Day 1 – 19 December 2020 - Chennai to Kolhapur – 961 km

What can be more exciting than an impending journey? To me that is the most I look forward to. That I could not sleep a wink despite tossing and turning around for a half hour counting sheep and praying aloud is proof of the fact. Belgaum is 865 km from Chennai and Google Maps logged the journey at a bit under 15 hours. To prepare for such a long drive, which I knew could be exasperating at times, I wanted to rest at least 6 hours before the 4 am start I had scheduled. Eyelids refused to become heavy nor were the usual yawns any present. A little after midnight I decided it was futile to struggle with something as distant as sleep was at the time. Getting ready and leaving early was the only option before me. I said to myself that I could take power naps on the way and get rid of any fatigue that would befall me on the way.

Packing for any journey, other than the unscheduled, starts way ahead of the intended cast off date. It was no different this time, too. Another ritual that accompanies packing is the re-packing. I have to do this many times over before I have it settled in my mind. With all that done the luggage was loaded into the car the previous night – food on the passenger seat, with seat belt fastened to hold it in place, luggage for overnight use and media bag immediately to the rear of the seats, within easy reach, winter clothing and extra shoes, innerwear, shirts, pants, socks, hankies and the rest in the boot.

I was in the car making last minute checks a little after 1 am. By 1.20 am I left my flat complex, House of Hiranandani. I generally avoid night driving due to cattle, pot holes and trucks without tail lamps. Despite the very early hours the roads were busy. However, by 2 am it eased off and driving was without hassles till 4am. After that the rush began again. Besides the large number of cargo trucks and container trailers there was plenty of weekend passenger traffic too. Toll gates got busy and queues started snaking. Having had a bad experience with an ICICI Fastag I cut it to shreds and abandoned it! At many tollgates I was told that Fastag would be compulsory from 1 January 2021. I have to source one soon or face the queues and monetary penalties that cash payments would attract from the said date on. For less than 800 km of highway travel I forked out Rs. 1,140. One should not mind paying for the facilities. While quite a bit of the National Highways were up to standard, it is unfair to collect toll charges for the Tumkur-Chitradurga sector.

While Google Maps indicated at the start that it would take nearly 15 hours to reach Belgaum the travel time kept counting down because of two reasons. One, I could average nearly 75 km per hour for the first five hours and that provided the momentum. Second, except for a ten minute bio and fuel break at Angod after 8 hours of steady drive I did not get down from the car or stop it till I reached the hotel in Kolhapur at 2.45 pm! I ‘feasted’ on cakes, biscuits and sugiyan with regular intake of water, all ‘on the run’.

Twice in Karnataka I was stopped by traffic cops for ‘scrutiny’. At one place the senior police officer leant into the car, looked at all the luggage in the car and said that he was impressed by my mobile home. He asked if I had all the documents of the car. When I confirmed it he asked me to get along with a wish for a safe journey.

As the journey progressed I knew I could push further than Belgaum. I weighed the options – Satara would be too far and Pune would be out of the way. I settled for Kolhapur, which was a hundred km from Belgaum. I sought the assistance of Rajiv Shah of Network Tours and Travels, Surat and very dear friend of mine for more than 5 years, to book me a hotel in Kolhapur. In no time Hotel Rasika Renaissance, a short detour from the highway, became my night halt destination. 

After settling and rearranging stuff in the room and in the car, checking on certain essentials of the car I asked the hotel reception for options to spend a few hours in the city. The personable young man suggested the historic Mahalaxmi Temple and Rankala Lake. He suggested that I take an auto because parking would be a problem due to weekend rush. That is how I met Ankush, the smiling auto rickshaw driver. He told me that I would be charged only as per the meter. When I told him where all I wished to go he agreed to be with me for a total charge of Rs. 300. That took a load off me. On the way he pointed out many buildings in the city but I was more bothered about the poor infrastructure within the city – broken roads, poor air quality and completely chaotic traffic. I had to make sure that not even my shirt sleeve strays outside the auto. Not to speak of the many brushes with ‘near death’ the polluted air stopped me from pursuing any meaningful conversation with Ankush. He told me that Misal – could make out that it was a fusion of chaat and vada paav – is the most common snack. However, I could not try that out because he said it is normally available fresh till noon.

Mahalaxmi Temple, built by the Chalukyas in the 7th century, is an important place of worship in Kolhapur. It is said to have been visited by Adi Shankaracharya and during the reigns of Shivaji and Sambaji. The old Bhavani Mantap, in close proximity to the Temple, used to house important offices an was where people gathered for important celebrations. The rich, princely state of Kolhapur was exemplified by the courtyard and the typical architecture of the Mantap. It is said to have a tunnel leading to the Panhala Fort.

The Rankala Lake is believed to have been the outcome of some strange phenomenon whereby a stone quarry got filled up with water from an undiscovered underground source. The Lake is fringed by important structures such as the Nandi Temple, Shalini Palace and Padmarajee Garden. The chowapati and the walkway around the Lake are recreational centres for local people, both young and old. Maintenance of the park and the walkways is an issue. In fact, the city of Kolhapur is challenged thus.