Pune: Meet The European Couple Driving A Rickshaw Across India
Sharveya Parasnis
Pune, 8th January 2023: If you’re driving around in Pune today, you might come across a unique sight – a snow-white auto rickshaw featuring cubist art reminiscent of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.
Meet Tuktukasso (a portmanteau of Tuk-Tuk and Picasso), a one-of-a-kind rickshaw driven by Javier and Muberra, a foreign couple travelling across the country with nothing but auto and a desire for adventure.
They are part of a much bigger Rickshaw Run organised by the adventure tourism company The Adventurists, alongside 65 other teams all driving from North to South. Muberra and Javier started in Jaisalmer on 2nd January and hope to reach Kochi by the 15th.
Muberra Karavelioglu (30) is of Turkish heritage but was born in France, while Javier Rincón (39) hails from Guatemala. They met last year while working in Spain and bonded over their shared interest in travel and adventure. Four months later, they were already engaged and ready to discover India together.
Their multicultural heritage and love for the arts are proudly displayed on their cherished rickshaw, which features flags of Guatemala, Spain, France, Turkey and India, alongside Picasso-esque art and religious symbols, all proudly designed by Muberra herself.
For the two, this is a one-of-a-kind experience that allows them to know each other as individuals and helps grow their relationship. “In my opinion, it affects the relationship positively, as you get to know the other person in circumstances that you never come across in your daily life,” says Muberra “I think it’s like a test, you have to acknowledge that you will go through moments of tension and you have to work through them.”
Making their way across the country while dealing with language barriers, cultural differences, unfamiliar roads, and car trouble has made them appreciate the country and its people. Relaying an incident where they were invited into a small rural school by laughing children, even though no one spoke any English, “Smiles can also speak a language,” says Javier. Both describe Pune as impressive, with many educated people and many places to see. The couple plans to travel through India’s coast in the future.
“I think we’re going to keep being amazed by India, with every day being a box of surprises. When I won’t be here driving the Tuk-Tuk, I’ll be quite sad. I’m quite attached to Tuktukasso now,” says Javier.
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