Far from the never-ending chaos and hustle of our urban lives exists a hilly, quaint Tehsil in Arunachal Pradesh, Dambuk, where roads are curvier, landscapes richer, and life seems simpler. Towards the end of every year, when winter descends on the hills, this scenic village in Lower Dibang Valley becomes a site for one of the most vibrant cultural festivals of India, the Orange Festival of Adventure and Music (OFAM), which attracts a horde of tourists from all seven neighbouring states and beyond. Organised by the Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Department, the festival boasts a great mix of music and adventure, and one of its major events, JK Tyre Orange 4X4 Fury, draws some of the best rally drivers from the country. Held across the districts of Namsai, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, and East Siang, the rally tests the tenacity and technical abilities of the drivers and their beloved machines in unprecedented ways.

It’s not for the faint-hearted. Drivers brace themselves for challenges that take them through rugged and rocky terrains, wild trails, rushing streams, muddy roads, where a minor calculation error can topple the machine. Yet, the spirit to conquer the terrains never dies. If off-road races are not your jam, if it does not really elicit any intrigue, you perhaps need to see one, and it would be almost impossible to remain untouched by the wild, bristling energy that emanates from the event. It’s been a few weeks since I had that experience, but the mighty roar of the machines is still fresh in my mind.

More than 50 vehicles, in both pro-mod and stock categories, participated in this rally. A day before the flag-off, on 18 January, a prologue stage was organised at night, where vehicles raced through a dark, sandy terrain. The sheer unpredictability that darkness fostered came to the light when one of the teams, which I thought started on a great note, lost its way, and ended up more than double of the average duration to reach the finish line. Chow Ujjal Namshum and Chethan Chengappa showed their technical chops to take an early lead. While this was a technical but brief stage, the next was all about endurance, where they drove for nearly three hours through wild terrains and the riverbeds of the Sisiri, Lohit, and Dibang rivers, finishing at the vast expanse of open field, beneath a remote bridge.

Under the mellow sun, more than a hundred racers had assembled to have their lunch, and this is where I chanced upon a conversation with Chengappa, a participant from Coorg, Karnataka. “You have come to the best driver,” said another participant, adding that “they are the defending champions”. I ask him the question that’s been tickling my mind for hours: What brings so many participants from every part of the country to this remote region every year? “It’s the terrains. They are so diverse and beautiful. Never at any point does it get boring,” says Chengappa, who was sitting at a comfortable lead after two rounds of the race. “I have raced all over the country, and Orange 4X4 fury can easily sit among the best ones. It’s a well-organised race by JK Tyres,” he adds.

Most of the racers who come here do so out of pure passion for off-roading. There’s not much to gain if you are seeking some sort of material accolades, but the visceral thrill of racing in some of the remotest parts of the country, surrounded by beautiful hills from all sides, is an experience that racers chase, more than anything else. “It’s an expensive sport, but it’s incredibly rewarding,” says Shyam Kanu Borah, who’s racing in the stock category, with his newly acquired Thar. The competition is tough for him. His machine does not stand a chance against a global beast like the Toyota Hilux, but that does not faze him. However, Borah’s attitude is not an exception, but a norm. They all give their best to win the entire thing, but without losing the bigger picture: that having fun is equally important.

On the third evening, Chengappa and his team, are seen dancing to the grooves, a very distinct and refreshing scene, since most of the time these people carried a strenuous look, paying no heed to any sound that’s not from their machine, and sight that is not straight ahead on the track. After three days of conquering every obstacle that came their way, they won the race, for the second time in a row. Just a few months ago, after three years of second-place finishes at the Rainforest Challenge in Goa, one of the prestigious off-road events, they finally won it for the first time.

While the day was marked by the rage and fury of vehicles testing their mettle in Orange 4X4 Fury, once the sun went down, the festival ground of Dambuk starts filling up with attendees, ready to indulge in both the musical and gastronomical delights that place has to offer. On the second day of the festival, more than five thousand people trooped to the venue to catch the electrifying act of Sunidhi Chauhan. From a sexagenarian man sneaking out of the house to a bunch of teenagers evading the security gates to avoid paying Rs 2000 for a ticket, the crowd was diverse and boisterous.

When I got an invite to attend this festival, I was sceptical, because of impending deadlines, and the comfort of being at home in the gloomy weather of Bengaluru is always so enticing. Yet, better sense prevailed, and I decided to cover this. Had it not been for the Orange 4X4 Fury, I would have never known that four-wheelers can do such magic.