Jagjit Singh and Rapinder Singh, both 36 years of age, will travel from Gravesend to the Golden Temple (12,900 km) in 14 days to raise 25,000 pounds for British Heart Foundation. The trip will start on February 1 next year in memory of Jagjit’s father, who died of heart failure in February 2012. They will travel through 17 countries in 14 days. The pair has applied to the ‘Limca World Book of Records’ in the hope of setting the shortestcross-continental travel time
LONDON – Two Indo-British friends are set to drive from a town in south-east England to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, travelling through 17 countries in 14 days to raise 25,000 pounds for a British heart foundation.
Jagjit Singh and Rapinder Singh, both 36 years old, aim to complete nearly 12,900 km road trip from Gravesend to the Golden Temple in 14 days starting February 1 next year.
The pair will drive through Germany, Austria, Turkey and other countries and have applied to the “Limca World Book of Records” in the hope of setting the shortest cross-continental travel time.
The journey is in memory of Jagjit’s father, who died of heart failure in February 2012.
The duo is being sponsored by 17 local businesses and they aim at raising 25,000 pounds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) dedicated to research into heart disease.
“India is the holiest country for Sikhs and we live in Gravesend, which has the (Guru Nanak Darbar) Gurdwara, the biggest Sikh temple outside India. I am into vehicle business and both of us like driving so it made sense to go for the trip. We will be taking turns on the wheel every three hours. We want to remember my father and raise money for the BHF,” Jagjit was quoted as saying by a news agency.
He said: “In the early stages, when we drive through Europe, we will be looking to cover 1,000 to 1,500 miles a day. Originally, we were going to do this trip for fun but then my dad died and it became more charitable. Rapinder did not need much persuading to come because he is the one who reminded me of the idea in September. Anything that comes up along the way is where we will be sleeping.”
