From wrenches at 16 to epic rides...

 

 

IT STARTED with wrenches in hand at age 16 and fixing Jawa motorcycles at the family dealership in Nagpur. By 23, Jagtar Singh Sethi was chasing horizons across continents. Today, at 75, this businessman-turned-heritage-keeper still stocks parts in his workshop and treasures vehicles like his Jawa, Willys Jeep (BYJ 488) and Yezdi with its original faded stickers. Sethi shared the story of his epic adventure: “In 1973, as a young man of 23, I embarked on a trip from Nagpur to London with my childhood friend, Ulhas Kelkar, on my Jawa bearing registration no MTA 5016. “We completed the round trip in six months, from February 16 to August 14.

 

Travelling through Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, England, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, East Germany, West Germany, Czechoslovakia (the birthplace of Jawa), Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and back via the same route. “Since I was able to repair any breakdown, my Jawa with its 250 CC two-stroke single-cylinder engine never faltered, rushing through rain, slush, snow, and deserts with temperatures varying from -1 to +48 degrees Celsius,” Sethi explained proudly. Sethi owns two Willys Jeeps and Yezdi in addition to his Jawa, and he loves all his vintages equally. “Motorcycles and motorcycling were always in my blood, and even today I love my motorcycles and am ready for a long ride on my Jawa or Yezdi.” His obsession with jeeps led him to own two 1956-model Willys Jeeps.

 

“The 4-wheel drive and left-hand drive is close to my heart as a robust, rugged, all-time, all-terrain companion. Several enthusiasts want to buy this wonderful beast, but I have no intention to part with it.” Sethi will showcase all three treasures, his Jawa, Yezdi, and Willys Jeep at the Rotary-The Hitavada Vintage Car Rally to be held in association with Cent Ind Vintage Automobile Association at St Ursula High School ground on December 28. If not for enthusiasts like Sethi, these machines wouldn’t have survived this long. “It’s your history, it’s your heritage. Conserve it for future generations. Examine and enjoy the transition of technology over the years and pass it on to the next generation who deserve to know the past,” Sethi signed off.