The Road Less taken

Recalling the time when the germ of an idea grew into a strong will,he says,“After consulting with the team at Tyre Marks (the group organising the tour),and getting a fit certificate from his doctor,I purchased a brand new 150 cc motorbike for the tour,which was to happen in August.” Prasad adds that initially,it was pure excitement of trying something new and the theough ot making any record didn’t even cross his mind.

On August 6,2011,Prasad departed along with a group of around 25 members for Chandigarh. He was the oldest in the group. From Chandigarh,the adventurous gang travelled to Manali,Rohtang Pass,Khardung La and finally Leh. The return leg saw them drive down to Jammu via Kargil,and Srinagar.

Describing an incident during the trip he says,“There is a two km stretch near the Rohtang Pass which is only slush and muck. It is an unwritten rule that people fall at least once there. It was painful to cross the stretch. And yes I did fall. Even Khardung La had rain,snow and fog,which hit us at the same time. It was tough but fun. And I was the only member who didn’t fall ill on the trip.”

It was at Srinagar that he realised something had changed. “People were coming to me,hugging,some touched my feet. In fact on the drive back from Leh,we ran into a lot of roadside dhabas and vendors who told me that they had never seen someone my age come this far away,” he says.

Returning back to civilisation after August 21 and after having had an outside conviction that he had set a record,he contacted the LBR. “I submitted all the proofs that they wanted,only to learn that I had missed their 2011 deadline by two months. The cut-off period was June. So I had to apply in 2012 June. Not that it made any difference to me. I didn’t exactly want to run behind a record. Mainly,because I never went to Leh with the concept of creating one.”

However last year in June,he submitted his proofs and after a series of mails between LBR and him. On February 22,this year,he got a confirmation saying that the record was created. “It was a happy feeling. I told my friends about it and my family. Everyone was over the moon and happy for me,” he says.

Attributing the fit life to a combination of a right diet,yoga,swimming and walking,Prasad is once again considering the roads. “I feel them call out to me at times. I want to go back to Leh. Maybe I will. Besides,wouldn’t it be fun to break your own record once?” he concludes.