#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

- Dhruv Saxena

Given a choice between mountains and beaches, nine times out of ten I’d pick mountains in a heartbeat. You’d be forgiven to think I wasn’t best pleased with Dipayan being tasked with showcasing the mighty Himalayas of North India, but just this once, this one-out-of-ten instance, I wasn’t complaining. As pro-mountain as I am, I’ve always been fascinated by aerial shots of Rameswaram, specifically Dhanushkodi – a strip of tarmac that ends just 20-odd kilometres from Sri Lanka. Surrounded by the calming blue waters of the Indian Ocean, it served as the perfect starting point for the southern sojourn of this mega drive. As visually arresting as Dhanuskodi is, it also serves as a sobering reminder of just how unforgiving nature can be as attested by the remains of what was once a thriving town serving as a transit point between India and Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), destroyed by a cyclone in 1964.

My companion for the journey to New Delhi was the dynamic Mercedes-Benz GLA SUV. Connecting Rameswaram with the Indian mainland is another spectacular piece of tarmac – Pamban Bridge or as it’s officially called, Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge. It sits alongside the Pamban Railway Bridge that was opened in 1914 and was the longest sea bridge in India until the Bandra-Worli Sea Link became operational in 2010. The road bridge arches over the sea serving up breathtaking views of the coastline and doubles up as a great place for a spot for birdwatching, specifically for sighting the Brahminy Kite, hordes of which circle the skies here.