Himalayan Odyssey 09 - Standing on the shoulders of giants

Priyadarshan Bawikar        2 July 2009

What is it about Leh-Ladakh that makes it such a Mecca for Indian bikers? What makes people go there over and over again? I explore the spiritual side of motorcycling in the Himalayas.

Related Link

Himalayan Odyssey '09 Special Coverage

Wet shoes, wet jeans, broken helmet visor, snow collecting on glasses... I'm as cold and miserable as I could possibly get while crossing Rohtang. Just three days into the journey and the thought of turning back has already crossed my mind. But something changed later that day. The snow stopped beating down, and even though I was as cold, the misery disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Standing before me were the mighty Himalayas - snow capped peaks, gorgeous river valleys, massive cliffs - all built to a scale that was really impossible to comprehend at first glance. I had never seen anything so beautiful and serene in my life before and the feeling was extremely overwhelming. All my pains and worries seemed inconsequential in the presence of those colossal mountains. That's what the Himalayas do to you...

On the entire journey to Leh, surrounded by these enormous mountains, it becomes very difficult to think of them as mere rocks. They appear as giants - ancient entities that have been there for millions of years before we were born and which will live on for millions more after we're gone. They're always there, looking over you as you ride on through, their scale making one feel totally insignificant, and at the same time, blessed to be in their company. It is truly one of the most humbling experiences one can ever have. No wonder our ancient texts talk about the Himalayas in great reverence, describing them as the abode of the gods and a lot of the peaks bear their names after deities. And even though it has been about a week since I've come back from the Himalayan Odyssey, I'm already desperately missing seeing the omnipresent mountains each time I look outside the window.

There are many places one can ride a motorcycle to in order to have a great ride. India is varied enough to present all sorts of riding conditions to keep every type of biker happy. But I've come to think that riding in the Himalayas has something that no other place on earth can possibly offer. While I firmly believe the best way to do this journey is on a motorcycle, the riding part soon becomes just incidental and the nature of the journey really transcends the physical, delving deep in the spiritual and mystical. There is an unfathomable magic in those mountains and one can feel its ever presence when one is among them. As I rode through these behemoths, I found an inner peace that I cannot even begin to explain and all I could do was shed a silent tear in veneration. And with that, I made a promise to myself, like the hundreds of riders before me that I shall return on this pilgrimage soon.