THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE

We explore what the word ‘emperor’ has meant to India – with the aptly named Skoda Kushaq

When it arrived six months ago, the Skoda Kushaq made a name of itself as a fun, solid and comfortable machine, meant for the more discerning midsize-SUV buyer. Its name does not just end with the requisite ‘q’ (Skoda’s SUVs all follow this nomenclature), but it is also a variation of the Sanskrit word ‘kushak’, which means emperor. That was quite a claim to make, but during subsequent road tests, we found that the Kushaq did live up to its name in many ways. This time around, we decided to see what significance the word has for Indians — and to take the Kushaq along on the drive.

In order to do this, we decided to take the Kushaq on a trip. The first part involved a 14-hour drive from Mumbai to some of the most ancient monuments in the country, commissioned by one of India’s first and most famous emperors, Ashoka the Great. The grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Mauryan Empire, among Ashoka's many legacies — from his fostering of peace after the war to capture Kalinga and his patronage of Buddhism to the four-headed lion emblem that even today serves as a vital part of our national identity — are the stupas he had built in Sanchi.