25 20 Saturday 4 January 2014 Bengaluru Chronicle Continued from Page 19 “There is no infrastructure to develop this sport in Bengaluru like in the USA, hence I created this,” he says. The half-a- day programme involves a crash course in riding, six Honda 230F’s to choose from and an opportunity to hit the trail and tracks, depending of course, on your riding skills. “The response has been phe- nomenal. Our first customer, Sunil Radhakrishnan called the recreational activity ‘just what the doctor ordered for beginners and bike enthusiasts like me’.” reveals Santosh. Most of the customers that come to the Big Rock, as it is fondly called, are first timers on the dirt bike. “They have probably ridden regular bikes but not these,” says the winner of the 14th Raid the Himalayas. Incidentally if the off roading has left you a little soar, you can even shack up in one of the tents for the night to relax a bit. Ever since the center’s launch, Santosh and his family have been living half the week at the Big Rock and the rest half in their house in Richmond Town. Looking at his riding career, the year 2013 wasn’t his best. It was riddled with incidents of fire, punctures and what not. But Santosh is optimistic about 2014. “I have made my mark in India, it’s time I do that on global map. I am getting ready for the Desert Storm in Rajasthan, post which I will head for the World Rally in Abu Dhabi again and if all goes well, maybe even race in Europe,” says the six foot- er, who admits that apart from riding the bikes, he really can’t do anything else. “Riding hap- pened to be by sheer chance. As a kid, I never gave racing a thought. But now, if I wasn’t a rallyist, I would definitely be running after something that gave me an equally good dose of adrenaline.” glam-sham VrROOM for young... ZOYA PHILIP DECCAN CHRONICLE Born in London, Tom Ansell didn’t really think that one day the biggest market for his company would be right here in namma Bengaluru. He started Grallo, an initiative that helps organise shared journeys to events across the country. So far they have tied up with numerous festivals like, Storm, goMAD, Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Sunburn, Zambhala and City of M. “Our web platform offers a selection of transport options to the attendee, so that it is much easier for him/ her to get to the event. These options include the ability to share your transport, be it a carpool, taxi or a bus. The aim is to get to the event in the cheapest, greenest and most fun way possible. You can also meet new people with similar inter- ests,” explains Tom, a graduate in poli- tics, geography and economics. Tom always wanted to create things, and was pretty ambitious as a kid. By the time he was 16, he was already trying his hand at ways to make money. The word Grallo has lot to do with environment and reducing waste. The concept arose from the need for an affordable ride home from his university. Technology, Indian transport, and family were the main reasons this Brit decided to settle down in Bengaluru. “It is nice to have my sister and her husband live in the same city,” smiles the Arsenal fan who loves all things Bengalurean, like dosa, chai and a good argument with an auto driver. Tom feels, in comparison to the UK, developing technology in Bengaluru is much more affordable. “If you are into transport and want to solve some prob- lems, India is the best place to start. We use technology to create efficient minia- ture transport systems, in order to make events more accessible, and take away any transport headache for the event organiser. 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 of the event’s experience. Incidentally, the IPL fan reveals, “Indians are much better behaved than the people going to festivals in the UK.” Should his friends and rela- tives come visiting, he says, “I would take them to Lalbagh Gardens, make them experience the chaotic traffic jams, dine at Bobby da Dhaba and then take them to Nandi Hills.” This Brit entrepreneur has found his biggest market in our city An event ful expedition People say this is just what the doctor ordered for bike enthusiasts — CS SANTOSH Tom Ansell