TVS AND THE RUN OF KUTCH GLOBAL CUSTOM SHOWCASE

There comes a point in an automotive career when launches begin to look similar.

- WORDS ANIS SHAIKH PHOTOGRAPHY TVS & ANIS SHAIKH

New paint. New positioning. Familiar choreography. After a decade of attending unveilings across India, it takes something rooted in conviction to feel different.

What TVS chose to do in Kutch this February was not loud. It was not excessive. It was thoughtful. From 13th to 15th February, we gathered in Bhuj for what was positioned as a parallel engagement to the Rann of Kutch celebrations. But as the days unfolded, it became evident that this was not a festival tie-in. It was a statement of intent.

TVS was preparing to send a fleet of custom motorcycles across the world for 2026 motor shows, including EICMA. And instead of borrowing global aesthetics, they chose to export geography.

The Setting Was the Message

We drove from Bhuj to Tent City near Dhordo, where the white salt flats stretch under a sky that feels expansive. I have attended desert launches before, but the Rann has a distinct character. It is stark, silent and Indian. The first evening's stargazing session was modest. Under a clear sky, the Milky Way cut across the darkness. It reminded me that Kutch is not merely scenic. It is elemental. And that quality would define the motorcycles revealed the following day.

Motorsport as Context

Day two began with controlled chaos. The TVS way.

The Apache street stunt show demonstrated the brand's grassroots energy. The FMX exhibition, with international athletes suspended midair against the desert horizon, was theatrical and precise.

More importantly, TVS inaugurated the Ronin Drift R Academy, positioned as India's first all-women flat track racing initiative. Modified Ronin drift machines, carving dust arcs across the terrain, felt less like spectacle and more like progression.