stay on the way. 

Mumbai to Goa via Coastal Konkan Region: 4 Days of Epic Beauty

Mumbai to Goa coastal route was, in fact, one of the two reasons why I did north to south India motorcycle trip in first place (the other reason was exploring Kerala on a motorcycle). I did the same route more than two years ago while shooting an ad commercial for Maruti Alto and was well accustomed to the highlights this route can offer – from natural beauty to different riding conditions.

For people who like road-trips, Mumbai to Goa coastal route is like going to Mecca. From riding next to the coast to venturing into a jungle-safari-like setting to ferry crossings, here, you will find something for everyone. And if you’re a drone to make videos, you can literally do magic. There’s a video I made on the second day of the trip, watch the drone shots.

If you’re doing Mumbai to Goa via NH 48, you can do the same journey in about 10 hours, but following the coastal route takes at least four days even when you’re riding all day. Taking ferries can moreover consume some time as they run every 45 minutes at most of the points and it may happen that you arrived at a ferry point the minute the last ferry has left.

The entire stretch has more than five ferry crossings all operating during the day time only. Visit CarFerry.in to check the time schedule for each ferry point and save yourself from some needless waiting.

Here’s how you can plan your 4-day journey between Mumbai and Goa:

Mumbai to Harihareshwar (7-10 hours)
Harihareshwar to Ganpatipule (7-10 hours)
Ganpatipule to Tarkarli (6-9 hours)
Tarkarli to Goa (5 hours)

Further Reading: A More Detailed Mumbai and Goa Coastal Route Itinerary (please note that my motorcycle road trip followed the same route but I chose different places to break the journey. The itinerary suggested above is on the basis of the two journeys I have done on the coastal Maharashtra route). 

Goa to Marvanthe: 1 Day for The Best of Coastal Karnataka

As soon as you exit South Goa and enter into Karnataka, the first highlight comes your way with River Kali flowing on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. Karwar Beach is a famous tourist spot to stop by and enjoy the two waterbodies simultaneously, but if you will just look in the map, you will find the hidden gem of Devbag Beach, located only a few km before Karwar. From Devbagh, it’s possible to experience a Marvanthe like setting – with river Kali flowing on one side of you, and the Arabian Sea on the other.

The entire Goa to Marvanthe stretch will have winding roads with most of the time the road is open for two-way traffic. The roads may be narrow but overall pretty good in shape. Though only a 5-hour journey it can take a good 8 to 9 hours as there are many beautiful spots where you would maybe want to take a moment and click a picture, so leave early.

Marvanthe will be the highlighted spot with the Arabian sea and Suparnika river flowing on either side of the highway. The main beach may get a little crowded in the evening, but if you will try it’s not too hard to find your own quiet corner somewhere.

There are places to stay near the Marvanthe beach. 

Marvanthe to Bangalore: 1 Day of Better Weather

When I originally planned my Delhi to Bangalore journey, I decided to go all the way to Mangalore (exploring Murudeshwar and Udupi, the south of Marvanthe) before finally moving to Bangalore and ending the trip. But because the weather was too hot and humid to ride in South India, I decided to cut short my trip from Marvanthe. And this hot weather was troubling since I reached Mumbai. The more south I went and the hotter and sweatier it only got. And this was during the winter months (December and January). Anyway, here’s more cribbing about the weather and the reason why I think South India is not meant for riding (currently writing the article).

Marvanthe to Bangalore will take you to the green patches of Chickmangalur with proper mountain-like riding conditions for at least half of the journey (until you exit Chickmangalur and reach Balur.

There are two almost parallel running routes for Marvanthe to Bangalore, but take the one that takes you from Marvanthe to Agumbe to Hassan and then Bangalore as that one is more scenic. At two points on the journey, near Agumbe sunset point, you will be dealing with around 20 hairpin bends, making the experience quite enjoyable. Located at nearly 1000m above sea level, Agumbe motorable pass is a local tourist attraction.

Travelogue and photo courtesy: Footloosedev. 

Digilocker Rule by MORTH vide notice dated 2018-08-08

'Digilocker Rule' as spelt out by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) vide its notice dated 2018-08-08. 

Baju Avik's spat with West Bengal Police officer regarding vehicle documents uploaded in Digilocker

A gentleman named Baju Avik riding a bike was intercepted by an officer of West Bengal Police at Dunlop crossing on BT Road in Kolkata for flouting a 'No Left Turn' signal on 2020-01-26.
The biker had all his documents uploaded on Digilocker. However, the cop refused to accept his documents in the digital format and kept insisting on viewing the physical documents, viz Driving Licence, Registration Certificate, etc.
The video of the argument was recorded by both.
At the end the biker gentleman was allowed to go without having to pay any fine or producing any physical documents.

(Video copied from the Facebook wall of the biker)
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* How India Travels

Bangalore to Kochi KSRTC Volvo bus accident in Coimbatore district on 2020-02-20

As many as 20 people died on the spot when a speeding container truck rammed a multi-axle Volvo bus of Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) near Thirumuruganpoondi in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Thursday, 2020-02-20.
The deceased included the bus driver.
Police said the bus was heading to Ernakulam from Bengaluru. There were 48 passengers in the bus. The accident happened on the Avinashi-Salem bypass around 3.25 am.
Police said the container truck, laden with floor tiles, was heading towards Bengaluru from Kochi.
They said the driver of the truck might have slept at the wheels for a few seconds and lost control of the vehicle. The truck hit the median, entered the other side of the road and rammed the bus.
Source: The Times of India (e-edition) dated 2020-02-20.
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* Mishap And Calamity

Mamata Banerjee admits high handedness of Civic Police throughout Bengal

Even Mamata Banerjee has admitted in February 2020 during one of her administrative meetings in the districts that the Civic Police are being let loose on motorists and two wheeler riders by regular cops to forcibly stop and impose fines.
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* Indian Roadie News
* How India Travels

Mumbai Pune electric bus launched by Nitin Gadkari on 2020-02-14

India's first inter-city electric bus service between Mumbai and Pune launched on 2020-02-14, will operate twice everyday.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday launched India’s first inter-city electric bus service between Mumbai and Pune. The company associated with this service said that they are planning to extend these services in other parts of Maharashtra and adjoining states in the near future. 

The 43-seater capacity luxury electric bus is capable to operate within a range of 300 kilometres on a single charge and would be operated twice daily between the two cities.

Manufactured by Mitra Mobility Solution, the bus will be operated by Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions which said that the firm has around 1,300 electric buses in operation. 

Speaking at the event Gadkari said from the past 4-5 years he has been making an all-out effort to see that electric buses run in large numbers on the highways of the country.

He also expressed confidence that various corporations, state government corporations and private operators might order some 10,000 electric buses this year and added that the government was planning to build e-(electric) highways to facilitate the smooth operation of these electric buses.

Gadkari, who is the Minister for Transport, Highways and MSMEs, had earlier invited private players to invest alongside the government in developing the proposed electric lane on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway which is set to be completed in the next three years.

He further said that investors serious about this proposal will have to invest Rs 1.03 lakh crore and will also receive support from the government in terms of policies.

This new expressway will cut down the travel time between India’s financial capital and the national capital to just 12-13 hours.

Under the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the focus has shifted from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles.

Gadkari had earlier said that all buses in the country would be converted into electric within a span two years.

Last year, the union minister had said that the Centre will not force the automobile industry to switch to cleaner sources of commute adding that there was no need to ban petrol and diesel vehicles or make the switch to EVs mandatory. 

Hyderabad to Adilabad and Adilabad to Chandrapur - Indian Roadie Preferred Route

Indian Roadie Preferred Route for a Hyderabad to Chandrapur drive:   

Hyderabad (from near CMR Institute of Technology after exiting Nehru ORR) - Follow NH44 which is in excellent condition upto Adilabad - Exit NH44 and turn right from a little ahead of Boraj Check Post beyond Adilabad - Cross TS/ MH border - Korpana - Ballarpur (famous for Ballarpur Industries Ltd, paper mill) - Chandrapur. (Approx 410 kms from ORR exit/ 7 hrs 30 mins)

Hyderabad to Adilabad via NH44 = Approx 280 kms/ 4 hrs 30 mins.

Bidhannagar Police badly damaged a Honda City while trying to tow it away on 2020-02-02

ঘটনাটা কাল (Sunday, 2020-02-02) সন্ধ্যের।

বইমেলার উদ্দেশ্যে বিকেল চারটে নাগাদ সল্টলেক পৌঁছে, জরুরী দু-একটা কাজ সেরে আমরা আমাদের গাড়িটা (Honda City, Reg No.: WB 02AG 3915) পার্ক করি DJ Block-এ, বিদ্যুৎ ভবনের পেছনের রাস্তার উল্টো ফুটে। ইতিমধ্যে সেখানে চার পাঁচটি গাড়ি থাকা সত্ত্বেও, আমরা গাড়ি থেকে নেমে চেক করি কোন ‘নো পার্কিং’ আছে কিনা এবং নেই শিওর হয়েই গাড়িটি সেখানে পার্ক করে বইমেলার উদ্দেশ্যে রহনা হই।

রাত আটটা নাগাদ সে জায়গায় ফিরে এসে দেখি গাড়ি উধাও। পুরো রাস্তা ফাঁকা। দিশেহারা অবস্থায় আমরা গাড়ির খোঁজে এপ্রান্ত থেকে ওপ্রান্ত এবং আশেপাশের রাস্তাগুলোতে দৌড়তে শুরু করি এবং প্রায় আধ ঘন্টার নাজেহাল হওয়ার পর জানা যায় পুলিশ গাড়িটি সরিয়েছে। গাড়ির মালিক এবং আমার বন্ধু Sanchayan Chakraborty ততক্ষণে ঘটনার আকস্মিকতায় অসুস্থ হয়ে পড়েছে। কন্ট্রোলরুমের রেজিস্টার চেক করে আমরা জানতে পারি গাড়িটি সরিয়ে ‘ওই CJ-র ওদিকে  কোথাও একটা’ রেখে দিয়েছে পুলিশ।

ট্র্যাফিক গার্ডের প্রত্যেকের দুর্ব্যবহার এবং অসহযোগিতা প্রতি মুহূর্তে পরিস্থিতি জটিল করতে থাকে এবং আমরা আরও দিকভ্রান্ত হতে থাকি। বিভিন্ন ব্লকের রাস্তায় রাস্তায় অসহায়ের মত দৌড়ে বেড়ানো শুরু এবং প্রায় একঘন্টা পর CJ ব্লকের PNB ব্রাঞ্চের সামনে, রাস্তার উপর গাড়িটি খুঁজে পাই।

এতক্ষণ ছিল অসহযোগিতা এবং হয়রানি। এবার, মাথায় আকাশ ভেঙ্গে পড়ার পালা। গাড়িটি পাওয়া যায় নিচের ছবিগুলির কন্ডিশনে। গাড়িটিকে ভেঙ্গে দেওয়া হয়েছে, সামনের অংশ পুরোপুরি ড্যামেজড। কমপ্লিটলি নন-ড্রাইভেবল কন্ডিশন। ইঞ্জিন অবধি ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত। সাথে কোন চালান-টালানও নেই। মাথায় হাত দিয়ে বসে পড়ে আমার বন্ধু। তাকে খানিক সামলে আবার আমরা দৌড়াদৌড়ি শুরু করি। অবর্ণনীয় বিশৃঙ্খলার পর, শ্রী অমিত পালোধি, বিধাননগর ট্রাফিক সার্জেন্ট, যিনি গাড়িটি সরিয়েছেন, জানান ‘ইচ্ছা করে তো হয়নি, tow করতে গিয়ে কোনভাবে হয়ে গেছে’!

আমরা লালবাজারে কথা বলি এবং এফ-আই-আর করার সিদ্ধান্ত নিই। এদিকে জায়গাটি কোন থানার আওতায় জানতে চাওয়ায় কর্মরত পুলিশকর্মীদের দ্বারা অসহযোগিতা করা হয় এবং আবারও খানিক হয়রান হয়ে আমরা বিধাননগর ইস্ট থানায় পৌচ্ছাই। এসআই শ্রী বিশ্বজিৎ বাবুর সাথে কথা বলি এবং সেখানে আমাদের এফআইআর নিতে শুরুতে অস্বীকার করা হয়। থানা থেকে ইনস্পেকশনের গাড়িতে আমরা আবার ঘটনাস্থলে যাই এবং পুলিশকে দেখাই গাড়ির বর্তমান অবস্থা। এরপর থানা থেকে বলা হয় ভারপ্রাপ্ত ট্রাফিক ইনস্পেকটরের সাথে কথা বলতে, কারণ তিনি অ্যাপ্রুভ না করলে অভিযোগ নেওয়া হবে না।

প্রায় আরও আধঘন্টা পর ট্রাফিক ইনস্পেকটর থানায় আসেন এবং ‘দুঃখ প্রকাশ করেন’ এবং জানান ‘হ্যাঁ ক্ষতি তো হয়েছে, আপনারা অভিযোগ করলে করতেই পারেন’। অতঃপর রাত এগারো নাগাদ আমাদের জেনারেল ডাইরি নেওয়া হয়, যার নং – ৯২/২০ তারিখ ০২.০২.২০২০.

এরপর গাড়ির কী হবে-র পালা। সেটা কী ঐভাবে রাস্তায় পড়ে থাকবে? পুলিশের তরফে জানানো হয় ‘এটা আমাদের দায়িত্ব নয়’। গাড়ি তাঁরা সরিয়ে, ভেঙ্গে অন্যত্র ফেলে দেন কিন্তু তারপর সেটির কী হবে সে ব্যাপারে কোনরকম দায়িত্ব তাঁদের নেই। অর্থাৎ আরেকপ্রস্ত নাজেহাল হওয়া শুরু। গত তিন-চার ঘন্টায় আমরা দুজনেই তখন মানসিক ভাবে বিধ্বস্ত। রাস্তাঘাট শুনশান, দোকানপাট বন্ধ, রাস্তায় দাঁড়িয়ে দুজন এবং চোখের সামনে পড়ে আমাদের ভেঙ্গে দেওয়া গাড়ি।

আরও দুঘন্টা চেষ্টা চালানোর পর এবং অনলাইনে বিস্তর টাকা খরচের পর কোনরকমে রোডসাইড অ্যাসিস্টেন্স পাওয়া যায় এবং সেই গাড়িতে চড়েই আমরা পিনাকল হন্ডা, ই এম বাইপাসে পৌঁছাই ভাঙ্গা গাড়ি সমেত। সেখানে ফর্মালিটিজ সামলে, পরিবার পরিজনের ব্লাড প্রেসার বাড়িয়ে আমরা যখন বাড়ি ফিরি, রাত তখন তিনটে দশ।

Bidhannagar City Police কেন আমাদের গাড়িটি সরানোর নাম করে ভেঙ্গে দেওয়া হল? এর দায় কার? এই ভয়ানক হ্যারাসমেন্ট এবং আগামীতে গাড়িটি সারাতে যে অর্থব্যয় হবে তারই বা দায় কার?

(Copied verbatim and pasted from the Facebook wall of Palash Haque. Brought to the notice of Indian Roadie by Saikat Debnath)

Gist of the incident:
On Sunday, 2020-02-02 evening the owner Sanchayan Chakraborty and his friend had carefully parked the Honda City (WB02AG3915) at a safe spot on DJ Block, behind Bidyut Bhawan, Salt Lake.  Thereafter, they walked to the Book Fair venue. When they returned to the spot around 8pm, they found the car missing.
After a lot of search and non-cooperation by Bidhannagar Police personnel, they came to know that their valued possession had been towed away absolutely carelessly and with an intention to create maximum damage to the car. The car was spotted at a lane at the adjoining CJ Block lying unattended and broken.
The cops at various levels were very non-cooperative. It's only at 11pm, they could lodge a General Diary number 92/20 dated 2020-02-02.
After a lot of hassles and incurring huge costs, the car was towed to the workshop of Pinnacle Honda from CJ Block in Salt Lake at 1.30am on Monday, 2020-02-03.

Lady in Kannur, Kerala tries to reverse car but moves forward and breaks through a wall

Now I am genuinely scared of the guys owning 'holy' and 'musical' Tata cars, which develop umpteen number of 'holes' and start 'rattling' like mad within 3 - 5 years of purchase.
The owners of Tata cars themselves are supposedly so technology savvy that they have started trying out NCAP tests themselves to prove some stupid points.

And btw, all non-Tata car owners, specifically the owners of supposedly cheap Maruti Suzuki 'tin can' brands are frequently addressed as big time 'idiots' which gives me the impression that the Tata car owners eat 'atta roti' at home using golden spoons. It's as if they have a Hummer (or 'hammer') parked in their parking slot. I am instantly left wondering if they reside in a tony apartment adjoing the hanging garden in Malabar Hills in Mumbai. It's simultaneously amusing to read those 'super-rich' guys asking everyone why their own dream car built on JLR platform made in Pune return a fuel economy of 15.6 kmpl while somebody else gets 16.1 kmpl.

Will somebody explain to the rusty morons who keep rattling nonsense at non-Tata owners that most of their own parents or they themselves had proudly owned new or pre-owned Maruti Suzuki cars or vans between 1985 and 2010. Let them shed their own hypocrisy and admit that their parents or they themselves were bigger idiots, going by their own logic. They should shed their double standards and logically explain why they had acquired Maruti Suzuki or Hyundai themselves and did not stick to HM or PAL?

The glorified 'babus' in today's mass recruiting companies with a couple of trips as couriers to US, Europe should professionally educate themselves about terms like 'market segmentation', 'brand positioning', etc before exposing their hollow self.

If you don't respect your car, any car can kill and/ or maim. Please stop living in a fools paradise. Be realistic. A Tata or a VW and Skoda can also kill/ maim under similar circumstances.

These discussions humiliating Maruti or other car owners are frowned upon in Indian Roadie. People with such attitude are rebuked publicly.

P.S:
- Somebody from a 'model' state in India has already been rebuked for irrelevant mentions.
- I got the photo as a WhatsApp message this Sunday, 2020-02-02 morning, more for humour than anything else. The caption read the typical and snooty "Imagine if this was a tin can and not a safe Tata car". I immediately deleted the caption but retained the photo for a model reply.
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