ADVENTURE TIME

No wind, rain, or landslide kept us from planting those trees, thanks to the Mahindra Scorpio-N

I am of the opinion that nothing is a proper adventure if there isn't adversity to overcome. Mahindra had arranged for a somewhat ambitious drive experience for its new Scorpio-N, with a mission that underlined the unity and eco-friendly nature of the brand. Starting from Kandivali in Mumbai, the Green Drive Project had teams of journalists drive to the four corners of India, collecting soil from various cities along the way, along with a few trees for planting. The aim was to reach the furthest corner, and then plant the trees using the soil collected en route, to show that there is growth in unity.

I didn't have the opportunity to join the convoy right at the start, but I joined the team that was on the eastern leg for the most exciting part - from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh. The village of Kaho is as far east as you can go while remaining in India, and the road to 'India's first village' is a treacherous one, despite the Border Roads Organisation doing its best to keep the thoroughfare in the best condition possible. After all, these are the same roads that are used by the Indian armed forces, and they need to be in passable condition to reach those remote locations.

It was surprisingly hot and humid as I landed in Dibrugarh - the effect of the mighty Brahmaputra flowing nearby - and I waited for the convoy to reach me. It was, understandably, delayed, as the intrepid journos who had driven all the way from Mumbai via Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, and Guwahati - had covered about 3750 km in just 9 days, and were trudging along, tired and sleepy. We left Dibrugarh in the late morning and headed to Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, a relatively short 149-km drive, which took us most of the day.