Armed forces have a special hill driving license for their truck drivers

Is it a fact that the Armed forces have a special hill driving license for their truck drivers .. !!!
Here's an army truck negotiating the extremely difficult Rohtang Pass.

Location: Rohtang Pass, HP in 2014.

Photo courtesy: A Uberoi (Facebook@auberoi)

View from Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai in 2008

View from Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai in 2008.
Pic credit: Swaroop Biswas

Amitabh Bachchan turns Indian Roadie in Kolkata on a bicycle

Amitabh Bachchan turns Indian Roadie in Kolkata on a bicycle during the film shoot of Soojit Sirkar drected 'Piku' in early November 2014.
The film will also star Deepika Padukone and Irfan Khan.

Sourced from Amitabh Bachchan's post on his own Facebook page on 2nd November 2014.

Matt Haley dies in motorcycle crash in Ladakh in August 2014

Matt Haley at Khardungla before the fatal accident on 17th August 2014.
Pic credit: Gaurav Jani


Prominent Delmarva restaurateur and chef Matt Haley, founder and CEO of Matt Haley Companies which operates restaurants in Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach and Ocean View, died from injuries sustained on Monday 17th August 2014 in a motorcycle crash in Leh, India. He was 53.

Haley recently had been battling a recurring bout of cancer. Haley was cancer-free before he left for India.

Haley won the 2014 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award in May 2014. Haley was on a six-week humanitarian mission through Northwestern India and Nepal, according to Scott Kammerer, president and COO of the Matt Haley Companies, via a statement.

Kammerer said that on Wednesday 19th August, he was told by U.S. State Department officials that Haley died on Tuesday 18th August 2014 night during a medical flight from Leh to New Delhi, India.

Haley was involved in a “high impact” collision with a truck in Leh on Monday, at the beginning of his humanitarian trip. Haley has devoted significant time and resources to humanitarian efforts in the area. Haley was traveling with an experienced group of between eight to nine motorcycle riders including international filmmaker and motorcycle expert Guarav Jani.

During the trip, Haley posted on his social media accounts about the motorcycle trip he was taking. Haley has been sending updates on his trip through his Facebook page and Instagram and Twitter accounts since 11th August 2014.

On 11th August 2014 Haley wrote on Facebook, "I was on the beach yesterday in Rehoboth Beach De. Today I'll be on a motorcycle headed to Lahdak, India for a three week high altitude motorcycle ride at heights up to 18,500 feet on the highest and some say most dangerous roads in the world on the Pakistan boarder with some bad ass Indian buddies of mine then off to Kathmandu, Nepal for a week to see my daughters, a quick stop home to change clothes and do some laundry (and see my girlfriend, first option) then off to Mexico City to eat some street food for a week. Stay tuned, it's just getting started. ‪#‎haleyslife‬ on Instagram."

On 16th August 2014 around 7.00am (IST) Haley changed his Facebook profile pic to the following and wrote "Ha. This was a simple road at 14,000 feet. I'll be at 18,500 in a few days on the highest road in the world. I must say I now know why they call it getting high." He was hinting on reaching Khardungla.




Matt Haley works on his monk fish stew in Feb 2014

Aizwal on 2014-11-08 morning

Heavenly Aizawl on 8th November 2014 morning.
This no-honking remote hill town tells you, cars can still move on the busy streets without needlessly honking around.

Photo/ description courtesy: Rahul Shanker

3 weeks, 2800 kms, 1 Royal Enfield (Ladakh trip) by Rashmi and Vishal Vishwambharan

Rashmi and Vishal Vishwambharan were on a 3 weeks Royal Enfield motorcycle trip in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir from end August to mid September 2012. 
Their route was Manali - Mcleodganj - Jammu - Srinagar - Kargil - Leh (Pangong Tso, Nubra Valley) - Tso Moriri - Manali

Grandpa's Mango Shop in Hooghly district of West Bengal

Only passionate Indian roadies (and more so if they are in the profession of sales and marketing) get to spot and enjoy sweet and juicy seasonal mangoes at 'Dadur Aamer Dokan' (Grandpa's Mango Shop) by the roadside while out on a leisurely drive.

Location: Somewhere in Hooghly district, West Bengal.
Photo courtesy: Biswarup Bose.

'Hijras' begging on Kolkata throughfares

'Hijras' begging at prominent road intersections on Kolkata throughfares.

Photo courtesy: Neeraj Pandey.

Colourful camel carts in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Colourful camel carts in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

Let's go fishing on NH34 at Gobindapur, near Shantipur, Nadia district, West Bengal

Let's go fishing on NH34 at Gobindapur, near Shantipur, Nadia district, West Bengal.
Incidentally, Shantipur is famous for its Bengal Tangail Sarees.
The condition of the road has deteriorated to this extent in September 2014 as seen in the picture.
If you are planning a drive/ ride to North Bengal, Bhutan or the seven North Eastern sisters, be ready to embrace dips or fishing jaunts almost throughout the stretch of this 'highway'.
For the uninitiated, NH34 is the major lifeline of 434 kms between Kolkata and Dalkhola (West Bengal) via Ranaghat, Baharampur, Malda.
At Dalkhola, one meets NH31 (a part of the East - West corridor).
Road On Right (ROR) from Dalkhola: Siliguri via Islampur, Kishangunj.
Road On Left (ROL) from Dalkhola: Purnea (Bihar), Bhagalpur.

Khardung La moments (01)

A collection of happy/ proud/ joyous moments of those who made it to the highest motorable road in the world, Khardung La in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir alone or with friends and family.
It's not that each of them had a 4-wheel drive vehicle to reach Khardung La. Their grit and tenacity to achieve the near impossible played the most important role to reach Khardung La.

Parimal Gandhe's 'public display of affection' for his 2004 Fiat Palio

Parimal Gandhe's 'public display of affection' for his Fiat Palio (2004).



My Italian Beauty, now the Odometer showing 1,18,990, and she is still awesome to drive. Her heart is as young as when she was born eight years ago.
She has been to so many places, with many awesome memories, so many emotions. Shared the best moments of my life with her.
Wish she can speak. She has never let me down. Most of her life spent in worst of roads, but never gave up. She still puts the smile on my face every time I hit highways or bad roads.
She is a beautiful lady. She needs more attention, but well, she deserves it.
Many a times people say I am crazy for Fiat - but yes that is what Fiat does to you. Its pure passion.
Palio, even after 12 Years of launch in India still lives in the heart of every Fiatian.

Happy Durga Puja 2014 & a glimpse of Abasar Durga Puja pandal in Bhowanipore

Happy Durga Puja 2014 & a very happy Asthami for today to all Indian Roadies and their dear ones.
Which are the most striking Durga Puja pandals you visited this year?

There's this Durga Puja organised by Abasar Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee, Townshend Road, Bhowanipore in Kolkata which I visited on Saptami (1st October 2014). It was a fantastic work of creativity and meticulously handcrafted metal & clay work.
Must have taken numerous artisans 6 - 9 months for the fabrication job.
Makes me feel terribly sad that in another 3 - 4 days everything will be dismantled.
If you are in Kolkata, don't miss the opportunity to visit this pandal. There's ample parking space in lanes and bylanes surrounding this location.

Looking forward to your photos of Durga Puja pandals you visited and the associated fun, food and 'adda' in Kolkata and across India in the Facebook.com 'page' and/ or 'group' www.facebook.com/IndianRoadie, www.facebook.com/groups/IndianRoadie.

Enjoy the festival :)

Barrackpore Govt High School (Estd. 1837), B.T.Road, Barrackpore

Barrackpore Govt High School (Estd. 1837), B.T.Road, Barrackpore.
Building seen in pic is almost 175 years old.
Visited on 7th August 2014.
Mobile click with 2 megapixel camera in bright sunlight.

Kurseong - Darjeeling passenger train approaching Tung station

Reach Kurseong and then proceed towards Sonada.
Before Tung station there's a tea retail outlet of Margaret's Hope Tea Estate on the left side of Hill Cart Road. By positioning yourself just opposite the said retail outlet you can view this beautiful Kurseong - Darjeeling passenger train.
Simply wait for the Toy Train to come.

Story and photo courtesy: Arunava Das.

Customer care by State Transport Corporations in India

Some of the State Transport Corporations really care for their passengers.
Why aren't the bosses hauled up for such fantastic customer comfort ..... I'm left wondering!

Serene greenery of rural West Bengal at Taldih in South 24 Parganas

A weekend drive to serene greenery of rural West Bengal at Taldih in South 24 Parganas.
One can't miss the cool blue sky above the hues of green below.

Photo courtesy: Partha Kirtaniya (Facebook @ partha.kirtaniya).

TotoPara riverine jeep safari with Mt Kanchenjunga in the backdrop

TotoPara (North Bengal).

147 km from Siliguri (via NH31C), 22 km from Jaldapara and 65 kms from Alipurduar (West Bengal), TotoPara is a small village on the bank of River Torsha near Bhutan border.

TotoPara is famous for the Dooars aboriginals - the Totos. Totos are one of the most primitive tribe in the world.

A riverine jeep safari in TotoPara with Mt Kanchenjunga in the backdrop is a great experience for any Indian Roadie.

Indian Roadie, Arunava Das (Facebook @ arunavavb) shared his joy of a visit to TotoPara with this photo clicked beyond Hantapara Tea Estate, opposite to TotoPara, towards the lower hills of Bhutan.

1969 North India drive in a Standard10 car with Baba Ma

In 1969 (hopefully, I'm getting the year right), when I was barely 7 years old, my parents took me out on a 3000+ kms drive from my hometown Barakar (near Asansol) to Allahabad, Agra, Faridabad, N.Delhi, Haridwar, DehraDun, Mussoorie, Nainital, Lucknow, Varanasi and back to Barakar in September/ October (during the Durga Puja vacation) in this miniature Standard 10 car that you get to see in the pic.
There was no Golden Quadrilateral and NH2 (popularly, known as the GT Road) had more potholes than bitumen on the road surface. I fail to fathom how 5 adults and 2 kids including my younger brother and me fitted into this matchbox
Thank you baba and ma for making me the Indian Roadie that I am today and for whatever professional success I've achieved in life.

Crispy Dosas at Maruthi Vilas Hotel, Cannon Shed Road, Ernakulam

Maruthi Vilas, once a meeting point for politicians, journalists, cultural and social activists now stands empty, dark, and forlorn. Located on Cannon Shed Road, close to the Ernakulam boat jetty, this iconic hotel is on the verge of being demolished. Another historic landmark will soon disappear into the gauze of memory. 

Not really luxurious or sophisticated Maruthi Vilas was a typical midtown boarding and lodge with a character of its own. For more than half a century at least it hosted celebrities; politicians made it their home, theatre actors made it their rehearsal camp. It was the city’s ‘place of occasion.’ 

Today, this place is run down. There are a few trade union offices that function out of this building. Electric supply has been cut for some time now. The ‘lobby’ still has its wooden, glass-topped cash counter with faded pictures of gods and goddesses on the washed out blue wall. A wooden staircase leads to the lodging above. On the ground floor was the famous restaurant that made hot, crisp, ghee dosas, memories of which old-timers still savour. Black-and-white photographs of the owner Rama Achar and his son Narayana Bhat occupy the space above the door that must have led to the main ‘dining hall.’ 

“My earliest memory of this hotel was when I was in school. Prof. Gopal Iyer, from Presidency College, Madras, had come to Maharaja’s College as an external examiner. He was my father’s professor. One evening he took me along with my father and Appan Thampuran to Maruthi Vilas, which then functioned out of Broadway. I had mango juice there,” remembers V.N. Venugopal, local historian. 

By the early 1950s Maruthi Vilas became a hub of political activity. “Every evening after tennis I used to walk to Shanmugham Road where you could sit and listen to the music from the loudspeakers. Kunjappan, the peon of Maharaja’s College, used to watch me take this route close to Maruthi Vilas. He once stopped me and told me not to walk that way. Later, I came to know that Kunjappan’s worry was that I would be drawn into the study classes for Communists that were held in one of the rooms in this hotel,” adds Venugopal. 

From then, till today Maruthi Vilas has been a popular destination for politicians, especially the Communists. “Room No. 54 was where A.P. Varkey, CPI-M’s long-standing district secretary stayed for more than four decades. Azhikodan Raghavan attended a meeting here, which turned out to be his last. He left at around 5 p.m. walked to the bus stand and took a bus to Thrissur where he was killed. Another important historic event that links this hotel to history is that of the swearing-in ceremony of the first Communist ministry in the world. Before the swearing –in at TDM Hall the Polit Bureau held a meeting at this hotel,” informs Ravi Kuttikad, journalist. 

It was not just the Left parties that made Maruthi Vilas their den. Theatre personalities like P.J. Antony, N.N. Pillai who had rehearsals of plays here and Vaikom Mohammed Basheer often spent time here. “Basheer who had his book stall close to the hotel stayed above a tailoring shop owned by Francis that was located at the corner of Cannon Shed Road. There used to be a small eating place close to Maruthi that offered clean, homely food at comparatively low cost. The Prabhat Book House and two Communist party offices, all made this road very active,” says Ravi. 

Sreedharan Nair came to this hotel nearly 35 years back as a cleaner. Though the hotel is on the verge of being demolished he continues to stay here finding work in one of the thattukadas nearby. “I have spent my whole life in this hotel. I have seen so many great leaders and personalities here. E.K. Nayanar, for example, used to stay here and continued to visit the hotel even when he was the Chief Minister. The food was much sought after and though the rooms were not very luxurious people found it comfortable. The location was also ideal,” remarks Sreedharan Nair, who hails from Cherthala. 

Y. Shantaram, noted ghanjira artiste, and his brother, sons of Narayana Bhat, managed the hotel with the help of managers from 1982 to 2003. “Busy with my concerts it was my brother who was actually in-charge. In the heydays there were around 70 rooms and five to six buildings in the compound. I studied at the Swati Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram, and whenever I came home I used to go to the hotel and help my father,” he says. 

The first male playback singer in Malayalam the late T.K. Govinda Rao, once told this writer how he used to go to Maruthi Vilas, owned by one of his uncles and assisted him. And it was while he was sitting at the cash counter that he was invited to Salem to sing in the 1948 film Nirmala. 

CPI (ML) Red Flag opened its first office in the district in this hotel and they continue to function from the same room. Charles George, District Secretary and State Secretariat member, sits in the office, papers strewn on a small table, a few chairs lying around and shelves with dusty files and papers. “As a student and part of the library movement I used to come to Maruthi Vilas. I have met so many leaders here. We set up our office in 1987-88. I used to stay in the office and whenever football was on television used to watch it in A.P. Varkey’s room. 

All the rallies and processions of the Left parties used to begin from here, what we called Maruthi junction. And it is this historic landmark that will soon become a memory,” feels Charles.