Travel Tales

Cycling on the Manegaon roads,outside Mulshi,Ahn stops near a small temple,speaks in Korean into a camcorder while also video shooting the temple and the scenic locations behind it. “This documentary aims at understanding the real world experiences of a bicyclist in different cultures and countries. The bicyclist being me,the story revolves around my travels,” says Ahn. For him,it is the diversity of the country that gripped his attention. “There is so much to see in Varanasi,Agra,Delhi,Jaipur,Mumbai,I could go on and on,” he says.

On the official website of With My Own Two Wheels ,Seigel-Boettner,who is the producer and co-director of the film,describes how in the West,a bicycle is used as a piece of luxury equipment whereas in India,it is a lifeline towards learning and a better life. “Child marriage is not a joke. Even something as simple as a bicycle can ensure that these girls have a means to travel to school. Keeping them in school seems like the best way to prevent child marriage,” he adds on the site. Seigel-Boettner’s team partnered with Pune-based NGO Ashta No Kai that has initiated the Bicycle Bank Project in India. A part of the documentary was shot for this project. Armeen Modi,founder of Ashta No Kai,says,“Jacob and his team learnt about our project and shot the documentary on one of our girls,Bharati,who was able to go to a high school and continue her studies after having received a bicycle through our project.”

Exploring India,hitherto unknown to them,is an adventure for these young filmmakers. Ahn has found a new-found love for spicy Indian food and feels that of the 12 countries that he has visited since September 2009,the food here reminds him the most of the cuisine back home. “But I have to admit that getting around here is difficult. First,the communication is not easy for both the locals and for me. Also,in whichever country I am in,the security of all my equipment and the bicycle worries me,” he says.

Seigel-Boettner describes the humid heat of Mumbai and gives examples of how some street-smart guides tried to take him and his crew for a jolly ride. But he also adds,on the website,“The crew,all Santa Barbara natives,grew up on their bicycles and experienced first hand the magic of two wheels. However,they see the film as a way of spreading the power of the two wheels to those who need it the most.”

While Seigel-Boettner’s film is being screened at festivals around the globe,Ahn is far from done. “It will take me six years more to finish the trip before I return. From Pune,I will travel by train to Jammu and then from there into Pakistan for my next leg,” he says. “I wanted to go to Africa before I go to Europe but with the current political unrest there,it seems difficult. Pakistan,Iran,Armenia and then Europe is the current plan. But it is subject to last minute changes,” he adds.