Long Way Round

Parikh,who loves travelling,was working in Bangalore till about a year ago. After work,he would frequent a particular coffee shop in Indiranagar and mull over his work,read up and make plans. “I felt lost in the Bangalore crowd. I wanted to get away for a bit and since I have always enjoyed travelling,I decided to explore my options. I have made solo and group trips within India,and this time,wanted to try something more challenging,” says Parikh,who has lived and worked in six different cities and is currently based in Pune.

As Parikh is fond of saying,“One thing led to another.” Now along with two team-mates — 21-year-old Jignesh Talasila and 25-year-old Pragati Singh — Parikh is set to travel from the southern-most tip of India to the tip of Europe. They will travel through 24 countries and over 60 major cities — all in a span of 100 days. “One of the funniest things about our team is that we have never met,” says Parikh with a laugh. He found Talasila through one of their common friends. Talasila,who is a Bangalore-based IT professional,was “one of the most enthusiastic applicants”,according to Parikh. And Singh contacted them through Facebook,asking if they were passing through Goa. Delhi-based Singh,who is a photographer,blogger and doctor,is currently working on a project in Goa.

But Parikh hit a road block while deciding the details of their trip. “The Google maps don’t give much about roads in China. So I researched for a few weeks and finally figured that I could travel through Nepal,Tibet and Kyrgyzstan towards Europe,” he says,adding that though this route adds an extra 3,000 km to the journey,the team is excited about travelling at an altitude of 12,000 ft for that stretch.

The idea of attempting to enter the Limca Book of Records happened by chance. “Though this is not the first such attempt. The earlier record was created by a couple who only drove one-way from London to Delhi in 2010. We will be travelling from Kanyakumari to Cabo da Roca,a distance of around 33,000 km,” he says.

Parikh estimates that the trip will cost up to Rs 25 lakh,including fuel expenses. With a few sponsors backing them,Parikh now wants to add a new dimension to the trip — a social cause. “With Pragati on board with us,we have decided to meet different women from the countries we cross and ask them what makes them feel safe. The result of this study,I’m sure,will be very interesting and we plan to share it with the NGOs here,” he says.

Parikh is also talking to a few car companies,one of which may provide the team with an SUV to undertake the trip. Right now,the team has their hands full with visa applications and various permissions to be taken. “If everything goes as planned,we will start the journey in the last week of April,” concludes Parikh on a positive note.