For Iranna Kundaragimath of Ilkal in Bagalkot district, practice in driving a bike without holding its handle as a hobby and thrill. It has helped him achieve a great feat. He made his entry into the Limca Book of Records driving a car with his hands and legs tied up with a rope.
Kundaragimath drove 1,341 km in 47 hours and 55 minutes. For achieving the Limca record, he required to drive 1,200 km in 48 hours.
He drove a car with his limbs tied from Bagalkot to Bangalore via Solapur, Pune, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Hubli and Tumkur, under police escort. Iranna claims that his feat was the first of its kind in the country.
Bagalkot DC Manoj Jain handed over the Limca record certificate to Kundaragimath in Bagalkot on Thursday.
Speaking to Express on Friday, Kundaragimath said he performed the feat on 19-11-2013.
He developed a passion for such stunts at the age of 15. The drive that fetch him the Limca record was not only thrilling, but also a risky one, he recalls.
The Limca Book of Records, 2014, registered his name after watching videos of his drive on CDs, Kundaragimath said.
Kundaragimath claims to have driven a car with his limbs tied up at a speed of 80-120 km per hour on a national highway. Persistent efforts, concentration and a desire to achieve something in life played a key role in this achievement, he said.
He recalls with gratitude the timely guidance of H K Sankeenmath, his relative and a driver with NWKRTC, the help of former Hungund MLA D G Patil and the district administration.
Kundaragimath further said that in the past he had successfully driven a bike without holding its handle from Bagalkot to Bangalore, covering 510 km in 11 hours.
He also claims that he made a trip from Bagalkot to Delhi in the same manner in five days. And while his hands were free during the ride, he ate and at times even danced on his bike, he claims.
Iranna has many awards to his credit, including the Rajyotsava award by the district administration and a youth award.