The Great Driving Challenge | User Application

Sanjukta Basu & Vinukumar Ranganathan

Total Vote(s) : 115 | Total Testimonial(s) : 2

Make way for Vinu and Sanju the world famous in Bangalore and Mumbai social media stars :) Most techies living in Bangalore active in the last few barcamps and on tweetups and bloggers meets would know us as this awesome blogger photographer couple. Not like a couple couple, we are just friends...you know. Vinu and I know each other through our common passion of blogging, photography and travel. We met through blogs in Jul'07 when we both were in the process of initiating the Bangalore Bloggers community and first Bangalore Bloggers meet. Our friendship grew as we spent more time as members of a Bangalore based photography group on Flickr and when we traveled together as part of the yahoo based weekend backpacker's group, Lets Go which is owned and moderated by me, Sanju. I am a lawyer a social activist, a fiercely independent woman, an aspiring writer and a social media evangelist. If I am not sleeping I am socializing, either off line or on line. And the reason I travel is because, "What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do — especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road."~ William Lease Heat Moon If Vinu is not sleeping he is conceiving that brand new idea which is going to change the world. He is a business developer, an innovator, an ideator, an aspiring story teller and a prolific photographer. A photo documentation expert, in the recent past, his photography skills and enthusiasm were talked about all over the social media and mainstream media when he rushed to ground zero of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack within minutes and took the first shots from the spot. We both are slightly crazy, completely hyperactive and hopelessly romantics...this is going to be one fun ride with our eccentricities likely to hit the ceiling...be prepared for the joy ride :) You guys will vote for us won't you? ~ Sanju Awrite, today is17th July. After collecting the votes and testimonials I am back at this space to give it one final touch. My feeling right now is exactly like what happened after the General Elections, every body was mulling over what went wrong. Vinu and I together have More than 1800 followers on twitter and 900 friends on Facebook, the average number of hits on my blog alone which has a google page rank of 4 is 500 per day, total number of hits on Vinu's flickr stream alone is over a million. Yet, all we could gather is 113 votes and 3 testimonials. Couples with 10% of our social media presence has managed over 1700 votes. Clearly we made some mistake with the promotional campaign. But we leave it on the judges to make a wise decision on various parameters. If writing skill, photography and social media are important parameters no one can beat us :) ~ Sanju

We are the best candidates because...

Because we offer you satisfaction guaranteed, entertainment and pure bliss :D Ok on a serious notes, the best thing about us as a traveling couple is that we are both nomadic in nature. And our social media presence simply rocks. When we first heard about the contest, we both said, "Hmm, 12 days leave, if they don't give leave I will quit" That's how nomadic we are. About the social media rock stars that we are, do a google of our names and the results would speak for us. Read my blog's 'live blogging' section or 'travel section' and you'll know what I am talking about. We make the perfect combination of writer, photographer and enthusiastic traveler. For us travel is not about moving in AC buses or SUVs, staying in 5 star hotels with Spa lounges and swimming pools. When we travel we stay close to nature, so close that we absorb a little bit of it in our souls and nurture it forever, our feet smell that of the soil. Vinu has already got his share of fame for his photography and my live blogging / live tweeting are one of the best you'd come across, so while you'd cheer for us online, we'd make sure you don't miss a single fun we have on road. Lastly, besides the great pics and the live blogging of the whole journey we guarantee you awesome entertainment, the MTV roadies type, as you would find vinu and me fighting and pulling each other's hair every now and then. Cmon watching funny people like us fight is fun...don't you think? And with me live blogging you can be rest assured you'd get all the juicy details ;) ~Sanju

Our Travel Plan

We had earlier planned to travel to Rajasthan but seeing many other couple planning for the same we decided to bring a difference in our journey. Why travel the usual routes? Why go to a place about which enough is already written all over the web. Traveling is not just about enjoying nature's beauty but bearing the ugliness too, traveling is not just about seeing it is about keeping a faith in what you see, traveling is not just about the roads and locales it is about the people who you come across, it is about the past present and future of the people, where did they come from and where are they going, traveling is about ecstasy, travel is about love and sensuality, traveling is about soul searching. Keeping all that in mind we have decided to zip through the south eastern states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa to reach the heart of India. This shall be our mad rush through history, culture and spirituality. Starting with Solapur in Maharashtra traveling both on road and on flights of imagination where history of the Andhrabhratyas, Chalukyas, Rashtrkutas, Yadavas and Bahamanis will converge. Stopping at not great many cities but lesser known yet historically magnificent places like Latur, Nizamabad, Hanamkonda, Palvancha, there by putting them on the world map, we would reach Vizag. Driving through the Eastern Ghats would be a journey of a life time. The next significant stop would be in Berhampur in Orissa which has the Maa Tara Tarini Hill Shrine, the Sthana Peetha (Breast Shrine of Mata Sati). Traveling through Orissa this atheist shall take a trip to the magical world of Gods, demons, tantras folklores, urban legends and see if I can have the faith back. Enjoying the beaches of Puri we'd go to Cuttack, Rourkella, Satna and finally to the heart of India, the Khajuraho. On the route back to Mumbai now a few more stops if time and energy permits would be in Indore, Yaval Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhule and finally Mumbai. We understand the Total distance is exceeding 3000 kms but we are confident we would cover it in 12 days. Do take a look at our maps and suggest further stop overs if you are aware of those interesting dhabas or chaiwallahs :) ~Sanju

Our Travelogue

If Vinu would have had his way, we would have been the only couple to have already done a similar 12 day 3000 kms driving from Delhi to Bangalore. Yes, that's what we had decided last year but we never did it. Looks like now is the time. Even as I write this application, Vinu is traveling to Leh for a week long trip. Prior to this he was in Ranthambore before that Goa, before that Gokarna. He travels so much that some times I cannot even keep track of it. But if you go through his Flickr stream you'd know about all the travel he has done. I have traveled extensively all over India, what more for my love for travel I even started the yahoo based weekend backpacking group, Let's Go. As part of Let's Go Vinu and I traveled to Pondicherry and other places around Bangalore. About my travel experience, all I can say is that I have seen both heaven and hell and I survived them all. Besides knowing the nature, thanks to my traveling I have also witnessed how and where real India lives, the villages. I have eaten home made baajre ki roti with makkhan sitting on the heap of wild grass in the courtyard of a hut in the middle of Rajasthan desert; I had strange combination of Andhra and Oddissi cuisine from a roadside dhaba in the Naxal dominated areas of Koraput in Orissa; I have shopped for spooky pendents of Tibetan Gods in Gangtok; I have stood outside a snow covered tent at the height of 12,000 feet on the Yanker range of Himalayas and watched the sun rise; I have trekked through Yanker range of Himalaya for 12 days without bathing or washing in one pair of track pants; I have watched Dolphins playing in the waters of Bay of Bengal as we relaxed on the hammocks outside our cottages in Havlock Island in Andamans, then I have watched Bay of Bengal engulfing every road, every nook and corner around our hotel when the Tsunami waves hit Port Blair the next day. With my family I lived on the street of Port Blair for 2 days post Tsunami. To sum it up, I have pretty much survived everything that the never ending roads offer you, including the accidental loss of a dear friend, yet the passion for travel is far from being satisfied, because that's the only way to go forward.

5th July 2009

Firebolt

5th July 2009

Testimonials

Labsji

If there is one team that is passionate about adventure as well as social media savvy - this IS the team. Sanjukta has initiated many adventures through LetsGo. And Vinu has risked his limb and life to take early photos during the Mumbai terror attacks. Icing in the cake is the sense of humor. High5!

Aneesha

She has the attitude, she had the guts, and she has the drive to be a part of this challenge - Way to go, Sanjukta!

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