Karkala: Four youth from Karkala covered a distance of 10892 Kms in 20 days in two bikes and returned with strong memories of sacrifice and love for Karnataka in a distant land.
Rajat Shenoy, Stephan Gomes, Rajesh Salian and Stanley Fernandes took off on their bullet bikes early in the morning at 4 am on August 13.
They touched states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh before landing in Kashmir during their onward journey. In Kashmir, they spent around 7 days exploring the beauty of the valley, mainly Ladakh region. They went through dangerous stretches, crossed treacherous ravines, bridges built by Indian army before touching Ladakh to experience the serenity of nature and the love of people. On their return journey, they touched Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and reached their hometown Karkala on September 3 at 5 pm.
They were moved by the hardships faced by the Indian Soldiers in the Kashmir valley. The youth sensed the sacrifice of the soldiers in guarding the mother land. The bike journey was planned to inspire the Indian army soldiers stationed in Kashmir who wage battle against the enemy as well as face the vagaries of the weather on a routine basis. The extremities in the weather posed challenge to the youth resilience. Ultimately, the youth ended using their own helmets to escape from severe cold conditions. Their bikes withstood the road tests enabling the youth to explore the best locations in the valley.
Local BJP MLA and chief whip V Sunil Kumar, BJP MP Shobha Karandhlaje and SP Annamalai assisted them in documentation to prevent hassles during their journey at sensitive check points. Most days the youth slept between 12.30 am and 4.30 am (only for 4 hours) and in Ladakh the resting period was further reduced due to extreme cold conditions.
The youth were fascinated by the love and affection shown by the soldiers when they introduced themselves as residents of Karanataka. Rajat Shetty recollected moments where the soldiers assisted the youth by providing them oxygen when they experienced difficulty in breathing at high altitudes. Summing up the whole experience he said, the nation is fortunate to have such dedicated men guarding our borders.
