Mahindra Great Escape Jaisalmer

Mahindra takes us on a Great Escape to Jaisalmer to do some proper dune bashing in the desert.

How often do you want to yell at the person standing next to you, asking him to “Get Lost”? Well, this time I did just that! But that morning was slightly different. Instead of being punched in the face, it was returned with a smile instead.

I was at the Surayagarh Palace – a hotel that oozes the essence of Rajasthan – and when I told the guy to “Get Lost,” I meant it in the literal sense. The Great Escape, after all, is about discovering unchartered territory.

The plan was to drive to the Sam sand dunes – about forty kilometres from Jaisalmer – and enter the vast expanse of desert from there. I was driving the Thar, and it seemed straightforward enough – until I saw the mountains of sand that is. One of the cars ahead of me got stuck instantly, so my co-driver and I went in search of a different path. With my body full of adrenaline now, I put the differential of the Thar in 4L mode and attempted to climb over the highest dune in sight. The climbs and challenges just kept getting tougher the deeper into the desert we went. And, except for a few occasions (where I failed to maintain my momentum), the Thar just sailed over terrain that’s typically reserved only for camels.

For the next two hours, I was grinning like Captain Jack Sparrow – smiling at cars getting stuck in the sand and being towed out. After a few hours of tackling, and conquering, the unforgiving terrain it was time to call it a day. I had built up so much confidence by then that I felt like entering a rally right then. But I was brought down to earth as we headed back to the hotel and the realities of city living – where I must earn my keep.

Thank God, then, for events like the Great Escape. Mahindra couldn’t have chosen a better name!