BHPian Tharle Subba recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Hello everyone, Yes, it’s me again – Kapi Dhwaja, the benevolent Duster. Before Mr T manages to wrest the account back (which he inevitably will), I thought I would put my side of the story down. History, after all, should be written by those who do the actual work. In this case, that would be four wheels and a willing engine. Every year, without fail, Mr T insists on driving me through what he reverently calls the Holy Trinity – Dharmasthala, Sowthadka and Kukke Subramanya. For Mr T, it’s a pilgrimage. For me, it’s an endurance run with spiritual overtones. This year though, even by his relaxed standards, he was cutting it close. I could sense the panic when it suddenly struck him on December 8th, no less – that the annual ritual hadn’t been completed. That triggered the usual round of frantic phone calls and calendar juggling. Not long after, his childhood accomplice, Mr S, was pulled back into action. After the familiar back-and-forth (adult schedules are a nightmare), the plan was finally locked in. Departure: night of December 12Return: evening of December 13Tight, yes. New? Not really. Just when I thought things were settling into the usual controlled chaos, Mr T went and injured his back. Don’t ask me how – even he can’t explain it. One moment he was fine, the next he was moving like my suspension after a badly designed speed breaker. Mrs T, clearly the sharpest mind in this entire operation, suggested postponing the trip. Mr T chose to push on anyway. He paid for that decision later, but we will come to that. So, Mr T with an injured back, poor judgement and plenty of misplaced confidence, climbed into my driver’s seat, convinced that willpower and divine blessings would somehow see him through. I reacted as I usually do under such circumstances – braced myself. The Start After Mr T and Mr S finished what they proudly called a ‘light dinner’ (and what I suspected would soon affect my comfort levels), we finally rolled out of RR Nagar around 10:30 p.m. Given that it was a weekend, I was fully prepared for traffic-induced misery. NICE Road, however, surprised us – minimal traffic and a clean run all the way to the Nelamangala-Hassan highway. From there, things settled down nicely. Good tarmac, steady pace. Mr T and Mr S were busy catching up on life while I quietly did my thing and ate up the kilometres. As is tradition, we stopped at the last toll before Hassan for a midnight maggi-and-snacks break. Mr T and Mr S, I have noticed, need far more refuelling than I do. After a leisurely 40 minutes (apparently maggi tastes better after midnight), we were back on the move. Before I knew it, we were entering the Sakleshpur stretch – a section that had caused me plenty of grief during Mr T’s Holy Trinity run in December 2024. Thankfully, this time around, it behaved. The road was kind, traffic was light, and I didn’t have to protest much. By now, Mr S had fallen into deep sleep, leaving just Mr T and me to work our way through the Shiradi ghat. We had an i20 and an Aura for company, enough to keep things interesting – err, keep me on my wheels. Nothing rash, just some enthusiastic night driving through the ghats. Finally, some action and I enjoyed it! And oh boy, we were welcomed with cool breeze at 4:00 a.m. as we set our foot in Dharmasthala. The queue for temple accommodation looked longer than some state highways, so Mr T sensibly drove me straight to the Nethravathi river parking. As Mr S woke up slowly, a plan was formed – sleep in the car for a couple of hours, wake up, bathe in the river, then head for darshan. While they slept, I stayed alert. While they slept, I stayed put, mostly keeping an eye out for stray dogs that might suddenly decide my wheels looked inviting. The planned two-hour nap quietly became four. Why would I mind some downtime? They eventually woke up, bathed in the river and went in for darshan. A couple of hours later they were back, talking about waiting halls, arrangements, and how smoothly things were run inside. Next stop was Sowthadka – a quick, clean 30-minute halt. The highlight here was Mr T trying fuljar soda for the first time. Way too messy, if you ask me. This is exactly why I stick to wiper fluid. Dependable and clean. We moved on to Kukke Subramanya from there. But unfortunately, we reached the temple at a time when they were already closed for the afternoon. Mr T and Mr S spent some time discussing how long the prasada line usually gets, while I waited patiently and hoped the next leg involved more driving and less standing around. That is what I am here for, after all. Darshan eventually done – and rather quickly, thanks to Mr S’s influence inside the temple – we rolled out of Kukke Subramanya around 4:30 p.m. Spirits were high, and expectations of food even higher. The next target was the familiar Venkateshwara dhaba between Sakleshpur and Hassan. But not before the photo session near Gundya. Apparently, no trip is complete without making me pose like a brochure car. This is where things got tricky again. Out of nowhere, Mr T’s back decided to remind everyone that it still existed. Poor timing, plenty of drama. Predictably, he chose to soldier on. The climb back up Shiradi ghat went well – lot of traffic, good flow, nothing much to complain about. We reached the dhaba parking around 6:45 in the evening. They took their time inside and came back looking full and unmotivated. Did I complain? No. I was already full. Good work, Mr T. Soon after, Mr S was asleep again, leaving Mr T and me to deal with the road. Despite pain-relief ointments and plenty of optimism, Mr T decided to call it at Hassan and take a proper break. Sensible decision. Finally. After a couple of hours of rest, we got back on the road sometime around 11 p.m. From there on, it was just driving and breezing past other vehicles. We rolled in close to 1 a little past midnight. All said and done, it was a good trip. It could have been better without Mr T’s nagging back issues, but rituals were honoured, kilometres were logged, and the Holy Trinity for the year was done. From my point of view? Mission accomplished. Stats for the nerdsTotal distance – 670 kmsFuel consumption (Petrol) – 55 litresFuel economy – 12.1 kmplTotal tolls crossed – 8Tolls paid – INR 358 – NICE Road TollHappy Driving! Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
