Raju Jat, 23, final year B.Tech. Computer Science student at GCET Bikaner(Rajasthan) was just an another student of college until he realized that he was born to ride. It was 21st July, 2017 when he started his journey to conquer K2K(Kashmir to Kanyakumari) ride at this young age. Raju Jat, the youngest rider who conquered K2K ride on his 100cc bike “Hero Honda Splendor plus”.
Let us gear up to know what he has to say about his K2K ride.
In a Conversation with Raju –
Q1. Your ride was named “Ride for Real warriors” Why ?
A) “Ride for Real Warriors” stands for the Real warriors of our country, our Indian Army . My whole ride was dedicated to these real heroes. They work their asses off at border without asking a single question; so I dedicated this ride to the Indian Army. I visted many Army Camps while I was in Kashmir & they did welcome me with a very warm heart.
Q2. What was the reason behind choosing a 100cc Bike?
A) When its about a ride to Leh or Kashmir valley, riders talk about Higher CC bikes like Royal Enfiled, Harley Davidson. But I wanted to break this myth that,“You can’t ride to LEH or Kashmir valley if you don’t have a Higher CC bike. ” Because of this misbelief, many dreams to ride to Leh on bike are still dreams, so I just wanted to set an example that anyone can ride if they are passionate. The second reason to choose 100cc bike was that the repairing work is easy & the spare parts will be easily available in case of any break down.
Q3. Why don’t you have any brand sponsorship for this ride?
A) Having an sponsorship is like a bondage that you have to follow their route, their timings etc. and I wanted to ride on my own with my own rules. That’s the reason behind the decision for not having any sponsorship from any brand.
Q4. How did you prepare yourself for this thrilling ride?
A) Breakdown of bike could be the major issue in this ride so before starting my journey I learnt all the basic repairing works of bike at local repairing center. I had to keep more spare parts than the food, while I was in Kashmir valley.
Q5. How did you manage the common issues like Night stays, Food at strange places of country?
A) I am a member of a Rider Group 19BHP and most of rider groups all around the country are connected so there was no issues for night stays as biker groups in different cities provided me the night stays and basic facilities.
Q6. Would you like to give any message to all the riders around the world?
A) Clearly speaking, if you have dreams and you’re passionate about it; then you should follow your dreams and you need to work for it. It’s not mandatory to have a higher CC bike to ride; riding can be done with any average bike, you just need to have that Passion.
Q7. Having this achievement at an early age, what is your next goal?
A) My next ride will be for Martyrs of Indian Army. My only aim is to make their families proud and make them feel that we’re thankful for their sacrifice. Currently we’re working to meet all the local families of Army Martyrs at my hometown. It’s just a gesture from our side that we respect the Indian Army & we will never forget their sacrifices for the country.
Q8. You traveled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; what do you think is the best thing about our country?
A) India is the most unique country. It is a mixture of traditions and western culture. It is full of heritage, religion, adventure, peace and colors. With heritage in cities like Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Agra, Himachal; religious places like Haridwar, Amritsar and adventures at Leh- Ladakh and Kashmir Valley. The common thing I experienced was brotherhood even from strangers while I was on ride.
Q9. What was the reactions of friends, family, riders when you came back after completing this K2K Ride?
A) I finished my ride at my hometown, Bikaner and when I reached at my finishing point all of my friends, family, relatives and Media groups was present. They did a great celebration for this achievement of mine. I am really thankful to all of them for their support & love for me.
Connect with Raju Jat
