Taming unfriendly terrain on four-wheel drives is not a sport that you would generally associate with Kottayam, a sleepy, rubber-rich district in God’s Own Country. However, thanks to a bunch of off-roading specialists, known as Kottayam Jeepers, the district is slowly yet surely making itself visible on the nation’s off-roading radar.
It was in 2006 that a group of young men from Kottayam took up off-roading as a fun activity to ease the boredom of living in a place with little scope for meaningful entertainment.
Six years down the line, the jeepers finally made their mark as one of their members, Kurian Kurian Kalarickal, received the Mahindra Off-roading Trophy 2012-13, and, in turn, won the coveted title of the ‘Best off-roader in India’. He got a Mahindra Thar 4WD as the top prize.
The group hopes to win this year as well, as Kurian has been selected to compete in Mahindra Off-roading Trophy 2014. Kurian’s wife, Binju, will also be taking part, as Mahindra, for the first time, has introduced a women’s only competition.
Headed by the three brothers Sam Kurian, George Kurian and Kurian Kurian, the Jeepers are a close-knit group of 24 members.
They include Satish George, Javeen Mathew, Nikhil Jaipal, Philip Thomas, Prem Kumar, Anand Manjooran, Robinson Sebastian, Sharoop Ipe, Aban V Abraham, Tinku Varghese, Joel Lal, Prakash Thomas, Abhijit, James Cherian, Niya Sam, Binju Kurian, Anu Javeen, Surya Nikhil and Sheenu Satish. In 2013, the Jeepers had taken part in eight main off-roading events.
Sam Kurian Kalarickal, the de facto leader, talked about their journey from being family picnickers to becoming hardcore off-roaders, “When we first started, this was something we did as part of a weekend trip,” he says. “Something everyone in the family could enjoy. The point was fun and we used old jeeps like Willy CJ3Bs and MM540s. It was only in 2010 that we started taking this seriously.”
Off-roading is definitely not a sport for the faint-hearted. Instead, it is seen as the elixir of the perennial adventure buff and the sport for the adrenaline junkie who conquers unnatural terrains and loves every moment of it. Surely, not something that fits the idea of family fun.
Sam laughs and says, “Yeah, but this was something that we could easily do. Kerala or even Kottayam has the perfect terrain for off-roading. We don’t even have to lay a track to have some fun.”
Blessed with an amazing hilly terrain and a breathtaking verdant landscape, the Central Travancore region, including Kottayam, is truly an off-roading paradise. Mud plugging, rock crawling, rock racing, green laning or just trailing or racing over impossible trails, it can all be done on natural terrain.
This was one reason why the group has decided to organise off-roading adventures on their own. Currently, they hold two events – the Hill Thrills Off-roading Event and R&T 4x4 Extreme, both on private land in Vagamon and Kuttikanam, respectively.
Anand Manjooran of the Kottayam Jeeper, who organises the Hill Thrills says, “It is an adventure race designed for the hardcore off-roader. The trail is through natural terrain, a private forest, and we have not cut a single tree for the trail.”
He also stressed that they do not litter the trail. Instead, they make optimum use of the terrain. “For R&T 4x4 Extreme too, we had marked the trail without altering the natural landscape,” he says.
The Kottayam Jeepers are into a number of related activities like autocross and road trips. The R&T Auto Catalyst, run by Sam, is into remodelling of off-road vehicles and sale of off-road accessories. According to Sam, plans for the immediate future include a 4x4 training centre in Kottayam for off-roading enthusiasts.
Off-roading is addictive, warn the jeepers, but worth the effort. “The moment when you are one with the machine” is exhilarating, they say. “This is one sport which anyone who knows driving can enjoy. Age also does not matter. You can do this as long as you are reasonably fit,” says Sam.