Having set off in August 2015, Krishanu Kona spent 224 days on the road, riding his beloved Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS across the length and breadth of the country. Now back to civilization, Kona recounts his experiences along the way, the difficulties he faced and the helpful people that opened their hearts and homes to the youngster while he explored the country.
Like any other individual, the idea of going on a road trip across the country struck him while he was holidaying with friends on a nearby hill station. While drinking his morning cup of tea, the idea struck Krishna. “What is it that I am doing with my life?”
That was it. He never found peace again in his daily 9-5 life. Soon he quit his INR 30,000 a month job. The initial idea was to travel across India using public transport because of financial limitations. But he acquired a sponsor and managed to start the journey with his trusted Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS motorcycle.
Krishanu Kona, 23, had the required determination, mental capacity and physical strength to undertake a journey of this kind. He received the necessary financial backing from Design Consortium.
His travels took him across from Delhi to Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Kerala, Pondicherry, West Bengal, Sikkim, Gujarat, Rajastha, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Assam and Meghalaya. He covered 230 to 250 kms each day and met some interesting people many of whom even offered to put him up at their homes for the night.
Besides taking in the scenic beauty along “Green Dream Challenge” what touched Krishanu Kona most was human sentiments. People were warm, welcoming and ready to share their food and home with Kona while a woman living in a shanty in Malda West Bengal shared her food with him and when he offered to pay her she said that her son too worked in a big city and she hoped someone would be kind to him as well.
Kona had difficulty tackling some varied terrain. He stated that the roads in West Bengal were the worst while the roads in Farakka and onwards towards Dharmatala were most difficult to ride on.
