Started early from Kolkata by road on a sunny summer day, so the beginning of the voyage was ‘awesome’ :) .
Well awesome could be the only word as it’s one of those, let’s say, ‘High frequency words’ we stumble upon every time we interact with someone belonging to today’s young over-energized cohorts.
We preferred to call it a ‘voyage’ then, in the early hours of the day because we started with all flying colors. The pleasant summer mornings and all you know; a good weather can make you use good language too :P .
We borrowed an Air Conditioned (AC) car, so the road travel was not supposed to be baddish. However, God’s ways are not so easy. Especially, if you have hit the highway with an early unexpected AC crash and helplessly witnessing the approaching noon.
By 11am the ‘voyage’ was already reduced to a ‘journey’. We were just done with a few kilometers; a major part of the 700 kilometers (round figure) distance was still to be covered.
On the way at around 12.30 pm ‘The tyre puncture’ (flat tire) happened :( .
It’s a common belief that every incident has both positive and negative effects, so this particular tyre puncture was no different. I call it the ‘The puncture’ because:
- It delayed our journey by one and half hours
- It happened in a place, where there were no dhabas (hotels), shops, or even small tea stalls available.
- Most importantly that was my first experience, which I am not exactly unhappy about.
My unhappiness was just for show especially for the driver. For him the effect was indeed negative. Being a usually empathetic person, I still feel guilty for the artificial empathy I used there, for the driver. Even from a distance I could hear him cursing the car.
As for me, I was definitely experiencing a positive effect and a nice time, I had a camera. I borrowed the camera the previous day from a friend. Buying things just because I want it has never been my nature. I have always believed if we want something for good and with no intention of harming anyone, we get it; but yes, we should try to get it from somewhere or someone. One can think it’s silly; well I can’t help agreeing sometimes.
Waiting there, with a background noise of the driver cursing, I made use of my immense photographic skills. Aye, I clicked quite a lot of pictures. I have added a few of them here; just don’t comment about the photography down there if you are a regular photographer. I can’t handle the truth. Message me secretly, and ya, with some tips :) .
Finally, we started again at 2 pm. I don’t know if the driver’s long interactive session with the car was somehow helpful, the AC was working all of a sudden. In next one hour we were successful in finding a small hotel, which could offer us some decent food at those late hours.
We commenced the road trip using the National Highway 2 (NH 2) and stuck to it crossing places mainly Shaktigarh, Vardhaman, Panagarg, Durgapur, Raniganj, Asansol and reached Dhanbad, which was one of our halts on the way.
The place Shaktigarh is famous for the sweet ‘langcha’, not a good option for the diabetic. Again in Raniganj you get the best quality ‘mineral of fossilized carbon’ or in simple words ‘coal’. This poor yet essential resource has become a true victim of human unfriendliness towards nature :o .
Leaving ecology for another post and getting back to the route, I must mention that the afternoon and evening drive was the best part. Below are some shots I managed to snap sitting inside the car.
From Dhanbad we moved forward crossing Hazaribag district, Dobhi border, Sasaram, Aurangabad, SonBridge, Dehri, Chandoli, and Mughal Sarai before we reached Banaras. From the highway we traveled another six kilometers to reach the proper Banaras we headed for.
Banaras let us in and embraced us at around 8pm. The weather was calm and pleasant in every way. Life already started making sense the moment we stepped out of the car and felt the divine ether of Banaras. ‘I belong here’, was one of those first few lines I said to myself sensing the holiness. If ever in my life I have believed in rebirth, it was then, right that moment. And I can feel it even now. It seems like that feeling was set in inside me forever :).
Well awesome could be the only word as it’s one of those, let’s say, ‘High frequency words’ we stumble upon every time we interact with someone belonging to today’s young over-energized cohorts.
We preferred to call it a ‘voyage’ then, in the early hours of the day because we started with all flying colors. The pleasant summer mornings and all you know; a good weather can make you use good language too :P .
We borrowed an Air Conditioned (AC) car, so the road travel was not supposed to be baddish. However, God’s ways are not so easy. Especially, if you have hit the highway with an early unexpected AC crash and helplessly witnessing the approaching noon.
By 11am the ‘voyage’ was already reduced to a ‘journey’. We were just done with a few kilometers; a major part of the 700 kilometers (round figure) distance was still to be covered.
On the way at around 12.30 pm ‘The tyre puncture’ (flat tire) happened :( .
It’s a common belief that every incident has both positive and negative effects, so this particular tyre puncture was no different. I call it the ‘The puncture’ because:
- It delayed our journey by one and half hours
- It happened in a place, where there were no dhabas (hotels), shops, or even small tea stalls available.
- Most importantly that was my first experience, which I am not exactly unhappy about.
My unhappiness was just for show especially for the driver. For him the effect was indeed negative. Being a usually empathetic person, I still feel guilty for the artificial empathy I used there, for the driver. Even from a distance I could hear him cursing the car.
As for me, I was definitely experiencing a positive effect and a nice time, I had a camera. I borrowed the camera the previous day from a friend. Buying things just because I want it has never been my nature. I have always believed if we want something for good and with no intention of harming anyone, we get it; but yes, we should try to get it from somewhere or someone. One can think it’s silly; well I can’t help agreeing sometimes.
Waiting there, with a background noise of the driver cursing, I made use of my immense photographic skills. Aye, I clicked quite a lot of pictures. I have added a few of them here; just don’t comment about the photography down there if you are a regular photographer. I can’t handle the truth. Message me secretly, and ya, with some tips :) .
We commenced the road trip using the National Highway 2 (NH 2) and stuck to it crossing places mainly Shaktigarh, Vardhaman, Panagarg, Durgapur, Raniganj, Asansol and reached Dhanbad, which was one of our halts on the way.
The place Shaktigarh is famous for the sweet ‘langcha’, not a good option for the diabetic. Again in Raniganj you get the best quality ‘mineral of fossilized carbon’ or in simple words ‘coal’. This poor yet essential resource has become a true victim of human unfriendliness towards nature :o .
Leaving ecology for another post and getting back to the route, I must mention that the afternoon and evening drive was the best part. Below are some shots I managed to snap sitting inside the car.
Banaras let us in and embraced us at around 8pm. The weather was calm and pleasant in every way. Life already started making sense the moment we stepped out of the car and felt the divine ether of Banaras. ‘I belong here’, was one of those first few lines I said to myself sensing the holiness. If ever in my life I have believed in rebirth, it was then, right that moment. And I can feel it even now. It seems like that feeling was set in inside me forever :).
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