Disabled Kerala trio to ride 12,000 km across three countries
Sooraj and Rakesh are accompanied by their wives on the three-wheeled scooters, while Ragesh rides in the car with his brother.
Sooraj and Rakesh are accompanied by their wives on the three-wheeled scooters, while Ragesh rides in the car with his brother.
Sooraj and Rakesh are accompanied by their wives on the three-wheeled scooters, while Ragesh rides in the car with his brother.
Coimbatore: Can three-wheeled scooters take riders across three countries and 12,000 km of challenging terrain? Three determined Malayalis are proving it’s possible.
P A Sooraj (43) from Thrissur, K Ragesh (40) from Kasaragod and R B Rakesh (34) from Thiruvananthapuram have set out on an extraordinary journey across India, Nepal, and Bhutan, travelling together on two three-wheeled scooters and a small car. Though P A Rajan, a resident of Thrissur and Abdul Basheer from Kannur were initially expected to join the expedition, they had to drop out at the last minute.
The journey, which began from the Edavilangu Panchayat office in Thrissur, recently reached Coimbatore. Sooraj and Ragesh had previously undergone months of treatment at the Sahay Spinal Injuries Rehabilitation Centre in Kovilpalayam near here. At the centre, dozens of young patients in wheelchairs gathered to welcome the team, inspired by their courage and determination.
Sooraj had been confined to a bed for a long time after a bike accident in 2012. Ragesh’s mobility was affected due to a spinal cord tumour, while Rakesh’s legs were paralysed due to polio. The journey undertaken by this trio, members of the Eagle Specially Abled Riders, has motivated many at the Sahayi Centre.
Their 60-day journey will take them across Puducherry, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Puri, Kolkata, Siliguri, Sorbhog, Guwahati, Kohima, Tezpur, Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal, before looping back through Delhi, Mumbai, Kasaragod, and Kozhikode to finally arrive in Thrissur on March 15.
Sooraj and Rakesh are accompanied by their wives on the three-wheeled scooters, while Ragesh rides in the car with his brother. Their families provide full support for the entire expedition.
Sooraj serves as the state president of Eagle Specially Abled Riders and state secretary of Voice of Disabled. He has received both state awards and the Helen Keller International Award. A seasoned traveller, Sooraj has completed numerous long rides, including a 7,000 km accessibility ride across 12 states in 2025 on a three-wheeled scooter.
Ragesh has completed an 8,000 km Awareness Ride from Kerala to Ladakh in a car, documented in his travelogue Ayanam, while Rakesh has completed a 1,600 km Awareness Ride to Chennai.