Snapshot
Fun on wheels
Roopinder Singh

Driving Holidays in India
by Bob Rupani, Rupani Media, Mumbai. Pages 278. Rs 495

Driving holidays are for those who love to explore what is beyond the horizon. They involve seeing new places and going to different destinations; in fact, just going, since every destination is the beginning of a new journey.

Narayan M (or Bob as he is widely known) Rupani is a senior motoring journalist. He is passionate about cars, and about people and places. This shows in this well-brought-out book, based entirely on the journeys he has undertaken himself for this project.

The 25 geographically categorised itineraries given here would tempt any motorist to tour the nation. Symbols of Love and Passion—Agra, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Orcha, Khajuraho; Himalayas: Abode of the Gods—Chandigarh, Kasauli, Chail, Shimla, Thanedar, Shangla, Tabo, Kaza, Manali; Royal Experiences—Jodhpur, Khejarla, Nimaj, Pushkar, Jaipur and Temples and Tuskers—Bangalore, Chikmanglur, Belur/Halebid, Coorg, Kabini, Mysore. Tempting, isn’t it?

Directions, distances and the estimated time the drive would take are given, as are the highlights on the way, including those that entail some digressions off the main route. Information about architecture and history of the area is succinctly stated. The book has been well illuminated with many photographs most taken by the author, and the schematic maps are delightfully detailed. Images by Vivek Sharma and Dinesh Shukla add to the book’s visual appeal.

Bob has a wide network of friends and thus he has access to places and information that others envy. Some went along with him, exploring the routes and sharing their knowledge of the area, others helped him in various ways as Bob and his friends traversed the nation.

A few years ago, Bob was involved with a path-breaking website on touring in India. Unfortunately, a Google search only yields some cached pages of the site. Perhaps this is the reason that he reverted to the print medium, as a result of which this book is in our hands.

The author give details about the hotels e-mail addresses, website URLs, phone numbers, etc., but it would be a value addition if he also had a website that posted the latest information. Given the wealth of information, and what can be added in terms of sounds and moving images, a multimedia CD is an obvious next step.

HOME