Travel - International Indian

Jeeps‘‘In 2006,UBS travelled1500miles inan 8181, alegendaryWillys hehad restoredforhis olderson Adhiraj,whilehis BritishfriendConradBirch rodealongsideon a KTM‘‘bike.TOP: UBS’sspecially modifiedjeeps are often usedfor social activities,including disastermanagement(Photo by Uday Bhan SinghRIGHT: Todayapart from militaryjeeps, UBS hascollected about 20civilian jeeps(Photo by Uday Bhan Singhcalls his studio. He only restores old jeeps,modifying them sometimes to suit modernneeds, but does not do business with them.Today apart from military jeeps, UBS hascollected about 20 civilian jeeps. His personalfavourite is a 1952 Willys M38, which wasgifted to him by an acquaintance, Rev. Fr.Sarkar, in Calcutta and is exactly as old ashim. “This sure is one of the finest jeeps evermade,” chuckles UBS. The gift did not comeeasily. “For almost two decades that I knewFather Sarkar, I would go to his place andadmire the vehicle. He had made it very clearthat he would not sell it come what may. Iwould go just to see the jeep, sometimes Iwould even dust it. And every time I crossedthat street, I would peep inside through thegate to catch a quick glance,” UBS recalls.“One day, I saw that the jeep was missingfrom the garage. My heart sank. I went inand I was told that the jeep had brokendown at Raghunathpur in Purulia (overnightjourney by train). The very next day I went toRaghunathpur and after I was able to get thejeep to restart, Father Sarkar gifted it to mesaying I would be the best person to take careof it.” Especially made for riverine warfare, theM38 can drive in 70 inches of water and hasa 24 volts system. Jeeps usually have a 6 voltbattery.UBS is currently involved in restoring asix-wheel drive that he purchased from anauction at the Bengal Engineering and ScienceUniversity workshop around two years ago.“This was used to carry heavy weapons duringWW II. It is called Dodge Weapons Carrier WC63 because it had six wheels and three axles.The one I have is probably the only survivingpiece in India!”A member of the Military VehiclesPreservation Association, UBS is activelyinvolved in promoting awareness about jeeps.“There is a need for better understandingand appreciation of the good old jeep,” hesays. His community Jeep Thrills periodicallyorganises off-roading events. “We also doworkshops for small groups where we tell theparticipants about jeeps, show them what allthe jeep can do and let them drive the jeep forshort distances.”His specially modified jeeps are oftenused for social activities, including disastermanagement. Most recently they wereemployed to clean the Santragachi Lake usingpower winches, to make it a better habitat formigratory birds.In 2006, UBS travelled 1500 miles in an8181, a legendary Willys he had restored forhis older son Adhiraj, while his British friendConrad Birch rode alongside on a KTM bike.They travelled in a straight line along the GreatArc of India led by nothing but a compass, anadventure he dare not repeat, says UBS.The sun is ready to set by now. MechanicSadhan Mazumder, “the last of his kind inCalcutta,” has changed cassettes a numberof times and it is now “Jane kahan mera jigargaya ji” playing at full-volume. The songskeep playing as long as work goes on at theworkshop. “We both love old jeeps and oldHindi film music,” says UBS.Anuradha Sharma is a freelance writerbased in Kolkata, India74The International Indian