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Two Karnataka cyclists ride 3,500 km to Kashmir
Jagadish Kulal (24) and Shrinidi Shetty(26), the two mechanical engineers working as production executives in a multinational company, left Kudla in the port city of Mangalore on October 1 and reached the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir on Wednesday (October 26).
Two friends from Karnataka travelled to Kashmir on their cycles in 26 days to complete a 3,500 km ride raising awareness on the environment and organ donation on the way.
Jagadish Kulal (24) and Shrinidi Shetty(26), the two mechanical engineers working as production executives in a multinational company, left Kudla in the port city of Mangalore on October 1 and reached the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir on Wednesday (October 26).
“After crossing eight different states riding 3,500+ km for over 26 days, finally we are in Kashmir,” Kulal told HT on Thursday.
The cyclist said that the ride was aimed at creating awareness among people about the environment and organ donation. “We need to go green before green is lost. Also, people don’t realize that life is a gift which should be passed on,” he said.
Though, in their 20s and in the best of their health to travel, the ride was never an easy task for the duo.
“When we started from Karnataka it is a heavy rainfall area. Then we entered Gujarat and Rajasthan, which are very hot areas and finally, when we entered Kashmir it was freaking cold for us,” Kulal said.
He said idea came to the fore two years back when they initially decided to travel Manali-Ladakh-Khardungla.
“We made the 500-km ride last year, but it was completely climbing and high-altitude travel. We passed five high-altitude passes. That gave us the confidence for this adventure,” he said.
An NGO helped the duo in arranging their stay and meet people.
He said that the best part of their trip was listening to people and learning about India’s unity in diversity. “Despite different religions, cultures, and languages, the people of India live together with love and peace. How true is this? Throughout the journey, we received moral and physical support from so many strangers, and the best part of this ride was listening to the beautiful stories of the people we met there. Exploring the food and culture of 8 different states was just a fantastic experience,” he said.
