Ben Reid-Howells and Prashant Kumar embarked on their Vasudhaiva Ride in December 2016. Inspired by the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutum­bakam (“the whole world is one family”), their travels will take them from India to Scotland in a two-year series of collaborative proj­ects with artists, individuals, and organizations. The goal is to show what people, especially commu­nities, are capable of doing when they come together. The biker duo wants to create, share and con­nect the stories of these people and places while working towards peace, sustainable living and community wellbeing. Ben and Prashant rely heavily on the idea of jugaad (“to make do with what you have”). Having decided on their old (un)reliable Enfields as their primary mode of transport, it’s a concept they will carry with them throughout their journey.

“If we had unlimited time on our hands, we’d much rather travel on horses,” jokes Prashant. “We would have preferred an option that didn’t emit any carbon. The bikes were the next best alternative.”

 

To raise funds, they used their skills as musicians and Prashant pro­duced art installations for various pubs and bars across Pune using his upcycling skills.

 

Their endeavors have now brought them to Nepal, where their next project finds them in Kagati Village in Nuwakot. In collabora­tion with HCI (Himalayan Climate Initiative), Ben and Prashant, who specialize in education and upcy­cling respectively, have put their skills together to build a playground for the children of the village. But there was no money. Luckily, the Kagati Village is located next to a waste dump and that, for Ben and Prashant, was all they needed.

 

They used the waste to create playground attractions for chil­dren for a fraction of the initial estimated cost. By doing so they want to embed the idea of waste products as raw materials. This could in turn have a huge impact on sustainable development.

 

Ben and Prashant’s collabora­tion with HCI nudges things along the same positive direction. Countries like Nepal that have been hit hard by climate change and climate justice, the social impact of climate change, have a chance to leap-frog straight to clean development instead of dirty development. They as such can set an example for the rest of the world.

 

“This is possible because of the natural resources available in the country and people’s changing mindset, which is very important,” explains Ben.

 

Apart from their efforts in Kagati Village, Prashant did a one-day workshop with a group of 60 women in Kathmandu where he taught live­lihood skills and guided the partici­pants in learning ways to create stuff to make their ends meet. This will be an ongoing program for working woman and poor communities.

 

Ben, meanwhile, runs teaching programs that focus on the impor­tance of sustainable development and how people can build houses that clean their own water, make their own food, and source its own renewable energy.

 

The Vasudahiva Ride might not change the way the world thinks right away, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. The duo’s stint here in Nepal is only a small part of their big project. You can follow their work and progress through their website and social media. For anyone interested in helping, you can get in touch with the two when they return to Kath­mandu on April 27.

 

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