Festivals of India with Volkswagen: Celebrating Dilli ki Diwali

India is a land of festivals. With its rich cultural heritage, diverse geographies and multiple faiths, a festival is always around the corner in India. But in a country with a population of over 1.4 billion people, the biggest celebrations are reserved for Diwali, the festival of lights. And the one city that is known to go all out on Diwali is Delhi.

A quick phone call to a friend and an agenda was made. Within no time I was out on the highway heading towards Delhi in a new Taigun GT Sport. Not that it needed it, but the Taigun’s top-of-the-line variant has a sportier look, with its black chrome elements, red brake calipers and of course, a GT badge. On the highway, the SUV swallows miles with ease, ensuring an engaging drive with its powerful 1.5 litre TSI, 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine.

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GT sport is a recent edition to the Volkswagen Taigun lineup.

The Taigun doesn’t make you feel tired even if you spend long hours behind its wheel, irrespective of whether you are negotiating peak traffic or out on the highway. Before I knew it, I was in the concrete jungle leaving the wide open fields and smooth highways behind.

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The Taigun is a perfectly-sized SUV for everyday needs.

The challenge now was to navigate a big city in a celebratory mood. Just about everyone was out on the roads, like me. But maneuvering the Taigun through narrow lanes and crowded streets wasn’t challenging, thanks to a responsive steering and the fact that Volkswagen’s star SUV is just the right size.

My Delhi sojourn began with meeting friends around a lovely Rangoli.

I was welcomed by the beautiful sight of a rangoli in the courtyard and a home decked up with lights, as I met my host. Soon we were back on the road to run some errands and in the process, also check out Dilli ki Diwali. After a long drive into the city, the Taigun didn’t mind getting out once again.

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Highly responsive 7-speed dual clutch transmission is a highlight on the SUV.

Delhi was unusually hot for end-October, so the ventilated front seats came as a blessing for us. And while there was chaos outside, the SUV’s stellar refinement levels ensured that we were afforded a quiet drive. This agile set of wheels possesses impressive handling that is backed by a highly responsive 7-speed dual clutch transmission which ensured there was never a dull moment during my outing. A ground clearance of 188 mm was sufficient to handle bad patches of road and speed breakers of varying sizes that ambushed us every once in a while.

Diwali sweets packed and it was time for a special pit stop.

Our first stop was a popular sweet joint in the heart of south Delhi. It was time to sample some delicacies and I was smiling ear to ear. My friend got more sweet boxes than I was expecting, but the SUV’s big boot accommodated all those sweetmeat boxes with ease. For a brief moment, I wondered whether my friend was going overboard with his sweets shopping, but our next stop provided me with a different perspective, as we drove the Taigun to the J L Charitable Trust.

I made some lovely friends at the NGO and loved spending time with them.

The NGO helps in the treatment of needy cancer patients and also takes care of them. The stories we heard were of courage, determination and a never say die attitude and it was indeed special meeting each of these survivors — young and old — and being inspired by them. After all, what’s Diwali without sharing and spreading love?

Diwali nights are a lovely time to drive around the city.

As day turned into night, the magic of the city unfolded all around us, and driving through it all was an experience I had somehow missed out on until now, despite being a regular visitor to Delhi. The markets were buzzing with activity, many people had smiles on their faces, while yet others were busy with last-minute shopping. And almost every structure was lit up.

An eventful Diwali it was made special by dear friends and a great car.

It was magical to drive through this celebration of lights. The Taigun, with its charming looks, complemented the occasion perfectly, as we soaked in all the festivities. Once back home, we lit some candles and ended the day with a lovely dinner and indulged in conversations full of nostalgia and fun. Diwali 2024 ended up being one of my most memorable outings in Delhi, thanks to close friends and the ever dependable Volkswagen Taigun.