A ride to remember

On July 16, a group of young people left from Mumbai on their bikes, and reached Kargil on July 26. The group - Indian Army Fans. The occasion - Kargil Vijay Diwas. The distance covered - 3,200 km. But what made this annual journey even more memorable, was that for the first time, there was a girl riding a bike along with them. Twenty six year old Pooja Jogi from Kandivli, became the first girl to ride the bike in the group, all the way to Leh and Ladakh. Her sister Bhakti Jogi, 24, rode pillion with her.

The group (above) covered 3,200 km from Mumbai to Kargil

Such a long journey
Sharing her experience with sunday mid-day Pooja said, "The journey was really tough as barely 20 km of the roads were good enough to drive. The rest of the roads were really bad. As we went ahead, we faced breathing trouble because of low oxygen and other climatic situations. But finally, our goal of reaching Kargil on Vijay Diwas was accomplished," she said.

Pooja, who works as an HR manager, decided to participate in the trip, just five days before the journey commenced, although she had been toying with the idea for nearly two years. Her decision prompted her younger sister, Bhakti, too, to join in as her pillion rider. Although there were other girls in the group from Hyderabad and Pune, they too, rode pillion.

A matter of pride
The adventurous girl now aims to get her name against a world record for being the only female to ride a bike all the way to Leh and Ladakh, and has already registered for it. For her achievement, the Jogi community is planning to felicitate her with a bravery award.

Vivekanand Gupta, who also part of the group that made the trip, said that it was the first time that somebody from the fairer sex had accompanied them in such a dangerous journey.

"Such stories will inspire other women. This also goes to prove that a woman is no less than a man. Our group leader Krishnakant Yadav, should be applauded as it is his effort that made this possible," said Gupta.