Driving through the desert is always a surreal experience. There are wide expanses of flat land that stretch to the horizon. You tend to innately question how life continues to survive in this severely parched landscape. Adventure beckoned as we decided to set out on a trip to the fringes of human civilisation. We decided to go explore an island in the centre of the Great Rann of Kutch, known as Khadir Bet. Within it, lies Dholavira, a small village where the ruins of an ancient Harappan city remained buried beneath the surface for years, but was excavated from 1990 onwards. This was the first time anyone from Autocar was to visit this place. We knew that this landscape would be harsh. And so, we needed a sturdy vehicle that would help us combat these conditions. After all, we hadn’t had years to adapt to living comfortably in this sort of place.
The adventure begins
An early morning flight had us arrive at the Defence airport in Bhuj, Gujarat. After collecting our luggage, we proceeded towards the exit gates with a sense of excitement that stems from knowing that an adventure lies ahead. There in the parking lot, stood a sparkling Honda BR-V. The morning rays of the sun glistened against its well-chiselled contours. The day was certainly off to a good start and we were now itching to get on the road. We managed to easily fit in our luggage for four people in the boot, even with the last row of seats up.
Clutch-in, thumb on the starter button and you could feel the 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine gently rumble to life. After slotting it into first gear, we were finally ready to get this show on the road. We had about 220-odd kilometres to cover before we reached Dholavira. What lay ahead of us were stretches of almost arrow-straight tarmac that shimmered with mirages all the way through. Driving through this landscape is an almost meditative experience; you tend to go into auto-pilot mode after a little while. The BR-V’s 100hp on tap ensured we were moving slightly faster than the other cars around us. But the precise handling made these slightly higher speeds seem completely natural; it didn’t feel like the car was being pushed or stressed at any point. With such long stretches of straight road, random rogue potholes just spring up on you without warning. Luckily, the suspension soaked up all these bumps without much drama.
We eventually made our way to Rapar, a small town on the way to Dholavira that would be the last point where we could actually stock up on stuff, aside from the bare essentials. As we stepped out of the car, the heat suddenly hit us like a wall; this is not something we were entirely used to. Inside the air-conditioned cocoon of the BR-V’s cabin, we had been unaware of the harsh conditions outside. After a nice vegetarian meal in the desert heat, we were ready to be on our way again. The one thing we all agreed on was the exquisite flavours of this vegetarian food; never mind the spices that lashed our tongues and made us even thirstier. Of course, after a good meal, everyone tends to get a bit groggy. So, we decided to put on some music to keep the well-fed lull at bay. Tunes ablaze, we were all set for the
