What do you call a person who deliberately and repeatedly drives his car into the roughest terrain available hillocks,ditches and rocky riverbeds? Loony isnt the word...
They search for the roughest terrain available to drive. Meet the offroaders club
What do you call a person who deliberately and repeatedly drives his car into the roughest terrain available hillocks,ditches and rocky riverbeds? Loony isnt the word,he is an offroader a car fanatic for whom the best road isnt straight or tarmacked. Far from the citys ribbon routes,his fun lies in driving over mounds,pits and drains and negotiating hairpin bends; throw in a couple of thorn bushes and rivers in spate and hes got the perfect stretch. The NCR boasts almost 100 offroaders,who are part of the Gurgaon-based Northern India Offroaders Club.
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At the end of this month,the club will roar down to Behrampore,on the outskirts of Gurgaon,in their Jeeps,Pajeros,Fords,Marutis and,in one case,a BMW X5. Driving a vehicle offroad is not the same as driving on the road. It isnt about speed,its about skill, says Rabindra Singh,a 52-year-old with Unilever,who founded the club two years ago with businessmen Laxman Vishwanath,55,and Sarvinder Singh,44. With more than half their lives spent offroading,the trio instinctively know the speed and gear with which a certain vehicle should approach an incline,how hard to push the accelerator while fording a stream and,most importantly,when to hit the brakes.
And even then,there are incidents. Like the time,Vishwanath tried to leap over a yawning pit and had to give up midair or when another member tried to scale the top of a hill and found his front tyres had lost contact with the ground,leaving him stranded on a sharp incline with the bonnet in the air. Behrampore also boasts a vicious thorn forest,where its a lucky tyre that doesnt get a puncture, says Vishwanath. Nonetheless,he is fond of Behrampore,Especially after rains,when tracks turn into gushing streams and elephant grass looms overhead. Its a river of slush which sucks in everything,coats tyres and causes them to lose traction. Rabindra prefers Hisar,with its acres of broken ground and sudden depressions in the land,though Manesar and Sakatpur where the terrain changes after every monsoon also score high with them.
The club includes 25 permanent women members. Spouses,friends,children and newcomers swell the numbers during outings. We have a strict code of conduct,among them is that a newcomer must be accompanied by an old hand for the first few outings before he attempts an obstacle on his own. Another important credo is no littering. And no disturbing the wildlife. We travel to Hisar only after harvesting so as not to damage crops, adds Rabindra. The club never leaves a disabled vehicle and the trio are full of stories about the times they had to push cars out of knee-deep slush or winch vehicles out of a river that turned out to be deeper than anticipated or when a cars steering came off in the middle of the night. We travel with emergency kits and carry out a recce before offroading begins,but nature always throws up surprises and tests our ingenuity. We cover everything except the hefty repair bills after each outing, says Vishwanath,who spends almost half the year in the US where offroading is a major outdoor sport with dedicated parks pitted with artificial obstacles. After a slow start in India,our membership has shot up in the past few months as news about the club spreads on online forums and through word of mouth, he adds.
A typical outing lasts four hours,generally during the day though there have been midnight drives too,and covers several acres of land. The speed,adds Rabindra,seldom exceeds 10 kmph. During those four hours,my cell phone is switched off and I am lost to the world. It is only me,my Jeep and the rough road in front, he says.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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