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An Amdavadi who’s got
the drive and the stamina Man and machine: the relationship is unique, so unique that one man has chosen to traverse thousands of kilometres on his Yamaha Virago 535 cc. Umarfaruk Engineer, an Amdavadi, has logged many miles and visited 16 countries en route to his dream - of being the first person to circumnavigate the world on a motorbike alone. "People have done it earlier but either in groups or with a pillion rider," says Engineer, who is currently pursuing his MS degree in Computer Engineering from Bridgeport University, Connecticut, "but no one has done it alone." He may change that. On September 14, Engineer set out on his tour-de-force from Frankfurt on his newly purchased motorbike. He aims to visit many countries - India is the 16th - before going back to Germany. "I had thought of something like this even while studying here in Ahmedabad but the visa posed problems. The other countries suspected me as I was from a developing country and they didn’t trust my credentials enough," he says. But after spending two years in the US, he decided to give it a shot. The first visa he acquired was the Schengen Staten (Euro Visa) that entitled him to travel to 10 European nations. "With that visa alone, I could go to the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Germany," he explains. Of course, it required a lot of effort to convince the authorities. "I had to show all my documents and past certificates to convince them that my visit was purely for adventure. I told them that the bike will also be bought in Germany. Besides," he smiles, "my biggest advantage was that I had been in the US for two years." He was received with love and affection everywhere he went and met other adventurers on the road. "I travelled in the largest tunnel in the world between Switzerland and Austria and the Channel Tunnel connecting France and the UK" But what made the deepest impression on him was the accident in Turkey. "There are no signposts in Turkey and I was travelling at around 160 kph. I saw a turning from a distance of one km and tried slowing down but my bike skidded." He was injured but his bike was unhurt. "I used my mobile to call up the Emergency mobile but before that, Youdaz, the driver of a luxury bus, came to my rescue. I’ll never forget that." "You know," he adds, "if you want to help, there are no boundaries of religion or country." Engineer didn’t plan his trip. "I go to the country, buy the map and decide the route. That’s adventure. When you deliberate over everything, the thrill and spontaneity is lost. The only thing giving him company was a bag with a couple of sets of clothes, a laptop, digital camera, passport, credit card and cellular. Not being fastidious about food, he eats anything he can find and sleeps either in cheap motels or on his bike. But Engineer is disappointed. Though he didn’t face any problems elsewhere - not even in Pakistan - he was dealt with rudely by the authorities at Atari, near Amritsar. "They detained my bike. I went to Delhi and tried my best but could release it only after a fortnight, that too after paying heavy duty. On the other hand, I was allowed to travel by road in Pakistan and they treated me with respect. It’s sad," he rues. For his feat, Engineer has spent only his savings. "There are no sponsors. I believe that one should spend from one’s own pocket for a hobby," he avers. And he doesn’t mouth eloquent dialogues like wanting to spread the message of unity. "My purpose is global integration of adventure lovers. If for some reason, I can’t accomplish the distinction, I hope someone else will be motivated enough." Perhaps that motivation could also come from the knowledge that Engineer has already made it to the Limca Book of Records for his feat and is corresponding with the Guinness Book of World Records.
Compiled from local news media |