Rocking on rocky roads

Ah! The sweet leaves of autumn. As the season has arrived, it is also time for festivals like Dussehra and Diwali, where schools and colleges and, to an extent, offices, show respite and mercy by giving a break from the doldrums of life. Some spend their holidays at home with family, and bond over chai and samosas. Others, on the other hand, hit the road listening to the tunes of Kabira and Jiya re, and travel to rejuvenate. Yet others like to explore local culture and new places, or, perhaps, seek adventure.

“I usually like to visit those places where I can connect with a lot of people. I prefer tripping solo because these days you can meet new people on a trip. I have met people from places such as Italy, France, America, and Israel, because these people travel a lot in our country.” shares 25-year-old photographer, Shalini Kaushik.

Picture credit: Shalini Kaushik

For 31-year-old charted accountant, Sree Hari, travelling is more to disconnect from regular, monotonous life. “I usually look forward to those trips where I can disconnect from my daily routine. When you are on the road you come across a lot of people and that is altogether a different experience. You get know their stories. For me, it’s to get inner peace. What matters to me is the journey, not the destination.”

Nature’s beauty seems much closer from the seat of a saddle. For 28-year-old Abhilasha Singh, bikes offer a more intimate connection with people of the places you pass through.

There has been an observation that individuals are now travelling more and more. Kartik Sharma, who works in Travel and Tourism company points out, “It's been five years of me being into the field of tourism and I have seen things change. Now people are travelling more usingroads than flights. Travel groups have also increased. Travellers are now connecting through social media.”

“When one travels to places on a motorcycle, they learn more about the place. When you are on a bike, you are a part of the scenery. You meet people.” Abhilasha shares.

 You talk to them about the culture and environment of the area. You tend to get a lot more on a bike,” shares Abhilasha.     

“I was born in a family where exploring the unexplored is a tradition. It was when I went to college and those luxury family trips ended that I started going alone, making me a traveller from a tourist. When I started travelling alone, I started feeling the thirst to go beyond boundaries to places untouched by most people. My bike is a true companion, leading me to roads that cannot be traversed by any other vehicle… this is what keeps you rolling on the road forever,” shares Nitesh.