Mangaluru: When four childhood friends from Mangaluru first discussed riding an autorickshaw all the way to Kashmir, it was just an idea shared between work shifts. Six years later, Afreed,27, Hasan,27, Sadik,26, and Azeem,30, have finally hit the road, setting off on Oct 10 for a round trip of more than 7,000 km to Manali and Kashmir.The four had driven autorickshaws together in Mangaluru and worked at the same stand in Derlakatte when the plan first took shape. They later took up different occupations, and work, finances and other responsibilities kept the journey on hold. The plan came alive again when they found themselves free at the same time, and prepared an autorickshaw for the expedition within a couple of days.“We wanted to go in an autorickshaw itself, not in another vehicle,” Afreed said.He said that the group travelled from Aurangabad towards Indore, and from there they planned to proceed to Agra, Delhi, Manali and Kashmir, before returning to Mangaluru. They plan to hoist the Tulunadu flag after reaching Kashmir.The journey has brought a few hurdles, including police checks while crossing state borders. Afreed said their documents were in order and they were allowed to proceed after the checks. The vehicle was serviced before departure, and the friends have not faced any major mechanical trouble so far. Their experience with autorickshaws also leaves them confident of handling minor repairs on their own.A Tulu Nadu flag displayed on the vehicle is travelling with them, and the friends plan to hoist it in Kashmir. Afreed said they had received a positive response from people along the way, although they had not yet been able to post regular updates because of the demands of the journey.For the four, the trip is an opportunity to act on an old plan before work and family responsibilities make it harder to travel together. Kashmir and Manali have long been their dream destinations; a trip to Kanyakumari is already on their list for after they return, Afreed said.“Travelling this way is not easy. We had to consider our finances and responsibilities. Over time, each of us settled into different occupations. We felt that if we kept postponing it, we might not get another opportunity to do something like this together. So, when the time was right, we got the vehicle ready and left,” he said.
