ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Life hits a road-block for stunt rider

Soroor Ahmed in Patna

His name appears in the Guinness Book of World Record. His team was a star attraction at the opening ceremony of the Ninth Asian Games in Delhi in 1982. Yet in his hometown he lives a life of anonymity with even his neighbours having little or no knowledge of his achievements.

This is the story of Bhaju Prasad, an ex-serviceman, who took motercycle riding to new heights, literally.

In 1992 Prasad and his team of 142 daredevil riders formed what has gone down in record books as the biggest human pyramid on 11 mobikes in motion. Prasad was then employed with the Indian Army and was posted at the Jabalpur cantonment.

Interestingly, Prasad had never ridden a motorcycle till he joined the army in 1979. However, he practised hard and soon became one of the most established riders in his unit.

In 1982 he was part of the team which participated in the opening ceremony of the Ninth Asian Games in New Delhi. In front of a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, his team performed several memorable stunts such as chain and scissors crossing, pyramid formation, lotus formation and flat-bar.

The same team first set an Indian record by forming a pyramid of 40 riders on seven mobikes. Later, 82 of them repeated the feat on nine mobikes. And finally 142 of them rode 11 mobikes in pyramid formation setting a world record.

Bhaju's team was also invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the Third South Asian Federation Games in Calcutta in November 1987. They missed a chance to perform at the Seoul Asian Games after the army, for reasons best known to the bosses, refused them permission

Seven years after setting the world record and three years after retiring from the army, Prasad today mans the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. It's really a pity that the temple management did not invite him to perform at the two Buddha Mahotsava's organised there after he joined the temple as a security officer. Last year Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana were among the invitees at the mahotsava.

In the immediate post-retirement days he displayed his talent at many places in Gaya and elsewhere in the state. At the international cross-country games held in March 1997 at Gaya College he was the prize attraction.

Bhaju, a resident of Rohanbigha village under Bela block of Gaya district, seldom rides a mobike now. But then he never liked to go on a ride alone.

Tell us what you think of this report