Avril Khambatta Thakur, President Himalayan Explorers organized the first “Trans Himalayan Save the Yak Motoring Expedition-2011”, with Mahindra Adventure for which Avril, received the Prestigious Mahindra Adventure Award. This expedition was flagged off on 29th April-2011 from the Mahindra Factory at Kandivili in the hands of Sh. Vivek Nayyar, the then Sr. Vice President Mahindra & Mahindra in the presence of Sh. Bijoy Kumar, Chief of Mahindra Adventure.
On 1st May-2011 the Expedition was flagged off from Nagpur in the hands of Sh. Shivaji Rao Moghe the then social justice minister of Maharashtra to mark the Maharashtra foundation Day.
A team of 09 members (Three dropped from Guwahati) led by Dr. Vinod Laxminarayan Thakur, the then Assistant Commandant/Vet/ITBPF. The team comprised of Sharukh Cassad, Shiraj Dungajee, Yohan Dungajee, Ashish Limbanna, and Ahmed Punjuvani.
The team drove from Mumbai to Kibithu in the eastern most part of Arunachal Pradesh from where the Indian Himalayas begins.
Kibithu is referred as “East of North East”, it is 03 degree East of Port Blair supposed to be the eastern most part of India, east of Yangon (Capital of Myanmar) and east of Dhaka.
The expedition was flagged off at Kibithu in the hands Col. Bali (20 Sikh). The team visited the National Research Centre on Yak in Dirang west Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh and discussed on various government’s project on Yak conservation. They also showed their concern about the benefit of research not reaching the end users due to lack of extension work. They called on Lt. General A.K. Ahuja in Tenga Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and discussed about the upliftment of the socio-economic status of the Yak herdsmen. Lt. General A.K. Ahuja Flagged-off the expedition from Tenga, for their next destination. The team drove through the entire Arunachal Pradesh through the border roads, even ferrying the Mahindra SUV’s in the Brahmaputra, to Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Laddakh, spreading the message of Yak Conservation, which is a dwindling population in the Indian Himalayas.
The team reached back to Nagpur on 6th June-2011, after traversing a distance of 16000 kms in 42 days.
