BENGALURU: Dawn's devotion, day's dare - it's a routine that sits perfectly with Unnikrishnan VL, a 34-year-old Kerala priest who seamlessly transitions from offering aarti to goddess Durga to becoming a skilled dirt track rider as the day unfolds, reports Petlee Peter.Clad in pristine white attire, Unnikrishnan's day begins at the crack of dawn, precisely 5.30am, when he opens the doors of Pudhukkulamgara Devi temple in Kottayam district's Manjoor village, welcoming devotees seeking protection from the goddess.

For the next few hours, he wholeheartedly dedicates himself to his sacred calling.As the morning rituals conclude around 9.30am, Unnikrishnan’s persona undergoes an astonishing transformation.

He retrieves a bag from a discreet corner of the temple.

The priestly robes, once emblematic of his sacred duty, give way to a different attire.

“I take out my riding gear — gloves, boots and helmet — from the bag, wear them and take off on my Xpulse 200.

Ini- tially, devotees and locals would be shocked at my make- over but now they have got used to it,” said the biker-priest.

A resident of Vaikom in Kottayam, Unnikrishnan’s fas- cination with motorcycles and racing ignited in 2007 when he obtained his two-wheeler li- cence.

Enrolling in a profes- sional stunt riding and racing club in Kochi, he honed his skills until early 2011.

Unnikrishnan, a computer science graduate, worked in the IT sector and secured a lu- crative position with Xerox in Kochi.

However, the demands of his job compelled him to set aside his passion temporarily.

“From 2010 to 2013, I had a hec- tic office schedule and night shifts.

Eventually, I quit and went on a bike trip across India and Nepal along with my bud- dy Amjeth.

It was a liberating decision,” he said.

In 2019, following the unexpected passing of his father Narayanan Namboothiri, who was also a priest, Unnikrishnan found himself fully immersed in his temple responsibilities.

While he had previously served as melshanti (priest) in nearby temples occasionally, he officially began his tenure at the Pudhukkulamgara Devi temple in December 2021.

Despite family pressures to prioritise his temple duties and relinquish his love for motorcy- cling, Unnikrishnan remained resolute in his pursuit of breaking stereotypes.

Earlier this year, he obtained his Feder- ation of Motor Sports Clubs of India licence for motorcycle racing and even participated in the Indian National Rally Championship in Coimbatore, riding his 200cc motorcycle to a successful completion of the race.

“It was my first race on the professional circuit,” he said.

Looking forward, Unnik- rishnan is training diligently for an upcoming dirt track race in Bengaluru scheduled for No- vember.

However, he faces fi- nancial challenges in sustain- ing his racing aspirations, rely- ing on the modest earnings from the temple and offerings made by devotees.

“I’m determined to succeed against all odds with my motor- cycle,” said theformer techie.