Mahindra Great Escape 2014 Pushkar

‘Get lost!’ I yelled at the person standing next to me. No, the poor guy hadn't done anything to deserve this, but this is the ritual call of the wild at Mahindra Adventure at the beginning of its off-roading event. That's what an enthusiastic Bijoy Kumar (the Chief for Adventure Initiative at Mahindra Adventure) told us during the safety briefing, and the ritual truly did set the adrenaline pumping. The 109th edition of the Mahindra Great Escape ‘by invitation only’ had over 130 top honchos, mostly from established domestic and international auto component companies.

So here we were, with the call to 'get lost' in the wilderness — away from the stressful urban life. And we were told that this would be rejuvenating.

Surprisingly, this time round at the Mahindra Great Escape almost 45 per cent of the participants were women — all well turned out and excited — not too sure of what to expect. Of course, there were some who knew the off-roading scene only too well and looked comfortable behind the steering wheel.

The Mahindra Adventure team had picked Pushkar near Ajmer in Rajasthan as the venue for their flagship off-roading event. The desert city is perfect for dune bashing and we had a fleet of Mahindra 4x4s — Thar, Scorpio and Bolero — at our disposal. And the Pushkar Gods seemed happy with me, because I was allotted the no-nonsense Thar. My previous experiences with the SUV, mostly off-road, have been adventurous and pretty... no-nonsense. And that's how I wanted this one to be.

The Thar may not offer the best creature comfort or cabin luxuries, but on the challenging route it felt almost at home compared to all the Mahindra vehicles. Slotting the 4x4 into 'low', with loads of torque, the Mahindra scaled the toughest climb and crawled down steep slopes without much fuss or drama.

The only real challenge was to wait for fellow participants in other fancier Mahindras who struggled to overcome some of the tricky terrains. And if a vehicle somehow managed to get stuck on the soft sand, there was no dearth of team spirit and off-roading brotherhood. Apart from the rescue team, most participants were more than eager to let out a helping hand, to get them to safety.

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It was a well organised and enjoyable event, which also helped me hone my off-roading skills. Having completed yet another edition of the Great Escape, I'm feeling detoxed and ready to take on new urban challenges.