Monsoons in the western part of India are magical. The sun would create brown & yellow patches across the Sahyadri hill ranges during summers but all it takes is a shower of rain for this parched, arid landscape to put on a thick blanket of green. This cycle has been timeless.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, I knew of this transition since my childhood but unfortunately never witnessed it up close and personal for all these years.
Last month, I had replaced my 8-year old sedan with the new Renault Kiger AMT. To celebrate this occasion, I decided to pack my family for a small staycation to my sister’s farmhouse near Lonavala which is just a 2 hour drive from Mumbai. I had been to the place many times before and knew that my family loved going there.
Since the place had wifi, kitchen and all other modern-day facilities, my wife suggested that we stay there for a bit longer as we were tired of staying holed up in our apartment complex for the last year or so! I couldn’t agree more and immediately asked my sister for the keys.
My kids were happy that we were finally going for a mini vacation, away from the city. They started making a list of their stuff. My wife quickly jotted down the list of groceries and other items that we will require for a week-long stay.
That morning, when we were scheduled to leave, I was amazed by the level of packing my wife and kids had done. Since the farmhouse was a bit on the interiors and closer to the wilderness, reaching there and arranging for supplies was a task. But my wife was well aware of this and not wanting to take any chances, she had packed all possible things that we might need there.
She knew that my Renault Kiger AMT had a 405L boot that could easily swallow the entire thing without a hitch. Not wanting to step out of the place for supplies once we checked in, I too agreed with her and did not say a word.
Then, I saw that my kids had packed a lot of board games, a football, and the cricket set. They placed the same in the leg space between the two rows. The 222 mm knee room made sure that there was enough space for almost everything.
As we started driving in Lonavala, the road conditions deteriorated. The access road to this place was completely washed out. But my Renault Kiger AMT made the drive feel seamless. I knew the car had 4 airbags – driver, co-passenger and 2 side ones, ABS & EBD and a solidly built body which would help us reach our destination without a problem.
By the time we reached there, my Renault Kiger AMT was all covered with mud stains on the outside, but we were fresh as a daisy when we got out. We immediately shifted our stuff to the rooms and within no time settled in the place.
In the evening, my wife came to me and asked me “Remember last year when we came here in your old car?”
“Yes, that was fun too!” I replied trying to recall what had happened. But I knew she had caught me bluffing.
“You forgot? I had hit my head on the window glass when driving here through that stream.” I could see the anger in her eyes.
“Come here”, I pulled her close to me, “That’s why I changed that car and got the Renault Kiger AMT. Now no more banging your head on the glass!”
“No. That’s not the real reason” she said. “It’s because the Renault Kiger AMT starts at Rs. 5.64 lakh (Ex-Showroom Delhi), offers a wonderful drive, has huge boot space, top-end features, and above all, they booked the car online. That is the real reason why you bought the Renault Kiger AMT, right?”
Left defenceless, I immediately hugged her and thought “Women! They can see right through you!”
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