Life is fleeting and it never ceases to remind us of that truth. That is what makes life beautiful, worth living, and most importantly, worth enjoying. For Ishaan Bhardwaj, this important life lesson was brought about by motorcycling. Also known as RaceMonkey, Ishaan loved cars from his childhood. It is evident from the fact that he was only 4 when he drew a car in his mother’s notebook. From then on, he was driven by a passion for machines.

He fondly remembers recognizing the first premium car brand- Mercedes-Benz. As he was growing up, Ishaan also developed an interest in motorcycles. His father was an avid motorcyclist and so was his mother, during her college days. She had a 1972 JAWA which was parked in their parking lot. Ishaan would sit on the motorcycle every day before school and imitate revving it. He loved to do that despite being scared of getting scolded by his father.

When he reached college, his love for motorcycles grew further. This was also the time when Ishaan got to know xBhp. With that, his passion for motorcycling grew further as the machines excited him as much as the culture around motorcycles in general. His first motorcycle was a Bajaj Pulsar 150 which he got in his college. And it was after getting his own bike that he realized why someone could love motorcycles so much, as many people did.

Initially, motorcycling for him was a simple idea; ride and go on long trips. But slowly, as he grew older, he realized how important it is psychologically for a person to go out, explore, and go to places that have never been seen before. To Ishaan, riding now means being that one individual with a helmet on; after that, you cannot hear the opinions of other people; you are around yourself and that indeed is a liberating feeling.

As he dived deeper and deeper into motorcycling, his love for these machines grew. But during one of his long trips, he had a major mishap and he barely escaped disaster. During one of his trips to Ladakh and coming down from Khardung La, his motorcycle slipped over the gravel and fell into a gorge. Fortunately, Ishaan had slipped to the side and therefore escaped going down with the motorcycle.

This incident is what made him realize how fragile life is and how important it is to make the most of every moment. This also inspired him to start his journey as an auto journalist. With this, he wanted to share the experience and emotions of being behind the handlebars of a motorcycle or the wheel of a car. He wanted people to truly experience the stories and emotions of being out there with a machine in an environment they love.

His continuous work in this direction gave rise to his brand called TheRaceMonkey. As of today, he is enjoying every moment of doing what he loves to do. He considers motorcycling as truly medicinal and he thinks that it can help people realize the importance of life, the importance of the world we live in, teach them to be empathetic, and give rise to a culture where everyone is helpful to one another.