One for the eternity..

A heartfelt thanks to all those who voted for us... it was a humbling experience to know that so many of my friends took the pain not only to vote but also to get their friends and their friends' friend to vote for us. We are sorry to let you down guys with our late application (otherwise you would have coaxed more votes out of all your distant relatives).

It was a fun filled 36 hours. We campaigend and we CAMPAIGNED. We messaged, we mailed, we phoned. I stooped down to such a level that I started chatting with my Mafia war family members and begged them to vote. Sad that Facebook barred my chatting services for some 10 hours, else I would have had some 400 votes more :).

Anyways whats over is over and now is the time to recollect... I am posting here the application we had filed in for the contest. Dunno if we get selected or not but as they say... "It was fun while it was there".

About Us

You must have heard this classic love story about the guy who meets the girl, thinks she is Aphrodite and falls head over heels in love. The girl initially rejects the guy but then falls for his wackiness. Well, here is a perfect example of such a couple.

Most of the times they agree to disagree about their likes. For example, the guy loves music and late night movies but the girl loves her sleep and wouldn't trade it even for "Citizen Kane". Why did they marry? Well, they both had a misplaced notion that living with a person completely opposite to you will be an adventure of a lifetime.

Anyways, their love story is another long-long story and we will get back to that later. What is important is that they are bound together by a voracious appetite for travel. They have traveled to some of the most amazing places in the country and are still yearning for more.
For the record, the guy's name is Paritosh and he is a software professional and a budding writer (at least he pretends to think so). The girl's name is Neha and she is a Marketing professional currently busy with the market dynamics of running the household (in other words she is a domestic engineer or housewife, whatever you would).

We are the best candidates because...

Having clocked some 24000 Kms on the highways in the last two years seems to be testimonial enough for our passion for travel and adventure. Living in a city with traffic lights and miles long jams have never been our forte. We love the open road and miles of greenery stretched as long as your eyes can see. We firmly believe the fact that the journey is always more important than the destination.

Being on road has become an integral part of our lives all through these years. We have a decent experience in nature and travel photography. As for the blogging part, Paritosh believes himself to be the next Shakespeare of travelogue writing. This adventurous, and according to our close friends a nomadic, spirit and the love for the road makes us the best suitable candidates for the "Great Driving Challenge".

Our Travel Plan

We plan to cover the cover the Great Indian Monsoon. We will start from Mumbai along the coastal highway (NH17) till Alleppy. We would be driving along the Western Ghats and through the Lush green landscape of Kerala. All along the way flirting with the Arabian Sea. We wish to reach exotic backwaters of Alleppy before turning Inland to the drive through the Nilgiris and into the heart of several Wildlife Sanctuaries in Karnataka. Finally we will reach Mumbai through Shimoga (where the mighty Jog Falls are) and the youth city Pune. This journey will be something dreams are made of.

Our Travelogue

We have extensively covered all of Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We love both exhaustive driving and the more paced out leisurely ones. Most of the journey plans have been for 3-4 days with the first days being covered in measures of 300-350 Kms. The last day is the day of zipping fast to Bangalore, some 450-500 Kms covered in one night.

We started our tryst with driving some two years back with an almost accidental trip. We were supposed to go to Coorg, stay there for three days and then come back to Bangalore and back to the same old boring routine. But destiny had other plans in its folds. We got bored the very first day in Coorg. It being summers we decided to head to the seas and drove down to Mangalore. On the way we found out our love for the road. By the time we reached Mangalore the love graduated to a solemn marriage. We enjoyed a lot on the beaches of Mangalore and saw the sunset sitting besides a lighthouse on the Suratkal beach. A pity that we had no blog at that time, but you can see the photos in our flickr photostream.

After that trip, we go on a road trip almost every month and most of the destinations have been either the sea or any other water body. Pondicherry has been our favorite haunt. We have been to the place so many times that I know the roads of Pondicherry better than that of Bangalore. Well, Bangalore roads need a GPS even for the most seasoned drivers, what with the daily changing directions of "oneways" and all.

One trip that is worth mentioning here (or rather not mentioning here because it didn’t involve any driving) was when we went backpacking to Waynad. Thankfully we chronicled the journey on our blog and you can read it here at

http://fictionandlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/backpacking-waynad.html

We have just come back after a long long drive... went chasing the monsoon on the Western Ghats. Awesome trip... saw some of the most amazing sights on the earth. Drove with the sea and among the clouds; ripped through the green, green and more shades of green on the Western Ghats. We have the photos uploaded to the flickr photostream.
Well, before this turns out to be another of those winding journey of ours, we will like to take your leave. You can read more about our exploits (God willing if we get selected), on our blog. Till then, Happy Driving!!

I am also posting the testimonials which we received:

Paritosh & Neha, enthusiast, nature's slave...a couple made for each other as they see the same dreams and unknowingly keep praying for each others dream to come true...! U guys rock and can steal the show wherever u go.

-Shaili Shilpa

I have never seen two so different person, so deeply in love with each other..and one thing that major binds them is their penchant for exploring the unexplored ! Two travel bugs with whom I have maaroed the most amazing road trips of my life. All it takes to get them going is a map in hand, a full tank and each other. Paritosh , the coolest driver ever and Neha the best navigator. Seriously kudos to their true Roadies Spirit...Miles to go guys !!!

-Nitisha

I never belived in Madhuri Dixit's philosphy in Dil To Pagal Hai, that someone somewhere is made for you. But this was untill I came across Paritosh and Neha. They are the inspiration for whole bunch of friends ;). And its Pari who told me there's a thing called TOURING. Never have I seen such an avid traveller. He's the man to get any information, help, pointers, directions and anything else you need for a trip. His tour photos and travelouges make the place more beautiful than they actually are. The moment I heard about this perticular event, the only name came to mind was Pari and Neha. I know they'll the one. Best of luck. Have fun.

-Amrit

Neha & his partner are a humble couple with great interest in challenges......"Performance always comes from PASSION and not From PRESSURE".....All the best and u are the winner

-PINTU SINGH

Bhaiya and bhabhi are the best couple ever. I am sure they will win this. Best of luck!

-Abhhinav Alok

Both of you have got it in you to do it. Go ahead and enjoy the drive. God Bless!

-Deepak Kumar

God bless and best wishes for your endeavor!

-Anshu Bhabhi

Paritosh aka Pari......What to write abt this guy.......words are very limited to define this guy.......Funniest creature on this earth.......Well he know the art of living...and also the art of entertaining others.... Anddd the best part is ...Now Neha v uske sath hain, ...this is wat called as perfect couple..just try to view them at 23 degree ..they will look like rodies:) coz hamesa ghoomte hi rehte hain.. God bless u guys ..

-KUNAL AMBASTA