Lone Rider - Book review

 

Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World by Elspeth Beard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An amazing read. It's full of adventure, culture, excitement, romance, mystery and of course a woman riding a motorcycle.
She has detailed how the various cultures viewed a woman riding a big motorcycle in the early 80s though am sure that there are certain subtle changes over the decades now.
She is a young woman, just after college, setting out on a round the world trip on a motorcycle in 1982 when it was not the done thing. Despite all odds she goes ahead and proves that once you put your passion to work there is no looking back.
She started her ride from London, USA, Australia, South East, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey and back to London.
Her description of riding on various roads/offroads is an education for all motorcyclists.
A must read for every motorcyclist and travellers.

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Quest - Book reviewed

 

Quest by Aditya Raj Kapoor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one book that can be judged by its cover.
On the cover you see the man and his machine under the title ‘Quest’.
As the title says this book is all about the quest that Aditya Raj Kapoor is on. His vehicle for the Quest is the Motorcycle which he has ridden around the world across seventeen countries clocking thirty-five thousand kilometres over a period of ten months.
He makes it clear at the outset that this is not a travelogue but it is about a journey of self-discovery. Motorcycling is the perfect vehicle for this ‘activity’ of introspection. As soon as one starts the ride one tends to zone out and meditation begins. It is multitasking at its best.
In this book Aditya, who hails from a premier family of the Hindi film industry, the Kapoors, son of Shammi Kapoor, traces his life right from the time he got thinking about his life as a young adult. He has been strongly influenced by his Guru who directed him on the path away from the film industry, that he has diligently followed.
Wherever he goes he meets up with his Guru’s disciples who ensure he has safe passage.
What stands out is the fact that a Round the World trip on a motorcycle is a very tough task, physically and mentally.
Aditya, despite his influential contacts in most parts of the world took a long time in getting his plans off the ground, so one can imagine how difficult it would be for a commoner. Hence, if you are planning a similar trip, remember it will be ten times tougher.
This book is more of an autobiography with snippets of his life woven together with circumstances that he finds himself on his motorcycle journey. Very interesting.
This is not a book that can be finished in one sitting. It is a book that has to be relished and digested chapter by chapter which again are thought sized pieces.
Do read it to get an insight into the life of a thinker who loves to balance his life on two wheels round the world.
Does he get the answers he is looking for?
I will not be a spoilsport. Read the book to find out.

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