Ever since he was bitten by the travel bug, Nabeel had an envious dream – travel across India. But the Malappuram lad doesn’t remember how and when he developed a liking for travel.
And, when he developed a liking for a scooter, Nabeel shared his dream pursuit with his family and friends, who made fun of him and his ‘foolish’ musings. He was hurt but decided to keep quiet and work diligently towards making his dream come true.
Tough beginning
Initially, he was up against several odds. There were the regular hardships of daily life. Plus, there was no one to lend a helping hand. From the very beginning, he knew that he has to go solo, right from planning stages to the journey itself.
Besides, he had to find resources to buy a bike on his own. With this in mind, he decided not to pursue higher studies after higher secondary, and instead started a business.
Here too, he wanted to do something different and succeeded in his efforts when he successfully introduced something new to the market – egg incubators. It not only helped him earn the precious money he needed but also made him an innovator and entrepreneur.
Nabeel utilized the new media to market and sell his product, and very soon. he became the proud owner of a Honda Dio.
It wasn’t just a 110cc scooter but a symbol of the 19-year-old’s daily struggle, as well as his first step towards a dream journey.
Now, with a scooter at his disposal, there was nothing stopping him from his journey of a lifetime. And the call of the travel bug was growing by the day.
Initially, he was planning to go it alone. That is when a social media friend – Nidhu – too was smitten by the idea of Nabeel's dream journey and decided to tag along.
So, at 6 am on September 16, they hit the road – Nabeel on his Honda Dio and Nidhu on his Bajaj Avenger. His friends and well-wishers made an event of it, flagging him off and cheering the duo.
The same day, they reached Bengaluru via Mysore and stayed at a friend's house. After a refreshing sleep, they managed to cover around 570 km to reach Hyderabad and then, Gwalior.
Gwalior is the city of palaces, temples, forts and has a glorious past, which encouraged them to seek the help of a guide, who helped them go around and take in the sights and sounds of the city.
Agra and Taj were the next stops and via Haryana, they reached Kullu Manali. There, a perfect pit stop was awaiting them in the form of an apple orchard of Babukka, who is from Kadalundi in Kozhikode.
They stayed there for three days and enjoyed in leisure the beauty of the majestic hills covered with pine and deodar forest and sprawling apple orchards.
From there, they reached Ladakh through Rohtang Pass and Khardung La through Nubra Valley and finally, the national capital, New Delhi.
Khardung La is one of the world's highest motorable passes and is also considered one of the most dangerous roads. But once they reached there, they felt like on top of the world, and enjoyed mind-blowing views all along their way.
In their last leg, they rode through Ajmer and Mumbai and they were back in Kerala. He was accorded a welcome by Ride On Wild’s Kannur unit on October 11 at 11 am, and by 5 pm they were back in Ponmala. United Honda and Ponmala Paurasamiti too were waiting for him and gave him a hearty welcome.
Nabeel, recounting his experience, said that the trip opened up a new world before him. Once you are out of Kerala, everything, including culture, language, food, and climate, changes but he was happy to note that everybody welcomed him warmly when they came to know that he was from Kerala. It is rather difficult to find words to describe their hospitality and love, he said.
Nabeel also has a great piece of advice to enthusiasts. Power and make solely don't make a vehicle strong. A lot depends on the expertise and willpower of the person behind the wheels.
These words carry a lot of weight because they come from a youth who has conquered one of the world’s highest motorable passes and dangerous terrain in a simple 110 cc bike.
Now, since he has started, there is no stopping. Nabeel will continue his journey, in his life and through the roads.
