One Life to Ride - A Motorcycle Journey To The High Himalayas  (English, Paperback, Harisinghani Ajit)

One Life To Ride: A Motorcycle Journey To The High Himalayas chronicles the experiences of a middle-aged man who goes on a road trip from Pune to Ladakh.

Summary Of The Book

One Life To Ride: A Motorcycle Journey To The High Himalayas starts when the author was 52 years old. He had been on other road trips before, but this one to the Himalayas was one he had long dreamed of. He took a month’s break from work to complete this journey.

The author starts out by describing his love for his Enfield Bullet, an old bike, which he prefers over all the new, fuel efficient, electronics driven bikes. He has a close bond with this bike, and at times, he even speaks to it.

Before going on the long journey to Himalayas, Ajit Harisinghani decides to test himself and see if he still has what it takes to complete such a trip. He first goes on a test journey from Pune to Goa. Assured of his readiness for the trip, he then sets out for Ladakh.

It is a long way from Pune to Leh, and he passes through many places on the journey and describes it all in an engaging manner. India is a place of varied cultures and customs, but people are friendly and helpful everywhere and he records his experiences in a book.

He comes across many interesting characters such as a fakir who is on a bicycle trip from Mumbai to Mecca. When the author asks him if he is sure of making it that far on his bicycle, the fakir assures him that his soul is already there.

Along the way, he meets many more intriguing people. He takes delight in recording all these meetings, from the trivial details to his meeting with soldiers posted in Kargil. He tells of the delight of the Maratha regiment on seeing a Maharashtra registration motorbike on their lonely outpost.

The Manali-Leh highway is considered the highest motorable road in the world. This stretch covers around 500 km, and the average height of the road is 4000 m. This road is open for only a few months each year.

This road is one of the major attractions for those who plan a road trip in these regions, and the author had to take this road to reach Leh. He describes his experiences on this stretch of highway in detail. He talks about his fears of not being able to make it to his destination, the problems on the road, and health problems caused by the low oxygen level at high altitudes.

The author writes in an easy and conversational style and brings alive all the places and people he describes in One Life To Ride: A Motorcycle Journey To The High Himalayas.

About Ajit Harisinghani

Ajit Harisinghani is a speech therapist by profession, while motorbikes are his passion.

He has previously written a book on dealing with stammering, How To Stop Stammering And Start Living.

Ajit Harisinghani graduated from the Bombay University with a degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. He then completed a master’s degree on the subject at Eastern Illinois University in the US. He earned the Certificate of Competence In Speech Pathology from the American Speech and Hearing Association. He came back to Mumbai and developed speech and audiological techniques to help people with speech problems like stammering.