Expedition

Yesterday, enthusiastic motor bikers rode across the Mhadei River basin. Dr Prithvi Amonkar’s Wildtrek Adventures had organised ‘Bikesscape’ to take adventure enthusiasts on a day long trip through an elegant environment under siege. The bikers discovered the beauty and reality of the hinterland. The experience was refreshing as well as educational.

I suggested to the motor-bikers to watch the film, ‘Motorcycle Dairies’ - the story of a young Ernesto Guevara and his friend who travelled 5,000 miles, on a motorcycle. Exposed to situations and people he would have never met otherwise, the trip planted the initial seed of cognitive dissonance and radicalization within Guevara. The voyage, initially one of youthful indulgence, unfolded into a life defining experience for ‘Che’ Guevara.

We need to move around our world to understand it better. However, just self-indulgent wandering will not suffice. We need to involve a sense of purpose as well. And that purpose will be better served when the experience moves beyond the surface to a deeper and meaningful connect.

The world is full of earnest people but many do not move out of their comfort zones. From the ones who move, very few allow the experience to become substantial because their trips are too short to permit real understanding. Short rides expose us to surface realities, but it is only longer expeditions that can trigger worthy transformations.

To BE BETTER at ensuring transformation,
Our ride has to be a longer expedition!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.