Construction teacher on 6,000-mile expedition in tuk tuk

A construction professor from Nottingham Trent University is preparing to travel 6,000 miles across two continents and 14 countries in a tuk tuk to help raise money for charity.

The Slow Train to India expedition is expected to take five weeks, starting on 14 July at Nottingham Market Square and concluding at India Gate in New Delhi.

Dr Mukesh Kashyap and two friends will embark on the arduous journey with the motorised rickshaw in a bid to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Apnalaya, a charity that helps children living in the slums of Mumbai.

The trio’s route will take them through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They will then take a ferry crossing to Mumbai, India, before heading off to New Delhi, their final destination.

Kashyap, a construction management academic in the university’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, will be making the trip with the tuk tuk owner Sanjay Sharma and Kelham Osborne, who will be chief mechanic on the journey.

They will be taking turns to drive the rickshaw during the day and sleeping in a tent or at bed and breakfasts along the route.

The team have been busy preparing for the expedition, undertaking first aid training and trying to get themselves to the required physical and mental levels.

Mukesh said: “We are constantly trying to prepare ourselves for the task ahead, we don’t want anything to get in the way of us achieving our goal.

“The most likely difficulties we’ll face along the way are needing to keep a close eye on the tuk tuk and our belongings during the night, not carrying enough water or running out of fuel.

“But we’re all raring to go and can’t wait to get started, we hope to raise £10,000 for the two charities.”

To follow their travel blog and to sponsor them visit Slow Train to India.