Years ago,
Radhika Rao and her younger sister, Poornima, from Chennai, had decided on going on an
India tour someday. But after they both started working, it was difficult to
chalk out their route and make the journey. However, Radhika decided to go
against the odds and fulfil her dream. On April 9 this year, she packed her
bags and left Chennai on her newly bought Bajaj Avenger Street 220 and has so
far travelled 25,500 kilometres, covering 28 states and four union territories.
What was the turning point for this youngster? “I work as a freelance
photographer and I was working to make short films and movies. Though I had
this idea in my mind, a director suggested that it will be a different feeling
to travel on a bike and make a video of India. That night, I could not sleep as
I kept imagining travelling through the vastness of the country. I decided I have
to do this trip,” said Radhika, who has already moved on with her journey and
is currently in Bangalore.
Her instant decision
led her to increase her weight from 44 kilograms to 53 kilograms, learn boxing
and self defence and get basic mechanical training. “I had asked my father if
he would accompany me on the bike but due to his work commitments, he could not
travel. I then took a car drive from Chennai to Bangalore to see if I could do
it on my own,” said Radhika, daughter of Janardhan, who works in IT, and
Saraswati, a central government employee.
Radhika prefers
driving around but for this trip, she wanted to get closer to the people and
nature as she is on a mission to collect the most smiling photographs. Her
mission is called ‘Peace through smiles’, and she has an interesting story for
every photograph she has captured. “I click photos with my Nikon D7000 and my
photos include landscapes and smiles. If I am clicking a selfie with a person,
I get a broader smile. It is an amazing experience to interact with so many
people and this will be a lifetime of memories for me,” she said. She has even
interacted with Tejaswi Yadav, Indian politician, former cricketer and the son
of Lalu Prasad Yadav. She has been documenting this trip on her Facebook page,
titled ‘Carefree Vagabond’.
Her bike has been
customised to suit her needs. It has been installed with a GPS and a charger
for her mobile, to help her select routes. “It also helps my parents keep a
track of my whereabouts without getting worried. I also attached a compartment
at the back of the bike to fit in my essentials. Initially, I wanted to ride a
Royal Enfield, but it was much heavier and with the loaded luggage, it would be
difficult to manoeuvre. Right now, the total weight of my bike is 200 kilograms,”
explained Radhika. She rides through the day and takes breaks to interact with
the people on the way. She aims to complete at least 300 kilometres in a day.
“This
trip is not just about breaking barriers; it is also about courage. You need to
have patience to achieve what you want and you must not lose hope and
confidence in the process,” concluded Radhika. For the remainder of the
journey, Radhika will travel through Mysore, Wayanad, Cochin, Kanyakumari,
Rameshwaram, Madurai and Pondicherry, before reaching Chennai.
