TRAVELLING AND BIKING DEFINE ME
Chirag Joshi, Head of Marketing, Samco Securities talks about how a ride on his uncle's Yamaha Crux-R at the age of fifteen ignited his passion for biking. He also talks about his passion for travel which he says has transformed him into a stronger person Head of Marketing, Samco Securities Travelling and biking literally define me! It is like the oxygen I breathe or the blood that runs through my veins. Travellers at large explore different modes of commute; however, I have always been that guy who enthusiastically jumps at the idea of riding his bike across the globe. My passion for biking was ignited at the young age of fifteen, when I learnt to ride my uncle’s Yamaha Crux-R during summer vacations. Back then, I would spend days riding around visiting random, unexplored locations. In the year 2014, without my family’s knowledge, I bought my second bike, a KTM Duke 390 (I bought my first bike in 2012 with my incentives, an all-cash purchase). This beautiful lady accompanied me on my very first bike ride from Mumbai to Devbaug, a distance of 658 kms. That trip kicked off my biking adventures to Karnataka, LehLadakh, Himachal Pradesh, Bhutan, and many more. Travelling has been instrumental in transforming me into a stronger person. I have had many life-changing experiences on my travels, which I believe has shaped the person I am today. My first long-haul trip was to Leh-Ladakh in August 2015. At the time, I had several professional commitments to close before I set off, and just a couple of days to complete them. Despite this, I didn’t lose hope. I planned, prioritized and executed my tasks carefully each day and eventually I was able to successfully complete all of them before leaving. The secret to good planning is to carefully segregate a task into smaller tasks, with shorter deadlines for each, assigning some of them to other team members, according to their level of expertise. Planning also ensures that in your absence, others have a clear blueprint of what needs to be done. During one of my biking trips to Bhutan, we had estimated that it would take approximately ten hours to cover a distance of 217 km from Punakha in Bhutan to Bhumthang (East of Bhutan). However, erratic weather put paid to our plans and we found ourselves in the midst of a stubborn and wild rainstorm. As we had to move forward, we had no other option but to ride in the chilly weather. As we were heading towards Bhumthang, my bike skid on the slushy road, causing me to lose grip and slide down for a good 100 meters. This accident damaged the gear lever. Stuck in an isolated location, I was certain that it would be next to impossible to find a mechanic. I was thus forced to ride the bike only in the second gear for many miles, before I was finally able to stop and fix my bike by myself – which took a good two hours. In the process, we had lost one day and had to skip one of the spots on our itinerary due to insufficient time. The incident was a learning experience for me about the importance of always having a Plan-B. It is always a good idea to factor in enough time between tasks to ensure smooth sailing, even when things don’t go as planned. Moreover, I also learnt the importance of having a strong head on your shoulders and the courage to embrace risks and challenges that may come your way. These lessons have helped me professionally as well, resulting in a positive outcome even during trying times. I owe so much of my learnings to bike rides. If not for this passion, I would probably never have been able to reach the stage of my career where I find myself today. My parting words would thus be, “Never give up on your dreams; be they professional or personal. You never know what will turn out to be that special missing ingredient in your recipe for success!” @ FEEDBACK chirag@samco.in
BY CHIRAG JOSHI
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