India's culture, heritage and diversity is what we set out to explore with the start of the Icons of India series and the main .takeaway so far has been that despite years of travel and exploration, something we do relentlessly at Auto Today, we haven't even fully uncovered the proverbial tip of the iceberg. A fact that became apparent, yet again, as we journeyed to Pilibhit, a seemingly nondescript town skirting the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border as well as the Indo-Nepal border. Much like the town, the flute too, on the face of it, appears to be a humble piece of bamboo with holes drilled in it, but one which, in the right hands, can create a soul-soothing aural experience. It is an integral part of our culture transcending international borders thanks to living legends like Hariprasad Chaurasia. What ties these two together is the fact that Pilibhit accounts for 90 to 95 per cent of India's flute production.
Pilibhit aka Bansuri Nagari aka the land of flutes, is located just over 300km from New Delhi, of which the first 200 or so kilometres are smooth sailing before the average speeds drop as the highway approaches Bareilly owing to ongoing construction. The last 50km from Bareilly to Pilibhit along the two-lane NH30 is relatively slower as well. Accompanying us on this road trip was the newly launched Hyundai Exter, an affordable, feature-rich entry-level SUV- a winning combination if there ever was one.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Auto Today.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Auto Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MG Comet
The Comet continues to be a workhorse for the entire Auto Today team, and this was proved quite clearly when the team head out to a celebratory lunch.
Dirty Dancer
Does the Yezdi Adventure live up to its name? Can it be all the ADV you'll ever need? We headed out to Pune to hit up some trails, highways and twisties to find out
Linea Urus
While on a visit to Lamborghini HQ at Sant'Agata Bolognese, Yogendra Pratap got close to the production line that has helped revolutionise the brand and produced over 30,000 Urus super SUVs
MUSEO LAMBORGHINI
At its headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese where it also has its production facilities, the super car manufacturer, Lamborghini also runs a small museum that houses some of the most iconic names in automotive history. Yogendra Pratap dropped in to check out not only the iconic names but also some of the concepts and art that draws thousands of car lovers to this sleepy little town just outside of the Italian city of Bologna
#OdeToOutstanding - south
The longest leg of the #OdeToOutstanding drive had Dhruv Saxena drive the dynamic Mercedes-Benz GLA from the literal edge of the Indian mainland surrounded by the Indian Ocean across the heart of the country to the national capital marveling at the incredible natural beauty, diversity and history of south and central India
#OdeToOutstanding - west
The western leg of the #OdeToOutstanding drive had Anagh Bhaskar take on the mighty desert region with the electric Mercedes-Benz EQB 350
#OdeToOutstanding - east
The eastern leg of the #OdeToOutstanding drive starts in the lush green forests of West Bengal. But there is more than just that. Rahul Ghosh tells you all about the outstanding drive in the Mercedes-Benz GLC
#OdeToOutstanding - north
The northern leg of the #OdeToOutstanding drive saw Dipayan Dutta take on the mighty Himalayas with the equally intimidating Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe
Dirt magnet
The Lexus NX has a new trim called the Overtrail. We took the SUV to a few trails and drove through mud to put its name to the test
MORE FIREPOWER
Alongside the EQA that featured in the last issue, Mercedes-Benz also launched the facelifted EQB. Here is how the updated SUV holds up