To Unity & Beyond

Our journey began as they often do, all of us were up bright and early and ready to head the meeting point.

Giving our drive an added bit of glamour and class was Musskan Sethi, who’d be with us throughout this epic voyage. The meeting point on this particular occasion was the tallest statue in the world - the State of Unity. Excited about seeing this colossal structure, we set off from Vadodra early in the morning. The distance from our hotel to the statue was approximately 90 kilometres, which took us around one and a half hours. Upon reaching our destination, we finally got a glimpse of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s picturesque figure in the distance. Often referred to as the Iron Man of India, Vallabhbhai Patel’s figure overlooking the vast expanse of open land is a perfect reminder of the reason he was given that particular nickname. Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister as well Home Minister of India. However, one of his greatest achievements is his showcase of leadership was bringing together the various princely states which existed in the country after independence. Patel was also an essential figure in India’s freedom struggle against the British Raj.

A true son of Gujarat, Patel’s strength and courage stand as a testimony and the Statue of Unity brings out his greatest achievements.

The Statue of Unity also served as the perfect start location for the journey that lay ahead of us. The journey we’d be undertaking was a part of Hyundai’s Great India Drive. As a participant in this epic series, we’d be travelling from the Statue of Unity to Surat, the diamond city of India. However, that’s not the only thing Surat is known for, but we’ll get to that a little later on. At the parking lot, we also met our companion for the journey that lay ahead - the Hyundai Venue. Never has an automobile been placed in a more appropriate location as per its name. It was the perfect venue, with the perfect Venue.