23
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
i
2 Wheels & No Limits
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
ii
Publishing-in-support-of,
EDUCREATION PUBLISHING
RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075
Shubham Vihar, Mangla, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh - 495001
Website: www.educreation.in __________________________________________________
© Copyright, Author
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of its writer.
ISBN: 978-1-5457-0923-8
Price: ` 220.00
The opinions/ contents expressed in this book are solely of the author and do not represent the opinions/ standings/ thoughts of Educreation.
Printed in India
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
iii
2 Wheels
&
No Limits
EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011)
www.educreation.in
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
iv
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
v
In fond memory of my grandfather
Hav Ranganath Morab (4 Mar 1917 – 18 Jan 1999)
On His Birth Centenary
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
vi
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
vii
Contents
Sr. Index Page
1 Acknowledgements ix
2 About the Author x
3 Preface xiii
4 Route Chart xvii
2 Wheels & No Limits
1 The Initial Jerk 1
2 Day 1: It is Ride o’clock 10
3 Day 2: It Didn’t Look that Far on
the Map
18
4 Day 3: Adventure means
Overcoming Troubles
28
5 Day 4: Crazy Diagnosis 36
6 Day 5: Time for Some Rest 44
7 Day 6: Closest to the Sky 52
8 Better Know the Risks When You
Ride
59
9 Day 7: What Ought to be Done,
Better be Done!
66
10 Day 8: It was Exciting Between
The Legs!
76
11 Day 9: A Tough Road But Worth It 85
12 Day 10: Sing Songs and Enjoy 94
13 Day 11: Men Will be Men 100
14 Day 12: A Matter of Pride 105
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
viii
15 Day 13: Cash is King! 110
16 Day 14: A Night in the House Boat 116
17 Day 15: The Final Stroke 122
18 Philosophical Interpretations 127
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
ix
Acknowledgements
At the very outset, I would like to thank my brother
Abhay, who encouraged me to pen down my
experiences in the form of this book.
My parents were a continuous source of
motivation for me.
My bhabhi Nagmani helped me out with the
minute aspects of the manuscript.
Mrs Krishna Chakraborti was instrumental in
polishing my language.
How can I refrain from thanking my wife
Shalaka, who always stood by my side and gave me
hope when things were gloomy!
Manish, Atmaj and Pritish – Without you guys,
this is incomplete.
Finally, I would express my sincere gratitude to
The Educreation Publishing House which made this
book see the light of the day.
Happy Readings and Happier Ridings!!!
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
x
About The Author
Akshay Morab!!!! Ahh what to say… He is one
such person who can never see things the way they
seem. His thoughts altogether have different twists
and turns about the situations around him. Thus it
can be proved that not only his thinking, but he
himself is also “OUT OF THE BOX”.
So how can Akshay be a person with a simple
routine??? He is an all-time adventure seeker; he
needs something new to do all the time. But
Trekking, Motorcycle Rides, Cycling Tours and
Leisure time in Water have a special corner in his
heart.
Akshay is also good at Painting on Canvas and
Sketching. Apart from all this he also likes Reading
and Writing short articles on social networking sites
regarding his adventures. And today he brings us a
book full of memories and experience about his
beautiful and exciting “BIKE RIDE” to
“LADAKH”.
All in all Akshay can be called a “HATKE”
(crazy) person who finds his “KICK” in life with a
bucket list filled with adventures all around the
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xi
Globe. This time it is a bike ride to ladakh
“BHAGWAN JAANE AGLA UTPATANG VICHAR
KYA HAI...!!!” (God knows what will be cooking
the next time).
I hope you all will fall in love with Akshay and
this book as I have.
Shalaka Morab
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xii
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xiii
Preface
It was a pleasant Sunday morning in the month of
January. I and Manish were enjoying a relaxed day.
We had returned from a successful adventure of
Bungee Jumping and River Rafting in the Ganges,
Rishikesh. We always lived by the dictum – “To be
old and wise, you have to be young and crazy!”
This always kept us on toes. It was our
endeavour to be at a stage where you name an
adventure and we would reply – “Been there. Done
that!”
Manish has an amazing approach towards life.
He always keeps himself occupied with new
experiences in life. Probably, this helps him to be
calm and composed even in the toughest situations.
His sense of humour and care free attitude attracts
everyone towards him. Yet we are still waiting for
him to get attracted to some girl!
Next on our bucket list was the motorcycle ride
in the Ladakh region. It is undoubtedly a biker’s
paradise. Living that moment was our aspiration.
This sowed the seeds of going on a motorcycle trip
in that part of the country.
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xiv
I personally never felt that it would be tough. It
was because of the trust that we had developed in
each other. We had lived a plethora of moments on
our bikes in different terrains of the country. The
spark had ignited. Our plans for the ride
commenced. While sharing thoughts with few
people, I got to know that there were two more
riders wanting to experience the pure bliss in the
mountains - Atmaj and Pritish. They were best
buddies. I even doubt if they have lived any
moment alone!
The Army has moulded us in such a way that
there was no friction in our thoughts. Everyone was
open and ready for everything.
I knew Pritish since my school days. We were
in fact in the same classroom when we passed our
matriculation exam. He belongs to the rarest species
of humans which are very innocent, down to earth
and performers in all facets of life. He has not been
in the rat race of the world where we lose the child
in us.
My interaction with Atmaj was very limited.
Nevertheless, in few meets, I was sure that he is a
happy go lucky man. His humility runs deep within.
It is because of this quality in him that he joins the
extraordinary league of people who have NO
haters!
At this point of time, all of us were undergoing
B-Tech qualification as a part of organisational
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xv
requirement. So, our leave was nothing but the
vacations that we got from the academics.
The common fabric that wove in all of us was –
LOVE FOR MOTORCYCLES! The passion to
ride brought us together. It was for that simple
reason for which we had to do this on our own
bikes. However, the limited leave from our
professional commitments didn’t give us the
freedom to explore infinitely. We had to cut short
our plan and formulate a day-wise schedule.
After going on through various options, we
plotted the master plan.
We would be transporting our motorcycles in a
truck to Chandigarh from where the ride would
commence. The route was planned using the Google
maps.
If you are a traveller, you would agree with me
that travelling is one of the finest teachers. The
outdoor experience that you share with other people
helps you to build cohesion. The nature on the other
hand has an ocean of experiences to teach. All this
along with the fun and frolic made us wait eagerly
for the D-day.
The only thing that lay between our dreams
was our examination…
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xvi
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xvii
Route Chart
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
xviii
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
Akshay Morab
1
The Initial Jerk
Our second semester engineering exams had just
gotten over and the results were soon to be declared.
We were pretty confident about our results. I just
hoped that it wouldn't turn into over confidence.
Abiding by the famous quote "Fortune favours the
brave", we left everything to our fate and kept our
fingers crossed. Preparations for our dream ride
never took a halt.
The excitement actually reached a new level.
To our astonishment, all four of us passed and this
ensured we could execute our plan completely.
Well, Manish, Pritish, Atmaj and I comprised
the crazy quartet. We were well prepared and fully
equipped with everything that we could think of.
Other than our individual riding gear, I was ready
with my DSLR and Atmaj was a step ahead by
investing wisely in the helmet-mounted camera so
that most of the route could be captured well.
Everything fell in place and was as per our
convenience. Without any hiccups, it was exactly
the way we had expected.
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
2 Wheels & No Limits
2
All four of us had packed our respective Royal
Enfield and had transported them to Chandigarh in a
truck. That was our start point and none of us were
ready to hire local bikes for this ride. So, we took
our own. The shipping address was of an old friend
of ours, Upmanyu Gaur who was located there. He
had confirmed about having received our bikes
safely within a couple of days after their dispatch.
One of the most important aspects was taken care
of.
Little did we know that the big blow was yet to
strike! It was waiting for a perfect time to detonate.
Having reached the Pune airport by 7 pm for an
8.30 pm flight to New Delhi, we thought that we
were well on time and hence completely safe. After
having collected our boarding passes, we lounged
around at the airport. As a routine measure, I just
went through the flow of events that evening.
Something struck my mind which gave me a great
shock. When you plan for the biggest contingencies,
you tend to overlook the minor ones - in fact they
might turn out to be the worst ones. Something very
similar happened with us when I realised that I had
forgotten my bike’s key! When I told this to others,
lo behold! I was not alone in this carelessness. Even
Pritish was reluctant to leave my company as he too
had forgotten. WTF! We were in a fix as to what we
could do in an hour!
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
Get Complete Book At Educreation Store
www.educreation.in
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.
