Changing the wheel of life

Spirited rider

Travelling is a joy that most cannot enjoy due to their hectic job schedules and other responsibilities. But some courageous ones, who get tired of their mundane nine-to-five jobs, always do something extraordinary. Dhruv Dholakia, travel blogger, is one such person, who is going on a cross country ride, away from familiar surroundings and the comfort of a family, to raise awareness for  a cause.

He says, “Every morning, I would wake up and go to work and do the same task that I have been doing for so many years. Though responsibilities increase, the job remains the same. I saw that my junior, who is five years younger to me, is doing the same job as I. And my boss, who is five years ahead of me, is also doing the same thing. I started thinking that five or 10 years down the lane, I’ll be just like him and I realised I didn’t want that. I wanted to do something extraordinary with my life. And I have always loved travelling. If you want to win big in life, you have to play the game.”

From a young age he has been travelling on his own across the world and India. When he landed a job, his travelling days came to an end as he realised that he gets only two weeks off in the entire year and that time was not enough if you really want to enjoy travelling.

“Just before I joined my job a friend of mine showed me pictures of Ladakh, it was so amazing and I wanted to go there. It’s been 13 years and I still haven’t made it there. During a difficult phase of my life I realised that I don’t want to waste my life in such a manner, so I made up my mind. I wanted to do something different with my life. So, I started the blog ‘On a Bullet Yatra’ to capture and preserve the unifying elements of our
nation,” he says.

On his Royal Enfield Desert Storm Classic 500, he began his journey in September from Mumbai; his first stop was Pune and then Kohlapur. Like any journey, he too faced many challenges along the way. His biggest challenge turned out to be the unpredictable weather.

   “I thought monsoon season would get over in West India by September 20. It was all good when I was on the road to Pune and Kohlapur. From Kohlapur to Goa, with some 100 kilometres remaining, it started to rain. The rain was so bad that I had to stop every 15 minutes and find shelter. I did that five times and then I gave up. It was getting dark and I knew I had to make a run for it. So last 50 kilometres I rode in torrential rain and reached my destination all drenched,” he elaborates.

Like any other traveller, he too got stuck in the land of sun, sand and beaches. It took him two weeks to cover entire North Goa and all its beaches and churches. When you are on the open roads, it’s hard to follow a schedule or time line. “I had initially planned to spend one night at each place. In Hampi, I got stuck for nine nights. It was such a beautiful place and there was so much to see that I couldn’t leave. I was supposed to be in Bengaluru in October but I reached only in November.”

At every junction of our life, we need some kind of motivation and inspiration to keep going. When life takes us down, there is always one person who can help us to get back on our feet. According to Dhruv, the journey itself wasn’t the inspiration.

 “Steve Jobs inspires me.That guy has changed the face of seven industries. I read in his book that he has read only three books in his life and one of the book is an autobiography of a yogi and he read that book once every year. In his Stanford commencement speech, he said that if you wake up in the morning and find out that it is your last day, how will you live it; to just imagine that and all the negative baggage of your life will vanish. I have heard that speech some 100 times, and it inspires me each time”.