Amit Saraswat 
The atmosphere in my dreary PG on that dull afternoon was rife with filth and unwashed clothes. With no plans in sight, I called my friends to alleviate the boredom. Two of them nodded in agreement to travel to Noida. When they showed up, the inevitable question arose: WHAT DO WE DO NOW? One suggested shopping at a nearby mall, and the other proposed that bowling at Smaash would be smashing, and then a voice echoed from one corner of the room: should we go backpacking to Rishikesh?
In my wildest thoughts, I couldn’t have fathomed such a plan. After all, it was already Saturday afternoon, and I had to show up in the office on Monday, resuming my ordeal for meeting deadlines. Nevertheless, one thing led to another, and we found ourselves grabbing the keys to the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder parked outside. We packed a weekend’s worth of clothes (a couple of unwashed T-shirts, in my case) and set off on an unplanned adventure. The hills were calling, and we were ready for a weekend of fun.
With no clue about the route and pit stops, we relied on Google Maps and cruised along to my soulful playlist. A few kilometres into the drive, our empty stomachs began to rumble. We decided to halt at a nearby food court, where we indulged in chur-chur naans drenched in butter and stuffed with carbs. Needless to say, I had already abandoned the idea of sticking to a healthy diet before embarking on this journey.
Back on the highway, I engaged the cruise control, adhering to the permissible speed, and let the Hyryder stretch its limbs. Whether on broken roads or high-speed undulations, the Hyryder maintained its composure, offering a serene and uninterrupted driving experience. However, the same could not be said for its sound system, which felt jarring at higher volumes. Increasing the bass also produced rattling from its door cards, further deteriorating the audio output. The so-called audiophiles in the car surely weren’t enjoying the bone-jarring experience.
As the sun set on the lush green farms adjacent to the freeway, I seized the opportunity to elevate the mood. I parked the car on an empty field and relished the view. Our smartphones couldn’t capture the beauty of the sunlight gleaming on the body panels of the handsome Hyryder; it was mesmerising, to say the least. Everyone had a chance to pose against the sunset, creating Instagrammable memories.
After capturing moments that might never grace our feeds, we continued toward Rishikesh, leaving the highway behind and sneaking into the city roads, quietly, all thanks to the electric drive of the Hyryder. On the highway, the Hyryder barely utilised its electric motor, but within city confines, the system put the engine to rest and gracefully moved on battery power. There was no set duration or distance for which the battery mode remained active; the system sensed the state of charge and selected the right combination for propulsion based on the driving environment.
Unplanned as it was, we hadn’t realised that we lacked accommodation for the night in Rishikesh. After a brief blame game and a few phone calls, we found a cosy hostel near the famous Laxman Jhula to spend the night. The evening was filled with melodious music, chit-chat, and traditional Indian cuisine.
As the sun rose behind the green peaks of Rishikesh, we pulled up our socks and embarked on a quest for adventure. It was THE day, and the itinerary was extensive — driving up to Chamba, savouring the pahaad-wali Maggi, and heading back to Noida — all before midnight. The winding roads depicted on Google Maps had me excited like a 4-year-old, and they turned out to be as spectacular as anticipated. Smooth flowing tarmac, hairpin bends, banked corners, and, more importantly, proper barricading in case the adventure started to descend, quite literally.
The landscape viewed from the window was nothing short of a water-coloured painting spread out before us. The panoramic sunroof of the Hyryder was worth experiencing in this setting. Unlike other cars that only open the first pane of the sunroof, the Hyryder also slides the second pane, creating an unreal sense of space. As we navigated the hairpins toward Chamba, the sunrays sneaked into the cabin, illuminating the dark interior. The serendipity of it all had me mesmerised until a friend suggested breakfast.
We paused for a while at a food bus parked at the roadside and ordered some snacks. Sipping chai and relishing momos, which surprisingly tasted different at high altitudes, while enjoying the peaks of the Himalayas is an experience hard to come by in our daily hustle and bustle.
It was the final leg of our unplanned road trip, which also happened rather spontaneously, to visit the New Tehri Lake before heading back to our base. The roads were smooth, and we observed a couple of low-slung beemers passing by. That got me thinking—how cool would it be to carve through these flowing corners in a fast and agile sedan? But reality struck hard with loads of body roll in the Hyryder. Every time I attempted to carry a bit more speed into a corner, a high-pitched voice, followed by a cuss word, would instruct me to slow down my horses. Sigh, that’s a dream for another day, for sure.
Finally, we reached the location and parked the Hyryder beside the lake. Like every other popular destination, the New Tehri Lake was swarmed with tourists clicking pictures, hanging out of speedboats, and shouting for their lives. It was all rejuvenating. We found our peace amidst the chaos at the far end corner of the lake, reliving our school time memories and reminiscing about the fun events of the past.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder turned out to be a great companion on this road trip. Its frugal hybrid power plant returned a fuel efficiency of over 21 kmpl, which is mind-blowing for a road trip of over 1600 km, encountering every kind of terrain and driving situation. Sure, there were some shortcomings as well, like the small boot space and rattling plastics inside the cabin. But aside from these few niggles, it didn’t falter once and gracefully carried us through the entire trip without breaking a sweat — and that’s admirable.
As hectic as this road trip might have been, it allowed me to slow down and appreciate the small things in life. Whether planned or unplanned, wandering with a bunch of friends or alone, one should embark on a journey once in a while, with no set destination and a promise to live every moment that comes your way. Fresh memories were made, which will plaster a wide grin on my face every time I reminisce about them.
