BETTER GET MOVING

Konkan's endless attraction, and the attractions it holds for us

- By Kartik Ware

For thousands of years now, human beings have stood around, pointing at faraway places. I'm pretty sure that's how our ancestors got wherever they did without the convenience of Google Maps. All they had was first intent and then direction, most likely without any clue about their destinations or the consequences. Not like they had an abundance of choices back then, considering the absence of 'civilisation' as we 'know' it, and because they were truly travelling to survive. This particular ride on a brand-new KTM 390 Adventure put all of that into stark contrast, I must say.

I like to joke that both my parents' ancestral houses are older than the USA, but only because it's true. You know what's older than most places? The Konkan, a region that draws me to itself with an invisible but unbreakable thread that reaches deep inside me, for reasons I'm still clueless about. This time around, I decided to ride back up the Konkan from Devgad to Mumbai, stopping at hitherto unvisited places over three days, and I had Kaizad, Manaal and Ruman for company, too. The plan was simple: overnight stops in Devgad and Dapoli, and exploring whatever we could along the way. Of course, as it goes with all rides with simple plans, Murphy tagged along uninvited as well.

Starting from Devgad saw us up early in the morning, as mist clung to a grove of coconut trees and turned into a wet mess on the bike's seat. Already, the KTM felt like the right motorcycle to do this on, and I was about to be proven right in the most spectacular manner over the next three days. First, we were off to Vijaydurg, the oldest fort on the Konkan coast, for a bit of relatively recent history. And when we got there, Vijaydurg looked rather like an ageing rockstar refusing to retire. I could only imagine how it looked back in its heyday.