The Great Driving Challenge | User Application

Abhilaash Kashyap & Namrata Baruah

Total Vote(s) : 81 | Total Testimonial(s) : 5

We're Abhilaash and Namrata, born and raised in beautiful Guwahati. Both of us are currently working in Gurgaon, me as a Risk Analyst with a firm trading derivatives on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange while she's in the American Express Financial Centre...Just a week before we saw the first ad for TGDC, we had returned from a week long road trip that led us to Kasol and Tosh and on our way back, we were already contemplating our choices for the next one. We planned on being the zealous peripatetics this time,trusting only our feet as partners-in-crime who'd never let us down.But yeah, come to think of it, a Cedia looks like a slightly better steed to travel on than our happy feet!!...:-)

We are the best candidates because...

one of us is an obsessed literary pilgrim (i say pilgrim coz i remember someone saying that those are travelers who're taken seriously!) who staunchly agrees that ordinary perceptions can have a strange aspect when one is travelling; while the other is a pastel and wax artist-photography freak-financial analyst who deems light and senses more important than even the food we ordinary mortals eat....To bring those two together would be to make sure that a web of visionary delight is woven, a tapestry of master stories told.

Our Travel Plan

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. We'd rather be travelers than tourists.Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going.....

Our Travelogue

Richard Burton was of the view that travelers are like poets, they are mostly an angry race. But if I did have the guts to differ from the legend, I would. We've never set off for some place to prove something. Traveling has been a weakness, a perennial subconscious desire..Every rendezvous has been embarked upon with a virginal and enthusiastic frame of mind. Although every moment in our odysseys has not been an undiluted saga of ecstasy; away from the uncouth human architecture and the sordid geometry of the city and away from the furious rhythm and anguish of city life, every small sojourn or long hibernation that we've been to has left us with fresh life and vigor. And there are so many of them!!.. The trouble is, where do I start and where do I end? .......... ....still in draft mode:-).......

6th July 2009

Testimonials

Kalikinkar

Hi...I saw your profile and liked it very much. You can join the Cedia great driving challenge community in orkut to gain more votes and testimonials. http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=91293176

Varij Sharma

In today's world what every person looks forward to is a little reprise from his/her chaotic lives. Abhilaash and Namrata are two adventurous and energetic idividuals who have an unrestrained desire for deriving 'more and best' out of their lives. While brilliantly pursuing their professional goals they constatntly make an endeavour to bring out the optimum out of their lives which I belive is of utmost significance. Ever inspiring and ever enthusiatic, I wish them the very best and would like to request each and every individual who visits this profile to give consideration to this couple which is on a relentless spree to explore and redesign every mile of the journey called life. Loads of luck guys...

Sunny

I have known these two people since the nursery rhymes. Two relentless people who never thinks they have seen the horizon and never feels that they have had enough. If I get a chance to re-write the book %u201COn the Road%u201D by Jack Kerouac, my characters would be Ablilaash and Namrata and the tale would be far more exciting than that of Dean Moriarty from the book. Keep it up and best of luck.

Shilpi Verma

Of Gullies and roadtrips. Of Highways and toothbrushes. Having known Abhilaash and Namrata closely, it would be an understatement to say they're kindred spirits with a fiery passion for all that smells of an adventure. Aside from being two very accomplished professionals in their arena of financial wizardry, they indulge themselves in books, fine art, speed, dhabas, jazz, xkcd and tiramisu. Packing for a trip usually includes Cameras, Blues on a Shuffle, shades and little else. The myriad collection of pictures you see above, and Abhilaash's pen-portraits on his blog capture the very noir et blanc essence of the scenic incarnations, and sometimes, moments captured just in the cusp of their sublimity. I'll stop my verbal vomit here, because words will taint the goodly, awesomely things them two will do given this challenge! .\__/

Natasha

This is awesome! Travelling is holistic, a psychedelic view of the world at large by two crazy travel enthusiasts. I am going to make it a point to travel soon. I recommend this site and the travelogue without any doubt whatsoever. What a wonderful world! :)