Celebration Resumed

As soon as the conditions turned favourable, we were back on the road to finish what we had started to properly celebrate our 18th anniversary

- Joshua Varghese

Recap: To celebrate the 18th anniversary of Car India, we had set out on a drive of epic proportions that would take us through 18 states of our country. We covered just four at good pace when the weather went against us. When nature throws a fit, we have no option but to respect its ferocity, so we decided to wait. Thankfully, our partner for this adventure, Valvoline, were fully aligned with our vision and stood with us through the setback. Their unwavering dedication to their customers is in line with our commitment to you, the reader, for the past 18 years. So, we returned to our road trip as soon as possible. This time with a true-blue SUV. Which was perfect because Valvoline's All Climate Advance Full Synthetic engine oil is suitable for all engine types, including SUVs.

NEW DELHI, HARYANA, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan were already ticked off the list. The smooth highways of Rajasthan got us warmed up nicely for the rest of the 14 states. Cruising comfortably at around 110 km/h, we crossed into Madhya Pradesh with so much time to spare that we decided to cross the border into Gujarat and halt at Kevadia.

At the time, it seemed easy enough to do, but a combination of poor roads and unexpected delays saw us driving well past sunset. The border area between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat was poorly developed. The lack of marked roads, lights, and civilisation in general forced us to slow down.