Kanyakumari : The Great Indian U – Turn
Sundeep Gajjar

Since I had started learning geography in the school I was always coming across Kanyakumari. And ever since I had ridden my first two wheeler 5 years ago I had met people, books and other mention Kashmir to Kanyakumari tours and records. In short, I came to undersand Kanyakumari as the minima and Kashmir ( more specifically, Leh ) as the maxima of the curve formed on the political map of India in any Indian roadtrip.

There I was, on the 70th day of the Great Indian Roadtrip after covering 11,000 odd kms I was standing on the basement of India. I remember on the 15th day of the GIR I was on the roof of India ( and the world ) at world’s highest motorable road – Khardungla. Read about that here.

It was a terrific feeling as I was approaching Kanyakumari from Kovalam. The last 5 kms I was riding alone, ahead of the pack of 10 off bikes from Trivandrum. I wanted to reach this significant speck of land first and so I did. The seemingly dilapidated gate said “Welcome to Kanyakumari”. That was it! The CBR and me had made through half the journey unscathed. Riding further for 2 kms I hit the stimulating sight of the confluence of three waters : Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. There was the Gandhi Madipum, Bharat Mata ( Mother India statue ) holding the national flag , The Tiruvalluvar Statue and the Vivekanda Rock forming the ultimate join-the-dots panaroma on the southernmost tip of mainland India.

I was elated and blessed. I thanked god to have saved me from many dangers and bought me to be blessed by Kanya Devi, the would be wife of Shiva, who was supposed to get married at this very place eons back.

For now, me, and the 1000rr and the spectacular three waters were one.
From here the Great Indian Roadtrip took the Great Indian U – Turn.

Tiruvalluvar statue 

Gandhi Madipum 

Left :Vivekananda Rock 

Mother India