Drive To Discover 9
Honda takes us on a journey of indulgence in the North-East
One of the perks of being an automotive journalist is the constant travel to beautiful locations. So when the invite came to travel with Honda for its annual drive, I was the first one to grab it. A group of 26 journalists were invited to explore the entry point of the ‘Seven Sisters’, Assam. After being ruled by the Ahom clan of Myanmar for 600 years and then colonized by British East India Company, it eventually formed into a state, and derived its name from Ahom word ‘Axom’, meaning ‘The Land Like No Other’.
We arrived at Guwahati a day prior and were given a brief on our route. Joining us were the brand’s latest products, the compact sport SUV, CR-V and the sleek
Civic. When questioned about the sedan’s credential for what lies ahead, quickly came a confident response, “Why not”?
Well, with that thought, we prepared for our journey with the Civic in its 1.6-litre, iDTEC iteriation. We punched our first destination to Majuli Island, which required us to take the Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel MV-Bhupen Hazarika, for crossing Brahmaputra River. This vessel connects Kamalabari in Majuli River Island with Neemati Ghat in Jorhat district. The road for the ferry was a mixture of highways, scenic terrain and extremely narrow roads. The Civic surprised us with its ability to soak in the undulations and gobble down bad patches of road with ease. The journey across Brahmaputra took
THE AHOM CLANS FROM NORTHERN MYANMAR
RULED OVER THE BRAHMAPUTRA VALLEY IN THE 13TH CENTURY FOR MORE THAN 600 YEARS AFTER WHICH THE BRITISH
EAST INDIA COMPANY COLONISED THE REGION IN
THE 19TH CENTURY
about 45 minutes before we made our way through Majuli for the first halt of the journey.
The second day started off slightly late as we weren’t rushing to reach Dibrugarh. We packed and got into the CR-V. Now we were driving the 1.6-litre diesel variant with AWD function and the new 9-speed automatic gearbox, which to be honest, was what we needed for a comfortable drive ahead. The SUV maintained itself over the pothole ridden roads, and the gear-shifts were effortless. We made a quick halt near Pasighat for lunch, where we were served some authentic Arunachali cuisine. Post lunch, the convoy headed towards the oldest city of Arunachal, Pasighat. The Brahmaputra makes its appearance here too. After spending some time soaking in the beautiful landscape, we continued our journey to Dibrugarh via the Bogibeel Bridge which is the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India measuring 4.94km. However, the sun had set for the day when we arrived. Thankfully, the lanes were well lit (see picture) for us to comfortably reach Dibrugarh.
Dibrugarh is the gateway to the three teaproducing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar, and these areas account for approximately 50 per cent of India’s Assam tea crop, thus justifying its rightly earned nickname of “Tea City of India”. We were given the key to the Civic which
came with the CVT configuration, and the tried and tested 1.8-litre iVTEC engine. The petrol engine is well refined and extremely silent even on lower revs, and is quick off its feet, but you can feel the lag in the power kicking in, which could be disappointing for some.
The Civic did make up for its flaws with a superb ride quality, as we experienced it first hand on our way to the Kaziranga via Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. It was a long and nice drive crossing the Gibbon Sanctuary and entering Kaziranga.
We continued our journey towards Guwahati the next day and eventually for our flight back to Delhi in the same Civic. Why? Well, simply because it is a fun car to drive. Between the CR-V and the Civic, there isn’t much to complaint about because both performed exceptionally well under the given conditions. Leaving the beautiful state behind without encountering a real life one-horned rhino was something that I would deeply regret, but it turned out to be a lucky day for us, as a journo friend spotted one grazing deep inside the grass-fields and managed to click a decent picture as well.
With that ticked off my bucket list, it was time to head back home. The state of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh gave us a memorable journey and an unforgettable experience. The magnificent NorthEast showed us so much, but still hid enough for us to wanting more.