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A few months short of his 70th birthday, avionics engineer Farokh Patell of Hyderabad has no intention of giving up his favorite hobby, that of riding a motorcycle long distance on India’s interstate highways. He has clocked lakhs of kilometers in long distance solo travel and says, "The highways give me a thrill, and also a sense of calm and oneness with nature. I have had the opportunity of making many friends on my several trips and keep connected with them when I return to those cities.” 
His current bike is a Bajaj Dominar 400cc liquid cooled engine. He says, "It’s truly a remarkable bike, for riding pleasure on the highway. I have done Hyderabad/Madras/Hyderabad and Hyderabad/Bangalore/Hyderabad in the last two months on this bike. I do Hyderabad-Madras, a distance of 745 kms in eight hours, via Vijayawada… At the first opportunity I want to hit the highway. My friends always say ‘Foxy, you must be having ants in your pants,’” reveals Patell.
Youthful looking and of slim build, Patell says, "Riding the highways has kept me fit. On the move I keep a very strict food regimen, only biscuits and ORSL (oral rehydration salts drink), stopping every 100 km for cooling the bike engine. I have done a couple of trips in peak summer too, sometimes in 44° temperature. I follow a very strict schedule; no riding after 6 p.m., stopping at the nearest town or village for the night. Of course there is always a fear at the back of the mind, about the eventuality of a breakdown, or a puncture. I guess I am blessed by Ahura Mazda.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patell bought his very first motor bike in 1974; it was a 500cc BSA, 1941 model World War II manufactured, for Rs 1,000. He describes his first trip, "My first long distance trip on the BSA, was to Bombay, with my friend Sudhakar Naidu. It took us two days to reach Bombay, with a night halt in Poona. As the bike was old we had to maintain a slow speed. I remember when we were on the Ghats the engine was getting so hot, that at times we could see the smoke coming up.”
His next bikes were a Yamaha 100cc and Pulsar 180cc, each from the first consignment of new bikes in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. "As my work required me to be posted to Bangalore at least six times a year for 15 days, I used to ride down alternately on my Yamaha and Pulsar, covering the Hyderabad-Bangalore distance of 570 km in eight hours.” His next bike was a Karizma 225cc which he had bought when he was working for Star Aviation in Madras. "On this bike alone, I have clocked 54,000 kms,” he reveals. His TVS Scooty carried him from Hyderabad to Shirdi and back, and his Honda Dio scooter from Hyderabad to Madras to Pondicherry and back.
Patell’s fascination for motorbikes started from the time his father Homi owned a Matchless 350cc motorcycle, 1947 model. "Adventurous as I was, I would sneak out of bed at night and quietly walk the bike out of earshot and then ride it to the Parade Grounds where my truant friends would come by, to be taught how to ride it. My father’s Ford car too became the training vehicle for my friends.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 He has a penchant for mechanics and electrical gadgets too. He would deconstruct the clocks, the radio and the record player at home and try to reassemble the same, gaining confidence to repair gadgets for family and friends. Gradually he began assisting his father in disassembling his bike, servicing it and putting it together again.
He recalls the summer vacation after appearing for his Pre-University Course examination when his mother Banoo  (née Meherji) decided "to send me to an institute to learn about transistors, which at the time was an innovation. That is when a whole new world of electronics and telecommunications opened up for me. I completed my diploma in telecommunications in 1968 from the Government Polytechnic, Hyderabad, and did a stint with the Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board as telephone inspector for Warangal District.” Subsequently he joined Indian Airlines as an aircraft technician (radio) in 1972 and worked in different capacities for 33 years before retiring in 2005 as deputy chief aircraft engineer. Post retirement, he continued his avionic engineering assignments, working with Star Aviation in Madras, Flytech Aviation Academy, Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy and Air Costa in Madras.
Born within four months of Independence, Patell recalls how "my father and his 10 brothers worked for the government. In those times, it was an honor and a privilege to be in government service. My grandfather and granduncle were in the police, and my kaka (paternal uncle) Faram Patell was an Assistant Commissioner of Police under the Nizam’s Rule. My father was a superintendent for the State Excise Department.” His eldest brother Hoshang worked for the Railway Police. Younger brother Minoo worked for the Public Works Department while the youngest, Burjor, was a colonel in the Indian Army. "My eldest fui (father’s sister) Khorshed was married to Framroz Khurshed, the first principal of the Bai Rattanbai J. Chenai Parsi High School in Secunderabad. That is where my father and all his siblings had studied. My mother was from Bombay, and had been a supervisor in the sewing department of the Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute before she got married.
 "I am the eldest child in the family, then came my sister Perviz (now Bhote) and brothers Bomi and Pouroosh. My parents got us interested from a very young age in Hindustani classical music and Kathak dance. I had a natural flair for music and dance and my father spared no effort or expense in nurturing this talent which resulted in my successful participation in a number of inter-school competitions. I also represented India as a 13-year-old student at The International Children’s Camp in Crimea, Russia.” Equally enthusiastic about sports, as a young lad, "I would willingly forego a party, navjote or wedding in order to mark my attendance at the Gymkhana grounds to play football.” He was also the captain of the football team of St Patrick’s High School, Hyderabad where he studied.
"I am lucky my family has taken my solo bike adventures in their stride,” appreciates Patell,  adding, "My wife Mahrukh knows there is nothing to stop this crazy guy from suddenly packing up for a ride. Mahrukh worked for Coromandel Fertilizers and retired as executive secretary in 2012. Our son Ashdin runs a cake shop named Miss Muffins and also sets up heavy equipment required for new restaurant kitchens. Our daughter Tushna is a jewelry designer and son-in-law Karthikeyan Sivasankar is a music composer and disc jockey.”
Patell strongly feels that no amount of cajoling or ostracizing is going to stem the tide of interfaith marriages. "We have to accept the reality and practice measures that will facilitate such families to touch base with the community,” advocates Patell who during his frequent sojourns to Madras has observed, "There are lots of couples of mixed marriages who enjoy attending the monthly community get-togethers. This builds strong and happy bonds. And the best part is that the non-Parsi spouses (both male and female) in Madras have taken to Parsipanu so well.”
 Be it the spacious dharamshala in Madras or the earlier one in Benson Town in Bangalore, Patell has fond memories of his stays there and asserts, "Staying at Parsi dharamshalas in the cities has brought me in touch with several Parsis… At such times you feel you are so lucky to be born a Parsi and that our forefathers have provided us such fabulous places.”