Ajay Padval, the daredevil downhill rider left for his heavenly abode yesterday.
There are adventure lovers and then there was one who was hungry for it. The one who defined pushing limits. The one who exhaled stories of courage. For whom it was never enough. The one who was destined to rule the mountains! A Freerider.
Ajay Padval, a downhill biker rider passed away yesterday, meeting with an accident in Khardung-la region in Ladakh. The 22 year old a famous name in the community suffered major injuries in the head, while doing what he always loved. The Punekar shot to fame early after being shot for numerous documentaries, which even got him to body double Salman Khan for Kick.
For others it may be an evidence of how risky the sport can be. But for us, it’s the legacy which the guy left behind. He took risks for passion he had, for others to learn from. Though he lost balance but not before living the thrill to ride down one of the highest mountain passes on earth.
A guy as humble as one could be, surely lived for the love of riding. His passion oozed out from the workshops he held to promote the sport. His dedication displayed in the several trophies he won. His thirst to participate more often, gives us and the community to cherish what he left behind.
As told by his companion Vinay Menon, “Ajay found a new rad trail to ride.. he’s surely drifting on the lines there.”
Indeed his passion was pure as the answer to what exactly happened to him is only with the mountains as
There’s something that he has earned,
It’s not money nor fame, it’s his mountains who disconsolate,
But his journey hasn’t ended yet, He has just chosen some other way.
Kartik Rao
Writer
