The 2-stroke road trip

A trio of friends will embark on their journey of a lifetime -- 3,000 km from Shillong to Jaisalmer -- in September. But, instead of a convertible, they're making the trip in a humble autorickshaw

A trio of friends will embark on their journey of a lifetimeu00a0-- 3,000 km from Shillong to Jaisalmeru00a0-- in September. But, instead of a convertible, they're making the trip in a humble autorickshaw

Jayesh Shikarkhane, Sangramsingh Salvi and Yogesh Desai have known each other long enough to indulge in some Bollywood bonding along the lines of Dil Chahta Hai, or even the more recent Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The former college mates (junior college, mind you) may have branched out to pursue different things in life, but the one thing that bound them was their shared love for adventure.


Sangram Singh (standing) and Jayesh Shikarkhane won't take lessons in
riding a rickshaw till two days before the Rickshaw Run that starts on
September 10. Pic/ Atul Kamble

Which is why, when Theadventurists(.com) threw open the enrollment of the Rickshaw Run 2011, all Shikarkhane did was tell Desai, a 28 year-old engineer and Salvi, a 26 year-old post graduate of chemical engineering, currently preparing for his UPSC examination, to come up with 1,095 pounds as their registration fees.

Desai wired his third across, Salvi took a loan from his dad and 27 year-old Shikarkhane, an ad filmmaker and adventure sport enthusiast, robbed a bank, as he puts it, to submit their fee. "As far as we are concerned, the most difficult part of the process is over," says Shikarkhane, who has been trying to enrol for the Rickshaw Run, organised by UK based company The League of Adventurists International Ltd, since the past two years.

The Rickshaw Run will be held from September 10 to 24, 2011, and participating teams will be required to ride an auto rickshaw from Shillong in Meghalaya to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. They can chart their own route, and the trio are keen to take their three-wheeler through Bhutan and Nepal.

Shikarkhane speaks from experience. In 2009, he and Desai went on a three-day survival trip to the beaches of Goa and Gokarna. "We decided to conduct an experiment to test how well we can survive without money. We stayed in tents and ate only what we caught from the sea. The first day we went hungry and panicked. The second day, we fared better -- we caught crabs, and pomfret fish that we cooked on a fire. By the third day, we caught a sword fish," says Shikarkhane.

"If either one of us had bailed then, the whole trip would have failed," adds Desai. The trip did more than just putting them in touch with their survival instinct and teachingu00a0 them self-reliance -- it showed them how important teamwork is.

Salvi may not have been part of that life-changing trip, but he's done a 21-day backpacking journey with Desai in 2006 -- in Kashmir. "We were caught in the middle of a cross fire between soldiers and youth, and we also saw unbelievable beauty. No one can remain untouched after an experience like that," says Desai.

The trio are banking on their team spirit to take them through. However, there is also a touch of daring to their endeavour, evidenced in the way the three are keen to chart their route only closer to the journey date. "We don't want to plan our route now," says Shikarkhane. He adds that they won't learn how to ride a rickshaw till the journey begins either.

"There are close to 70 other teams coming for this trip from around the world and they will be given only two days to master riding a rickshaw. We don't want to give ourselves an unfair advantage," says Shikarkhane.

Sounds noble, but Desai already knows how to repair a rickshaw -- he took a week-long workshop while employed as a service engineer in a large auto company -- and Salvi has already ridden one thanks to a neighbour back in his village in Ratnagiri.

"It's not easy," says Salvi. "The rickshaw is a tripod after all, and can easily tip over if you don't turn at the right speed." The ride will raise money for two charities -- the Adventurists offers them a list of 50 to choose from. The trio are aiming to raise at least 1,000 pounds for Frank Water Projects and the Wildlife Protection Society of India. But they're intent to have the ride of their lives while they're at it.

At present, they have raised 385 pounds. Want to sponsor them? Visit their website https://www.teentigaadu.com/ for contact details

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