Kickstarting the bike, driving through unknown roads, stopping to just breathe in the fresh countryside air and appreciating the greenery. This was my dream a few nights ago. But guess who lives this dream in real? Our own Binny Sharma. He loves the roads, the seducing wind, and the rides along the fields.
As we can’t go on an actual ride, let me take you to a fun and unique journey that Binny took in 2010 after being inspired by the show ‘Beg Borrow Steal.’
With a few pairs of clothes, a guitar and a challenge to spend only Rs. 2,000 on his week-long trip, he boarded a bus to Diu.
After paying Rs. 250 for the bus ride, he looked at his wallet and sighed. He knew it was going to be very difficult to stay for a week with only Rs 1,750 in his pocket. But, he went on.
He went to the café Oh Maria for the first meal in Diu. This meal gave his journey the exact twist it needed. While he was busy hogging the delicious food, the owner Mr Pratap (a Chinese settled in Himachal who spent six months in Diu every year running this cafe) looked at him and his guitar. He came to Binny and asked if he was a good musician. As modest he can get, he replied, “I don’t know if I am good. But, I do perform live and the audience does show up.”
Mr. Pratap proposed a deal – Binny gets a place to stay if he plays every day for a week for 45 minutes. With a huge grin, he shook his head in the Indian way of saying yes, yes, of course. He followed the café owner to the place he would stay and he had one of those Ekta Kapoor serial moments where the bahu is shocked and drops the plate. Likewise, Binny dropped his bag when he saw that the stay was a beautiful two-storey house.
The surprises didn’t stop here. When he went to the café in the evening, the owner (who is also a chef) had prepared a delicious meal for Binny. His stay and food was sorted!
While he performed, the audience did not just groove to his music but also offered him drinks as a token of appreciation. He also convinced a band from Belgium who was jamming in a nearby café to perform and jam at Oh Maria.
One of his takeaways from this adventurous trip was the friends he made. He met a Spanish man who spent six months in Spain to work and spent the other half of the year in places like Diu and Goa. “It was a weird and amazing experience. The kind of people I met taught me how much more there is to life. How kind humans are, and how easy and smooth life can be if we aren’t scared to live a bit differently.”
After reaching home, Binny looked at his wallet and grinned. I am sure he must have done a little happy dance as he had managed to save Rs. 500 in a week-long Rs. 2,000 budget trip.
Isn’t it crazy? This level of craziness can be only expected out of Binny. I am sure he more such stories to share. So, keep an eye on this space and don’t miss other insane adventures our stars have experienced.
Author: Ruchika Jain
