After about 60 minutes of the "Ankur and Ashish" show (think Punch and Judy), I was introduced to the person who must be said was the hardiest, toughest and the most tolerant instructor they had - Gurcharan.
The bravest men at the event. The instructors:
Gurcharan, aka Sancho Panza, the bravest of them all, posing with his steed (Rocinante):
This picture was taken before the drive when he still had some black hair. The next 90 minutes would prove to be the most harrowing moments in his life and a memory which by his own admission, he never wants to relive.
When we started out, Gurcharan asked me "
So which publication are you with?"
I replied "
Team-BHP".
His response "
Khan Sahib!!!!"..."
Sir you are with Khan Sahib (aka Khan_Sultan)?" He was incredulous. "
Sir Khan Sahib drives so well and you? How?" Then his next words were "
Hey Bhagwan." (see pics to follow)
I heard him repeat that "Hey Bhagwan" so many times that finally I told him "Gurcharan, I am Navin - why you keep calling me Bhagwan?" I think that shut him up. I think he was praying silently the rest of the way.
Somewhere along the way, I heard a thonk under the car. I don't know what I ran over so I looked over at Gurcharan, but he had his eyes shut and was praying silently.
When we got to the end, he introduced me to everyone with the words "Yeh Khan Sahib ka dost hain." (he is Khan Sahib's friend). One other instructor wanted to take a selfie with me only because I knew "Khan Sahib".
The man who gave Gurcharan nightmares - Tilting at windmills is not for the faint hearted:
"Faint heart never won fair lady" - Miguel de Cervantes
We were not permitted to keep our mobiles and cameras with us during the drive.
The only place where we were given the opportunity to take pictures:
Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and Rocinante:
"
Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them"
Note to Land Rover, Rohin, Ankur and Ashish. Please install in car cameras and microphones in later events. I am sure the recordings will prove to be more entertaining than anything Kimi or Alonso utter during the F1 races.
The drive itself was for about 90 minutes. We sloshed through a stream about 2 feet deep, and slid backwards down slopes, and drove bravely up many more. At times we sashayed, at other times trundled; we rolled and strolled and pretended to go boldly (when we knew the track and been pretty well planned and organized). The highlight was when Gurcharan let me drive the Discovery Sport at a 35-degree incline sideways through rocky terrain.
Since we were not permitted to take pictures during the drive, I am including pics the Land Rover team gave me at the end of the event. These pictures are only indicative. The actual drive was far more exhilarating than what these pictures portray. A big shout out to Switzel Fernandes (of the PR firm Weber Shandwick) who made all these pictures and videos available to me.
We took off in a convoy. I was the 4th of 11 cars.
Coming over this first hill:
We waded through a stream about 2 feet deep at the deepest part:
Short videos of the drive. If you follow them closely, you will see the sideways incline and may even spot me driving.
The pictures and videos do not tell the full story. The Discovery I was in was so poised that never during the entire ride did I feel scared. Gurcharan on the other hand, has a different story to tell.
This is me, driving. Yeah!
Emerging from the steam:
After we crossed the stream came the most fun part: driving at about a 35-degree incline through some wet rocky terrain. This picture is me just completing that section:
After the stream and a 35-degree sideways incline, I found this part easy. The power on tap in the Discovery Sport allowed me to race through this section even going a little sideways:
Rocinante, after all we put her through:
A final shout out to
GTO who thought it worthy to let me represent Team-BHP for this event. It was a fun time. I do realize that for OTR experts like "Khan Sahib", this is tame but for me, this was a first time experience and I enjoyed it to the utmost.
Disclaimer: Land Rover invited Team-BHP for this offroad drive. They covered all the travel expenses for the driving event.