Shekhawati. A land lost in time.
A historical region in northern Rajasthan where unpaved tracks still outnumber asphalt roads and a retinue of a dozen Marwari horses, thundering through small hamlets, barely turns heads.
In this episode, Meraj and Johan explore this region on motorcycles which aren’t exactly made for this terrain. The Triumph Thruxton R and the Triumph Speedmaster.
Eventually, the duo get to Alsisar where they have to park their machines and be ferried across to a desert camp where a bunch of intrepid equestrians are navigating this arid landscape the way it has been done for centuries…on horseback. Its lack of prowess in the sand notwithstanding—a café racer isn’t meant for off-roading—the Thruxton is a fine steed and made the one-day traverse to Shekhawati, almost as much fun as the hack ride.
After riding a mare for a few days, it seems like a fatuous comparison, but, as numbers go, the Thruxton puts 97 eager horses at your disposal that can be summoned with a slight twist of the throttle. With a gorgeous minimalist design, the Thruxton sets the benchmark for a classic café racer. Yes, there is some subterfuge, those lovely-looking carburetor bodies are just a front for fuel-injection units, and behind its classic façade, the motorcycle’s computer-assisted riding modes are as cutting -edge as you’re likely to find on two wheels.
Still, technology and tradition — unlikely bedfellows at most times—are wary allies on this motorcycle. Shekhawati is beautiful, though not in the stereotypical way that Rajasthan is usually depicted in— colorfully-attired women, the grand ramparts, the vestiges of royalty, and the past.
This region is famous for its grand ‘havelis,’ most of which lie abandoned, that hark back to prosperous times when Shekhawati was on the Silk Route.
Today, it seems a world away from the choreographed photo-ops and well-worn smiles in tourist hubs like Jaisalmer and Jaipur. In this semi-arid region, cameras still evoke curiosity, foreigners are still strangers, and fading façades of buildings haven’t been distempered over.