Life around Motorcycles
For many
years, I have been around motorcycles and worked towards making a living out of
it. But most of the time, I was just making a living to keep the motorcycling
in me alive. Between all the chaos in life, all that was left was some time to
take the bike out for a ride and enjoy whatever that came my way. This saw me
doing trips around the neighborhood and with time slowly widening my horizon.
Most of the trips were on highways and, gradually, I started taking the less-taken
roads and venturing into more interesting stuff. Speed gave way to slow and I
did this for inner peace. It took me a while, but as I came out of my comfort
zone, life became much easier to handle. New places, new people, and the
experience that followed made me a better person. Landing up at random places
at random time and being welcomed by a friend only known via social media or
via someone whom you met en route, taught me the ways of life. We can always sit
at home and be succumbed by what the media tells us, or venture out and
experience the real world; one that is not that bad. And for the record, it is
the situation and not the person himself.
During my tenure in the corporate world, I always jumped roles, teams, and many times organizations to make sure that I had enough time to travel. For over 13 years, I made money that was just enough to survive but figured out that all that I was making was being spent on things that did not matter much. It was too late by then and I was in deep financial crisis. It took me a while to sort it out, and, as I paid my last EMI, I walked out of the corporate world and picked up a job that paid me enough to make my ends meet and ensured I traveled more than I could dream of.
During my tenure in the corporate world, I always jumped roles, teams, and many times organizations to make sure that I had enough time to travel. For over 13 years, I made money that was just enough to survive but figured out that all that I was making was being spent on things that did not matter much. It was too late by then and I was in deep financial crisis. It took me a while to sort it out, and, as I paid my last EMI, I walked out of the corporate world and picked up a job that paid me enough to make my ends meet and ensured I traveled more than I could dream of.
As I write
this, I have clocked 60000 km’s in over a year and have been to places that
most only dream about. The Himalayan Kingdom—Bhutan, the unforgiving roads of
Arunachal, the peaceful Sikkim, the mystical Leh, the sand dunes of Sam, and
also those never-ending highways of India topping the list. I have been blessed
by the Man above and can’t thank him enough. This year also saw me testing my
skills at the 18th Raid de Himalaya and finishing 4th in my category. I was
running second when I had a fall and lost time and confidence to push myself
further. No regrets—only the grin and satisfaction to have completed the
toughest rally that India has to offer.
Traveling has
indeed changed my view towards many things and has calmed me down. This has
claimed my personal and social life, but that is something that I don't have
much regrets about. I asked for this and worked toward this for over a decade
or more.
I have been part of all MTM events and I strongly believe that is what has kept me grounded. Every time I did a kickass ride I thought about the likes of mad man Dilip bam who went around the Sahara on a Kinetic Honda and Deepak Kamath who went around the world on a Road King. These are dreamers and the ones who went against all odds and did what they loved. These are the people who make this world a better place to be. Santosh has been a guiding soul, sometimes through advice and many times with a kick in the back side.
Comments
Pera Man,
Shillong.
Pera Man,
Shillong.