Three brave UC Berkeley students are riding in style this summer through India. Their vehicle you may ask? A rickshaw. Brian Wong, Sonny Sabhlok and Allen Rodriguez will be participating in an event called the “Rickshaw Run” which is a race from Kathmandu, Nepal to Pondicherry.

The race began June 1 and will end on June 15 and over 60 teams worldwide have come together to make this grueling trip across India. And for what you might ask? Well according to organization’s website, the winners will have the chance to play a game of cricket and enjoy some tea and cakes at the finish line. Why on earth would anyone make this incredibly dangerous trip in the blistering heat of an Indian summer just to play a game that Americans don’t even play? No worries, I asked myself this too but there’s more to the story.

The purpose of the race is raise money for two Indian charities; Mercy Corps and The Frank Waters Project. Before each team is entered into the competition, they must complete a prerequisite of raising 1000 euros for the charities. After raising the money for the charities, each team can begin to gear up and plan their eventful trip.

Team Korma Police, as the three UC Berkeley students are calling themselves, are blogging their experiences from local internet cafes during their trip. Hopefully karma’s on their side and these three students will make it across the finish line victoriously!

To check out their progress and how these Cal kids are holding up, visit their blog!