Abdul Momen Rohit is fearless. But on his bike, he is unstoppable. A graduate from Dhaka College, Rohit is the first Bangladeshi to ride on the world’s highest motorable pass Khardungla, in India. Natasha Rahman tries to keep up to his pace.
When it comes to the risks involved, one can only guesstimate the perils and it will still be way off than what the picture really is. “When anyone goes up to 2400 meters or 8000 feet above the ground level, there is a high possibility to suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or commonly known as Altitude Sickness,” Rohit shares. He mentions that the possible complications can be very fatal such as coma(unresponsiveness), fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), swelling of the brain (cerebral edema), which can lead to seizures, mental changes, or permanent damage to the nervous system and sometimes even death. Located in the Ladakh Valley of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Rohit took on the challenge despite knowing the hazards. “The symptoms of AMS are difficulty in sleeping, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea as well as vomiting. As I went closer to my destination, rapid pulse and shortness of breath is something I had to face and overcome,” he recalls. Given that he needed to travel to high altitudes at rapid speeds, oxygen and pressure changes were obstacles. But Rohit wasn’t a man to give up. He stayed at Leh City for 2 nights which was just 39 kilometres from the mighty Khardungla. This helped his body adjust to the altitude. “As I knew I would be riding upwards at rapid speed, I was very cautious of AMS and drank tons of water. By the grace of Almighty, everything went well and I summited the world’s highest motorable pass Khardungla on August 27,” he shares with pride.
Unlike other modes of transportation, biking is fairly risky. However, this fear factor makes Rohit want to pursue more and more adventurous travels. In the previous years, Rohit has already gone on many bike rides such as Teknaf to Tetulia in less than 24 hours and also touched another milestone of completing Saddle Sore (a ride of 1622 kilometres in 24 hours) as the first Bangladeshi.
“I rode many hilly off-roads of Bandarban and climbed up to Boga Lake with my bike. Adventure lies in my blood. So when I heard about that highest altitude motorable pass I made up my mind to conquer that as well,” the determined biker shares.
Rohit can taste and feel freedom in all its meaning when he is on his bike. “Like the free spirit that I believe I am, my dream is to ride my bike all over the world. I am also planning to go for an all over Asia ride very soon,” Rohit exclaims.
As a closing advice to biking enthusiasts he feels no destination is unreachable. “Never give up on your dreams, no matter what they maybe. Go out in the world and show them
who’s boss.”