THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘’To experience something new every day is exciting,’’ says twenty-nine-year-old Roby Das, who reached the capital on Thursday as part of his solo motorcycle expedition from Kandla to Kolkata.
The tour to spread awareness on road safety started on October 10 and will reach the ‘City of joy’ on December 8.
Travel and photography are his two big passions, says Roby Das. ‘’Big enough to make me drive night and day to far-off places,’’ he says with a smile. The current trip on his 2010 model Royal Enfield bullet is a follow-up to the ‘Road Eagle’ expedition, which started with a Kashmir-Kanyakumari trip last year.
Roby Das always prefers to be a lonely traveller.
‘’I always travel alone, for it gives me total freedom. Usually, I never miss a chance for a snap during the travel. If I have a companion, I will have to think twice before stopping somewhere,’’ he says. Roby Das has a large collection of photographs taken during the tours. He has also held six exhibitions on travel photographs in various cities.
And what makes him a self-styled ambassador of road safety? ‘’As an avid traveller, road safety is an important concern for me. The only thing that makes me sad during the trips is the sight of a road accident,’’ he says.
Safe driving could be found only in a few Indian cities like Mumbai. The worst experience was in Kerala, he says. ‘’If one asks me to select the most beautiful state, I would say Kerala. But for me, the worst road experience
was also in my home state,’’ he says. Poor condition of the roads and rash driving make driving a traumatic experience here, he says. Das is also distributing one lakh stickers on road safety during his tour. Roby Das hails from Sreekandapuram in Kannur district. He is now based in Delhi. ‘’Delhi caught my fancy on the very first visit at the age of 21. It is a perfect place for an artist,’’ he says. His wife Anjali is a teacher at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School.
The 2010 Kashmir-Kanyakumari trip had earned him an entry into the Limca Book of Records. The next expedition will have hill stations as its theme, says Roby Das. It will start from Delhi and pass through Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal and the North-East to conclude in Delhi. ‘’It is not for setting any record. But with the next trip, I could take pride in myself as one who has toured the length and breadth of the country on a motorcycle,’’ Robin Das says with a sparkle in his eyes.