In this last edition of the narrative regarding the Happiness Truck 2.0 tour, our correspondent provides a gripping picture of what North East India is like and why truck drivers who carry loads through this region have to be ready for all kinds of experiences
It’s brutal and rugged! The higher the elevation you reach, these tropical forest roads provide you with an increasing number of horrific experiences. Roads flood. Traffic won’t move. Vehicles break down. And even if none of that happens, truck drivers are forced to stop every so often and climb to the top of their trucks to check that the goods they are ferrying are still well-covered. Skidding or crashed trucks are common views in these regions that otherwise cater to tourists who come here for the lofty sights.
Meals are usually eaten hurriedly at small restaurants along these highways. To stay alert on these long drives, truck drivers chew tobacco and worry about what this job is doing to their health. From our perspective, the troubles don’t matter for now since we are on a journey of ‘smiles’. For us, Happiness Truck 2.0 is now moving to the zenith of this adventure, ably supported by trucking sponsor BharatBenz, premium tyre partner JK Tyres and lighting partner Lumax.
The Land of the Nagas
For us, the first sight of the range of hills in North East India was simply breathtaking. Our camera crew with their high-end cameras framed for eternal bliss these topographies through their lens. As the fog finally lifted, we took our colourful truck via the Assam border to Dimapur, a bustling city where a scenic landscape fuses well with an otherwise cosmopolitan lifestyle. No wonder then that it attracts so many tourists who come here to feast on the majesty of the mountains and valleys without foregoing any of the basic comfort.
Yet, Dimapur, compared to some other well-know tourist hubs, is still a relatively unexplored paradise for intrepid travellers. We move towards Kohima but this is certainly no dream stretch given the condition of both the weather and the roads. A stretch of 60 km took the Happiness Truck 2.0 convoy more than five hours to negotiate. But the territory did put to test the superlative quality of JK Tyre, BharatBenz and Lumax. Suffice it to say that these three brands never let us down even for a single moment.
Security in this region is very tight and we found the presence of heavily armed forces at regular intervals, especially after 10 pm. Amidst all this hustle and bustle, our Happiness Truck 2.0 team reached Kohima at around 11:30 pm. The weather by that time had reached ice-cold and we shivered in our truck. Yet, our spirits remained high. Kohima had a haunting silence across the city. The next morning, after trying out a local breakfast menu, we visited the Naga Heritage Village. More than 60% of the population of Nagaland depends on agriculture and therefore most of their festivals reflect this agrarian lifestyle.
To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organises the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December. Organised by the Department of State Tourism and the Department of Art and Culture, this festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays. We had reached just prior to the festival and found the locals caught up in a frenetic wave of preparing for the festival. We were fortunate to get a glimpse of interesting things such as the tribes’ ancient weapons used for hunting. We also had the delightful opportunity of interacting with the Sumiki community’s leader.
Alike the Hollywood sign in the Santa Monica Mountains of the US, the Naga Heritage Village seemed to have a replication in the Naga Hills. Incidentally, JK Tyre has been a prime participant of the Hornbill Festival for a decade and the JK Tyre Hornbill Rally is a premier event during this carnival period. With leading rally drivers pitting their skills in this uneven but amazingly beautiful region, the rally stretches for 55 km.
Marvels of Manipur
After Nagaland we headed towards Manipur to be present for an organised activity at Imphal. This was a four-hour journey and we reached Imphal in the evening, the capital of Manipur. We entered from the east and had to make our way to the west which gave us a great opportunity to traverse an entire stretch. What does dilute the beauty of this region is the overwhelming presence of the security forces, a sad reflection of the strife that this region has been caught up in.
Imphal is beautifully nestled in the northeast frontier of the Himalayas at an elevation of 2,579 feet, a truly scenic place that captivates you with its fresh air and elevation. Iril, Sekmai, Thoubal and Khuga dominate the tourist landscape here. Imphal has a lot to offer with its historical monuments, cultural diversity, festivals and buzzing streets – making it an explorer’s delight. Hence, soon after breakfast we set out to collect memories with our lenses as we headed towards the city’s biggest parking lot where we had our engagement activity. We met M Vicky, the local JK Tyre representative from Imphal, who accompanied us to the venue.
The first thing that astonished us was the huge number of truck drivers who had gathered for the event. But more surprising was the fact that there were drivers from almost all corners of the country. We were soon engaged with them, listening to their accounts of how difficult it is to navigate through such difficult territory and the personal experiences they gather on each trip. On the sponsors’ behalf, we explained to them the advantages of using BharatBenz trucks, radials of JK Tyre and the lights of Lumax. It was one of the most amazing interactions we had had on this journey. Our next destination was Aizwal.
Dangers and Delights
The capital city of Mizoram with its breathtaking abundance of flora and fauna, Aizawl is a destination where every tourist may feel a ‘karmic’ connection. It’s a city that brings together several communities of the ethnic Mizo tribes and is therefore a melting pot of local cultures. After having a late lunch, we headed towards Silchar via NH 37. As soon as we moved out from Imphal, we were stopped by a Gorkha regiment whose members warned us to drive carefully since the roads ahead were dangerous. We were taking a gamble by driving in the night. But this was something that had to be done.
For the next 50 kilometres uncertainty prevailed and we gained an insight into the kind of risk that truck drivers take on such roads. The road conditions were so pathetic that at one place there was indeed no space to squeeze our BharatBenz through. But the vehicle proved its mettle and we made it while the JK Tyre radials and Lumax lights proved that friends in need are friends indeed! We finally reached the main road leading to Silchar but then got trapped in a massive traffic block. We were famished by then and our thoughts were focused on finding a local eatery.
But a truck driver, Devendra Singh of Karnal, who was driving a BharatBenz truck, said that our chances of finding a restaurant were absolutely slim. Instead, he invited us to share his meal – one that he cooked himself with the help of his stock of rice and pulses which he cooked on a stove burner that he carried in his truck. He even had milk to make some invigorating tea. Our hunger pangs taken care of thanks to the generosity of Devendra Singh, we decided to bunk down in the truck itself.
The chirping of the birds and intense cold woke us up early at dawn and we quickly moved into gear for the road ahead. We were already behind schedule. After an hour’s drive we were stopped by soldiers of the Indian Army who questioned us about our trip and its objective. We were asked to travel with their convoy of 200 petrol and diesel tankers. Now that was some security! We soon came to a bridge that had capacity to carry only one vehicle at a time from both ends. For us, time was of essence and thankfully the army convoy let us go first, which we did with an immense feeling of gratitude.
Amazing Aizawl
To enter Mizoram you have to get a temporary line permit at Rs 150 per person. It’s quite like a visa process wherein you are questioned about your motive for visiting the region and duration of stay. You must also have with you two photographs and a copy of your identity card. And god forbid if you happen to reach Aizawl on a Sunday because the city simply locks down and you will have nothing to do. Determined to engage and explore the lives of truck drivers here, we reached the huge truck parking lot and created the setup required for our engagement activity. We found many truck drivers here, most of them taking a leisurely break from their routine.
The venue was on the outskirts of the city and very soon an increasing number of drivers walked over to see what we were doing. As we interacted with the lot, it drove home the fact that in this region, more than anywhere else, the drivers are highly dependent on the quality of the truck’s engine, the tyres and the lights. We therefore gave them a detailed presentation and also offered a firsthand driving experience of the BharatBenz truck to those who had never driven it before.
Fashion, Food and Fiesta
As we headed towards Shillong, the Happiness Truck 2.0 team decided to make a quick detour to Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra. It is about an hour and an half by road from Shillong in the state of Meghalaya. The Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya in Cherrapunji are home to the longest cave systems in India. The Mawsmai Cave is among the most accessible of these and is a major tourist attraction. And not to be missed is the double-decker ‘living root bridge’. Moving back towards Shillong, we had random encounters with several fatal accidents of trucks on this route. We also halted several times en route to spark conversations with truck drivers and get a gist of their lives and feedback for the Happiness Truck 2.0 initiative.
Some of these interactions were quite long in the course of which the drivers shared information about their habits, health issues, the dangers they face each day and above all, the persistent feeling of home sickness. We did our best to spread some good cheer. As one of the drivers put it, “We face the unknown each day and our lives depend on the truck and nothing else.” We reached Shillong in the evening and decided to explore the city. It certainly is a happening place with its interesting local cuisine, fashion and music – all of which comes together at the City Point.
The next day we visited the famous lakes of the city – the Umiam Lake being really outstanding on account of its vastness. It is also known as the ‘Bara Pani’ and is part of a dam constructed for a hydro power project. Finally, covering all the ‘miles and smiles’ we came to the end of the journey in Guwahati. As is philosophically said, doesn’t it all end where it begins from? Here, we must certainly put on record praise for our driver M Manoj who managed the entire journey with such finesse. Even during the most arduous stretches, he drove with full confidence and with the ease of a truly experienced driver.
Dealer Endorsement
Lakshjit Das of L D Automobiles, an authorised distributor of JK Tyres, had this to say about the radials: “I am sure that you must have received a lot of positive feedback about JK Tyre from your interactions with the drivers during this journey. The belief and approach of JK Tyre has always been different from all the other players in this sector and that is the reason why we have been loyal to this brand for several years. In this part of the country, JK Tyre is the first choice of customers and there are never any complaints. The company does a lot for its customers and takes the feedback very seriously to introduce new products with value-added features. For dealers, the company offers excellent schemes which we share with our customers, thus making it a win-win situation. It’s a brand that brings smiles to the faces of drivers.”
Companionship Matters
We had an interesting interaction with Mohit Kumar, a driver who was travelling from Kanpur to Guwahati to deliver granite chips. While narrating the difficulties involved in making a trip with such a heavy load, he also pointed out the importance of camaraderie among drivers. “We develop good bonding with drivers on such trips. For example, I have just cooked food and am sharing it with some other drivers who are on this route. We look out for each other while on the road and help each other with no questions asked,” he said.
Facing Hardships
Another of such interactions was with Jagdish Singh who shocked us by showing us a leg wound that he had been unable to find treatment for on a desolate stretch of the highway. “I have driven from Maharashtra for thousands of kilometres and it has been exhausting. I was carting floor marble tiles and I got injured during the loading process. Getting medical treatment on time is very rare and we have to fend for ourselves. At times, getting enough food is a problem. For example, I prefer to eat wheat rotis but all you get in this region is rice,” he said.
“And yet I will continue to be a driver since that is the only thing I have done since childhood. I have gone through so many experiences that nothing scares me anymore. The only thing that worries me is to find a load to take back to Maharashtra. It is not economically feasible to drive back an empty truck and hence I have to sometimes wait for days for a broker to find a customer,” he added. We invited Jagdish Singh to the Happiness 2.0 truck and gave him some medicines. The look of happiness on his face will remain with us forever.
Text- Manas Nandi
Campaign Planning- Avijit Lahiri
Photography- Rajeev Bhendwal