These three Indians want to ride across the border to Pakistan. Why?

Dhaval Gori, once a sea cadet, admits that there was a time when he felt pretty hateful towards Pakistan. "It wasn't until later that I realised that soldiers were losing lives on both the sides and that the actual solution was peace. And I began thinking of how I could contribute to this," reveals Gori. Curiosity about opinions from the other side led the 25-year-old to begin connecting with Pakistani youth online.

Bhavesh Hagwane (left) and Dhaval Gori.

Soon he had friends from Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi who he is still in touch with through WhatsApp or Facebook. "I realised how different the reality was from what we had been imagining," says Gori, who currently works as a project manager at a logistics company. The young man and his friend Bhavesh Hagwane connected with poets, journalists, and fellow travel junkies from Pakistan, who helped change their perspective.

"It occurred to us that since we loved travelling, why not make the trip and meet our counterparts across the border, face to face," says Gori. That was how their project Ride for Peace was initiated, but it soon grew into a much more ambitious plan to cover 22,000 km in seven months. Hagwane, Gori and their friend Arun Bhat intend to leave in August and over the first five months, ride across the country and interview a thousand people in the hinterlands to discuss their views on Pakistan.

If all goes well, they will cross the border to Pakistan and do the same over two months. Doing the epic journey on a bike is an essential part of their plan. "Biking symbolises freedom, independence. Riding a bike allows you to stay connected with nature as well as the people you encounter on the way," explains Gori. The boys plan to document their journey and produce a film on their return. But he lays emphasis on how their project is different from other such initiatives.

"Usually it is the people of the metropolises that are asked about their opinion. We want to find out what rural India and Pakistan think of each other. We want to talk to those who have absolutely no political connections with Pakistan." he adds. From Mumbai the trio plans to visit Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Jammu, Himachal-the Seven Sisters. The challenge will be to replicate this all-encompassing journey in Pakistan. "We have asked the Pakistani embassy for an easy passage through the cities we're planning to cover. They have been very supportive and we have reasons to remain positive," says Gori.