Biju BP during his all-India solo ride
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“A lifetime is not enough to travel across India. You cannot imagine the diversity that is out there.” This is how Biju BP summarises his 666-day bike ride across the country, which earned him recognition from the World Records Union for the ‘longest solo motorcycle ride across Indian states and Union Territories promoting girl empowerment through education’.Although he finished the ride in October last year, it took months for the Records Union to verify the feat. “I didn’t undertake the journey keeping this record in mind. I applied for it only when my friends and well-wishers insisted. Since I had already finished the journey, I had to submit the proof, which included recordings, photographs, newspaper cuttings etc to the Records Union. It was officially recognised this May.”A former banker, 53-year-old Biju quit his job three years ago to pursue his passion for travelling on his motorbike. “I was a bank employee for 25 years and started long-distance trips after I turned 40, during my mandatory annual leave. The longest was the 15-day ride from Kochi to Rajasthan. But after a point, I realised that while the onward journey was always exciting, on my way back home I used to feel low, thinking about work and other pressures at the workplace. I was longing to undertake an all-India trip, which would was not be possible if I had the job. So I took voluntary retirement at the age of 50,” says Biju.
