25Friday 18 February 2011 20Saturday 4 January 2014

Bengaluru Chronicle

Continued from Page 19

“There is no infrastructure to developthis sport in Bengaluru like in the USA,hence I created this,” he says. The half-a-day programme involves a crash coursein riding, six Honda 230F’s to choosefrom and an opportunity to hit thetrail and tracks, depending ofcourse, on your riding skills.“The response has been phe-nomenal. Our first customer,Sunil Radhakrishnan calledthe recreational activity‘just what the doctorordered for beginners andbike enthusiasts like me’.”reveals Santosh. Most of thecustomers that come to the BigRock, as it is fondly called, arefirst timers on the dirt bike. “Theyhave probably ridden regular bikes butnot these,” says the winner of the 14thRaid the Himalayas. Incidentally if theoff roading has left you a little soar, youcan even shack up in one of the tents forthe night to relax a bit. Ever since the

center’s launch, Santosh and his familyhave been living half the week at the BigRock and the rest half in their house inRichmond Town.

Looking at his riding career, the year2013 wasn’t his best. It was riddled withincidents of fire, punctures and what

not. But Santosh is optimisticabout 2014. “I have made my

mark in India, it’s time I dothat on global map. I amgetting ready for theDesert Storm inRajasthan, post which Iwill head for the WorldRally in Abu Dhabiagain and if all goes

well, maybe even race inEurope,” says the six foot-

er, who admits that apartfrom riding the bikes, he really

can’t do anything else. “Riding hap-pened to be by sheer chance. As a kid, Inever gave racing a thought. But now, ifI wasn’t a rallyist, I would definitely berunning after something that gave mean equally good dose of adrenaline.”

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DECCAN CHRONICLE

Born in London, TomAnsell didn’t really thinkthat one day the biggest

market for his company wouldbe right here in nammaBengaluru. He started Grallo,an initiative that helps organiseshared journeys to events across thecountry. So far they have tied up withnumerous festivals like, Storm, goMAD,Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Sunburn,Zambhala and City of M.

“Our web platform offers a selection oftransport options to the attendee, sothat it is much easier for him/ her to getto the event. These options include theability to share your transport, be it acarpool, taxi or a bus. The aim is to getto the event in the cheapest, greenestand most fun way possible. You can alsomeet new people with similar inter-ests,” explains Tom, a graduate in poli-tics, geography and economics. Tomalways wanted to create things, and waspretty ambitious as a kid. By the timehe was 16, he was already trying hishand at ways to make money. The wordGrallo has lot to do with environmentand reducing waste. The concept arosefrom the need for an affordable ride

home from his university. Technology,Indian transport, and family were themain reasons this Brit decided to settledown in Bengaluru. “It is nice to have mysister and her husband live in the samecity,” smiles the Arsenal fan who loves allthings Bengalurean, like dosa, chai and agood argument with an auto driver.

Tom feels, in comparison to the UK,developing technology in Bengaluru ismuch more affordable. “If you are intotransport and want to solve some prob-

lems, India is the best place to start. Weuse technology to create efficient minia-ture transport systems, in order to makeevents more accessible, and take awayany transport headache for the eventorganiser. You only need to spend 10 min-utes in the city’s rush hour traffic to see,hear, feel the problem,” exclaims Tom,who wants to make the journey a part ofthe event’s experience. Incidentally, theIPL fan reveals, “Indians are much betterbehaved than the people going to festivalsin the UK.” Should his friends and rela-tives come visiting, he says, “I would takethem to Lalbagh Gardens, make themexperience the chaotic traffic jams, dineat Bobby da Dhaba and then take them toNandi Hills.”

This Brit entrepreneurhas found his biggestmarket in our city

An eventful expedition

People say thisis just what thedoctor ordered

for bikeenthusiasts

— CS SANTOSH

Tom Ansell