Book review: Wild - What the trail taught Cheryl Strayed

Wild by Cheryl Strayed takes the classic theme of finding oneself through travel and hikes and makes it deeply personal experience. In 1995, at the age of 26, Strayed hiked about 1770 kms alone along Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), from Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Bridge of the Gods near the Oregon–Washington border. She later described the journey as an attempt to save herself.

During this journey she tells readers about her past. She lost her mother to cancer at the age of 22; her marriage was collapsed; she went through a period of heroin use; casual sex; many other self-destructive behaviour. She was also struggling with guilt, grief and the feeling that her life had fallen apart. She changed her surname to 'Strayed' reflecting how lost she felt at the time. Four years after her mother's death, she decided to hike PCT.

As a beginner, she was hardly prepared for what was waiting for her. She faced extreme heat in Southern California, snow in Sierra Nevada, difficult terrain, scarce water and constant physical demands of carrying everything she needed on her back. Her backpack, which she nicknamed 'Monster', was so heavy that even getting it onto her back became a challenge during the early days of the journey. She later meet people on the path who explain and show her how to pack.

Then there were her boots.

At one point, after losing one of them over a cliff, she throws the other one away as well. Her feet are badly damaged, and she has to improvise until she can get proper footwear. She ends up hiking in duct-taped sandals. It is one of the most memorable episodes in the book because it captures what  Wild  really is: not a carefully planned adventure, but a series of problems which require solutions. 

She also spends long periods without the comforts we normally take for granted. She goes weeks without properly washing, making a simple shower feel like a holy experience. Food, water, sleep and shelter become things to be appreciated rather than assumed.

Book is much less about the scenery than it initially appears from the title.

During this journey reader also started walking with her and know about her past. Her mother's memory hangs over the book a lot. The physical transformation happens alongside the emotional one. She begins as an inexperienced hiker struggling to walk even a few miles and gradually becomes stronger, more confident and more capable.

At various points along the trail, she collects resupply boxes that she had mailed to herself. They contain food, money, books and other necessities. And the books matter.

Although she spends much of the journey alone, Strayed writes beautifully about the brief and intense friendships she forms with other hikers. At the same time, books become another kind of companion. She reads at night and carries literature with her through the journey. At the end of this article you see the a list of all those books.

The book also follows her changing relationship with her own body. She writes about body image, sexuality and the complicated way she sees herself. There is a memorable moment when she looks at her reflection and questions what she sees. That struggle is likely to resonate with many women, but it also goes beyond gender: it is about how difficult it can be to recognise yourself after a period in which your life has changed completely.

Strayed is also unusually open about sex. She writes about her attraction to men she meets along the way and does not attempt to make herself appear more respectable than she was. Some readers may find this uncomfortable. She doesn't present herself as a heroic figure who went into the wilderness and emerged perfect.

She presents herself as someone who had made mistakes. That honesty gives the book much of its dignity.

There are slow sections in the book; some segment feels like repetative and over described, but the conversations and encounters keep the narrative moving. By the time she reaches the Bridge of the Gods after 94 days, she has not simply completed a hike. She has come to terms with parts of herself that she had spent years trying to escape.

The Environment: The Physicality of the Trail

What makes Strayed's writing powerful is the way she describes the environment. The trail isn't simply a beautiful forest. It is a physical opponent.

In Southern California, PCT passes through dry, hot country where water can be scarce. The Pacific Crest Trail Association notes that temperatures in this section can reach from the 80s into low 100s during summer. Later, the landscape changes dramatically as trail climbs into Sierra Nevada and then continues through the mountains of Northern California and Oregon.

Strayed uses these changes in landscape to reflect her own emotional state. The desert, the snow, the mountains, the trees and the rocks aren't merely scenery. They become part of the struggle. When she loses her boots and has to continue with damaged feet, the environment becomes almost a form of punishment. Every step reminds her that she cannot escape the physical reality of what she has chosen to do. But that is also the point. The wild doesn't care about her grief. The trail doesn't stop because her heart is broken. It simply continues; perhaps that is exactly what she needs.

The Deeper Insight: Survival as Forgiveness

This book is less about hiking and more about experiences of author's past life and her transformation to a new one. Its also about a lot of grief. Strayed goes into wilderness carrying far more than food, water and equipment. She carries guilt about her mother, anger about her past, the collapse of her marriage and the consequences of her own choices. The trail doesn't magically solve those problems. Instead, it gives her enough distance from her old life to finally face them.

Everything she needs to survive has to be carried on her back. Food, water, shelter, clothing and books—all of it becomes physical. And somewhere along the way, she discovers that she herself is capable of carrying it. That may be the deeper transformation in the book.

The woman who begins the journey thinks she has lost herself. The woman who reaches Bridge of the Gods has not become someone completely different. She has simply discovered that she is stronger than she thought.

Understanding the Scale of the PCT

1. The Distance

To understand the 'Monster' backpack Cheryl Strayed carried, we also need to understand the monster trail she was walking on. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from the Mexican border through California and Oregon to the Canadian border. The current Pacific Crest Trail Association figure puts the trail at approximately 4278 km.

Strayed did not hike the entire PCT. She covered roughly 1,770 km, from Mojave Desert to ridge of the Gods. If you have difficulty in visualizing 1770 km distance, it is roughly like travelling from Delhi to Bengaluru by road. She didn't make that journey in a car, train or bus. She walked it; also the terrain is not flat she has to cross mountain ranges, deserts, forests and high-elevation terrain on foot while carrying her supplies.

2. The Elevation

PCT is not simply a long distance walk. It repeatedly climbs and descends through major mountain ranges. PCT Association has estimated the total elevation gain of the entire PCT at approximately 4,89,418 ft (or about 1,49,180m). That is roughly equivalent to climbing from sea level to summit of Mount Everest about 17 times. Of course, this figure applies to the entire PCT, not Strayed's 1770 km section. Still, it gives some idea of the physical demands of the trail. 

3. The Temperature Extremes

PCT crosses dramatically different environments. Southern California can be extremely hot and dry. The PCT Association notes that summer temperatures in Southern California section can reach the low 100s F. Later hikers encounter snow  at high Sierras. Same journey can involve desert heat, snow-covered mountains, cold nights and dramatically different weather conditions. One is effectively travelling through several worlds on foot in a matter of weeks; if not days.

4. The Solitude and Wildlife

For someone used to India, the solitude of the PCT is difficult to imagine. You can walk for long periods without any human presence all. But being alone doesn't mean being without company; there are black bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and many other animals. The wilderness therefore creates a strange combination of solitude and vulnerability. There may be nobody around to help you.And that is precisely what makes the experience so revealing.

You are exposed not just to the sun, rain, snow and cold, but to the reality of your own strength when there is no one else around to help.

What the Trail Finally Gave Her

The most interesting thing about  Wild is that, Strayed doesn't return from the trail with some grand philosophical answer. She simply becomes more capable of living with herself. Her mother is still dead. Her past mistakes still happened. Her marriage is still over. Nothing she does on the trail can undo any of that. But she can finally stop running from it.

That, to me, is what makes  Wild  more than a hiking memoir. It is about the possibility of rebuilding yourself without pretending that your past never happened. Strayed went into the wilderness because she was lost. She came out not because the wilderness gave her a new life, but because it helped her understand how to live with the life she already had. And perhaps that is why the book stays with you. Sometimes finding yourself isn't about discovering someone new. It is about finding the strength to become the person you already were capable of being.

Sajeev. 

Books Cheryl Strayed read during the PCT hike,

• The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 1: California — Jeffrey P. Schaffer, Thomas Winnett, Ben Schiffrin & Ruby Jenkins. Her main trail guide for California.
• The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 2: Oregon and Washington — Jeffrey P. Schaffer & Andy Selters
• Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook — June Fleming, A practical navigation book.
• The Dream of a Common Language — Adrienne Rich, The most important book in Wild. Strayed carried it throughout the entire hike. On her first night on the trail, she read the poem 'Power' repeatedly. She describes the collection as something close to a sacred text.
• As I Lay Dying — William Faulkner; One of the novels she deliberately chose to take with her. She later burned it to reduce the weight of her backpack.
• The Complete Stories — Flannery O'Connor
• The Novel — James A. Michener
• A Summer Bird-Cage — Margaret Drabble
• Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov.
• Dubliners — James Joyce
• Waiting for the Barbarians — J. M. Coetzee
• The Best American Essays 1991
• The Ten Thousand Things — Maria Dermoût

Other books written by Cheryl Strayed

• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012) based on 1995 hike
• Torch (2006)
• Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar (2012)
• Brave Enough (2015)

'Into the Wild' review - The romance and reality of escape

Movie poster

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the story of Chris McCandless, a young American who walked into the Alaskan wilderness in 1992 and died there a few months later. In fact its more than just a story; its also about idealism, freedom, anger, loneliness, nature and, ultimately, the value of human connection.

Who Was Chris McCandless?

Chris McCandless was a talented student at Emory University who came from a financially comfortable family in Virginia. He graduated from Emory in 1990. Soon afterwards, without telling his family, he donated roughly $24,000 of his savings to Oxfam and set off on the road. Later he adopted the name Alexander Supertramp. Emory itself confirms that McCandless was a 1990 graduate and that he gave approximately $24,000 to Oxfam.

His motivations seem to have come from a mixture of idealism and anger. He was strongly influenced by writers such as Tolstoy, Thoreau and Jack London. At the same time, he discovered that his father had maintained another family and had concealed this from him. Krakauer suggests that this discovery had significant effect on McCandless and his relationship with his parents. 

From 1990 to 1992, McCandless travelled across the American West and Southwest, working odd jobs and hitchhiking. He travelled by canoe through Mexico, worked in grain harvesting and spent time living in an abandoned car.

Along the way, he formed genuine connections with people. There was Wayne Westerberg, who gave him work and friendship. There was Ron Franz, an elderly man who became deeply attached to McCandless and even wanted to adopt him. There was also Tracy, a young woman who developed feelings for him. But McCandless always moved on. Connection and permanence seemed to frighten him almost as much as the wilderness attracted him.

Alaska

In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked into Alaska and walked into the wilderness near the Stampede Trail. He carried very little food—most notably about 10 pounds of rice—and a .22-calibre rifle. He eventually found an abandoned bus that became his shelter. The named the bus as - Magic Bus.

He hunted, foraged and kept a journal documenting his life in the wilderness. The Stampede Trail area is genuinely remote and difficult terrain. The National Park Service currently describes the area around the Stampede Trail as difficult to travel through, with brush, boggy ground and difficult river crossings. It specifically warns that the Teklanika crossing cannot be depended upon on foot in mid-summer. In July, McCandless tried to leave the wilderness. But the Teklanika River, which he had crossed earlier in the season, had become much more difficult to cross. He turned back. 

By August, he was extremely weak. His body was eventually discovered by hunters in the bus in September. The remains weighed about 67 pounds, and starvation was recorded as the cause of death. This is where the central question of the book begins. There are some more theories around his death. However, I am not going in those details.

Was Chris McCandless a Hero or a Fool? Was McCandless a romantic idealist who died while pursuing something real and noble? Or was he a reckless, privileged young man who underestimated nature and hurt the people who loved him? Krakauer clearly has sympathy for McCandless. But he doesn't completely resolve the question for the reader.

How much go we really know about McCandless? There is another problem when trying to understand McCandless: he isn't around to explain himself. His journals were often terse and practical, recording what he ate, what he hunted and what happened to him. Krakauer therefore had to reconstruct McCandless's thoughts from journals, photographs, postcards, notes and interviews with people who knew him. 

That leaves plenty of room for interpretation. For example, when McCandless described the Teklanika River as impossible to cross, Krakauer interpreted this as evidence that he wanted to leave but was prevented from doing so by the river. That may well be true. But we cannot know exactly what McCandless was thinking. This uncertainty is important because much of the emotional meaning we attach to the story comes through Krakauer's interpretation.

Alaska National Guard helicopter airlifting the bus from Stampede Trail (2020 June)

What Actually Killed McCandless?

This is another area where the story is more complicated than the simple explanation that he "starved to death". Starvation was the recorded cause of death. But Krakauer became convinced that something else may have contributed to it. McCandless had eaten seeds from Hedysarum alpinum, commonly known as wild potato. On July 30, his journal recorded:

"EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. MUCH TROUBLE JUST TO STAND UP. STARVING. GREAT JEOPARDY." Krakauer initially theorised that the seeds contained a toxic alkaloid. That theory was subsequently challenged by other researchers.

Nature as a Character

Krakauer doesn't paint Alaska as a postcard; he describes it as a merciless, indifferent force. He uses the phrase "the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier" to capture the scale and isolation of the place. To Krakauer, the environment isn't a friend. It is almost a mirror.

If you come prepared, it can be a sanctuary. If you make even one serious mistake, it can become a trap. Nature isn't mean. It simply doesn't care. That may be one of the most important lessons of 'Into the Wild'. We often project our own emotions onto nature. We imagine the mountains as beautiful, the wilderness as liberating and solitude as peaceful. But nature doesn't care whether you are brave, idealistic, angry or searching for yourself. It simply exists.

Understanding the Scale of Alaska. 

Before judging McCandless too quickly, it is worth understanding the environment he entered. We often hear that Alaska is enormous, but numbers don't always convey what that actually means. Looking at it through the lens of Indian geography makes the scale easier to imagine.

1. The immense scale

Alaska covers about 1.72 million square kilometres, while India covers about 3.29 million square kilometres. So Alaska is slightly more than half the size of India. But the difference in population is much more dramatic. Alaska had about 733,000 people in the 2020 census, and its population density is only around 1.3 people per square mile—roughly 0.5 people per square kilometre. India, by comparison, is one of the most densely populated large countries in the world. That difference is difficult for someone living in India to intuitively understand.

2. The isolation

This is perhaps the most important part. Around 82% of Alaska's communities are not accessible by road. Think about that for a moment. In India, we are accustomed to the idea that if we are in trouble, there is probably a road, a village, a town, a phone signal or another person somewhere nearby. In much of Alaska, that assumption simply doesn't work.

3. The deceptive rivers

The Teklanika River was particularly important to McCandless's story. The National Park Service describes the crossing as unreliable on foot during mid-summer and recommends a pack raft for mid-summer travel. The surrounding terrain is also difficult, with brush, bogs and other obstacles.

That makes one thing clear: this wasn't simply a small stream that McCandless casually decided not to cross. The conditions had changed significantly between his arrival and his attempt to leave. The river didn't need to look like a wall to stop him. It simply needed to become too dangerous to cross.

4. The extreme cold

We often think of places like Dras or Siachen when we think about extreme cold. Alaska has also experienced extraordinarily low temperatures. The state's record low is −80°F (about −62°C), recorded at Prospect Creek in 1971.

But cold was not the only danger McCandless faced. Isolation, food availability, weather, difficult terrain and the inability to obtain help can turn a relatively small mistake into a life-threatening situation. That is the environment McCandless chose to enter. And it is worth remembering this when judging his decisions from the comfort of our homes.

What the Wilderness Ultimately Taught Him. 

The tragedy of 'Into the Wild' may be found in the margins of its final pages. Near the end of his life, McCandless wrote: "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED". The words were written in the margins of Doctor Zhivago, beside a passage about how an unshared happiness is not happiness.

It is difficult not to see the irony. McCandless had spent years moving away from society, family and permanence. He wanted to experience life on his own terms. Yet, near the end, he seems to have recognized the importance of sharing life with others. However, we should be careful here. We don't actually know whether this represented a final philosophical transformation. Krakauer himself acknowledges that we can only speculate about what McCandless meant by it. Perhaps he had finally realized something important. Perhaps he hadn't. We will never know.

The Rash Idealism of Youth

Ultimately, this is story about rash idealism of youth. Most of us eventually learn that the quiet joys of family and community can be just as valuable as any grand landscape. McCandless might have reached the same conclusion if he had survived. Instead, his life remains a monument to the intense purity that many of us gradually leave behind as we grow older. That doesn't mean his journey was meaningless. Nor does it mean he was right.

We can admire his courage while recognizing his mistakes. We can understand his anger without approving of the way he treated the people who loved him. Perhaps we can recognize a little bit of ourselves in him. Most of us have, at some point, looked at our lives and felt that they were becoming a cage. We have imagined walking away from everything, starting again somewhere else and discovering who we really are.

The book makes you question what happens when that desire for freedom becomes more important than everything else. And perhaps the most uncomfortable question it leaves behind is this: What if the freedom we are looking for isn't found by escaping everything, but by learning what is actually worth holding on to?

I'd recommend this book if you've ever felt like your life was a cage. It makes you question what you really need to be happy. Perhaps more importantly, it makes you question what you are willing to leave behind in order to find it.

Sajeev

Other popular books by Jon Krakauer

• Into the Wild (1996)
• Into Thin Air (1997)
• Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains (1990)
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (2003)
• Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman (2009)
• Three Cups of Deceit (2011)
• Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (2015)
• Classic Krakauer: Essays on Wilderness and Risk (2019)

References: 

1 https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3680748&page=1 
'Into the Wild' Inspires Adventurers, but at What Cost? - ABC News
2: https://magazine.emory.edu/2007/autumn/wild.html Emory Magazine: Autumn 2007: Wild Life
3: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/95440/into-the-wild-by-jon-krakauer/
4: https://home.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/unit61-62-63.htm  
5: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.wem.2014.08.014  
6: https://www.enotes.com/topics/into-wild/questions/on-what-page-in-the-book-into-the-wild-can-this-179527  

Shubh Sukh Chain

Wish you all on the happy occasion of 80th anniversary of India's Independence day. 

Today, let's also sing the official National anthem of Provisional Government of Free India from 1943 onward. 

History of this song - Shubh Sukh Chain- goes as follows. Lakshmi Sahgal, who was an INA member, favoured the selection of Jana Gana Mana, which was composed by Rabindranath Tagore. She arranged to have it sung at a women's meeting attended by S.C. Bose. Later Bose commissioned a free translation of 'Jana Gana Mana' to Hindustani. This translation - Shubh Sukh Chain - was written by Capt. Abid Hasan Safrani and composed by Capt. Ram Singh Thakuri. became the official national anthem of the Provisional Government.

Lyrics:

Shubh sukh chain ki barkha barse,

Bhārat bhāg hai jāg.

Panjāb, Sindh, Gujarāt, Marāṭha, Drāviḍ, Utkal, Banga,

Chanchchal sāgar, Vindhy, Himālay, nīla Yamuna, Ganga.

Tere nit guṇ gaeñ, tujhse jīvan paeñ, sab tan paeñ āsha.

Sūraj ban kar jag par chamke, Bhārat nām suhāga,

Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay, jay, jay, jay ho!

Bharat naam suhāgā!

Sab ke dil meñ prīt basae teri mīṭhi vāṇi,

Har sūbe ke rahnevāle, har mazhab ke prāṇi,

Sab bhed aur farak mita ke Sab godh men teri ākhe, gūnthe prem ki māla.

Sūraj ban kar jag par chamke, Bhārat nām suhāga,

Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay, jay, jay, jay ho

Bharat naam suhāgā!

Shubha savere pankh pakhere, tere hi guṇ gaeñ,

Bhās bhari bharpūr havaeñ, jīvan meñ rut laeñ,

Sab mil kar Hind pukāre,

Jay Āzād Hind ke nāre, pyāra desh hamāra.

Sūraj ban kar jag par chamke, Bhārat nām suhāga,

Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay ho! Jay, jay, jay, jay ho!

Bharat naam suhāgā!

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubh_Sukh_Chain

2. Youtube - Video

E20: Who really pays for India’s ethanol transition?

An IOC pump

What fuel do we use for a petrol engine?

The obvious answer is petrol. Well, the Indian government doesn't seem to think it should remain just petrol. India has progressively moved from lower ethanol blends to E20—petrol containing 20% ethanol. The word “20%” is of particular significance here.

Today, E20 petrol is being supplied across India, including to a large population of vehicles that were designed and certified under earlier fuel standards. At the same time, whatever economic benefit is expected from ethanol blending is not directly reflected in a lower price at the petrol pump.

So let's ask a few simple questions.

1. Did the government invest money in building new engines suitable for ethanol?

Not directly for consumers. Instead, the government supported the ethanol industry through various schemes, including interest subsidies for ethanol-production projects, while automobile manufacturers progressively developed E20-compatible vehicles.

But this raises another question: what about vehicles that were already on the road?

2. Did the government allow people to buy non-E20 petrol?

The answer is not a straightforward no.

Premium petrol products such as XP100 from IOC and Power100 from HPCL are available, and these products have higher octane ratings. However, they are considerably more expensive than ordinary petrol and are available only at selected fuel stations.

In Bengaluru, for example, prices of these premium fuels have been significantly higher than ordinary E20 petrol. So while alternatives may technically exist, they are not necessarily practical alternatives for an ordinary consumer who simply wants petrol without a 20% ethanol blend.

3. Did the government acknowledge the potential problems associated with moving from lower ethanol blends to E20?

The government maintains that E20 has undergone extensive testing and that E20-compliant vehicles can safely use the fuel.

However, there is an important distinction here. A vehicle being material-compatible with E20 is not necessarily the same as being fully optimized for E20 in terms of performance and fuel economy. The automobile industry itself had a phased roadmap for this transition.

That distinction matters because millions of older vehicles remain on Indian roads.

4. Did consumers get any benefit in terms of petrol prices from E20?

Not directly.

Brent crude is currently around $88–89 per barrel, while petrol in Bengaluru is around ₹111/litre. Brent crude previously reached around $147.50 per barrel in July 2008, while petrol in Bengaluru was around ₹57/litre around that period.

Of course, these two prices cannot be directly compared. Exchange rates, refining costs, taxes, dealer commissions and the pricing mechanism have all changed substantially.

But the comparison is still interesting. Despite the enormous increase in ethanol blending and changes in international crude prices, consumers continue to pay a substantial amount for petrol.

5. Did the government provide financial incentives to people who bought vehicles before the E20 transition to make them E20-compatible?

No comparable government-wide incentive was provided to consumers to retrofit older petrol vehicles for E20. Instead, the government's financial support was primarily directed towards expanding ethanol production capacity.

That creates an interesting imbalance: the industry received substantial policy and financial support to create the E20 supply ecosystem, while owners of older vehicles were largely left to deal with the transition themselves.

6. Did consumers suffer because of E20 petrol?

There are legitimate reasons for consumers to be concerned.

Ethanol contains less energy per litre than petrol. Therefore, when a vehicle designed around a lower ethanol blend runs on E20, fuel economy can be lower. Government and industry estimates generally put the reduction for some older vehicles in the low single digits, although claims of much larger mileage losses have also circulated. Even a 3–5% reduction is not insignificant for someone who drives every day. 

More importantly, there are millions of older petrol vehicles still on Indian roads. Many were designed around lower ethanol blends and were not necessarily designed or optimized for E20.

The important point is not that every old vehicle will be damaged by E20. We don't have evidence to make such a blanket statement. The point is that the entire vehicle fleet was not created under the same fuel standard.

7. Does ethanol automatically mean green fuel?

No.

If ethanol is produced from sugarcane, there is another question we need to ask. Sugarcane is a water-intensive crop and requires fertilizers. So, in a water-stressed country, should we encourage the commercial use of a water-intensive crop for producing fuel?

Ethanol may have environmental advantages in some respects, but calling it simply a “green fuel” without considering the water, agricultural inputs and production process seems overly simplistic.

How did we get here?

Originally, India's national policy targeted 20% ethanol blending by 2030. The target was subsequently advanced, and E20 became the national blending standard from April 2026.

Now let's look at what happened from the vehicle-manufacturing side.

2001: Pilot programme for ethanol blending in India.

2003: India introduced the E5 (5% ethanol-blended petrol) programme in selected states.

November 2006: The E5 programme was extended to 20 states and four Union Territories. Oil companies were directed to sell 5% ethanol-blended petrol, subject to commercial viability.

November 2012: The government decided to implement 5% ethanol blending across the country.

January 2013: The government notified OMCs to sell petrol with ethanol up to 10% to achieve the 5% blending target.

June 2022: India achieved the 10% average ethanol-blending target, ahead of the original November 2022 target.

April 2023: E20 rollout began. The original target had been to complete the nationwide rollout by 2030. Automobile manufacturers started producing vehicles with E20-compatible materials and components, although these vehicles were not necessarily fully optimised for E20.

April 2025: Vehicles manufactured from April 1, 2025 became fully E20-compliant under the industry's transition roadmap, according to SIAM.

There is an important distinction here. SIAM has stated that vehicles manufactured from around 2008 were generally material-compatible with E10. For E20, the industry's roadmap provided for E20 material compatibility from April 2023 and E20-optimised vehicles from April 2025.

This leaves us with a large legacy fleet.

Vehicles manufactured between roughly 2008 and 2022 were generally designed around E10 compatibility, although 2008 should not be treated as a hard cutoff. And there are also vehicles manufactured before 2008 still running on Indian roads.

We therefore cannot simply assume that every petrol vehicle currently on Indian roads was designed with E20 in mind.

In its 2024 Biofuel Revolution document, SIAM explicitly acknowledged that most existing vehicles were E10-compatible and discussed the engineering challenges involved in converting the existing fleet to E20. It also highlighted the importance of E10 fuel availability during the transition.

By August 2025, however, SIAM was publicly presenting the ethanol programme as a successful collaborative initiative and highlighting the automobile industry's adaptation to the government's ethanol-blending targets.

So there is a legitimate question here: What happened to the earlier concern about the difficulty of converting the existing fleet?

Then came another development. On July 28, 2026, SIAM sent a letter to the government raising concerns about chloride and moisture contamination found in some E20 fuel samples. The concern was not simply that ethanol itself damages engines; it related to the quality and contamination of the fuel being supplied. The letter was subsequently withdrawn after SIAM said that the data required further validation. That episode does not prove that E20 itself is unsafe. But it does demonstrate that fuel quality and the transition to E20 deserve continued scrutiny.

So who should bear the cost?

I believe a petrol engine should be designed for the fuel standard applicable to it. If the government changes the fuel specification by introducing a higher ethanol blend, then vehicles designed for the earlier specification should not simply be expected to absorb all the consequences.

If older vehicles are not certified or optimized for E20, it should be the government's responsibility to ensure that suitable fuel remains available—or provide a reasonable mechanism for consumers to deal with the transition. After all, consumers bought their vehicles according to the fuel standards and policies applicable at the time. They should not be forced into a new fuel standard and then be expected to bear all the consequences of that policy change.

Consumers pay a lot to the government in terms of taxes here. 

While buying vehicle (Karnataka)

Tax: 4-Wheelers
Below 5 Lakhs: 13% of vehicle cost
5 to 10 Lakhs: 14% of vehicle cost
10 to 20 Lakhs: 17% of vehicle cost
Above 20 Lakhs: 18% of vehicle cost

Tax: 2-Wheelers
Below 50,000: 10% of vehicle cost
50,000: 12% of vehicle cost

In addition to that, additional levies of 11% calculated directly on top of the base lifetime tax amount. Also if you are registering more than one 4-wheeler under same individual name in Karnataka then extra 2% surcharge.

Now coming to fuel, petrol is one of the highly taxed products in India. In Bengaluru, roughly ₹37–38 out of every ₹111 spent on a litre of petrol represents direct Central and Karnataka fuel taxes, although the exact amount varies with the applicable petrol price and tax calculation.

At the same time, banks have provided substantial loans to ethanol projects, and companies have invested heavily in ethanol production capacity based on government policy. The government has also provided significant interest subsidies to support this expansion.

That investment may still prove useful. The government has created a large and predictable market for ethanol, and the infrastructure built for the E20 program is not going away.

But there is a question that should not be ignored: Should the cost of creating this new ethanol ecosystem be borne, even partly, by people who bought petrol vehicles under the earlier fuel regime? That is the question I think deserves a serious answer.

Sajeev

One seat is not a trend; but is it a warning?

Prashant Kishore and his party finally won an assembly seat in Bihar — Bankipur. Winning a single seat on its own is not a significant electoral event. After all, the ruling BJP-led alliance is sitting on a comfortable majority. The bigger impact may be on perception. He won the seat vacated by the current BJP chief when he moved to the Rajya Sabha. More importantly, this is not rural Bihar. Bankipur is an urban constituency in Patna, an area traditionally considered a strong ground for the BJP. Nabin himself won the seat four times — in 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025. Before 2010, the constituency was known as Patna West. Nabin had won it once in 2006, while his father, Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha, had won it multiple times. 

In the last Bihar election, Prashant Kishore's party was unable to open its account in the Bihar Assembly. Maybe Bihar's voters simply didn't think he was there to stay. This time, however, the numbers are interesting. Compared with the previous election, the BJP's vote share in this seat fell from 62.66% to 34.4%, while the RJD's vote share fell from 29.55% to 10.95%. Considering that the previous election was held only nine months ago, in November 2025, it is mostly the same electorate voting again — but this time, many of them chose a different person.

Is this the beginning of a trend? We can't say yes at this moment. Despite many people seeing this as the beginning of the end of the BJP's majority, there simply no evidence to reach that conclusion. At best, this result might force BJP strategists to rethink their election strategy and open their eyes to the possibility that upper-class urban voters will not necessarily always vote for them. We also can't conclude that people have suddenly abandoned their caste identities and embraced everything Prashant Kishore put forward. One election is nowhere near enough evidence for that either.

But there is a more interesting question here. Will the BJP double down on its religious ideology as an electoral strategy and continue blaming the previous governments for everything that is wrong with the economy? Or will it be willing to accept that some of the problems may be of its own making? And perhaps an even more important question is whether the BJP will come to terms with the fact that there is an entire generation born after 2005 that, for all practical purposes, has seen only NDA governments. After being continuously in power for more than twelve years, everything cannot continue to be blamed on previous administrations.

Perhaps Bankipur is just one seat. Perhaps it means nothing. But sometimes, one seat is enough to make a party ask a few uncomfortable questions.

Sajeev

Legends - Series Review

Image copied from IMDB

There are plenty of movies and TV series centered around the drug trade, but Legends takes a refreshingly different approach.

Set during the final years of Margaret Thatcher's government in UK, the story focuses less on gunfights and violent confrontations and more on the intelligence, patience, and psychological challenges involved in undercover operations. Story is inspired by one of Britain's most remarkable undercover operations. If you're expecting a typical action-packed drug thriller, this isn't it — and that's exactly what makes it stand out.

Instead of the usual police or special forces, the story follows a small undercover team from the Customs Department that is tasked with infiltrating two major drug trafficking networks. Each officer adopts a carefully crafted identity — or legend — and must live that persona convincingly to gain the trust of dangerous criminals.

The series also explores the personal and professional challenges faced by the team. Differences of opinion, trust issues, and the emotional toll of living a double life add depth to the story and make the characters feel authentic.

Legends is a slow burning crime drama that relies on suspense, strong performances, and clever storytelling rather than excessive violence. If you're interested in undercover operations, crime investigations, and drug-related stories — but prefer a more realistic and character driven narrative; then this is definitely worth watching.

Series is created and written by Neil Forsyth (also known for acclaimed crime dramas The Gold, Guilt etc.). The episodes are directed by Brady Hood (known for Top Boy and Great Expectations etc.), along with Julian Holmes (known for directing episodes of Reacher and The Boys).  

Sajeev

The Sheep Detectives - Movie Review

Image copied from IMDB site

My wife often says, "It's always better to watch a movie that makes you laugh." The Sheep Detectives is one such films that blends humor, mystery, and heartfelt moments.

Movie explores the unique relationship between farm animals and humans. I must admit, I was a little disappointed when a major character dies right at the beginning. However, what follows is an engaging mystery that kept me glued to the screen until the very end. The film balances suspense, murder investigation with light-hearted comedy; making it enjoyable for both mystery lovers and those simply looking for a feel-good watch.

Beyond the mystery, the movie introduces a few thought-provoking ideas. One that stood out to me was the amusing conversation among the sheeps about the idea of God. Their innocent attempt to understand a human belief leads creates one of the funniest and most memorable scenes in the film.

The dialogue goes like this:

Lily: "Who's God?"

Sebastian: "It's a bit confusing. God is a shepherd."

Mopple: "So he could be our shepherd?"

Sebastian: "No. Because he's also a lamb."

Lily: "What?"

Sebastian: "And he's also invisible. And he's made of bread. And he damns things."

Lily: "Dams things? Like a beaver?"

Sebastian: "Yes."

Lily: "So God is a big invisible lamb beaver, made of... bread?"

Sebastian: "Yes. And they eat him on Sundays."

Mopple: "Poor God."

Another incident in the movies is how sheeps forget things.

Moments like these are what make The Sheep Detectives so charming. The humor is clever, the mystery is engaging, and the characters have a good story to tell.

The film is based on the German mystery novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. Set in the quiet English hamlet of Denbrook, it is directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin. If you're looking for a light-hearted mystery with plenty of laughs, memorable characters, and a few unexpectedly philosophical moments, The Sheep Detectives is well worth watching.

Sajeev

Mumbling Mainstreet: Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is out and India is rated below global average

"...index measures perceived levels of public sector corruption...India ranked 91st out of 182 countries and territories on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2025, with a score of 39, according to the latest report released by Transparency International on Tuesday."

Looking at the historical trend, India’s score has hovered between 36 and 41 from 2013 to 2025. In comparison, key developed countries in the Asia-Pacific region - Singapore (84), New Zealand (81), and Australia (76) - recorded the highest scores, ranking third, fourth, and 12th globally, respectively.

India seems to be standing still, showing little progress toward the less-corrupt end of the spectrum. Public sector employees are not extraterrestrials sent to work for us - they come from the same society as the rest of us. Which means, this ranking reflects a broader societal context. If we want meaningful change, the focus cannot be limited to government machinery alone. As a society, we need to introspect and ask ourselves: what can we do to reduce corruption in our everyday interactions. 

CPI is not just a score - it’s a mirror reflecting our collective responsibility.

Sajeev

References

1. Corruption Perception Index: India ranks 91st among 182 nations; scores 39 - BS

Shiny new projects: But are we taking care of what we already have?

Howrah-Mumbai route - A highly congested mainline with IR

The 508 km Mumbai–Ahmadabad bullet train project began with an estimated cost of around ₹1 lakh crore. Today, that figure has already crossed ₹2 lakh crore, and by the time the first train runs, it may go even higher. Does this mean India should avoid investing in bullet trains? Absolutely not. High-speed rail is important and should be welcomed.

In fact, Indian Railways has already begun viability studies for new high-speed corridors across the country. Recent reports suggest proposed routes spanning nearly 4,000 km, with an estimated cost of ₹16 trillion, including corridors such as Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai, and Delhi-Varanasi. Ambition is clearly not lacking.

But ambition alone is not enough.

The real question is whether we are giving the same level of attention to existing railway assets.

Railways are modernizing stations and introducing new rolling stock like the Vande Bharat(VB) trains, including upcoming sleeper versions. Yet, despite their design capability, Vande Bharat trains are not running anywhere near their full potential speeds on most routes. Only a few short sections allow them to operate faster, while across the rest of the network, time savings compared to older trains are sometimes not enough to justify their fares.

This is not a new problem. Even before Vande Bharat, India had trains capable of higher speeds. The Gatimaan Express, introduced in 2016, was rated for 160 kph, but it could sustain this speed only on the Delhi-Agra section. The Tejas Express, launched in 2017 and also rated for 160 kph, usually runs at around 130 kph and that too not across its entire route. Shatabdi trains, introduced back in 1988, can reach 150 kph only on select stretches. Rajdhani and Duronto services face similar limitations.

These examples point to a clear issue: the constraint is not trains, but infrastructure.

Upgrading existing tracks, signalling systems, fencing, and maintenance standards requires sustained investment and execution. Without this, new trains and new projects will continue to underperform.

The same pattern is visible beyond passenger services. The Dedicated Freight Corridors(DFC) were announced in 2005, yet while the Eastern DFC is operational, the Western DFC is still expected only by 2026 - nearly two decades later. Meanwhile, Vizhinjam International Seaport has already become functional, but its dedicated rail link is incomplete. Cochin Port, operational even before Independence and strategically located near international shipping lanes, has weak rail connectivity, with only about 25–27% of cargo moved by rail.

Because inland waterways and coastal shipping remain underdeveloped in India, this shortfall pushes even larger share of long-distance hinterland freight onto already congested roads. Again, the issue is not the absence of new projects, but the underutilisation of existing ones.

There is also a softer, but equally important, aspect-civic sense. Modern trains like Vande Bharat often become unclean by the end of a single journey. Infrastructure investment alone cannot solve this. Civic responsibility must be treated as seriously as technical education, starting at the school level.

India’s railways undoubtedly need new lines, faster trains, and ambitious projects. But progress cannot come only from what is new and visible. Reducing general and sleeper coaches while increasing AC coaches may improve revenue figures, but it will not automatically improve mobility or logistics efficiency.

True modernisation lies in balancing new investments with systematic upgrades of what we already have. Without that balance, even the most glamorous projects will fall short of their promise.

Sajeev

References

1. Railways begins viability assessment for 7 new bullet train corridors - BS

Siddis of India: A Cultural Evening at NGMA Bangalore

Panel Discussion at NGMA-B

When I got the invite from NGMA-B (National Gallery of Modern Art – Bangalore) for a cultural program related to Siddis, the first thing that came to my mind was whether it was on a weekday or a weekend. Many of their earlier programs had fallen on weekdays, and I was not able to attend. Fortunately, this one was on a Saturday. I made a note in my mind and closed the email invite.

Siddis are an ethnic community of African origin. They are descendants of Bantu people from East Africa, who were brought to India as slaves, soldiers, and mercenaries for the Deccan Sultanates, and as seafarers who later became settlers. Perhaps the most famous Siddi in India is Malik Ambar.

I first came across the word Siddi when I read about Malik Ambar long back. Born in 1548 in Ethiopia, Malik Ambar came to India as a slave and became a soldier in the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He quickly rose through the ranks and became regent (administrator) of Sultanate. He is remembered for successfully resisting the expansion of Mughal Empire into the Deccan during the reign of Jehangir. Malik Ambar founded a city called Kadki, which his son Fateh Khan renamed Fatehnagar. Later, when Aurangzeb conquered the area, he renamed it Aurangabad. Since the recent governments are on a renaming spree, I checked whether there was any plan to rename Aurangabad. Looks like government already did it in 2023; new name of the city is - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The city Malik Amber founded is the largest city in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

Siddi's Dance at NGMA-B

Again, I came across Siddis again while reading about famous Murud-Janjira Fort (off the coast of Raigad district in Maharashtra). This was one of the most powerful forts in India. Siddis rebuilt the original wooden fort built by fishermen here using stone in early 1100s. They Siddis controlled it for next eight and a half centuries, withstanding repeated attacks by powerful Marathas. They retained control until India’s independence.

So, it was very exciting to attend NGMA-B program about Siddis. Unfortunately, due to notorious Bangalore traffic, we missed the first session on a film about them. Instead, we started with snacks they had prepared. Among them was a special pakoda made using a small leaf and a couple of other items. I asked about the leaf, and they told me the name, but I cannot recall it while writing this article. Online searches bring up many images and names of different leaves, but not this exact one.

After snacks came a panel discussion, where two leaders from the Siddi community, along with others involved in the Damami initiative, shared their thoughts. Damami is a women-led homestay project in Lingadabailu village, Yellapur taluka (Uttara Kannada, Karnataka), located in Western Ghats. The word Damami comes from a traditional Siddi musical instrument of same name.

The Siddis today are mostly located along the coastal areas of Western Gujarat, Karnataka (Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, and Belagavi districts), Goa, and the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. They also have a small presence in Hyderabad as well. Siddhi's religious affiliations are mixed – depending on the region, they follow Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity. In Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa, they are recognized as Scheduled Tribes. In Karnataka, they are additionally classified as a PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group).

Contrary to their powerful past with Murud-Janjira, Siddis today face significant challenges. Living in rural and forested areas, they struggle with poverty, economic hardships, and social marginalization. Their population size is also declining. Even though the panel discussion was short, the passionate answers and statements by Mohan Ganapati Siddi highlighted the multiple issues faced by the community.

The program concluded with vibrant dance performances by the Siddi community. As I left the auditorium, I thought about staying in one of the homestays operated by the Siddis under the guidance of  Sanjeevani Rural Livelihood Mission. It would be an opportunity to experience life up close with an ethnic group of African origin, to see how they have assimilated into Indian culture, and to witness the traditions – dance, music, and instruments – that they still carry in their hearts from the other side of the Arabian Sea.

Sajeev

You can see recording of full program by NGMA-B here -> 'DAMMAI- Dreams, Drums & Roots | NGMA-B'

On reading

Four years ago, I took up Goodread's annual reading challenge and set a target of 36 books. I was quite confident that I would finish much more than 36 (three books per month). By the way, that confidence wasn’t backed by any past history (just my overconfidence). Twelve months came and went, but I completed only 5-6 books. Next year, I kept the same target; only to fail once more. Next year, target was reduced to 12 - and still fell short. Finally, this year, I decided not to set any target at all!!!

I’m not a voracious reader, but I do enjoy reading. If it’s a thrilling novel, an interesting work of fiction, or even biographies (that doesn’t try too hard to showcase the author’s command over language), I can finish it quickly. But when it comes to business, non-fiction, or self-improvement books - often written in dense, heavy language - turning the pages becomes a struggle. More often end up leaving those books half way and end up just another entry in my book shelf.

With the explosion of content in YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other numerous apps; people’s attention spans reduced considerably. Reading books, however, is not about quick consumption — it requires committed, focused, quality time. The real question is, are we still willing to invest that time and find joy in it or just run after another two minute video?

At office, we have a book club. Out of nearly 900 employees, only about 25-30 show up for monthly meetings. Organizers tried different strategies to increase participation, but without any success. This may not be the case everywhere, but I seriously doubt if many book clubs see their membership grow significantly over time.

Amazon, which started as a platform to sell books, still sells plenty of them, as do many other companies. Yet, with the rise of social media, infinite scrolling, and an ever-growing number of online creators, more people are hooked to the instant gratification of videos rather than the slow, deep world of books.

I must admit, I too consume a lot of online videos on politics, travel, technology, interviews, movies, long and short clips of different kinds. But after moving to new home recently, I thought of subscribing to a few print magazines. Electronic formats save paper and environmentally friendly; but reading a magazine end to end on web is not same as reading a printed copy. Sites  like Audiable are great too, but I often find myself forgetting the beginning by the time I reach the end. This may not be the case for everyone, but it is for me.

So, I finally subscribed to Mathrubhumi daily newspaper and its weekly magazine; also India Today, Caravan, and a couple of others. Last week, Mathrubhumi Weekly arrived with its Onam supplement, and I’ve been reading both in my free time. To my own surprise, my screen time has dropped significantly, and I now find myself turning more pages under the balcony light at midnight than staring at a mobile screen.

I don’t know if this phase will pass and I’ll drift back to binge-watching Netflix, Jio Hotstar or Amazon Prime. But for now, I’m trying to be more selective about online content and hoping to increase (or at least maintain) my current level of reading printed books and magazines.

Sajeev

Railway retiring rooms - Needs better care

Indian Railways, under the Ministry of Railways, is a mammoth institution with more than 1.2 million employees. It operates over 13,000 trains, connects 7,000+ stations, and carries more than 6.9 billion passengers annually. On the freight side, nearly 12,000 trains run daily. Beyond transport, Railways manage schools, hospitals, factories, internet services, hotels, catering, metro operations, real estate, research institutes, training academies, housing colonies, and even sports facilities.

One such lesser-known service is Railway Retiring Rooms. These can be booked using a valid ticket PNR at either the source or destination station. Bookings are available in flexible slots of 4, 8, 12, or 24 hours (up to 48 hours at a stretch), making them a practical alternative to hotels with rigid check-in/out rules. They’re economical, safe, and highly convenient for passengers in transit.

On a recent trip to Uttar Pradesh, I booked two retiring rooms at Prayagraj Junction for 36 hours. The booking process was straightforward online, but at the station, the counter staff couldn’t validate it with just the PNR. Thankfully, I had the RR number from the SMS confirmation, which helped. The staff wrote the booking details on paper for the caretaker, and we finally got access to our rooms.

The rooms were well equipped – refrigerator, fan, AC, almirah, writing table, cushioned chairs, coat stand, and bed. However, the real problem lies in cleanliness and maintenance.

• Bathroom design flaws: Water doesn't quickly flow toward drain; spilling into the room if not checked.
• Poor upkeep: Tiled floors and walls were discolored, showing absence of periodic maintenance.
• Bedsheets and mattresses: The provided sheets were faded, stained, and clearly beyond their usable life. Only after insisting did the caretaker replace them, but even the new set was worn out.

Clean bathrooms and hygienic bedding are basic expectations, especially in facilities meant for passengers arriving after long train journeys.

 

Broader Cleanliness Issues in Railways

The cleanliness issue is not limited to retiring rooms. Trains themselves often suffer from poor maintenance. On one Delhi–Amritsar trip, I encountered a bogie with a floor littered with food waste and four toilets in such a state that three were unusable. Overflowing, unhygienic toilets are not just unpleasant – they can lead to health issues, particularly for women who risk urinary tract infections.

Here the problem is not just with railways, but with passengers as well. Very often, passengers leave train toilets messy, spill food on floors, or misuse the facilities without a second thought. If users respected these spaces the way they would in their own homes, then the experience for everyone would improve drastically. 

Why Retiring Rooms Matters

Despite the shortcomings, retiring rooms remain a cost-effective, safe, and practical option, especially:

• For travelers arriving at odd hours.
• For short stays without the hassle of hotel check-in timings.
• For passengers wanting to explore the city with bookings up to 72 hours (48 hours each with incoming and outgoing PNRs).

During my stay, I met a traveler who didn’t speak Hindi and was struggling because the lockers in the rooms had no locks. The caretaker brushed him off, saying - Railways doesn’t provide locks.” Luckily, I had a spare lock to lend him. It makes one wonder – if lockers are provided, why not add a basic lock and key system, charging passengers if misplaced? Such small improvements could go a long way.

 

Final Thoughts

 

In the hospitality business, cleanliness is non-negotiable. All the amenities in the world cannot compensate for unhygienic toilets or stained bedsheets. The good news is that these are not expensive fixes – they simply require consistency and cultural change, both from passengers and the Railways.

Retiring rooms have the potential to be a blessing for travelers if maintained well. They’re safe, affordable, and convenient – all they need is better care.

Sajeev

Note: 

Not all stations have retiring rooms. Please check availability before planning your journey.

Book railway retiring rooms

PS: During my stay, I also came across another issue: the lockers in dormitory did not have locks. A fellow traveler, who didn’t speak Hindi, was trying to explain this to the caretaker, but was brushed off with the reply - Railways doesn’t provide locks. This is a serious oversight. If lockers are installed, they should come with basic locks and keys. Misplaced locks could easily be charged to passengers at checkout. It’s a small step, but one that can greatly improve both security and peace of mind for travelers. I always keep two small locks and keys while travelling in railways (very useful if you use clock room facility). I gave my spare lock to him, which he returned the next morning.

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 3 (Ramoji film city)

To read about my previous trip, please visit

Hyderabad Chronicles I - To Hyderabad and Salar Jung Museum
Hyderabad Chronicles II - Walking through Salar Jung Museum
Hyderabad Chronicles III - Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar and Birla Mandir
Hyderabad Chronicles IV - Golconda Fort, Kutb Shahi tombs, Spanish Mosque and Secundrabad

To read the full series on current trip please visit

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 1

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 2

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 3 (Ramoji film city)

'Udayananu Tharam' is a famous Malayalam movie (released in 2005) that talks about—and mocks—what happens behind the scenes in the film industry. Around that time, one interesting detail also came out: the entire movie was made in Ramoji Film City. People no longer need to search for natural or suitable locations for a movie. One can do everything within the comfort of a film city.

Built by Ramoji Rao, this film city spans over 2,000 acres and is probably the largest integrated film city in the world. More than 2,500 films have been shot here. Some of the famous ones include Bahubali (both 2015 and 2017), Chandramukhi, Enthiran(Robot), Krrish 3 (2013), Kick (2014) etc. The place has sets for airports, railway stations, hospitals, foreign cities, palaces, villages, jails, streets, houses, and more. The film city also welcomes tourists and showcases various aspects of movie-making. In case you want to stay inside the complex, there are multiple hotels like Sitara, Tara, etc. If you're looking for a destination wedding venue or want to host corporate events, Ramoji is a good choice.

The film city is located far from the main city. From our location at Lakdikapul, it’s more than 35 km away. Fortunately, it's close to the Outer Ring Road, which offers easy connectivity back to the Bangalore highway. Since coming back to city areas would cost a lot of time, we planned the Film City visit for the last day and headed straight to Bangalore from there. We had an early breakfast, checked out from the hotel, and jumped into the car to reach the city. Since it was Monday morning, there was a lot of traffic on the way. Eventually, we got onto NH-65 (Pune–Machilipatnam), but that didn’t ease the traffic. After a while, we crossed the ORR junction on NH-65. From there, the film city is quite close. There’s ample parking space at Ramoji. Since we didn’t know when we’d get another break, feeding Niha became a priority.

There was one issue at the booking counter. Ramoji doesn’t permit cameras with lenses over 55mm. I didn’t have an 18–55mm lens suitable for my camera, so I had to go back and leave the camera in the car. Everything is well organized here—after booking, we could directly join the queue to board a bus to the main film city. The bus was nicely decorated and dropped us at first stop after a while. 

Ramoji Film City

It's good to allocate two days to view film city. However if you have only one day, then you need to pick and choose what you want to see and to skip. As one Quora post suggested, it's better to try filmy dunia, space ride, moving making, wild west etc. at the beginning and then go for studio tour. This again depends on people to people - what I liked might be different from what you like; so make a plan which choose your interests. 

I recall reading that there's an opening ceremony worth watching at film city. Unfortunately, by the time we reached inside, it was a bit late, and the ceremony had likely ended. We took a look around and waited at the first drop point. Buses for the Studio Tour came and went quickly, clearing the queue in front of us. Eventually, we got onto one and officially began our Ramoji Film City tour. Since I'm writing this article months after the actual trip, I've forgotten the exact sequence of events, so the order described below may not be entirely accurate. After boarding the bus, the guide began introducing Ramoji Film City and its history. As we moved along, she pointed out various landmarks and mentioned names of movies/scenes were shot in each location.

Many houses we saw were just facades — only the fronts were built. But on movies, they look like complete houses or streets. After viewing several such sets, the bus dropped us off at the Bhagavatham set. Here, you can walk through Pandavas' Indraprastha and, in the next room, the Kauravas' Hastinapur. If I recall correctly, there were a few more sets, all separated by single walls. A short walk ahead took us to a railway station set with couple of bogies of a train (not real railway bogies, but something they made there). It felt like, within just 1–2 square kilometers, you could shoot an entire movie. After exiting the railway station, we arrived at the next bus stop, where another bus would take us to the next location.

The tour ticket also includes access to three complimentary adventure activities. One of the buses stopped at the adventure zone. From there, a different bus takes you further to the actual spot, which is a bit farther away. Unfortunately, I was seated at the back of the bus and couldn't hear what the driver announced. A few people in front got off, but the rest of us remained. I realized it was the stop for the adventure section only after the bus started moving again. In hindsight, it was probably for the best—we had Divya with little Niha and my mother, who is in her early seventies. They likely wouldn’t have participated, and getting off would have cost us valuable time and other experiences.

We moved on, and the next stop was likely the Bahubali set. On the way, we passed an area where filming was in progress. One tourist tried to take pictures, but our guide quickly asked him not to, as it's against policy. The bus dropped us in front of Mahishmati's gates, and we entered inside the legendary fort. This is a famous location, and many visitors were busy clicking photos. However, it looked a bit neglected—the paint was peeling, and there were cracks in many places. Perhaps the idea is to keep it open to tourists until it can no longer be maintained, and then it will be replaced with a new set. Although it appeared beautiful in the movie, I didn’t find the set particularly impressive and moved quickly toward the exit. By the way, there were couple of restorants nearby which sold Devasena dosas and Bahubali biriyanis!!!

There was a souvenir shop just before the exit, where we picked up couple of items. For those concerned about food and water, Ramoji Film City is well-equipped. Near the Bhagavatham set and again at the Mahishmati set, there were food stalls and full-fledged restaurants.

From there, another bus took us to the European Street set. The buildings resembled the front facades of European towns, much like in movies. We walked through the area and reached (if I remember correctly) hospital and airport sets. Many buildings serve multiple purposes — for example, one side might be the hero’s house, another the villain’s, and yet another side might represent a courthouse. So, one building could function as four different sets. We explored the airport area for a while before heading to the gardens.

When the bus stopped, we got off at what seemed to be one of the highest points in the park, offering good view of the surroundings. Note that, not all part of film city is open to visitors; some areas are reserved for filming or closed during active shoots. We walked downhill toward the first garden, stopping for some time at a restorant on right side. Food took some time to arrive which also helped us to rest for some time. 

Further down were more gardens. My favorite among them was the Japanese Garden — it was beautifully designed with traditional Japanese architecture and flowing water channels. We walked around there for a while, even walking a little through the water. I would have liked to spend more time, but it was already afternoon. We quickly moved towards bus stop and boarded one for next location — I can't recall exactly where it dropped us, but it featured several more gardens, including a small bonsai garden.

Next, we visited the movie making attraction, where they demonstrated how movies are made. Presenters also picked up three ladies from audience and made small video as well. This was followed by space ride. Both experiences were excellent, and I highly recommend them. After exiting from space ride somewhere down we saw the building where wild west show was going on. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, only five minutes remained, and it was the final show of the day. We missed it, but judging by the laughter and excitement of the audience, it seemed enjoyable.

Eventually, it was time to wrap up. Our memorable trip come to an end. Niha probably saw everything without understanding much; I'm sure when she grow older and looks at these photos, she might insists on seeing all one more time. By 5:30 PM, our return bus arrived to take us back to the parking area where we had left our car.

During the ride back, I went through everything we had seen. In a way, I gained better understanding of how sets are used in filmmaking; but it also removed a bit of magic. Won't I think about these sets and when I watch movies next time? Would it affect how genuine the scenes feel to me? I remembered an old roommate of mine - Rakesh - who was a huge Tony Jaa fan. He introduced me to movies like 'Ong-Bak' and 'Tom-Yum-Goong', famous for their flying knee strikes and stunt choreography. Rakesh admired Tony Jaa’s knee strikes and often explained his knee movements during action scenes. He also loved Jackie Chan, whose movies typically end with behind the scenes clips showing how the stunts were performed. Watching those behind the scenes clips made me appreciate the effort but felt like all these are not real. We all know that much of what we see is staged (many dangerous stunts are done by doubles) but still seeing how its done suddenly brought a kind of disappointment. From now on, I’ll probably watch movies with a different perspective.

Back to Bangalore

We left Film City by evening and soon got onto the ORR. It's a nice road to drive on—aside from some repair work happening here and there, there were no blocks on this fully elevated stretch. It took a while to reach the cloverleaf junction where the ORR intersects with NH44. The entire scenario changed once we entered NH44—lots of repairs, heavy traffic, and delays. It took some time to get through all the jams and finally reach lighter traffic. Unlike the stretch of NH44 from Bangalore to Salem and beyond, this segment is narrower and darker.

The long walks inside Film City had made everyone tired and eventually hungry. Finally, we found a place to have dinner, and surprisingly, the food was much better than I expected. Still, we had a long way to go to reach Bangalore. I almost stopped every half hour to have coffee. I think I’ve never had this much coffee and tea in a single day or night in my entire life. At some places, I even had two cups. It was also a bit cold outside. In some places, people were burning things to keep themselves warm. I stopped near one such spot where something was being burned. There was a tea stall nearby, and a lady was watching milk boil on the stove.

A large lorry had also stopped behind our car; compared to its size, our car looked like a child standing in front of an elephant. The truck driver got down and ordered coffee too. On the other side, the fire was still burning whatever people had thrown into it, spreading warmth. I walked back and forth, watching the flames, the truck parked just behind our car, the lorries passing by on the road, the moonlight, and the dark, tall trees lining the other side.

It took a while for the coffee to be ready. Meanwhile, I thought about all the pit stops I had made today. Some places were fully lit but mostly empty. Others had several trucks parked nearby with just a few people around. At some stops, I was the only customer the entire time. Finally, the coffee came—and it was indeed good.

I kept walking for a bit. The truck driver finally woke his trailer from a short sleep and got it moving again. Bangalore was still a distance away, but not too far. We started moving once more.

Sajeev