On January 2, this year, six brothers and friends, Amish, Mehul, Sachin, Harsh, Parag, and Minesh set out on an incredible journey across India. With their trip commencing from Bangalore, they had 15 days panned out to reach Jaisalmer, Rajasthan in a pair of auto rickshaws. They had a planned route that took them through villages, towns, cities, and highways, giving them the opportunity to visit every ashram, temple and famous landmarks that came in the way.
As fun as the journey sounds, learning to drive the three wheeled motorised rickshaws was a challenge in itself, the group admitted. Actually navigating them on the busy streets of India seemed almost impossible and the only thing getting them through all the chaos were their spirits. They sampled small dhabas and made friends with the locals as their two rickshaws- Hakuna and Matata whirred through the roads. Their daily journey often involved traveling for eight hours and having to stop frequently to refuel and cool down the five horsepower engines. As uplifting as the trip was, the group did face several bumps and bruises along the way. Their machines needed repairs, and an accident in a remote village left Sachin needing evacuation to a hospital in Ahmedabad for surgery on his broken leg.
While the six have several memories and experiences than they can count, the highlight of their endeavour is the over £20,000 they have collected and donated to charity Just Imagine. The foundation was set up and run by members of the local Gujarati community and provides nutrition, medication, education, and accommodation to 560 children living with HIV in orphanages in Goa and Ethiopia.
