4 bikers vrooming across India, all for the army
AGRA: Main akela hi chala tha janibe manzil magar, log saath aate gaye aur karwan banta gaya’, (I had set off for my destination alone but people kept joining me and a caravan was formed). This couplet by noted Urdu lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri is apt for Mithlesh Maurya, who began his motor cycle ride from Kanyakumari to Ladakh on May 23.
Maurya set off alone but by the time he reached Agra, Chetan Popat from Nagpur, Shubham from Indore and Pradeep Dass from Kolkata had joined him.
Maurya has dedicated his 7,000 kilometre ride (to be completed in about 20 days) to soldiers guarding the nation’s borders day and night.
A professional photographer in Lucknow, Maurya, 42, travelled to Kanyakumari to begin his journey on a Royal Enfield motor cycle.
During the journey, the riders would also traverse the Khardung La pass, said to be the highest motorable road in the world.
“I set off alone on May 23 but two of my facebook friends Chetan and Shubham joined me later,” said Maurya, who carries a diary and asks those whom he meets to write their comments on the bravery and sacrifices of the Indian army. The diary contains numerous comments in different languages.
‘Captain Manoj Pandey who made the supreme sacrifice during the Kargil War and was awarded the highest military honour Param Vir Chakra posthumously was from my city, Lucknow. So I will visit the museum in Kargil sector where the martyr finds mention,” said Maurya who is father of two children.
This is not the first time he has embarked on such a journey. He had undertaken a 4,500 km long journey from Lucknow last year too.
‘I was following Mithlesh Maurya on facebook and was excited at the prospect of a motor cycle journey with him. So I joined him at Nagpur,” said Chetan D Popat, 31, a software engineer working for an IT firm.
‘I have dedicated my journey to spreading the message of cleanliness,” he said.
Shubham Mishra, 23, is the youngest among the four and comes from Indore. He has been to Ladakh on a motor cycle in the past.
“Be a man and respect the women,” said Shubham, citing the message he would spread during his ride.
Pradeep Dass, 36, is a government employee working for the electricity department and has already travelled from Kolkata to Agra. He too is a frequent rider and has been to Nepal and Arunachal in the past.
“Travelling is the best way to relax whenever you can get leave from your job. I love the silence we move through while on motor cycle and this relaxes me, so I prefer riding alone,” said Pradeep who carries no message and is of the view that man should dedicate some time to himself.
MITHLESH MAURYA, CHETAN POPAT SHUBHAM MISRA AND PRADEEP DASS ARE ON A KANYAKUMARI TO LADAKH EXPEDITION, DEDICATED TO BRAVE SOLDIERS