One life to ride by Ajit Harisinghani

I had picked this up on a whim while shopping at Landmark one evening with my lovely wife. We were in the area attending some pre-wedding ceremonies for a cousin of mine. We had some free time and decided to go browse .

The book is interesting, but not as gripping as I’d expect travelogues to be. Let me correct that. It’s not as gripping because I’ve set my bar to expect travelogues to be like Chasing the Monsoons and Butter Chicken in Ludhiana.

That said, it’s a fun book. The guy has a sense of humour (even for a 54 year old) and a thirst for adventure. A patient who shares his thirst for riding bikes (but cannot any more after a semi-paralyzing stroke) is what gets Ajit back on the bike for a ride of his lifetime, over a decade after his last one.

He goes all the way from Pune to Shrinagar via Leh and Ladakh, and meets an ensemble of interesting characters along the way. The scenic beauty, though not best expressed in words, is well captured by Ajit who knows how to get a mind to see the right picture

He has luck all the way through, with no major mechanical issues along the way. It’s more of a running diary of courage and stupidity it takes to partake such a ride.

All said and done, I’d give it a 3 on 5. Do read it once.