By Eric Martin
Hilton Parish Priest Fr Paul Raj is an active man in the Archdiocese, and it should come as no surprise that his relatives are full of the same driving enthusiasm that saw him dedicate his life in service to God.
Fr Raj’s kinsman, King Richard, a 44-year-old Bengaluru-based businessman in India, is currently traversing the world on a Triumph Tiger XCX motorcycle. He is scheduled to arrive in Perth next week to complete the Australian leg of his world-tour.
“It was about five years ago that Richard got hooked on to riding motorcycles,” Fr Raj said.
“After meeting some European riders who had done world rides, Richard came to the conclusion that he too could be part of that club.”
“I checked and found that very few Indians had done a world ride and so I decided to be one of them,” Richard shared with The Record.
In April 2018, Richard, from St Pope John Paul II Parish in the province of Bangalore, along with his friend Manjunath, started the first leg of his world ride, during which they visited 21 countries from Bengaluru to London, covering 23,500km and two continents (Asia and Europe) within the space of 72 days.
The second leg of the journey (the section that Richard is currently completing) started on 7 August 2019 in New York with another friend, Vijay Narayan.
“We rode across San Francisco, Central America, Mexico and further down to Panama, then South America,” Richard added.
“We rode in Colombia, Ecuador and reached Peru, but unfortunately in Peru, Vijay had a fall and I had to bring him back to India for treatment.
“Once I ensured that he was better, I started my solo ride again from Peru and reached Chile, heading for Ushuaia in Argentina – a place that’s known as the ‘End of the World’.
“It is a dream destination for any rider as it’s in the tip of South America: there are no towns further down in the world.
“We’ve covered another 36 countries, 53,000 km and two more continents during this leg: and our World Ride continues into Australia.”
Even though he felt like giving up during challenging times, Richard said: “But then I have gathered myself and started thinking of alternative ways to move on”.
“My family has been immensely supportive of my passion and encouraged me. Without their support, it would have not have been possible for me to do this kind of a ride,” he added.
For Richard’s wife, Monica, left at home in Bengaluru, her husband’s adventure has equally been a journey of faith.
“When he first told me about a cross country ride I thought he was joking but when I saw his preparations my heart was disturbed and I was thinking of how to stop him,” Monica said.
“However, I was also praying because it had come as a shock and I didn’t know what to think: I was asking the Lord to lead my thoughts according to His will and decide for me like He always did.
“Slowly, I developed positive thoughts and the Lord was giving me a lot of reassurance that His Mighty Hand always protects those who trust in Him,” she shared.
“The first few days seemed to be so empty when Richard started off. After that I would just keep on with the countdown on my calender and Thank the Lord each day for seeing us through. Mother Mary was with me and gave me strength and courage whenever I felt a bit low.
“There have been many occasions where we faced testing situations but were always reminded of the promise of the Mighty One that He was our protector. Time has passed slowly but very beautifully in faith.”
Richard plans to return to India from Perth in the first week of March after spending time with his relative, Fr Paul Raj.
A Thanksgiving Mass/Service on Tuesday, 25 February, at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church-Hilton at 9am for the success of Richard’s world ride.