Biker Boys

Rawat,who got a prosthetic limb fitted when he was 24-years-old,is just back from a 6,000-km biking expedition from Mumbai to the rocky terrains of Leh. His travel companions were Manoj Mehta,a farmer from Jharkhand who lost both his legs in a recent accident,and Santosh Dumal,a travel agent from Nashik crippled by polio. The trio undertook the 28-day journey through treacherous mountain roads,battling hostile weather to raise funds for those rendered homeless by the 2010 flashfloods and mudslides in Leh. By the end of the trip,they had succeeded in raising more than Rs 15 lakh for the international non-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity that offers aid to those without a roof over their heads.

“In all,we plan to build 24 houses that are well insulated against the rough weather conditions and hence are slightly more expensive. So when Vinod approached us saying he would like to raise money for five homes,we were more than happy,” said Naresh Karmalker from Habitat for Humanity.

The trio flagged off their journey from Carter road on July 31 — Rawat on a Royal Enfield Bullet and the two others on relatively modest bikes with low power. “It was our chance to give something back to the society,to support others who were in need of help,” said Vinod,a regular at the Mumbai Marathon,biking and mountaineering trips and a former finalist in MTV Roadies.

Buckled under the weight of backpacks that contained their month-long food supplies,spare parts,clothes,tent and fingers that often went numb with cold,the trio had two back-up bikers following them all along. With stopovers at Vapi,Ankleshwar,Ahmedabad,Jaipur,Delhi,Chandigarh and Bilaspur,the group went on to navigate their bikes through the treacherous Manali-Rohtang pass.

At Leh,as the group dug foundations for the new homes along with families of the victims,Army jawans too rolled up their sleeves to join in. The most cathartic moment was when on August 15 they unfurled the Tricolour at Khardung-La,the world’s highest motorable road. Battered by three days of incessant snow and rains,the Army personnel at the mountain peak were more than surprised to see Vinod and his friends,the first visitors on the peak in several days.

“I first met Manoj two years back at Jaipur where he had come to get prosthetic limbs fitted immediately after his accident. Back then he told me that he had nothing to live for. But from the moment he heard about our mission he was most eager to join in,” said Vinod,who founded his Convoy Control Club,the bikers’ club for disabled after a premier bikers’ club in Mumbai refused him membership citing his handicap as a reason.

In an irony of sorts,the very group that refused him entry recently undertook a similar expedition to Leh around the same time as he did. “Of the 38 bikers who set off as part of the group,only seven could complete the strenuous journey while the rest dropped out one by one,” said Vinod,who typical of his indomitable spirit,is already charting out plans to scale Mount Everest next year.