‘Amaze-ing’ road trip to the Rann

So many of us have watched movies, YouTube videos and documentaries about speed records, and the cars, jet propelled prototypes and modified bikes that smashed them at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US. But, even for those who aren’t fans of these speed demons, there is something very magical and mysterious about the salt flats.

How can an unending expanse of salt-crusted flat-land with no vegetation or civilisation in sight be so alluring? You have to see it to believe it.

Last weekend, we decided to head out to the Rann of Kutch – our own version of the Bonneville Salt Flats – to find out. And, we weren’t holding the joystick of a Thrust SSC or behind the wheel of a souped-up super sportscar. We were simply attempting to experience the “go anywhere” claims of the Honda Amaze – a car which anyone of us can hope to get our hands on and head to this most empty, but unique place in the western most point of India.

Our drive plan was to start in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat and by end of day we hoped to reach Bhuj, which is just about 70-odd kilometres south-east of the Rann of Kutch. The entire stretch was to be about 430 kms, a considerable amount of driving for a day (by Indian road conditions). But, Gujarat’s excellent road network quickly left quite an impression on us and we discovered that much of the distance was a breeze to cover. Starting from the Ahmedabad airport, which had been decked up to receive delegates for the just concluded ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ summit, much of the route up to the highway was clean and colourful. After we had driven past the posters of a motley bunch of politicians looking down condescendingly at hapless passers-by and the road opened up, it was finally time to put the Amaze through its paces.

The Honda Amaze variant we were driving was the new VX (O) grade featuring the addition of a new audio-video navigation system. The new variant is being positioned above the VX grade in manual transmission versions of the petrol and diesel models. The cabin also features a white backlit speedometer with blue gradation and newly designed power folding door mirrors, which look very much like the ones offered in the City. The new AVN system features a 15.7cm touch screen and it is loaded with the latest maps, satellite-based voice-guided navigation and the complete complement of in-car entertainment and connectivity features.

Thankfully we didn’t need the help of the navigation system, at least for most of the route. The road signage on the highway was good and though we didn’t log in our route into the AVN system, we allowed it to display our progress, so that we may be able to stop at points of interest along the way. Of course, we also had to locate a good restaurant to get a taste of the local Gujarati cuisine.

The drive up to Bhuj was easy with most of it being on National Highway 947. We skirted past the industrial town of Sanand, made famous by the Tata Motors plant which manufactures the Nano and which was relocated from Singur in West Bengal, and other small towns like Bachau and Anjar. In the evening, we discover Bhuj to be a small, quiet town, but it was surprising to learn that it was here that the first English school was set up in Independent India. Of course, Bhuj is also the centre of the Kutch textile and handicrafts industry.

The drive up from Bhuj to the Rann saw the roads narrowing down to a median-less single carriageway on either side. But the black top was still quite smooth. It was also much more winding and some of the tight corners presented themselves as opportunities to test the Amaze. Unlike the last time we drove the Amaze with just two passengers in it, this time around it was a packed house, with luggage to boot. The car felt much more planted, though the suspension being too soft sprung didn’t help when we hit the odd pothole or unmarked speed-breaker. Overall, despite its image of being a car for the city, the Amaze didn’t disappoint with its performance on this stretch of road.

With the Pakistan border less than a 100 kilometres away, we had air force jets flying past and keeping us company along the way. Then, once we reached the Rann, we stayed in tents on the fringe of the sands. The Rann literally means Salt Marsh and extending into the Sindh province of Pakistan, it is said to cover an area of about 10,000 square miles. It is a seasonal salt marsh with wet and dry spells and the Kutch region is only a small part of the entire ecosystem. The White Rann is of course the place that everyone wants to go to.

And it is only when we stand in the middle of the White Rann with the thick encrusted salt on the soil extending all the way to the horizon, as far as the eye can see, that we realise how such desolation can still be so beautiful. It is literally, blindingly (from the sun’s glare) breathtaking.

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