Who am I to resist such temptations? I head inside the Gandhi memorial overlooking the sea, built on the spot where his ashes were put on display in 1956 before being scattered into the sea. It is built just like a temple but its secular credentials are highlighted by the prominent charkha on its facade, occupying the space usually reserved for the Om symbol. The layout inside is circular, with a large wall engraving of Gandhi occupying one end, surrounded by subsidiary deities including Nehru, Patel and other stalwarts of the independence pantheon. I complete one circumambulation, like a devout citizen of this republic, and climb up to the building’s second floor.
The view is fantastic. Vivekananda Rock, geologically the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, is a little distance away, beyond which lies the ocean, unfurling like a great blue-green ribbon. Standing vigil next to the Rock is the towering statue of the ancient philosopher-poet Thiruvalluvar, who continues to train a keen eye over the moral conduct of modern day Tamilians.
After some scouting, I finally manage to locate a corner that is not already occupied by people taking selfies or posing for group photos. I park myself there, and start writing in my notebook, surrounded by the hum of tourists, as a crimson sun serenely journeys towards the edge of the horizon.
Sitting here, it amazes me to think that beyond the horizon somewhere, lies Antarctica. This is the natural endpoint of not just my trip, but of the terrestrial imagination. Indeed, I already feel at sea, with these gusty winds lashing at me, whipping up a bunch of tangled thoughts in my mind.
It’s been over a month and a half since I set out from Mumbai, on a journey that has left me in awe of my hosts’ kindness and in despairing sympathy with the gruelling lives they lead. But while my journey is about to end, theirs is a lonely caravan that never halts, come rain or shine. Goods need to be delivered. India must go on. I wonder what Akhilesh is doing now. Is he enjoying his belated lunch? Where will he go to next? When will he see his family? Will confiding his problems in me do anything for him? At all?
I don’t know. It’s likely that my account won’t make a tangible difference to the lives of truckers like Akhilesh. I hope it does. I really do. But while that may be too much to ask for, I hope it will at least set as a matter of historical record, the lived reality of truckers in 21st century India, and the remarkable forbearance with which they conducted themselves, even when confronted by the most provocative indignities. As for me… I will wait for the next time I chance to travel with these large-hearted sovereigns of the road. I suspect the day isn’t far. It only takes a yearning for adventure, after all, and a thumb, pointed in the right direction.
Epilogue
It was a year after I returned to Mumbai from Kanyakumari. My life had settled into its sedentary rut. Work. Weekends. And so on. After my days on the road, I was beginning to tire of it all. Then one day, around midnight, as I was preparing to retire to bed, my phone buzzed. It was a call from Jagdev (who along with his brother Jora had hosted me in Sirhind). We had stayed in touch on WhatsApp over the years, but this was the first time he had called. The voice at the other end was heavy and muffled, but I could still discern his elation.
‘Rajat bhai! We were all just having a drink—me, Jora and Palle—and we remembered you. Thought we’ll give you a call. How have you been?’
‘I’ve been mast. What about you?’
‘Did I tell you? I finally stopped driving trucks. I’ve joined Mewa Singh’s workshop. I build truck bodies now. The pay is better and it also allows me to spend more time with my wife and daughter.’
‘Bahut badhiya. But what about Jora?’
‘He’s still at it. Now that he doesn’t have me to accompany him, he’s taken one of our nephews under his wing as a khalassi.’
I smiled to myself. I could almost hear Jora’s gruff voice commandeering the new recruit.
‘Pass the phone to him, would you?’
‘Rajat bhai, how are you?’ roared Jora.
‘Ekdum mast! What about you, Jora bhai? Hope you’ve cut down on the smoking.’
‘Yes. As a matter of fact, I have. I’ve reduced from four packs to one.’
‘That’s good. And the bhukki?’
‘The doctors say I only have a few years left. But you know I can’t quit. Bhukki is the closest thing I have to a life partner. It’s become much more expensive though, after the Rajasthan sarkar banned the licensed thekas. But enough about me. You say. How’s your book coming along? When will we finally get to see it? We’ve been waiting eagerly, you know.’
‘It’s in the works. Should be out this year. Is your address the same?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s good. I’ll courier it to you the moment I have a copy in my hands.’
‘Hope you’ve written good things about us.’
‘How could I not, Jora? After all that hospitality you showered upon me, you didn’t leave me with much choice, did you?’
I could hear him rocking with laughter on the other end.
‘Yes. After a ride in our Accent, nobody in their right minds would.’
‘That’s right. But remember to do another thing for me, would you? Next time you’re in Mumbai, you must give me a call. You will stay with me, and nowhere else.’
‘Shukriya, Rajat bhai. I will do that. You take care now. Bye.’
‘Bye, Jora.’
With that, he hung up. As for me, I crept into bed that night with the happy knowledge that if nothing else, my journey had made me a friend, and not just any friend, but the kind that thinks of you when drunk, which as we all know is the best kind there is.
Acknowledgements
Several individuals played key roles in turning what was a fanciful idea in my head, into this object you’re holding in your hands (if you’re not reading this on a Kindle, that is, in which case Amazon should get the credit).
To Dharini Bhaskar, for trusting me enough to commission this travelogue. This book may not have seen the light of day without you.
To N. Mahalakshmi, my editor at Outlook Business, for wisely dissuading me from quitting my job for this trip, and suggesting I write a six-part series for the magazine instead.
To my editors Himanjali Sankar, Sayantan Ghosh, and the team at Simon & Schuster for sculpting and polishing this book into a form fit for the world’s eyes.
To my parents, for not questioning my sanity in undertaking this journey, and giving me the wings to soar, by (reluctantly) endorsing the zaniest of my endeavours.
To my brother Roopak, for his close reading of the book and for always being there for me.
To Anu, for being the first reader, and my pillar of strength. This book would not have been possible without your constant encouragement and unshakeable faith in my abilities.
To Parampreet Chadha, for always being a true friend, and to Verinder Chadha, for helping me kickstart this journey.
To Siddharth Samant, Ankush Saikia, Kamalpreet Singh Gill, Sreekumar Menon, Vikram Kapur, and Jenny Bhatt for being generous with their time and helping improve how this book reads.
To S.P. Singh and Ramesh Kumar, for allowing me to pick their brains, and enhancing my understanding of the trucking business.
To Zachary Zavide, for providing the perfect subtitle for this book.
To Ozzie Hoppe, Harshvardhan Siddharthan, Prakash Choutapalli, Rayachoty Sabharish Kumar, and Ashutosh Singh, for agreeing to be my partners in adventure.
To the friends who hosted me along the way— Mohit Parikh in Jaipur and Kozhikode, Mukesh Chopra in Chandigarh, Vikrant Deshmukh in Jammu, Raghubansh Mani in Bangalore, and V.S. Goutham in Thiruvananthapuram. Thank you for treating my tired, bedraggled self to the refreshing goodness of home-cooked food.
To all the people I met fleetingly—commission agents, petrol pump managers, dhaba owners—who pointed me in the right direction when I was thoroughly lost and confused.
And finally, to the truck drivers of India, for letting me into their lives, and being the protagonists of a
journey I’ll cherish all my life.
References
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Centuries of Childhood, Philippe Aries
The Disappearance of Childhood, Neil Postman
CHAPTER TWO
‘Competition Issues in the Road Goods Transport Industry in India with Special Reference to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’, S. Sriraman, Anand Venkatesh, Manisha Karne (Mumbai University)
World Bank Report (2005)
‘CCI verdicts fail to act as deterrents to malpractice’, The Economic Times
‘CCI penalizes road transporters’, Mint
‘Compat quashes fine imposed on road transporters group AIMTC’, Business Standard
Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals: Part II, Satish Chandra
Rajasthan Through the Ages, Volume 5: Marwar and British Administration, edited by Dr R.K. Gupta, Dr S.R. Bakshi
CHAPTER THREE
Painted Folklore and Folklore Painters of India: A Study With Reference to Rajasthan, Om Prakash Joshi
Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert, Tanuja Kothiyal
Travels in India, Jean Baptiste Tavernier
‘Sex as trade and tradition: For Bedia families, sex is a family business where young girls engage in prostitution with the consent of the community’, India Today
CHAPTER FOUR
‘Jaswant Singh faces opium test’, The Economic Times
Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, Upinder Singh
First report of the Royal Commission on Opium: with Minutes of evidence and appendices, https://archive.org/stream/cu31924073053864/cu31924073053864_djvu.txt
‘When I say drugs I mean chitta and it is not heroin: Captain Amarinder Singh’, News18
CHAPTER FIVE
‘Haryana khap blames consumption of chowmein for rapes’, The Times of India
‘Police reforms in India’, PRS India, https://www.prsindia.org/policy/discussion-papers/police-reforms-india
‘Truck operators hail apex court order on overloading’, The Hindu
‘Overloaded trucks are death on wheels’, Hindustan Times
‘Rajasthan tweaks SC order, allows overloading of trucks with small fine’, The Times of India
‘Overloading: Rajasthan ignores govt warning’, The Times of India
• ‘SC ruling on overloading trucks irks transporters’, Business Standard
The Cambridge Economic History of India: Volume 1, Irfan Habib, Tapan Raychaudhuri
‘Peon with Rs 100 crore property arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau in Andhra Pradesh’, India Today
CHAPTER SIX
‘The razing of Sirhind’, The Times of India
‘Seeking paradise: the image and reality of truck art’, Herald
‘Decorated Trucks of Pakistan’, Artnow
The Cambridge Economic History of India: Volume 1, Irfan Habib
Lectures on some Criminal Tribes of India and Religious Mendicants, G.W. Gayer
CHAPTER SEVEN
Being The Other: The Muslim in India, Saeed Naqvi
‘The Lahore–Kashmir Mughal Imperial Road: Traversing a Terrain of Conflict’, Sahapedia
PART TWO
CHAPTER ONE
‘The genesis and development of Nagamese: Its social history and linguistic structure’, City University of New York
‘Insurgency is biggest business in northeast’, Rediff
‘Battles of Imphal and Kohima’, National Army Museum, https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-imphal
‘Nagaland and the importance of Sunday’, WION
CHAPTER TWO
Hornbill Festival of Nagaland http://hornbillfestival.co.in/
‘Dimapur’s “Illicitly Open” Liquor Industry’, Sinlung
CHAPTER THREE
‘Battles of Imphal and Kohima’, National Army Museum, https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-imphal
‘Manipur: A part of India where Korea rules’, Al Jazeera
‘Korean, English movies welcome in Manipur, Bollywood is not’, The New Indian Express
‘Threats to Journalists in India: Journalism in the Age of Intolerance and Rising Nationalism’, Thomson Reuters Foundation
‘Investigative Journalism in India’s Northeast’, Centre for Investigative Journalism, India, http://cij.co.in/article.php?pageID=2
PART THREE
CHAPTER ONE
‘Mathadi unions run amok as police “turn a blind eye”’, Indian Express
CHAPTER TWO
Travels in India, Jean Baptiste Tavernier
A Social History of Deccan 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives, Richard Eaton
Medieval India Part II: From Sultanat to the Mughals (15261748), Satish Chandra
The Cambridge Economic History of India: Volume 1, Irfan Habib, Tapan Raychaudhuri
CHAPTER THREE
Subaltern Urbanisation in India: An Introduction to the Dynamics of Ordinary Towns, Eric Denis, Partha Mukhopadhyay, Marie Helene Zerah
‘The deep water crisis’, People’s Archive of Rural India
‘Dindigul’s unique industry locked away in the past’, The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Livestock Census
http://www.tn.gov.in/deptst/animalhusbandry.pdf
‘VLF naval communication station INS Kattabomman commissioned in Tamil Nadu’, India Today
‘Navy gets new facility to communicate with nuclear submarines prowling underwater’, The Times of India
A typical commission agent’s office in Bhiwandi
A mathadi worker hauls load at a warehouse in Bhiwandi
A young Gujjar trucker at the Sanwaliaji temple in Rajasthan
The USB stick that almost got us killed, next to the love letter penned by Raju for Mahendra
Trucks and other vehicles lined up along the sheer cliffs of Kashmir. Traffic snarls stretching for kilometres are common on the single-lane Jammu-Srinagar highway.
The vistas of Kashmir, as seen from the inside of a truck
A Gujjar woman feeds her goat on the way from Jammu to Srinagar. Gujjar families typically take along a couple of goats with them to meet their dairy needs during the lengthy migration.
A Gujjar family loads their belongings on the truck, which include cloth bags bound by coir and bundles of wood to keep them warm in the alpine pastures
A soldier maintains a watchful eye on NH39 in Manipur
Naga ladies seek respite from the drizzle at a dhaba in Kohima
Truck drivers enjoy a candle-lit dinner at Maa Kali Dhaba in Nagaland
Truck-body builder Mewa Singh lords over his cabin in Sirhind, with supplicants in the background awaiting their turn to speak to him
The wooden skeleton of a truck cabin at Mewa Singh’s workshop in Sirhind
Sunlight filters into our truck as we start off from Mumbai
Jora at the wheel of his truck on the way to Chandigarh
A young khalassi gazes into the waters of the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh
A picturesque sunset we witnessed on the way from Nellore to Palamaner
First published in India by Simon & Schuster India, 2019
A CBS company
Copyright © Rajat Ubhaykar, 2019
Photographs © Ozzie Hoppe and Rajat Ubhaykar
The right of Rajat Ubhaykar to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with Section 57 of the Copyright Act, 1957.
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