Interviewer: So, I wanted to know it’s a very personal question.
I wanted know, “Why a bike ride?” Why…?
Because with one statement that you made or one tweet that you made or just one line that
you say to anybody, it just reaches out to the whole world per se.
Why would you personally want to do a ride and go to these places personally in all the
conditions that you’ve been in?
Sadhguru: Well, the conditions - nothing wrong with the conditions.
Why motorcycle?
For Rally for Rivers, when we drove… compared to this, the distances that we were covering
were very large.
This is a much shorter ride, about 3,500 kilometers probably we would be doing totally.
And about conditions, I don’t see anything wrong with the conditions.
I am talking about late ‘70s.
When in India, roads were not really roads and the motorcycles were not like this (Laughs).
The motorcycle I was riding at that time which was a Czech model…
Czech designed motorcycle, but manufactured in Mysore.
So, single cylinder, 250cc, 27bhp, and with lots of work on it, we made it like 34-35bhp.
Interviewer: Modified.
Sadhguru: Modified.
But today we are riding 1,230cc, 172bhp, do you think I will complain about the rain (Laughter)?
At that time roads were bad.
Those days it was such that, you know - lights were so dim on the vehicles.
Nobody would dare to drive when the monsoon rains were pouring.
Trucks, cars, buses everything would stop.
I would be one lone vehicle, which would always be going through the monsoon because I wouldn’t
stop.
I just loved to ride.
You can barely see eight – ten feet ahead of you, but…
So, I always rode in those conditions, so I don’t find this any issue.
But today, the way the roads are and the motorcycle is, no complaint at all (Laughs).
Now we were talking about monsoon, I just like the rain - I like sunshine.
When it is very hot in summers, I went and sat on the terrace - third floor of my house,
where there is no staircase for the last floor so you have to climb up - nobody else can
come.
So, I burnt myself simply in the sun.
All the time my mother and my father, “He is going to ruin himself.
What is he doing?
Frying himself up in the sun” (Laughter)?
My mother is worried that my skin will burn.
I burnt it as much as I can; now it doesn’t burn (Laughter) unless properly cooked (Laughter).
So, one day in school - I’m in ninth standard - I got there one year earlier than I should
have, so I’m thirteen years of age.
So evening 4:30 school let’s off - it’s pouring heavy.
So in the quadrangle, they are holding all the children - not letting us go.
I want to get on my bicycle and go, but they’re not letting us go.
I like to ride in the rain - do you think it’s dangerous?
Sun is dangerous, rain is dangerous, insect is dangerous, snake is dangerous, tiger is
dangerous (Laughter), crocodile is dangerous (Laughter), where do you live then?
So I’m just bored; they’re not letting me go.
So, I just went and sat - there is this flag post in the center - three steps, I went and
sat on one of the steps.
It’s pouring rain, I just sat there.
Then all the teachers; screaming, and yelling, “Come!
Come!”
Then the headmaster comes out and screams and yells.
I Just ignored them and sat.
The roar of the rain was drowning their voices (Laughter), so I simply sat in the rain, soaked.
Then they sent two peons to catch me; I went up the plag… flag post and sat there (Laughter).
They suspended me from school for seven days, which was a relief (Laughter).
So, like this, people want to grow up in a (an?) incubator all their life.
So, this motorcycle is a way of opening up the minds and hearts of youth - you will see
it will.
It is beginning to already in Karnataka - it will go to Tamil Nadu; it will go across the
country.
Because…
It’s like this - a spiritual teacher means, “He must be incompetent to the core”;
except dressing up in a fancy dress and sitting like this (Gestures), he should not be able
to do anything.
So, just breaking that mold is very important.
So another reason for the motorcycle is - well, we want to inspire the youth of Tamil Nadu
and Karnataka - a motorcycle is far more exciting for the youth than driving a car.
So motorcycle and also I thought, “We’re anyway doing some important work, why can’t
we have some fun (Laughter)?”
I think with this kind of demonstration what we’re doing right now - it’s not just
about Cauvery, spiritual process will go far, very far with the youth of this nation and
everywhere - not just Cauvery Calling.
So, I though it’s time to throttle up (Laughs).
Nadi Stuti