14

the guide PEOPLE

JULY 31, 2011. SUNDAY MiD DAY

THE GIRL IN BIKER BOOTS

AKSHATA SHETTY
akshata.shetty@mid-day.com

Stunt biker Urvashi Patole, one the top 20 contenders for the first Biker of the Year award, loves make-up and respects rules
laughs. Her journey began when her dad gifted her her first bike, the Bajaj Exceed 125, in 2006. He told me that more than owning a bike with a large capacity engine it was important to first perfect the riding technique, she says. Patolia, speaks passionately about empowering women. Women have a lot of potential to do things and Im not just talking about biking, she says. Quick to dismiss any suggestions that seek to stereotype her as a tomboy, she says, People think of me as someone who is manly and only into stuff that interests guys. But thats not true. I also love to dress up and put on make-up as other girls of my age do. At the moment, the fire in her belly comes from the anticipation of the 20-day Leh-Ladakh tour she will be undertaking in August with her friends from The Bikerni, through which they want to enter the Limca Book of Records for being part of the first all-female motorcycling expedition in India. Before she signs off she says, Do not go for a high-end bike just because it looks cool. Buy one that you can handle comfortably. Also buy an ISImarked helmet that fits you properly. That is crucial.

Sangram Singh (standing) and Jayesh Shikarkhane wont take lessons in riding a rickshaw till two days before the Rickshaw Run that starts on September 10.
PIC/ ATUL KAMBLE

FOR Urvashi Patolia to be among the top 20 contenders for the the Biker of the Year 2011 is not unexpected. After all, the 23 year-old motorcyle enthusiast founded the countrys all-women motorcyclist association of India, The Bikerni, in January. The Bikerni members go on biking expeditions across the country, collaborate on dirt racing and stunts and get together to share notes on their passion. Patolia, a resident of Aundh in Pune, entered the contest three weeks ago after getting to know about it via Extra Breaking Horsepower (XBHP), an online motoring forum that she is a member of. The Biker of the Year 2011 is an initiative by CEAT Bike Tyres along with other sponsors to honour the men and women who ride the machines that hog the limelight the rest of the time. Prizes include a custom edition of the Ceat Pulsar 220, as well as an Asus laptop. The winner will be announced on August 7. I began biking six years ago. My family always encouraged adventure. My mom is a polo champion and my father has always been into motorcycles, she says. Interestingly, her sporty parents only discovered her love for bikes when she broke her first bone while practising stunts on a friends motorcycle two years ago, she

THE 2-STROKE
DHAMINI RATNAM
dhamini.ratnam@mid-day.com

ROAD TRIP
JAYESH Shikarkhane, Sangramsingh Salvi and Yogesh Desai have known each other long enough to indulge in some Bollywood bonding along the lines of Dil Chahta Hai, or even the more recent Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The former college mates (junior college, mind you) may have branched out to pursue different things in life, but the one thing that bound them was their shared love for adventure. Which is why, when Theadventurists(.com) threw open the enrollment of the Rickshaw Run 2011, all Shikarkhane did was tell Desai, a 28 year-old engineer and Salvi, a 26 yearold post graduate of chemical engineering, currently preparing for his UPSC examination, to come up with 1,095 pounds as their registration fees. Desai wired his third across, Salvi took a loan from his dad and 27 yearold Shikarkhane, an ad filmmaker and adventure sport enthusiast, robbed a bank, as he puts it, to submit their fee. As far as we are concerned, the most difficult part of the process is over, says Shikarkhane, who has been trying to enrol for the Rickshaw Run, organised by UK based company The League of Adventurists International Ltd, since the past two years. The Rickshaw Run will be held from September 10 to 24, 2011, and participating teams will be required to ride an auto rickshaw from Shillong in Meghalaya to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. They can chart their own route, and the trio are keen to take their three-wheeler through Bhutan and Nepal. Shikarkhane speaks from experience. In 2009, he and Desai went on a three-day survival trip to the beaches of

A trio of friends will embark on their journey of a lifetime 3,000 km from Shillong to Jaisalmer in September. But, instead of a convertible, theyre making the trip in a humble autorickshaw

Log on to www.bikeroftheyear.in to find out if Urvashi made it to the top six contestants on Aug 2.
PIC / KRUNAL GOSAVI

Goa and Gokarna. We decided to conduct an experiment to test how well we can survive without money. We stayed in tents and ate only what we caught from the sea. The first day we went hungry and panicked. The second day, we fared better we caught crabs, and pomfret fish that we cooked on a fire. By the third day, we caught a sword fish, says Shikarkhane. If either one of us had bailed then, the whole trip would have failed, adds Desai. The trip did more than just putting them in touch with their survival instinct and teaching them selfreliance it showed them how important teamwork is. Salvi may not have been part of that life-changing trip, but hes done a 21- Yogesh Desai, a trained service engineer, day backpacking journey with Desai in can repair a three-wheeler because of a 2006 in Kashmir. workshop he took 2 years ago We were caught in the middle of a cross fire between soldiers and youth, employed as a service engineer in a and we also saw unbelievable beauty. large auto company and Salvi has No one can remain untouched after an already ridden one thanks to a neighexperience like that, says Desai. bour back in his village in Ratnagiri. The trio are banking on their team Its not easy, says Salvi. The rickspirit to take them through. However, shaw is a tripod after all, and can easily there is also a touch of daring to their tip over if you dont turn at the right endeavour, evidenced in the way the speed. three are keen to chart their route only The ride will raise money for two closer to the journey date. charities the Adventurists offers We dont want to plan our route them a list of 50 to choose from. The now, says Shikarkhane. He adds that trio are aiming to raise at least 1,000 they wont learn how to ride a rickshaw pounds for Frank Water Projects and till the journey begins either. the Wildlife Protection Society of India. There are close to 70 other teams But theyre intent to have the ride of coming for this trip from around the their lives while theyre at it. world and they will be given only two days to master riding a rickshaw. We At present, they have raised 385 dont want to give ourselves an unfair pounds. Want to sponsor them? Visit advantage, says Shikarkhane. Sounds noble, but Desai already their website www.teentigaadu.com knows how to repair a rickshaw he for contact details took a week-long workshop while