Grandpa I'm Coming Home..

There is something about Royal Enfield Bullet. It's a beast of a motorcycle. A machine that literally gives you adrenaline like no other. It was a while since I had visited my Grandpa in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. I decided to put the Bullet on a road trip to Vellore. The roads are good so why not.

My cousin decided to tag along and we departed Bangalore in the wee hours of the morning. We packed light since it was a 2-day trip and wore leather jackets and helmets. Now this might appear like a cliché but leather jackets are the best thing n windy conditions. There is a reason why bikers around the world prefer the same. I had leather gloves as well but did the mistake of wearing jeans. Now wearing jeans on a 250 km trip is not exactly a bright idea. After a while the jeans starts to bite into your skin and it is anything but comfortable! A valuable lesson learnt which was corrected on the way back.

We took the Hosur Road and since it was early there was not much traffic around. We went onto the Electronic City flyover which is about 9 kms long leading into the NH7. I always wanted to test the potential of the bike and with a pillion rider reached top speeds of around 110-115 kmph. I'm usually a safe rider so decided against any outlandish stunts of high speeds on the highways. Besides the whole point of riding a Bullet is the pure adrenaline rush and ride satisfaction. We took water breaks every 50 kms to stretch out (mainly because of the jeans condition!) and had breakfast along the way. 

The scenery is beautiful. Since this was December the climate was cool and cloudy. Up till Krishnagiri the villages and towns have the Karnataka influence on them. But once we took a left and thundered down the highway towards Vellore, one could see the real Tamil Nadu. A lot of industries and factories exist all along especially after Hosur. Famous automakers have their plants or assembly units on these highways. With a constant speed of 85-90 kmph we reached Vellore in almost 4 hours. The delay was mainly due to the Jeans condition and also traffic at Hosur junction.

Vellore till recently was a town but eventually qualified to be a city after fulfilling the population requirement and other infrastructure/connectivity needs. On the way to my Grandpa's

place, we passed by the famous Vellore Fort. Wikipedia describes it as "a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by Vijayanagara Kings. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry." For a while it was also used as a prison. With a bloody history involving many dynasties from Marathas, Mughals, Mysoreans (Hyder Ali) to the British who held it till independence, the Vellore Fort is a popular tourist destination now.

The old town of Vellore reminds one of the British rule. But slowly the old buildings, architecture and other structures are giving way to a modern city in the making. The transition is still taking place in the hot dusty old town. A few of the areas transport you back by at least 30 years. The open drains, old Havelis (private huge mansions) to the simple people of the city all reminds one of simpler days. Some of these Havelis have the year of construction marked on top of them. Some date back to even 1905! In and around Vellore there are many places of interest that one can see. Many dams, forts, temples, hills, waterfalls, museums etc. exist which one can see on a trip here.

We finally reached our Grandpa's house and thanked the Almighty for bounties like cold drinking water, clean restrooms and cotton pyjamas. The weather was cool (this is rare since heat rules Vellore for about 9 months a year!) and Grandpa started his war stories from the olden days. We barbecued chicken that night under the moonlight and it felt so peaceful and perfect. This was the Vellore I always knew. Grandpa, his stories, Aunt's yummy food, cousins and lots of mosquitoes. All was well.