Bird’s eye view
The photo that Panna was too psyched to click...👆
This is the part, the last leg, that I never want to write. The journey is winding down, and the last day usually has no particular drama. In fact, today was quieter than most.
Because of the break at Lodhasuli, today’s journey was only 160 km long, that we did in 4 hours.
Let’s wrap up the last day, shall we?
Leaving Lodhasuli (9.00 am)
Nonetheless, we did wake up at a beautiful place, in the middle of a saal forest, with a distinct chill in the air. We even discovered that our room had a small balcony where we could sit and have tea, ruminating on the last few days. The expanse of tree trunks before us, rising from a bed of dead leaves, seemingly had no end. The NH49 was just 5 minutes away, but effectively shielded by the forest, with only faint noises of traffic reaching us.
After donning our day clothes, we went for a walk in the forest, accompanied by a few puppies, who raised a great din in the dry crackling leaves. The log piles were perfectly placed for parking ourselves, and generally gazing at nothing in particular. Nothing, as you know, carries its own beauty.
We had asked for breakfast at 8.30 am, of the ubiquitous puri bhaaji (loochi with alu torkari in Bengali), a staple breakfast for Bengalis through the ages, that provided essential sustenance in their rebellion against the British (That role was later taken over by Horlicks, I understand). Being sufficiently stocked up, we loaded up our car as well, and it was tally ho for the wide open spaces.
Coffee with Anita (11.15 am)
Clause 12 in the Roadster’s Constitution says that the driver (and passengers) should take a break and walk around after a couple of hours of continuous driving. Consequently, as soon as we passed Kolaghat bridge around 11.00 am, we started hugging the left lane and looking for tea stalls. Trouble is, while travelling at 60-80 kmph, coming to a halt takes at least 10 metres, by when we had passed them by, however much Panna would shout: “Stop, stop, stop, STAWWWWWP!” My reflexes at last raised themselves to the required level, as much as required by Borg returning Becker’s first serve, and we squealed to a stop in front of Anita Hotel.
We just needed a break for some plus and some minus, so I had a black coffee (pretty good, mainly because he had added some sugar), and Panna had black tea, politely declining offers of snacks, much to the manager’s disappointment. Luckily a group came in for lunch, and we were relieved from the financial burden of covering his fixed cost of the day.
Reaching Kolkata (1.30 pm)
As Kolkata approaches, truck traffic increases exponentially, so that by the time we were on the connector to the Vidyasagar Setu over the Ganges, we were rubbing bonnets with 10-tonners on a minute-to-minute basis. Having roamed the last few days in rural areas and low-traffic highways, Kolkata felt like a beehive with a bear’s snout up its bottom. Be that as it may, it’s my home town after all, and deserves my acceptance, if not fulsome praise. Love you Kolkata!
The gates of our complex swung open and we rolled inside serenely, knowing that our cook upstairs had already prepared our favourite Bengali lunch.
So went our Orissa Gaman, a middling trip of 10 days, a bit hectic, but always beautiful. We hope you enjoyed travelling with us.
Till next time, keep smiling.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
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