Imagine travelling by rickshaw from Jaisalmer all the way to scenic Shillong. Sounds exhilarating and unbelievable, doesn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what city-based entrepreneur Darshak Jagadeesh did this month as part of the ‘Rickshaw Run’. The 30-year-old from namma ooru was the only Bengalurean on this wild 3,300 km ride which had 200 other fellow travellers from different countries exploring little towns and villages during this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
“My friend had posted about this event on Facebook and that’s how I got interested in it. It was organised by a group called The Adventurists and all this was done for a noble cause.
The money we collected from friends and family was used for a charity called Cool Earth and we also raised money for Asha for Education,” says Darshak, adding that the group collected $2,650 for charity. “We started in Jaisalmer and travelled via Jodhpur, Agra, Kanpur, Varasani, Bodh Gaya, Patna, a few national parks in West Bengal and we also entered Bhutan. We explored dhabas and even downed a few beers in the villages we stopped at. Our adventure ended with a party in Shillong,” shares Darshak of the event that was flagged off by the King of Jaisalmer himself and had 69 rickshaws in total.
The most memorable experience for him was going into picturesque Bhutan. “It’s actually a free border, that’s an experience I’ll never forget. We crossed the Brahmaputra in Assam and Ganges in Bihar and we also took photos of our rickshaw at the Taj Mahal! I realised that India is more beautiful than we thought it was.”
Of course, their ride had some minor obstacles like mechanical breakdowns that The Adventurists had to deal with. “Each rickshaw was customised according to the traveller’s liking. Our convoy had a few guys from New Zealand and everybody could choose their own route,” explains Darshak.
After spending more than two weeks on this escapade, he says, “We interacted with people in small town and villages and the kids there didn’t have money to go to school, but they were still so happy which was so surprising. We don’t realise how privileged we are to live in a city.”
