Road to happiness

Mona

Some of you might know Rocky Singh form his famous Highway On My Plate. A multi-tasker, he is busy garnering life’s experiences in myriad ways. Apart from being a confirmed food connoisseur, he is also an author, advanced scuba diver, an avid bird watcher, wildlife photographer, national-level hockey player, golfer and a corporate trainer.

Make most of your travel

• In India, anything can happen in the rainy season. Be always careful of communication. Always inform your closed ones where you are.
• Always keep water with you, and if you are a foodie like me, some snacks too.
• Soap, mask, sanitizer are the new must- haves now.
• If possible, sit in an open space. When in enclosed spaces, keep mask on.
• Take your utensils along, I always carry my plate.
• Sleep well at night. Without proper sleep, travelling can we very tricky.
• Always have cash. Credit cards don’t work everywhere.
• To spot the best dhaba, just see which one has maximum crowd and fleet of trucks on the side, that’s where you will garma garam tazee dal, fresh kata pyaz and sliced tamatar jiska swad hi kuch aur hai!

We catch the man on the move during his brief stopover at Chandigarh.

Enjoying the success with HistoryTV18’s Road Trippin with RnM, he’s on the move again, albeit sans his partner of 15 years, Mayur Sharma, exploring Punjab. “Life had become busy, so I though let me visit Punjab and eat some sumptuous Punjabi food,” says Rocky.

His connection with the city is pretty deep. “My first memory of Chandigarh is seeing the newsflash at The Tribune building after entering the city. I have my family here, and the moment I reach, food starts arriving. How else do Punjabis express their love?” He’s all excited about another season of Road Trippin. “It’s one unique show where we shoot a city a day–what to see, eat, shop for and the next morning, it’s another city!”

In the times of overload of information and misinformation, Rocky’s attempt is to give correct information to his viewers. “People run for a massive golgappa. Now, you can get a picture clicked with it but is it even delicious to eat? With our Road Trippin, taste is guaranteed.”

Ask him about his relationship with food, and he calls it ‘sacred’. Over the past 15 years he has gone from 74 kg to 128 kg but he’s not complaining. “I love food, I live for food, I am passionate about food and drink, all kind of drinks – I love lassis.”

As special is his bond with Mayur Sharma. “Our dosti started in 1976. It’s a bond of 46 years and over the last 15 years, we have spent more with each other than with our family. We are friends, brothers, maar pitai bhi karte hain aur pyar se sath baith khar khana bhi khate hain. Some relationships define your life and this is one such relationship.”

Ask Rocky to choose his favourite meal, and you can literally see him drooling. “It’s tudde kabab in Lucknow. Favourite state for food is Kerala for me. The beauty of it that one can get chicken, mutton, duck, pork and amazing preparations all in one small place. But if it has to be one single meal – it was at Varanasi, somewhere around Assi Ghat. It was Dev Deepawali. The entire Varanasi was bathed in the glow of diyas and we had 56 bhog. Not just we ate all 56 dishes but asked for second helpings as well. There is something about food when it comes mixed with devotion. It tastes divine!”

While Mayur has taken some time off due to personal reasons, Rocky is carrying the momentous journey. “India is so amazing that one needs at least three or four births just to enjoy our country! People pay money to have these experiences. I am lucky to have enjoyed such beautiful places over the years,” he says.

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