The day I came back from Bhutan, I resigned from my job. It was NOT a tough decision at all, despite that fact that I’ve enjoyed 4 years here and big plans were bring made to send me places. I’m now about a month into my 90 day notice period, and can’t wait to fuck off from here. This may have been a life-changingly good decision, or a life-threateningly stupid one, considering the fact that I don’t have any job in hand, and no plans to get one either.
I had one of those moments in Bhutan, the ones you see in movies where the protagonist finally understands his purpose in life, flips over his desk, punches his manager, strips naked and walks out the door. I of course, could not be that dramatic, but I remember that thought in my head, that one thought that brings clarity to everything:
This is how life is supposed to be!
The day I came back to office after spending 20 days on the road, I nearly vomited at the sight of these well-dressed, well-educated, well-groomed people sitting in their tiny little cubicles, typing away some shit on their computers, mumbling something pointless into their phones. Since everybody, including me, have been a part of this idiocy for so long, we have almost forgotten how things are really supposed to be! I personally don’t believe I was born to spend the first 20 years of my life studying shit, the next 40 working like shit, and the next 20 dying like shit. But it’s so hard to not believe that, such is the grasp of this system on our collective imagination.
When you are a kid, everyone encourages you to be whatever the fuck you want to be. But the more you grow, the more you keep getting pushed into a corner, with little or no options of escape from that predetermined destiny. The real objective of life, which is to truly live it, keeps getting postponed by one thing or the other, until you are lying on your death bed, pissing into a bag, shitting into a bowl, and begging to be killed.
I have done better than most people to keep the dream alive! I travel a lot, write a lot, and always try my best to do whatever the fuck I want to do. Trust me, it’s not easy, but I guess that’s also the biggest motivation. When everyone says don’t do that do this instead, every cell in your body pushes you to do what everyone says you shouldn’t. I’m frankly surprised I am writing the 200th article on RiderZone, and totally baffled why so many people read it!
RiderZone gets more than a 100,000 views a month.
And that’s kinda outrageous! This website is nothing more than ramblings of my deluded mind, and yet people seem to like it. I think they like it because I’m doing what they always wanted to do, maybe my words give them hope that someday they can also give the middle finger to society and run away laughing hysterically into the forest.
I always imagined I could survive on the popularity of RiderZone alone, with the advertisement revenue and the general goodwill. However, with my kind of writing style, almost nobody sends me free stuff to review. 100,000 views a month translates to a hilarious 3500 rupees of income, which is not even enough for 3 proper meals a day! I always imagined RiderZone will be my ticket to freedom, but looks like I may have grossly overestimated the value of internet popularity.
It’s OK, all it means is that I’ll need to struggle some more, postpone the insanity for just a little later. But does it? As hard as it may be to believe, I have a girlfriend, one that I would very much like to marry sooner than later. However, it is highly unlikely that any girl’s parents would be even remotely inclined to gift their daughter to an abusive, jobless, homeless, irresponsible, unpredictable, sociopathic blogger, with a yearly salary package lesser than most people’s monthly pay! This means that I desperately need to start looking for a job, and stop ejaculating this load of donkey cum all over the screen.
The story will go on, and I’ll not give up! It’s really hard to live life just for yourself, no matter how selfish you are. Most of the times you crush your dreams for others, and that’s OK. That’s NOT my plan though, but that original idea of becoming a wandering motorcycle hobo may not really come to fruition, not anytime soon for sure. I’m scared that by the time I’m ready, it will be too late, but what the hell, we’ll see how it goes.
So yeah, even though I hate the IT life, looks like I’ll go running back to it as soon as possible. Society wins this bout, but there are many more to go. On the bright side, that money does pay for my shenanigans! Having said that, I’m still hopeful something will come up that’ll let me use my creative potential to make enough money to stop depending on useless corporations for sustenance. I’m good with words, good with pictures, and learning to be good with videos. If you have any ideas, I’m all ears 🙂
Happy to see myself slightly less frustrated against the time I wrote the 100th Post! The story goes on.
Nice site, keep up the good work and stay shiny side up. For a Western who tours India on holiday Indian views on bike touring are interesting and helpful especially reviews of kit available
Thanks Steve!
Dear Akhil, the words I liked most in this article – “The real objective of life, which is to truly live it, keeps getting postponed by one thing or the other, until you are lying on your death bed, pissing into a bag, shitting into a bowl, and begging to be killed.’ You are blessed with a good writing skills Bro…it will take you places for sure. I can`t tell you more but one thing – Keep following your passion and freedom…you will reach your own dream destiny.
Thanks for the wonderful comment mate! Really appreciated 🙂
This shit is so motivating man. I owe you a beer
Cheers brah
Recently started reading your blog. Nice one! Keep at it. You could aim for an ideal life where you “have” to work for 8 months to take care of liabilities and roam for a full 4 months. Best of both the worlds!! Easier said than done! I am trying too!
> 100,000 views a month translates to a hilarious 3500 rupees of income.
It just takes a bit more time to make it 35,000 or more. Besides by-product gigs of rising to being recognizable and followed by lots of people are many.
You’ll get there and beyond. Keep doing what you love 🙂
Best of luck man, I wish you have a great year ahead of you.
I love my IT job may be because I don’t work for IT MNC. I have one suggestion please open an account in http://www.patreon.com. And then create special patron only articles weekly ( one or two page pdf with colour and images ) and send to the people who pledged you there.
As one of the characters says in”You have got Mail” You are walking in to the brave new world armed with nothing!
You will be in a different mental makeup when you go and search for a new job while working.
Akhil, Life is full of inclines and downhills, both are fun unless brakefail on downhill 😉
I take courage and inspiration from my life as a rider and from the road. What could be worse unless I’m dead…” I’ll crush every obstacle and win against every challenge “… if you feel urself to be in such a situation, face it like as if your motorbike may breakdown any moment and you are miles away from civilization on a trail road. If you dont believe in such a situation then let me tell you mine… One fine morning of May, temperature was around 0’C, i was riding solo ahead from Merak towards Chusul along the PangongTso, the so called road was a trail of sand and stones. And after the morning snowfall, the track was all covered up white, so i couldn’t make out the correct trail to follow. I was like in the middle of nowhere, one wrong turn/curve of the handlebar would land me up in front of chinese bullets or if I’m lucky then our Army. In the midst of all this my Enfield died out, i checked everything as is told by mechanics: fuel line, ignition switch, sparkplug, battery connection, etc etc…i took off the fuel tank, the headlight assembly, the meter console and the riding seat, all in between the chinese bullets and IndianArmy ki punjabi gaalian if caught. I was crosschecking the wiring, the switch when turned on didnt send current to engine…and after halfanhour of struggle i managed to find that bit of wire which had cracked open due to cold of Ladakh under the fuel tank and was touching the chassis’ metalbody causing shortcircuit, i won! Taped up the wire, refit the parts and thumped ahead.
2nd occasion, I was at Hanle, enjoying mountain mutton at my host Mr.Sonam’s place who is an employee at IAO, Hanle. Suddenly i realised i might have misplaced the keys to my Enfield…i had lost the keys at Hanle 🙁 In the meanwhile ITBP force began to act like dumbfuckers and commmanded that i cant leave my Enfield at Hanle…”then should i carry my Enfield535 on shoulder to Leh”…at last i won and took a state bus to Leh leaving my Enfield535 behind, the bus runs once a week. The handlebar was locked, 16ltrs of fuel is not enough to cover Hanle to Leh, so even if i had broke open the handlelock and short-started my Enfield i cant make it to Leh in a single tank. The worst, i had no second key. So after alighting from an 8hours bus journey to Leh, i went straight to Mechanic Mohan Sharma near LAHDC office…he said, ‘bas itna he, its very easy to break and change locks’ But the point is could i do it like a thief. I purchased a new set of all lock and keys for Rs.500. The next trouble was going to DC Office and convincing them that i was a genuine citizen of India with no interest in spying and i wanted an extended Inner Line Permit to Hanle bcoz of this new set of keys…the staff said its beyond our authority, i would have to personally meet the DC in person, i went ahead took an appointment, met the DC of Leh and won an extended ILP for 12days, the DCstaff say it was a record. Then reached Hanle by state bus again aftr 8hr journey, the coir seat on the bus was no thicker than KTM’s seat!
Could you believe it, i managed to replace the ignition switch, handle bar lock and fuel cap after breaking them within 12minutes…this was the trick the mechanic taught me at Leh.
Akhil, i spent 3 continuous months in Ladakh as a Tourist astride my Enfield535. I had developed rashes by the end of 3rd month due to imminent lack of vitamins in my body, as there is not much green vegetables in Leh, i depended on non-veg and beer! The doctor at Delhi said no need to take medicines, eat vegetables 3times a day and truly i was cured in a week automatically.
So are you willing to guide me on some next ride to up north? i love the fact that you have a KTM. I’ve known KTM since 1999 when the French Army ordered the first lot of 250 motorbikes and the world thus came to know of a new challenger on all terrain: KTM!
Akhil, it would be utmost pleasure for me to be sipping beer in your company 🙂
Patience and Skill in relation to riding came to my help only when i myself endured courage to face the situations i fell in unwillingly. There is no crash course for the above two qualities, and I’m sure u have them in you too, just hidden from your belief.
I never prepared for the worse, i ride to cherish the pleasure of adventure riding, rest is all part of the play.
Take my word, go on at least a month long solo adventure ride on your KTM to some remote part of India(i guess you would choose Arunachal) and you would surely uncover your capabilities to the best 🙂
I’m sure that I’m not the first person to tell you this. Take a 3 months break and travel like a maniac. When you get back to this sad old world, start writing a book about your travels. It may take a year or two for general public to accept and understand you, but I am certain that with the writing style you have, your books will be a long term hit.
Your writing style is fascinating and addictive. You can certainly capitalize on that and quit IT for good.
Hi Akhil,
Glad to read this article very happy for you… yes me always wanted to live life like you but could not travel that much on bike☻
Even I was working in IT (CapGemini) and belong to middle class family and was leading very boring life… questions: m I born to work like donkey and travel in local train like pig in farms… I asked these questions to myself everyday for 4year (my total IT experience is more than 7year ☺) then I decide to say fuck off to my job and IT sector… many folks oppose me for this as they always feel I have a best job and living great life… (Everyone in my family has their own business and they know nothing about working in MNC ass pain but they still believe I was having a great job ☺) hope till now you understand business is in my blood ☺ and working under someone else ass is not something I prefer… yes life is difficult and if you choose to live your life on your terms its get more difficult… specially if you surrounded with ppl who oppose you and having negative mindset or typical middle class mentality.. Coz if you tell them your problems they will say Bol tha don’t do this. Job acha hai and all… i will not blame them for this as this is our culture and our parents and close relative always try to dominate our lives. This is what happened to them and now they are doing same with us and will expect to do same from us to our next generation ☺ I resigned from job 10 months ago and relocated to tier 2city to build my dream career to avoid hectic travelling and to avoid boring life in which I hardly had a time for my wife and closed one…
Yes life is not easy for me till now and it was not easy before also ☺ from day I relocated to tier 2city i had lot of problems in fact more than lot of problems… But I’m happy as I choose to chase my dreams, I choose to live my life the way I wanted and I’m not the one who afraid to take own decision and just living coz born ☺…
I presume while you’re on 20days trip you realise what you want to do next as life is like long trip on bike you have to stop to fill petrol you have to stop when your bike gives you problems and you have to stop for rest ☺ this is how our life goes we do take some stop in life but like long trip even after having lot of obstacles life goes on and on….
So Akhil bro go for it live your life, don’t worry things will fall in place today or 2morrow… it take 1 year to 2 to get settle but after that you will be happy forever…
Even if doesn’t you will be happy… don’t worry about GF dad ☺ I did not even consult my father in law while taking this decision ☺ my wife supported me so I do not consider other folks thinking is vital for me…
Hope you watched 3 idiots and zindagi na milegi dobara…☺☺☺
I read your articles and like it very much your writing style make me happy like watching comedy nights with Kapil do and I’m very much sure you can succeed in whatever you choose to do… yes struggles will always their but without struggles life will become bore man☺
Enjoy life before you die… build your dream or some 1 will hire you to build their dreams…you’re not born to please others it’s your life live it… to enjoy life you need twist and turn or else you will be bore and will regret not to follow your heart.
Suggestion: you can arrange bike rider tour and earn few bucks, you can apply for bike race track job in India to live your dreams, you can start bike rider school so you can teach new rider. You can be a biker consultant and side by side you can do freelancer and take IT project directly and work from home…
I too am working for capgemini noida and i am glad to know that its the same xompany akhil left, back then it was name igate_patni group.
I am motivated to work on my you tube channel.
hey, i am also working for capgemini noida now and i am glad to hear that akhil also worked for same company and back then it was named as igate-patni group.
cheers mate.
i am motivated to work on my you tube channel now.
Akhil,
The day you chose to resign your job was just as dramatic , even though it din include getting naked 😀
But congrats mate,on the wise decision. And also for not dropping everything at one go. As many say , bravery and foolishness is separated by a thin line. The way Riderzone is moving forward it is only a matter of time before you can build a livelihood around it, and when that day comes you can finally again resign,and punch your manager too if you like 😛
Anyways,all the very best mate,really feel happy to see a fellow blogger move up in life.!
Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna
Brother, a big ditto to your thoughts. But as middle class bikers without a hefty inherited load of cash we would need some source of income to ride. Do not fret your IT career. What I do and what I guess most of us “hemorrhoid bikers” do is that we look at every day of our drudgery as a means to yet another ride. We work for money, we earn money for rides. Of course lucky are they who have made their passions into sources of revenue and I hope that you succeed in that dream.
There is however a saying that do something you enjoy to earn a career, but never turn your passion into to a career. Your passion for riding and writing may suffer if you consider that to be your pay packet too as you may fall into the trap of enforced sustained output.
proud of u bro 🙂
You r really a mother fuker as I see in ur article that u have no respect for women u r just ”NALI KA KIDA”…..
I think u r a son of a prosteute. …
Damn! You have a great sense of humor sir. Keep it up 🙂