Born to be free

Adventure sports aren't always about seeking adrenaline. For many, it's a way of breaking free from the shackles that bind and limit us

Rayna Aranha, 34, can easilyqualify as the poster girl foradrenaline junkies. Unlike colleagueswith home loans andsizeable savings, thisBangalore-based IT professional admitsto not having the 'right' bank balancefor her age, but that's only to be expected.Aranha has bigger things to tackle,like life's several neglected fears thatadd up over the years with the potentialto leave us incapacitated -- fear ofheights, fear of depths, fear of theunknown, even motion sickness.

For Aranha, there's only one thingto do when faced with such a fear --take up an adventure sport that bringsher face to face with it.

"I have motion sickness, and thebest way for me to beat my inhibitionis to take the wheel and go," said Aranha,who learnt driving at 13 and soon beganto take road trips across the country.

It was on one of these driving tripsthat she met the group of people whointroduced her to rallying. "Rallyingis a hard sport to be in, not to mentionexpensive, but I enjoyed my two yearsof it thoroughly," she said. "It was anow or never moment for me, but Iknew I didn't want to get chained to a desk job, "she said

It was a similar decision that BadalDoshi -- currently India's second rankingSuper-Cross champion -- took in1994 as a 16-year-old. "I come from aGujarati family -- we're meant to makemoney," he joked. "My parents werevery unhappy that I chose to pursuesomething where you spend a lot money,but make very little," said the NaviMumbai resident.

But the 33-year-old MotoX and rallychampion, who represented India atthe Asian Scooter Grand Prix in 2006and 2007, has no regrets.

"I eventually had to help out in thefamily business, because even thoughI was bringing home the trophies, Iwas making no money," said Doshi.

Whatever money Doshi made, he'dpump back into his sport. In the past17 years, he has participated in over150 events, garnered more than a 100wins, and visited "every city betweenthe Himalaya and Tamil Nadu."

While for Doshi, extreme adventuresport was a way of following his passionin the face of parental displeasure,for 38-year-old entrepreneurArachana Trasy, it offered a muchneededbreak from her hectic workschedule. Trasy, who owns an entertainmentdesign firm, went skydivingin Australia in January.

To drive home the point, she renteda Harley Davidson and rode 45 kmto the skydiving institute, where sheunderwent a rigorous training of 'kneebending, shoulder tapping, hand openinginstructions and exercises', beforebeing flown 25,000 ft high for a jump.

"You jump and freefall at a speedthat you've never been at in your life.You're so high up in the sky falling withno control -- the feeling is astounding,"she said.

The freefall may have lasted fourminutes, but the experience gave Trasya high that lasted for days after.

Sports commentator Charu Sharma,50, was one of the first Indians to climbMt Meru in an Indo-Swedish expeditionin 1986. And while Sharma hasbeen an avid mountaineer since college,driven by "the incredible attractionof the topography, the weather,the scenery and the loneliness" of amountain range, his passion for mountaineeringis not to seek adventure.

"One of the first things you realisewhen you attempt a climb is that youmay not return. In that context, I'vemade some of the best friends of mylife," said Sharma.

"And once you return," he added,"You have a greater appreciation ofwhat you left behind."

"Mountaineering is way of breakingfree from the small unnecessarythings we get caught up with in oureveryday lives. It's a great way to getrid of the notion that we are indispensable,"he said.

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