Juggling out of cubicles

This is exactly what adventure junkies Sachin Parikh and Vikrant Chheda thought. So to help people who are willing to go that extra mile,the two started a travel company called Whitecollar Hippies,that takes people on adventure trips,but with a difference – the trips involve travelling to a music festival with a band,learning how to build a boat and climb coconut trees and kayaking in Kerala,surfing on a secluded beach with sand sculpture classes and astronomy lessons in a Rajasthan desert. “Both Sachin and I travel a lot,and when we began discussing our trips,we realised that we underwent a lot of changes,” says Chheda. “These changes were tiny,ineffable,but they changed our outlook on life completely. We realised that once you go on adventure holidays,your definition of ambition changes,your goals change,and you come a lot closer to nature.”

Adventure trips are common abroad. But when the two decided to start a travel company for it in India,they realised that this was a virtually untapped market. “A lot of people want to travel alone,but do not know where to go. There is a whole section of society who would love nothing more than to fling on a bag and go backpacking. They are unsure where to go,how to go so they join groups,but at the same time,they do not want to be ushered around. Thus,our idea is to get them involved in the activities. So our group members will fish,cook and do all the little things that are usually reserved only for the guides,” says Chheda.

The company will also teach the group seemingly unrelated skills,but which serve a higher purpose. Chheda explains,“In our horse-riding camp,we are planning to teach the group how to juggle. One may feel that this has nothing to do with horses,but we disagree. Juggling is all about one’s poise,concentration and balance,all of which are what horse-riding also comprises,” says Chheda. Incidentally,the horse-riding camp doesn’t just teach one how to ride horses – the group will also learn to groom,saddle and feed them.

Obviously,the two cannot be everywhere and part of each trip. Thus,they have enlisted the help of travel guides and locals to help with their company. Shweta Singh,who shall be part of the Goa-bound groups,says,“There are a million travel tours dedicated to Goa,but there are certain things that nobody talks about,like Feni farming and sea kayaking. My plan is to take my groups for these,and on many other adventures.”

The company has had pilot trips since November and started officially in May this year and are catering to trips all over the country. “The most important thing is,our structures are not rigid. Our groups go forward during the day,and in the evenings and at night,group members are free to do whatever they want to. The whole idea is for people to connect with the outdoors,” smiles Chheda.