Attended a Suzuki V-Strom ride to Madumalai with a group of 25 riders

The plan to initiate an All-Strom ride was formulated sometime mid-September first week and a circular notifying the same was circulated to a dedicated Strom-owners WhatsApp Group.

BHPian VijayAnand1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Been a while since I updated the thread. Things had been slogging pretty much at a snail’s pace with the Strom, albeit at an interesting and fun pace.

So, grab that plate of peanuts and cuppa and scroll along…

Intro

The plan to initiate an All-Strom ride was formulated sometime mid-September first week and a circular notifying the same was circulated to a dedicated Strom-owners WhatsApp Group.

The official flyer.

The above dates were confirmed after a poll conducted via the group to make sure maximum attendance was the priority and hence the dates were finalized on Sep 23 and Sep 24 after collating different venues, Mudumalai was finalized. In all, there were 25 riders excluding two backup mechanics.

Being a resident of Ooty, I was humbly asked to attend the drive from the starting point which was from Coimbatore, Arun Suzuki, which meant I had to chew the 75 kms to the starting point. A quick call to the organizers was made so that I could join the crew from Ooty as opposed to from Coimbatore as that would deter the hassle of riding 160 kms on the same route.

Lo and behold, I was told, the goodies delivered would be handed over by the regional manager plus everyone had to be present physically to sign the Indemnity Bond and get their official tees and the ride would kick off sharp at 7:30 after a photo shoot and we’re to be present at 6:30 sharp.

The weather forecast was grim and severe rain lambasting two days prior to the ride kept me in high tick. Leaving Ooty by 4:30 AM, Zeus was kind enough not to dilute the mood by further aggravating the already aggravated Ooty-Coonoor highways. Reached the showroom right around 5:48 AM in the morning.

Was greeted by the night security guard and he opened the showroom door for me to have a seat:

Me: Anna, yaarumae varalaya? (Hasn’t anyone come?

SG: Neenga dhaan sir first vareenga (You are the first to come

Me: Oh appadiya, giggles (Oh is it)

SG: Sir, enga irundhu vareenga? (Sir, where are you coming from?)

Me: Naan Ooty la irundhu varenga ( I am coming from Ooty)

SG: Oh, appadingla, showroom open panren, ulla ukkarunga sir? (Oh is it. I will open the showroom, please sit inside sir)

Me: Thanks na (Thank you)

And so, opens..

30 minutes later, the first batch arrives.

And that’s me listening inquisitively seated in the front second from left. A brief 15-minute session, a good cup of coffee followed by a quick disbursal of tees, dos and don’ts, and the ride kicked off.

Some riders had to chime in late and that eventually delayed the start time from 7:30 to 8:47-ish.

The rest of the riders were parked right opposite this group.

Breakfast was arranged at Adayar Ananda Bhavan along the MTP-OTY highway. The place was chosen for its ample parking space. Following a sumptuous breakfast, one can sense all the hunger-ridden riders instantly switch to high spirits (Good food really works wonders, I tell you) The official ride sticker and the desired number of riders were distributed outside the hotel, and riders lit with good energy and everyone soon got busy peeling and adorning it to their rides. I chose the number 07. Don’t ask me why!

And here’s mine. The Official Mudumalai Insignia

07 goes to the topbox

A fellow rider’s number

Post the breakfast, the ride to Mudumalai commenced via OTY-GDLR and was uneventful. Lunch was scheduled at 2:00 PM at the resort. Frequent photoshoots and fuel breaks eventually meant we had to gatecrash later than anticipated at the resort.

Photos, videos, and photos.. truckloads of them were snapped. Sharing a few..

The Resort:

Named Wild Forest Resort, nestled midway between Kalhatti-Masinagudi highway. It’s a simple, individual-type cottage setup. The stay was accommodating and the food was decent. Overall, the resort caters to all types of budgets.

Distance: 7 Kms before Mudumalai from Kalhatti.. 8 kms from Mudumalai.

The cube that we belonged

At night.

The Other Side of Wilderness.

Post the gatecrash, crash diet, quick bathe, and our clocks reading 4:30. We planned to head to Mudumalai once again for the elephant feed session which happens in the mornings and evenings every day at set times. 8:30–9 AM abd 5:30–6 PM.

Having been here multiple times, but with the Strom group it was different, hanging out with riders, late-night chit-chats, sharing their experiences, and riding through the night on the deserted road really spooked many riders, which they shared after reaching the resort was mirthful to nice to hear.

The Elephant Whisperers fame Bomman.

Quick Trivia: Bomman and his wife Bellie.

Quote:

Hailing from Theppakadu in the Mudumalai forests of Tamil Nadu, the couple, Bomman and Bellie, belong to the forest-dwelling community, the Kattunayakar Tribe. Their tribe originally lived on forest produce in the past and later became mahouts, taking care of elephants.

Bomman is an elephant mahout with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, working at the oldest elephant camp in Asia, Theppakadu Elephant Camp. Bellie, who had initially feared wild animals after her first husband was killed by a tiger, was soon hired temporarily to take care of the two elephant calves. This is when Bomman and Bellie met and married each other.

The duo, Bomman, and Bellie, are the caretakers who shower their raw and pure love for two elephant calves, Raghu and Ammu. In May 2017, the two-month-old male elephant Raghu, who was bitten by wild dogs, was rescued and brought into the Theppakadu Elephant Camp. Raghu’s mother elephant died of electrocution in Krishnagiri. In June 2019, Ammu was a five-month-old female calf orphaned in the Sathyamangalam forests in western Tamil Nadu.

From feeding the calves milk and food on time to providing for their medical needs, the couple has been tending to the young calves as if they were their own kids. Even at a time when their son was admitted to a hospital with severe burn injuries and was battling for his life, the couple did not abandon the animals and took care of them. Their son succumbed to injuries later. After Raghu grew up, the elephant was given to another mahout. The couple currently lives at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp with Ammu.

Here’s the gentleman in all his glory, simplicity, and tete-a-tete with his babies.

There’s so much to learn from people who live in the forests, their humility, their bravery, their love for the wild, their vast knowledge of the woods. I feel they just vibe at another level. God, I love these folks like this!

The customary ensemble! The rest of the folks were out photobombing everything they bombed themselves to.

I’m the one with the Black and Red Hat

24th morning, it was decided we hop a ride for jungle safari and promptly were awakened by 5 o’clock by our alarms, hopped on our rides, and zoomed to Mudumalai. Booked our Mazda, and jumped on the cab with nothing but prayers to see something apart from elephant droppings, which was mostly the case, for most of the folks.

And boy were we in for some treat..

Everyone onboard was holding their necks like a table fan on swing mode left to right waiting to be the first to scream..SEE HERE.. Amidst the Isuzu-Mazda’s wonderful diesel clatter, we enter the trail..

And suddenly…

And then a herd of Elephants was spotted by me. Not one or two.. but four elephants and one beautiful little calf, all in one place..

We then proceeded to see bucks locking antlers, peacocks in their glory and a baby leopard graciously cross us in two swift jumps in front of the van from R to L, which made the entire team on the right go hunky-dory, scramble to the left all in one go, much so that the entire Mazda was tiled to the left. Fun it was! We thanked the driver for helping spot the tiger and leopard. The driver was helping a fellow driver behind to help them spot but was 200% sure all they saw were nothing but flora and fauna, as it was a matter of split second before they disappeared into the wilderness. It was an adorned trip.

Outro

Everyone was exuberated after the last itinerary for the day and headed back to our resort for the last photoshoot and gleeful goodbyes. Since we had checked in late, we were offered to check out late over the allotted time and most of us took the opportunity to hang around, do some modelling for our families and so the trip consummated on a mirthful note.

Till Next Time..

Personally thanked the organizers individually for a job well done and after a customary gang photo and waving good-bye, left for Ooty via Kalhatti. Funny that, as I am typing this, realized that I was the first to reach the showroom on the 23rd and the first to reach Ooty back again on the 24th. Sure, I never miss the MotoGP of Bharat.

Cheers!

VJ

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