Off-road, the right way

AdventureTour amp TasteRelaxingEducationalAncient amp HistricalAt Learn Offroad in Pali near Khopoli a convoy of 55 4x4 SUVs roars freely Driving through tiny mud tracks the cars climb uphill swerve and pause to take in the countryside As they roll up the green hills at every tough turn an instructor hops off to help drivers manoeuvre as the pouring rain turns mud to muck Manjunath Bagade is driving his Mahindra Scorpio repeating the instructions he has learnt to his companion who has come along for a ride By day Bagade is a government official and on weekends he transforms into an offroading enthusiastBagade began training for offroading a year ago and has completed level one ldquoItrsquos a new challenge each timerdquo he replies when we ask why what excites him about the sport ldquoI do it for the adventure Every time you cross an obstacle therersquos a sense of achievement Besides itrsquos a value add You gain a lot of technical knowledge about your vehicle in the processrdquoThe thrill of driving off the tarmac road has caught on wildly and the community is rapidly growing across India As more adventure bikes and 4x4 SUVs launch the number of offroading enthusiasts increases Drivers young and old are challenging their cars with extreme terrain especially in the monsoon But the lack of regulations for the sport means drivers need training and an education on safety Thatrsquos where offroading academies come inHe had initially started by training commandos to navigate rough terrain PicsShadab KhanMahindra Adventure launched its first offroad training academy in 2012 at a threehour drive away from Mumbai in Igatpuri The 30acre facility is complete with a fleet of Thar training vehicles so all drivers have to do is sign up and show up In 2018 Mahindra launched their second academy in Mangaluru the first of its kind in south IndiaLater the Madras Offroad Academy launched in 2023 in Pudupakkam and became Tamil Nadursquos first And there are motorbike academies too ProDirt Adventure offers a spacious property in Pune then therersquos a remote KTM Adventure Academy thatrsquos hosted at different pits across India and Indimotard Adventures in BengaluruCloser home Dr Tejas Kotharirsquos Learn Offroad was set up in 2020 in Pali but his passion for motorsport began a long time ago ldquoI have been offroading since 1998rdquo says the south Mumbai resident ldquoIn the preinternet days we basically learned by reading books When I went to Germany to study in 200203 I realised that we are far behind the international offroading scenerdquo In 2013 he got certified by the International 4Wheel Drive Trainers Association I4WDTA a global authority in 4WD professional certification for offroad recovery and driving instruction He could be one of the only ones in Asia to have itManjunath Bagade Nilesh lsquoNellyrsquo Dhumal and Harshvardhan KhangarotKothari first trained para commandos and marine commandos so that they could navigate through rough terrain but as the sale of 4x4 SUVs grew in India civilians queued up to learn too ldquoOnce the second generation Thar launched in 2020 the demand skyrocketed Thatrsquos when we felt the need for a base near Mumbairdquo says KothariIt took Kothari three months to build the training ground for Learn Offroad Only 20 per cent of the obstacles we see today on the 65acre land were present in nature such as dips and streams along the track The rest like stone boulders that create a valleylike dip and narrow tracks have been added by Kothari albeit without cutting down trees or damaging the environmentHow good a driver do you have to be to start offroading ldquoAs long as you have a valid licence and you know how to drive on the roadrdquo is good enough for Kothari ldquoI prefer people who have never tried it before rather than people who have some experience because itrsquos more difficult to make them unlearnrdquo he adds ProDirt Adventure offers a spacious property in Pune then therersquos a remote KTM Adventure Academy thatrsquos hosted at different pits across IndiaIn Punersquos Maval region ProDirt Adventure trains bikers The training programmes include one for beginners and an intermediate level and include lessons on how to ride safely on gravel and dirt trails a flat track course is dedicated to practising the fundamentals of sliding a motorcycleMountain biking athlete Nilesh lsquoNellyrsquo Dhumal and his partner Sunny Dhore launched ProDirt Adventure about five years ago when they noticed a gap in the market for formal training in motorbiking as a sport ldquoWhen I saw whatrsquos available abroad in terms of infrastructure knowledge and communities I realised we lack all of itrdquo Dhumal says ldquoThe only culture here is that of biker groupsmdashthe Royal Enfield or BMW groupsmdashwho go on a coffee ride and bond Therersquos no formal way of getting knowledgerdquo Dhumal adds that a formal training in motorbiking sports means one could go on to become a dirt bike racer and compete in Motorcross championships or the Indian National Motorcycle Racing ChampionshipDhumal has been training bikers about their machines techniques to ride correctly in tough terrain and even basics such as how to mount the bike correctly for over a decade He trains enthusiasts at the KTM Adventure Academy where he has helped design a curriculumSo is offroading for everyone Kothari compares it to medical insurance ldquoYou buy health insurance hoping you never have to use it But if that day arrives you are happy that you have itrdquo he says explaining that the skill can be handy if you are stuck or if you encounter a landslide ldquoYou get to explore many parts of the country and many other countries which you otherwise couldnrsquotrdquo he adds talking about the roads literally less travelledThatrsquos why safety is such a crucial lesson at these academies Both Kothari and Dhumal donrsquot recommend beginners kicking off training in the monsoon nor do they list any trails ldquoWe have created a safe environment to practise thatrsquos why we have a groundrdquo says Dhumal Kothari adds ldquoOffroading is not like cycling Itrsquos not like you learn it once and know it for your life Itrsquos a perishable skill you need to keep practisingrdquoldquoI used to wonder what can be taughtrdquosays Harshvardhan Khangarot a student at Learn Offroad and an NBFC professional by day living in Mumbai ldquoWhen you are offroading you have to go against your natural instinct Itrsquos very different from driving on the road you have to start on a blank slate We used to be all brawl no brainrdquo Khangarot highlights that itrsquos at the academy that he first had to unlearn everything he knew Next came safety lessons and technical knowhow and the more he practised Khangarot realised the capabilities of his vehicle ldquoYour first instinct is to let go of the accelerator but if you continue to keep your foot on it your car will easily climb and move forwardrdquo he says Khangarot first began learning three years ago Hersquos now under training to be an instructor For him the freedom that comes with offroading is exciting Itrsquos the tiny neverseenbefore trails and the beautiful landscapes that he accidentally encounters that push him to take his car out and use it to its maximumThis freedom comes with confidence about skills and vehicle ldquoPeople donrsquot understand the concept of a fourwheel drive that it is created for offroad driving They donrsquot understand the correct path to take on a trail and the correct direction to keep the tyre in When they see an obstacle like an incline for the first time they think lsquono way will the vehicle gorsquo but by the end of the day at our course they have crossed over Itrsquos about conquering your fearsrdquo says KothariFor motorcycling the training varies and one has to start from scratch ldquoEveryone thinks they know how to ride a motorcyclerdquo says Dhumal ldquoThe knowledge is generally imparted by a dad uncle or friend They have never trained formally We first bust many myths at the basic level For example many women fear motorcycles simply because itrsquos high for them to climb But when we teach them how to mount the motorcycle the right way they are quick to adaptrdquoWant to hear from youWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us at smdmailmiddaycom