Connect with us
Friday,31-October-2025
Breaking News

General

Pune trio goes on a ‘long drive’ – a record 21,000 km through borders of India

Published

on

Creating a new record, a Pune couple and their friend – all software engineers-cum-adventure lovers – went on a ‘long drive’ in an SUV, covering a whopping 21,000 km in 70 days across the entire boundary of India, from east to west, north to south.

They are — Jaykumar Anadkat, his wife Pooja Padiya-Anadkat, both from Gujarat, and their friend Sonesh Mehra from Rajasthan, who are the co-founders of the adventure club, ‘PlacesAroundPune’.

“We have done many activities like hiking, trekking, cycling, mountaineering, scuba-diving etc., but this time we wanted to do something unique and fulfilling. So we charted out this trip — “#MapMyCountry” — in our Tata Safari SUV, and we hope to make it to the record books,” said Jaykumar, after the trio returned home late on Monday.

The trio, all aged 35, embarked on their journey on February 27 from Magarpatta and returned to the same location on May 8, zooming through 26 states, several Union Territories, 52 major cities and over 250 important travel destinations along the boundary and borders of India.

“We went around the country’s periphery, all the border states and drew the India map through the car route, starting in a clockwise direction from Maharashtra,” said Mehra.

From Maharashtra, they went to Gujarat (Dwarka and Koteshwar temples in the extreme western parts of India), Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the Northeastern states like Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh, the first village of India in the east, and Danushkodi Rameshwar and Kanyakumari as the southernmost tip.

“We touched six international borders — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. We learnt a lot about the different people of India, their cultures and lifestyles, the weather systems, the abundant beauty of different parts of the country. It was a very enriching drive indeed,” said Pooja.

The ultra-long drive took them from 45-degree Celsius in Rajasthan deserts to the -5-degree Celsius in snowy Kashmir, braving hailstorms in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, torrential rains in Assam, and the humid weather in the southern states. Though they carried suitable clothes, many a times they had to hunt for more locally in order to survive.

The trio recalls speeding through some of the wildest and densest forests akin to a jungle safari, off-roading, dusty dry desert sands, boat-rides in mangrove forests, traversing snowy mountains roads, or gingerly driving through bamboo bridges, over deep valleys and turbulent rivers in different parts of India, soaking in the first sunrise in the east and the colourful sunsets in the west and southern beaches.

They also joined some tribal and traditional cultural festivals, wearing local costumes, singing, dancing or prancing to their tunes, and gulping cuisines ranging from the weirdest to delicacies, cooking for themselves on roadside fires, or just gobbling some fruits when nothing was available or dhabas were shut.

There are literally miles of many memories, including some a bit spooky, that the trio returned with — like one excited gentleman from Punjab, Ripu Daman, who contacted them through Facebook and happily hosted them with his family for a night.

In Nagaland, they met a 95-year-old member of a tribe of erstwhile ‘headhunters’, who still proudly wears a garland with a few heads on it that he claimed to have acquired many decades ago!

Today, Jaykumar, Pooja and Sonesh are extremely thrilled on completing their ‘long drive’ without any untoward incident, something they will cherish for long.

Maharashtra

Rohit Arya, who held 20 children hostage, died during treatment after being shot.

Published

on

Rohit Arya, the accused who held 20 children hostage inside a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area, has died. The accused, Rohit Arya, had taken the children hostage and also fired at the police. Police retaliated, injuring him, and he died during treatment.

Rohit Arya was mentally ill. He had taken 20 children hostage at RA Studios in Powai. Upon receiving information, police immediately arrived at the scene and attempted to apprehend him. During this, Rohit Arya opened fire on the police, who retaliated, injuring him. He was immediately taken for treatment, but died during treatment.

Earlier, the accused, Rohit Arya, had released a video admitting to holding the children hostage. Police had stated that Rohit Arya was mentally ill. Police had safely rescued all the children from his custody.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Making Vande Mataram compulsory is illegal: MLA Raees Shaikh writes to the Chief Minister and Education Minister, demanding withdrawal of the order

Published

on

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party’s Bhiwandi East MLA Raees Sheikh has demanded that the Chief Minister and the Education Minister should revoke the ban imposed on all schools in the state on making the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ written by ‘Bankam Chandra Chatterjee’ mandatory on October 31.

In this regard, MLA Raees Sheikh said that ‘Jan Gana Man’ written by Rabindranath Tagore is the national anthem of India. However, the government’s order to sing the song in all schools in the state on October 31 and organize a song exhibition between October 31 and November 7 in the context of the 150th anniversary of the national anthem ‘Vande Mataram’ is illegal. Any organization should write a letter to the Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhuyar and the Education Department should immediately declare ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song for all schools in the state, this is not good governance in a progressive state like Maharashtra.

The condition of schools and education in the state is deteriorating. It is the duty of the government to provide quality education. However, the government is discriminating by including religious issues like ‘Vande Mataram’ in the education sector. Making ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song is a violation of the rights granted by the Constitution. There have been many discussions on the issue of ‘Vande Mataram’ till date. MLA Rais Sheikh said in the letter that ‘Jan Guna Man..’ is the national anthem of India and the national anthem should be given a place of honor, sanctity and respect everywhere, it has been agreed upon.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Uddhav swallowed Mumbai like python: Mahayuti slams ‘anaconda’ remark on Amit Shah

Published

on

Mumbai, Oct 28: The political temperature in Maharashtra has soared after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him an “anaconda” and accusing the BJP of trying to “swallow Mumbai” through political manipulation and illegal land acquisition.

Thackeray’s remarks came after a report in Saamna, the Shiv Sena UBT’s mouthpiece, alleged that a new BJP office was built “by grabbing land at lightning speed”.

Drawing a sharp comparison between the BJP and a newly introduced anaconda at Mumbai’s Jijamata Udyan, Thackeray said that the ruling party’s greed to control Mumbai knows no bounds.

Reacting strongly to Thackeray’s statement, leaders from the ruling Mahayuti alliance hit back, accusing him of “swallowing Mumbai’s wealth” during his tenure.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde countered the remark, saying, “If we talk about the ‘anaconda’ remark, the one calling others an anaconda is actually the real anaconda himself. He had tightly wrapped himself around Mumbai’s treasury. The special thing about anacondas is that their hunger never ends. He swallowed Mumbai’s wealth, swallowed Mumbai itself, and even grabbed several plots of land.”

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule also lashed out at the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, comparing him to a “python”.

“Uddhav Thackeray has swallowed Mumbai. He is like a python, not an ordinary snake. This snake sits at home, sleeps all day, eats all day, and has ruined Mumbai. On the other hand, Home Minister Amit Shah has worked for the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, strengthening India and tackling terrorism,” he told reporters.

“For over 11 years, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, he has helped eliminate terrorists. Such a person, you would call an anaconda? Pythons like these have destroyed Mumbai for over 40 years. Uddhav Thackeray couldn’t even manage his own party properly and has left it weak, while also harming Hindus,” Bawankule said.

“He is a person who has lost his mental balance, especially after the elections. He is trying to prove his leadership by making derogatory remarks against Amit Shah and Devendra Fadnavis; however, he should know that leadership is proven through winning elections and not by abusing,” he added.

Joining the attack, BJP MLA Ram Kadam also took a jibe at the former Maharashtra Chief Minister, saying that Thackeray’s comments reflected his “frustration and deteriorating mental state”.

Speaking to media, Kadam said, “Uddhav Thackeray has been abandoned by everyone, and his recent statement reflects that his mental condition is not right and he is frustrated. With no blood relatives and ministers distancing themselves, he resorts to baseless comments.”

“He knows nothing beyond taunting. How can he criticise our Home Minister? Amit Shah earns respect through hard work, while Uddhav, a lazy person who inherited politics, has failed to sustain it,” he added.

Continue Reading

Trending