Meet Yogesh Chande, a travel enthusiast. He is a man on mission 
His passion is riding and rightly he has a page called Monk on Motorcyle. Read on to know more about him
What prompted you to take up travel, how long have you been at it?
So I did a bike trip 4.5 years in the south of India and then I suddenly stopped. It was always there inside, lying dormant. Like a sleeping volcano. Guess now was the time it had to erupt. This was particularly a very difficult year personally, and I felt travelling would act as a purgatory. I believe that we should really go after what we feel like, after all we are mortals, and get only a lifetime to live out our dreams. As for the timing of the trip, I just got lucky because my joining at my new job got delayed by a month and a half. Karmic conspiracy!
I have been riding bikes for long, but a musafir in true sense for the last seven years.
Passion or Hobby?
Passion undoubtedly.
How do you travel?
This was a purely and thoroughly unplanned trip. I have always been a big LOTR fan and have always believed that travelling is much much more than just visiting places. Given this adventure, I named my bike “Bilbo” What better name than the one adventurer I admire.
How do you perceive travel? What does Travel mean to you?
Travel is not without riding for me. Riding is my first and true passion. I ride because it transforms me, even if so for those fleeting moments when I am on the bike. To me riding to different places is like a visual orchestra, with each place having their own tempo, their own notes and some an entire symphony. It is like music really, but in a more visual sense.
Would you like to share your background with the readers?
I just completed my MBA, from Jamnalal Bajaj and I am waiting to join the rat race which luckily got delayed. So in a way this trip is a tribute to freedom, an acknowledgement of what I will lose when I get absorbed in the big black dungeon of corporate life in the weeks to come. That apart, I am a true mumbaikar, having lived in Bangalore for a while.
How do you plan to continue this forward?
I have taken a resolve to continue to ride, take at least 20 days off on a road trip every year. Although this may be the adrenaline talking but I plan to travel to the northeast next year. I have heard its beautiful.
Favorite travel places?
Nilgiris, Udaipur, Chail, Himalayas
First trip? Cherish worthy moments?
First trip was to Bandipur in Karnataka. What I cherished most was the drive through the Jungle and visiting a temple deep on the Moyar Road, over looking the forest. It is claimed that this was built by Veerappan for the villagers. The tension at this place was so palpable that I could hear my heartbeat and I felt like I had been transported to a movie scene.
We made a brief stop, took a few pictures and then got the hell out of there only to be interrupted by the scream of a wild boar being smothered by a tiger. And with the final rays of the sun, the boar breathed his last and we concluded our days journey.
Do you read travel? Any famous authors? Any quote worthy lines you remember?
Mostly blogs – The motorcycle diaries is my bible. It inspires you to ride. Who knows how many people have found their true calling while riding!
Where are you currently travelling to? How did the idea for this trip transpire?
I am on my way to the Himalayas! I took left from Mumbai because I dreamt of these mighty mountains a day before I was to leave for this trip. Until then I did not know which way was I headed. So in fact even my family got to know once I had begun my ride. Like I said, this is an unplanned trip in all possible ways one can imagine!
I had been thinking about this for a long time but it requires a lot of things to accomplish something like this. It took a personal tragedy, a lot of courage, and a bit of luck for me to get to do this.
Why have you undertaken this trip?
I was in a very difficult place mentally. I wanted to be lost, to be gone for a while before I resurfaced. In a way, I absolutely needed something like this, I can say this trip found me, I did not find it! Like they say the skies are the darkest before dawn, and what better way to meet these dark skies on your two wheels, happily embracing a new dawn with a full heart!
Any message you want to share with your co-travelers or aspiring travelers?
Do not plan!
Challenges you face during travel?
Anything can go wrong! Your health, the weather, the roads so you need to be blessed by the travel gods to undertake a journey successfully. Especially at this time of the year, the heat on the roads of Gujarat and Rajasthan was just unbearable! I must thank “Bilbo” for pulling through each and everytime.
How do you plan for your trips? How is it like behind the scenes?
Except for the plan, I worked a great deal on other parts of the trip. Like finding the right gear, calculating the right amount of luggage that you need to carry. I also learnt elementary repair techniques for my motor cycle in case something goes wrong. I had to request the Chennai office of MRF to send me a pair of Tubeless tyres which was out of stock for over a quarter in their Mumbai office. So you see it is pretty happening behind the scenes.
Why the name MonkonMotorcycle? Is there a higher purpose you seek in your travels?
This is a quest to find stability, to find zen within me. When I am on the bike, I am at my most stable state. So in a way, it is a quest to find my higher self while doing something I absolutely enjoy!
Your favorite travel quote?
Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Will we see Monk on the Motorbike again? If so, when and where?
Soon of course! I will be back in Winter! See you guys then!
A big thanks to my friend Vivek for having carried out this Interview for Travelrope !
You can reach him at :
Harsh Khatri
Congratulations sir! The person who was inspired is now an inspirational one for us!
Would love to read your future travel diaries too!