MOTORCYCLE DIARIES OF DECCAN PLATEAU : TABULA RASA

The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives, doesn’t exist on the road. You never really know where you are or what time it is, and the outside world starts to fade away. Travelling anywhere in India by road is an intimate way to get acquainted with its myriad cultures, each with their unique beliefs and lifestyles. I’m a wanderer, an artist, and an adventurist.

I feel as though you can’t really live the experience unless you travel by road. So, here I was, in the ‘Land of Nizams’ with my trusted “Thunderrena”, and the newly added Beast “Yeti” – a swanking new RE Himalayan. I landed in CDM Secunderabad for my HDMC course, and my ‘Rajas’ was already activated to get on my bikes and explore this Southern region of varied landscapes and sights. I wanted to explore the rugged interiors and the picturesque countryside, stopping at every small roadside Dhaba that I could find and savour the local taste of the place. But with the Covid lockdown at its peak and restrictions aplenty from the college, it was not an easy proposition.

Notwithstanding all the

‘Restraints’& ‘Constraints’, a Wanderer would always find the ‘Optimum Solution’. So, armed with two of my most utilised ‘Road Travel’ guides – HOMP & OT Pocket Books, I braved the pandemic as well as the college restrictions, and started my quest for exploring this Deccan Region. Telangana can be described as a celestial instrument studded with a million precious stones. Although on the face value, this state conjures up the image of a vast, semi-arid landscape, but exploration of its interiors with its pristine lakes, stunning rivers and majestic hill forts, will take you by surprise. While carefully analysing the ‘Root Definition’ of this region, I realised that the two most common terms here on its map are – ‘Cheruvu’ (Lake or Water Body) & ‘Gutta’ (Hillock). These are the two things you will find almost everywhere.

A Bit of History

Making the CLD of Hyderabad – The Pearl City

I used few of my newly learnt ‘models’ of HDMC course to plan my quest for exploring the region, and divided the entire geography in concentric circles of varying kilometres with ‘Locus of Control’ being Hyderabad. A true jewel in the crown of the Deccan Plateau, Hyderabad is popularly known as the ‘Pearl City’ and has a history of diamond trading. It is also home to splendid palaces, mosques, ornamental gardens and lakes, spectacular hill forts and heritage buildings, making it one of the most interesting tourist destinations in the world. Unlike its popular biryani, Hyderabad is not a city you may fall in love with instantly, it’s an acquired taste.

Here, the ancient & the modern are like two ends of a ‘

Reinforcing Loop’, reaching a common ground and the resulting amalgamation is unique, much like Hyderabadi Hindi. It is a common sight to see a formally dressed corporate employee switch from Oxford English to crass Hyderabadi in a split second and walk into an Irani café or a biryani centre. The city and its people are very accepting of outsiders; it is in their deep rooted tradition and rich history to unite, blend and churn out a culture that is unique. Obviously, most of the city’s idiosyncrasies stem from the period of Nizam rule. During their reign, Hyderabad is said to have been one of the grandest and richest cities that ever existed in South Asia.

took the better of me & I decided to do the Old City tour on my Thunderbird in wee hours of morning. The road leading to Charminar passes over Musi river and is chaotic any time of the day, with shops selling clothes, bangles & jewellery flanking both sides.

told me that first of the getaways from Secunderabad has to be Shamirpet Lake which is nearest in vicinity. It’s an artificial lake constructed by Nizams and is a prime picnic spot for the locals, and hence didn’t appeal to me much. I rode further to Keeseragutta via the internal village roads, and was not disappointed by this temple-town famous for its Shiva temple constructed in typical South-Indian architecture. According to a legend, Lord Rama installed a Shivlinga in this area to atone for the sin of killing Ravana. The winding road takes you to top of small hillock which has commanding views of the area around.

Another internal road links this town to another ‘much famous’ temple-town of Yadagirigutta. A Prioriknowledge says that Lord Laxmi Narasimha Swamy is indubitably the most popular God in the state. So popular that the regional Telugu channel is called ‘DD Yadagiri’. In a state where every second temple is dedicated to one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu, what makes this one special is the ‘multifarious’ roles He performs, an extremely powerful God – he cures diseases, works miracles, fulfils people’s wishes, and very lovingly called “The Doctor God”. Next in line on the same route was a ‘Surprise Package’ called Bhongir Fort – a huge monolithic rock standing amidst an otherwise vast landscape presenting itself in front of you, what can be the Indian version of Australian Uluru. Spreading across an area of 50 acres & at a height of 500 ft above ground level, Bhongir is a protected monument, and is considered the most difficult to scale in Telangana. As I trekked up this egg-shaped wonder, I was immediately rewarded with a panoramic view of the entire region. Suddenly I understood the true meaning of ‘Ceteris Paribus’

when everything else stood still atop this mammoth structure.

The road further took me through some amazing countryside lined with farm houses, where I discovered an absolutely delightful nursery called Unique Trees (True to its Name). This nursery has some of the most unique & unbelievable trees I have ever seen. My destination on this route was Anathagiri Hills, arguable one of the most popular getaways for day-trippers from Hyderabad. The forest stretches for miles, scenic views and ample opportunities for trekking & adventure sports, this was historically the hunting grounds for Nizams. As I passed Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple and rode further ahead, I culminated my journey at Kokatpally Lake where an hour of Kayaking in the pristine waters took me to the state of ‘

Anandmaya Kosha’.

Level of Significance Beyond 100 Kms

had now set in and my Himalayan was eager to explore farther areas. A pleasant 3-hour ride from Secunderabad took me to world’s largest masonry dam – Nagarjuna Sagar, where Krishna river is seen in one of its most beautiful forms. Approach to this wonderful location is through Amrabad Tiger Reserve and Buddhavanam Project is first on offer, followed by the majestic reservoir & dam.

Leaving this state without exploring Warangal and walking back in time through its Fort & several Kakatiyan temples, is like committing a sin. Just about 60 odd kms ahead of Warangal is one of the most enchanting locales of this region – Lake Laknavaram & Forest. I stayed overnight in Haritha Lake Resort on this spectacular water body with breath taking beauty, nature & multiple islands connected by hanging suspension bridges. This location was definitely one of the highest on my ‘

Likert Scale’. Nearby Pakhal & Ramappa Lakes are also worth a ‘dekho’ on this axis.

The ‘Iceberg Model’ of my exploration had still some levels to be touched upon, and next, I headed in the Southern direction towards Nallamala Hills – home to expansive forest, pristine waterfalls and home to Srisailam, one of the 12 revered Jyotilingas. The stop-over on this route was Dindi village & reservoir, and with some effective ‘Exponential Smoothing’I could get hold of some fresh Toddy in a local farm. The scenic road from Dindi enters the Eastern Ghats which snakes through hilly forests with streams gurgling past enroute.

Faith and beauty combine at Srisailam to present a beautiful picture to gladden the eye & soul. Another ride to southern direction took me to twin delights of Koilkonda Fort & Koil Sagar Dam. The grandeur of Koilkonda fort and the picture-perfect Koil Sagar is just like achieving an ‘Alt Optima’

status.

Leveraging Taste Buds by Telangana Cuisine

“Daawat Ekkada?” is the most common question you will get to hear in this region – which means “Where is the Feast?”. This daawat involves huge amounts of biryani, easily available alcohol and uninvited guests. A bit of carefully drawn ‘Rich Picture’ tells us that from the rustic to the exquisite, Telangana’s cuisine is a gastronomic delight. Carrying unmistakable stamps of the region’s climate, heritage and neighbours, the dishes range from the spicy mutton curry (Golichina Mamsam) to Hyderabad’s most delectable offering – the Biryani. The ‘Null Hypothesis’

states that the Qutub Shahi and Nizami influence of 400 years gave Telangana a much-celebrated chapter that includes biryani, haleem, dalcha, murgh kurma, qubani ka meetha and many other delicacies.

Popular breakfast dishes and snacks such as Sarva Pindi, Sakinalu & Karijelu can be found at almost every corner here. Main course dishes are unapologetically fiery that can truly trigger

Going on any of the highway arteries from Hyderabad is like surfing television, flitting from one image to another. There is vast, arid expanse of Telangana with huge boulders, magnificent rock formations, sprightly cultivation and swaying trees lining up the roads. South Indian matrons walk back from temples at one point while condom ads sizzle on the other side in a perfect ‘Goodness of Fit’. Come to think of it, the highways here are a bit like India, a mixed cocktail, and you never know what you’re going to find next. My bike ride memories have always returned to me with a splendid rush of excitement, and having those photos and stories, makes remembering the journey a much simpler matter. Though pictures and words can never equal the magnificence of the actual road trip experience, they do offer an exciting creative outlet and a way to share your experience with those who could not come along. I find that the ‘Archetypes’ of writing something down in itself helps me retain my road trip memories.

The ‘Objectivism’ can be simply put in these words…“Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere…and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself…”.