Life is all about dynamism, movement, and a journey that is accomplished with different rapidities depending on different situations. Many a times several occasions come and pass by without getting noticed. However there are a few of those that deserve to be captured. Here’s a similar effort to tie some of the scattered memory traces gathered during the weekend rafting ride to Shivpuri (near Rishikesh).

Starting with a Bikers’ Club and getting so many like-minded people involved in it has been a great achievement for one and all. The club is achieving great heights ride after ride. When I had joined the organization the first ride was in the pipeline and soon the bikers were off to Neemrana on a daylong ride. Looking at its success, the group decided to form a club where like-minded people share a common platform. I was never into riding in my life so much but adventure is something that gives me a high and therefore I decided to go ahead on the ride.Riding now being one of the ongoing activities has drawn enough attention of several adventurers around us.

With all the pre ride communications, instructions and planning in place, the big day finally came. It was Saturday 12th Nov 2005, early morning 5:00 A.M. when all the enthusiasts lined up their bikes at vCustomer to flag off the longest rides ever with ‘vThe Riders’. At the crack of dawn, the caravan roared off to hit the highway. The chilly winter morning, empty roads and the roaring sounds of the ten bikes moving in a streamline brought much excitement to all. Enjoying the ride all the way with sunrise, bumpy roads at times, we stopped at Khatauli (UP) for a break. It was fun enjoying the freshness of early morning, with ‘adrak wali pure doodh ki chai’.

We enjoyed commenting on the traffic, the roads, and the passersby. It was least tiring that way. I enjoyed the thrill on the mountain turns with swinging of the bike. Soon we arrived at the camps of Indo-Ganga, our travel coordinators. We had traveled around 325 Km until now but it did not reflect in anyone’s attitude. All were still full of similar energy, & enthusiasm as in the start of the ride. The sight of the camp at the banks of the Ganges was picturesque and awe inspiring. Since everything was time-bound and tight we needed to change quickly and get ready for rafting after lunch. It was a lavish lunch with sumptuous food; it seemed all the more better to satisfy our hungry stomachs.

The expedition began on the white waters of the Ganges, rowing forward and backward in a rhythm as and when the instructions came, rolling over the rapids was extremely thrilling. Competition and cross comments floating across the two rafts made the water along with our bellies to roller coaster. The evening at the camp was an opportunity for all to unwind. The fabulous bonfire with snacks & drinks let everybody loosen out.

The place was so magnetically attractive that nobody wanted to leave and come back to Delhi. There were ideas popping up to change plans and stay back or move on to some other place, but at the end of the day, the fact was that we had to come back. Having played volley ball in the white sand, and taking last dips in the water, trying all possible thrills, capturing the moments through the camera lens we were all ready to pack up these memories to take back home.

After having enjoyed the fun of camping, it was time to get back to riding again. Having briefed the group about the rules of the game yet another time and deciding the leads and the tails, the group decided to move in close formation. Believe me, it was a treat to watch 16 riders on 10 bikes swinging down the curves of the striking mountains.
Finally with all the ordeals on the way we successfully reached Delhi at around 11:30 in the night, bid each other goodbye, and took away the memories packed in our own rucksacks in the best possible ways.