The following morning saw us start long before Varanasi had woken up for this would be our longest run for the day, nearly 800 km to be honest. The rain-washed road leading out of Varanasi wasn’t exactly a model surface but didn’t prove enough of an obstacle for the Alto K10. Soon enough we found ourselves cruising on the highway, heading ever eastwards.
The inter-state border between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar isn’t any more remarkable than any other inter-state border and poses no threat to the Alto K10’s progress. The day wore on and we started passing signboards that directed travellers to places of history and interest – Sasaram, where the Afghan Emperor Sher Shah Suri lies in eternal grace or Bodhgaya where the Buddha gained his enlightenment. The border separating the more recent state of Jharkhand arrives without warning and suddenly we find ourselves with just a third of the journey left.
We crossed into West Bengal past noon and suddenly (pleasantly) I found myself interacting in my mother tongue and the tea started tasting more like the delicate familiar brew that I was used to instead of the frothy, sugary, milkiness of the tea further west. Now, West Bengal happens to be a foodie’s paradise and the moment we set wheels into the state we headed for lunch at the Sarovar Portico Peerless Inn in Durgapur where the chef served up some delicious Kosha Mangsho (dry mutton) and Luchi (unleavened bread). Evening saw us take yet another break as we stopped for a bhaand (kulhad) of tea accompanied by some mouthwatering langcha (sweet dish) at Shaktigarh. By the time we arrived in Kolkata, night had fallen and exhaustion had taken its toll. Tomorrow would have to be a fresh day but for now the bed beckoned…
In the final part, we travel to the Indo-Bangladesh border at Taki
