Mumbai to Shanghai motorcycle diaries

Drop by artist Tushar Joag's presentation and discussion on his 53-day motorcycle trip that culminated in a performative art installation, Riding Rocinante: from Mumbai to Shanghai

Mumbai to Shanghai motorcycle diaries

Drop by artist Tushar Joag's presentation and discussion on his 53-day motorcycle trip that culminated in a performative art installation, Riding Rocinante: from Mumbai to Shanghai

Road trips garner plenty of buzz, particularly when these transcend borders. From Chinese scholar-monk Fa Hien to the fictional Don Quixote and Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, the road trip bug bit explorers and thinkers for centuries. As they piled on the miles (on foot, horse or motorcycle), they also embarked on an inner journey of self-discovery.

When I told people about my journey, they inevitably termed it stupid.
That's why I chose to name my motorcycle Rocinante (the name of
Don Quixote's horse; Quixote's journeys were also considered futile).
- Tushar Joag

For artist Tushar Joag, an alumni of the Sir JJ School of Art with a Masters from Baroda's MS University, the opportunity came in 2010 when he was approached to be part of Place Time Play: India China Contemporary Art exhibition.

"Though India and China were neighbours, there had never been a cultural dialogue between them. This show aimed to facilitate an exchange of thoughts without any Western mediation. To engage with the Chinese audience, I decided to opt for a more physical installation rather than work out of a studio," said Joag.

such a long journey
Accordingly, he went on a motorcycle journey from August 23, 2010 to October 14, 2010, during which he interacted with people, clicked photographs and blogged about it. Just as Fa Hien had come to India from China centuries ago, to learn Buddhist scriptures, Joag was embarking on a reverse journey of sorts.
"When I told people about my journey, they inevitably termed it stupid. That's why I chose to name my motorcycle Rocinante (the name of Don Quixote's horse; Quixote's journeys were also considered futile)," adds Joagu00a0From Mumbai, Joag went to Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat, Bhopal, Gorakhpur, Nepal and Tibet to Shanghai. During the 53-day journey, he encountered landslides and earthquakes, among other natural calamities.

"I lost my way several times despite having a map as there were no road signs for 100 km at a stretch. Due to the potholes, my motorcycle got damaged. It was raining incessantly and I was miserable and shivering all the time," reminisces Joag. In China, his posts were being censored and he had to mail them to his wife who uploaded them from Mumbai.

So what did he finally gain at the end of the journey? "A halo," laughs Joag, adding on a more serious note, "There wasn't a tangible difference though I have developed skills of patience and perseverance," he adds.
During his trip, he recalls sailing over a village that was submerged due to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam. "People had taken refuge in the hills and it was a strange sensation to sail over what was once a thriving village," he admits.

It also raised a lot of questions. "I have been associated with the Narmada Bachao Andolan for over a decade and this made me ponder about the unequal development. What has democracy really done for these people, apart from displacing them without compensation?" Interestingly, he chanced upon similar insensitivity in Tibet where a sacred river of the Tibetans was drained of water by the Chinese.

Ultimately, when he reached Shanghai, his installation sub-titled 'A journey through Sardar Sarovar and the Three Gorges' showcased his dismantled bike submerged into horse-shaped troughs filled with water. "It represents the breaking down of society," he explains. The horse troughs were named Kanthaka and were inspired by Gautama Buddha's horse by the same name on which he left Kapilavastu forever to become an ascetic. At today's event he will show slides and talk about his journey linking it to his other works. Given a chance, would he do it again? "I would, except I would take some company with me. The previous journey was supposed to be introspective and I had to do it alone," he concludes.

From Today, 6.30 pm onwards
At Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call 22838380