“Ladakh is an annual pilgrimage for me. This is the fifth year I am heading out,” says S. Mahesh Prasanna, who takes off there on his Royal Enfield Standard 500. “If it is Sabari Malai for others, it is the cold reaches of Ladakh for me.”
The minimalism of the rugged mountains appeals to the 40-year-old Prasanna. “It is surviving with the bare minimum, sometimes without the aid of technology or connectivity.”
Prasanna disdains GPS and finding out th ings on the internet, etc. “For me it is a time to get to know the local people along the way. That is the only way for long distance bikers. More so since meticulous planning may not always work. There are times, the bike may develop trouble, or you prefer to linger longer at a particular place...” Prasanna always has a plan B he says and rides with the flow.
Before the odyssey, he ensures he is fit. “I cycle a lot and that helps me keep fit. But it is also equally important to ensure you are strong mentally. And be prepared to deal with adversities in terrains that are sometimes hostile and completely uninhabited. So one is left to one’s own device and has to learn to fend for oneself,” he says.
Since he is on a bike, minimum luggage helps, says Prasanna. He says he carries clothes that are old, so that he uses them and disposes them along the way, thus lightening his load. But he always takes enough rain protection.
The journey is nothing less than a spiritual experience for him, says Prasanna. “I am away from all the stress and tensions of modern life. It allows me to unwind, introspect and recharge.” It is just him, Nature and his faithful bike, which he calls Iniyan.
Wheel deal
Get to know your bike inside out
Make sure the engine is in top shape
Get tyres suitable for the terrain
Carry spare parts such as spark plugs, tubes, wires, etc. It is critical
You must know the basic of mechanics
