Debashish Ghosh will be returning home to Mumbai, where he will be greeted by his mother, sister, and of course, his fans, at a restaurant in Goregaon
Debashish Ghosh said people doubted whether an Indian could achieve the feat, due to the passport constraints, and he took it as a challenge
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It's been a long nine months on the road for Goregaon-based motorcyclist Debashish Ghosh, who embarked last June on his bike to conquer the world. This Monday, Ghosh will be returning home to Mumbai, where he will be greeted by his mother, sister, and of course, his fans, at a restaurant in Goregaon.
mid-day managed to interview Ghosh while he was homebound from Agra before he touched home-base. "I have been on the road for 9 months and have travelled 68,000 kilometres across five continents (34 countries), and will reach Mumbai soon," said Ghosh. The owner of two restaurants and a security agency as well, Ghosh drew his inspiration from a popular television travel show, which traces bikers doing around-the-world trips.
Taking the challenge
"Someone said that an Indian won't be able to ride across the world — obviously because of all the passport constraints that come along — but I took this as a challenge. Sure, the Indian passport doesn't carry the same weight as a US passport. When I told authorities that I was going on a world trip on my motorcycle, nobody would believe it. In India, we have this law according to which we have to apply for visa at least three months prior to travel. Going by this, doing a world trip is impossible. That's why you have to time the trip accordingly," Ghosh said.
He added, "It was a huge financial burden, but it was my dream." He was denied a visa by Morocco as 'they asked me 10,000 questions,' and was unable to procure a Canada visa as well. "I did not want to come back, apply for a visa, and then start from scratch again," he said.
Ghosh would not have been able to clock the distance if it wasn't for his beloved BMW GS adventure motorcycle. "I realised you need a special kind of dirt and off-road bike when I rode from Mumbai to Singapore on a Harley. When you are on a Harley you are worried about the road — that was not the case here. With this motorcycle, you don't care whether the roads are rough or not — you can just go on. I am really attached to my bike," he said.
Toughest ride
On Saturday, Ghosh was riding through Indore, and on Sunday, he will be close to home near Nashik, finally arriving at his destination on Monday. When asked which was the toughest country that he rode through, he laughed and vehemently replied, "Without a doubt, India. If you can ride in India, you can ride anywhere in the world. No one's really following any traffic rules."
"When I entered into the Indian border — that was the most emotional moment for me. I guess my next emotional moment will be when I will see my mother and sister back home in Mumbai," he said.
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