Gang of Dusters-The Western Adventure

Renault organised its western leg of the Gang of Dusters (G.O.D) on the weekend of July 18 and July 19. A weekend getaway, the drive saw the participants first travel to 19 Degree North near Lonavala to enjoy a bit of off-roading and then head down to Kolad the next day to try their hand at white water rafting. We were invited to be a part of the proceedings and more importantly be given a chance to earn our G.O.D badges.

The drive was flagged off from the French automaker’s showroom in Jogeshwari and everyone (surprisingly) travelled in a convoy the whole way.

With over 40 vehicles in the convoy it turned out to be quite a sight! A lot of the participants had driven their Dusters from various parts of the country to be a part of this western leg.

The drive was expected to be relatively uneventful but this being a Saturday morning, we encountered a significant amount of holiday goers all the way to the turn off for Aamby Valley. Thankfully, we did not feel the stress much as the car was quite comfortable thanks to the AC and decent ride quality.

Once the participants had arrived at the venue, we were briefed on the off-road course that the Dusters would tackle and what to expect along the way.

This being my first off-road experience, I was quite thrilled to learn the basics of this precise driving style and had a blast navigating the obstacles.

Despite being a FWD model, the Duster was able to clear the entire course in no time and even allowed me to do a bit of basic water wading.

Over the course of the next few hours, as the other participants took the course and tried their hand at the various obstacles. I, having had my turn, spent the rest of my time walking around, to watch the cars in action. This also gave me the chance to enjoy something that is almost impossible for city dwellers, fresh air and an unbelievable view of the valley and the mountains in the distance. In between all this I got to spend a few minutes watching veteran rally driver Ranjith Ballal throw the Duster around. I also got a few off-roading tips from veteran rally driver Kaushik Shinde who was one of the marshals on the course that day. All in all, quite a productive afternoon!

Once every one had done the off-roading, been fed and watered, it was time to head back to check into to the hotel which turned out be in Aamby Valley itself; a Shangri-La that we had always seen but never entered (until this moment).

As I had imagined (and seen in a lot of photos), the grounds within were spectacular and so beautiful in the rains. My entry into the lobby of the hotel was greeted by the sound of multiple drummers who had been set up to belt out a beat for every participant who was entering the lobby.

The next morning, given the heavy rally influence in the whole setup of G.O.D adventure, it was only a matter of time before we were handed tulips with directions to our next destination which was a river in Kolad where we would get a chance to do some basic white water rafting.

The journey through the beautiful back roads from our hotel to the rafting location began as quickly as it ended and we were soon at the river.

We were given a crash course on the basics of what to do in the water, made to gear up and then quite literally took the plunge.

There could not have possibly been a better experience to end our brief tryst with the Duster. We spent over two hours in the water rowing, splashing and then floating downstream after being pushed into the water.

Creating a sense of camaraderie among vehicles owners is perhaps one of the best ways to bring pride in the ownership experience and there is sufficient proof in the form of individual vehicles owner’s clubs across the world. It was great to see so many participants for the drive eagerly throwing themselves into all the activities.

Finally, before I sign off, here is one more shout out to the hero of the trip, which is the Renault Duster. The cars performed admirably throughout the way without a single problem.