Author: Qui Nyugen

Trailing Che with Avinash Thadani

Trailing Che with Avinash Thadani The news that he is riding all the way from Mumbai on his KTM 640 has already made an impression in the minds of the MTM participants. The eagerness to hear his story is palpable. And then heaves in the massive bright orange KTM 640; muddy from the ride, with more than a foot of clearance and a legacy of a great trip. On it, is Avinash Thadani – lean, bearded, restless, constantly bobbing and swaying and always ready with a humorous retort. His disarming and friendly demeanor is almost infectious. It’s the post...

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Travelling With a Purpose

Travelling with a purpose Sprightly and purposeful, the youngest speaker at MTM jumped up to take his spot to tell us about his journey within India. What was unique? The fact that the then 19 year old and his senior accomplice of 29 years had traversed through India, but with a purpose! A young Ashish shared his story with MTM to bring home a strong message. While adrenalin pumping trips to Leh and around have been part of itineraries, how about adding a touch of conscious travels to the rides? It was planning for one such trip with Asim...

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Riding with the Veteran-Navroze Contractor

Riding with the Veteran He took us to an era when pudding bowl helmets were in rage and petrol for Rs 1.25 per liter! The oldest rider in the coterie – the one with maximum stories, funniest anecdotes and the best advice for the youngsters! The MTM quorum would have been incomplete without traversing into the sixties with Navroze Contractor! He had us at “….riding for the last 57 years” and there was silence in the entire room – only ruptured by uproarious laughter on the punch lines. From cleaning his brother’s BSA Goldstar in 1956, Navroze straight away...

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Shrinking the World-Jay

How a Chicken Curry Shrinks the World The one thing that sticks in one’s mind from Jay’s talk is the video of the Bolivian salt flats in Salar de Uyuni, whizzing past the bike; kilometres of it, not changing in topography even once. While sitting and watching this on film is intriguing, Jay tells that it is a haunting experience. You can close your eyes and ride for minutes and when you open them, nothing changes. There is still an eery whiteness around you. This and hundreds of more bizarre but beautiful moments come rushing back to him as...

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The Invincible Visa Man -BJ

The Invincible Visa Man This could well be the introduction for a super hero! With a sufficient measure of audacity and indomitable spirit, this is the story of Bharadwaj Dayala or BJ as he prefers to be called. He is nothing short of a hero for the riders in India and his story around the world promises the thrill of an action packed time. An account of his eighteen-month long ride around the world amassed ample fascination for the unassuming, highly engaging speaker at the Motorcycle Travellers Meet (MTM 2013). More than that, he left bikers with just one...

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