On a five-year cycling tour across 28 states, 22-year-old pedals on

For 453 days, 22-year-old Vishal Tekade cycled across six states, including Karnataka, staying with orphans, elders and HIV-positive patients, sharing their pain and understanding the struggles of daily existence.

Now in Tirupati, Tekade is gearing up to cover all the 28 states as part of a journey that could take another four years.

Low on cash but eager to learn about the country, he had started cycling from Kartol, a small town in Nagpur district, on June 18. Over the next 15 months, he pedaled across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, exploring the nooks and corners, learning and spreading awareness of the need to connect to nature.

“I have stayed with labourers, social workers, in old age homes and orphanages. In most places I went, people offered me food and accommodation. I was down with Covid twice but endured it thanks to friends and strangers who helped,” Tekade recalled to DH.

But the second wave of the pandemic posed a massive challenge. Trapped in Thiruvananthapuram, he ran out of money and people ready to host him.

“I headed to Coimbatore and started working as a waiter in a resort. A small-time businessman got to know of my journey and helped me with food and accommodation wherever I went in Tamil Nadu.”

In Karnataka, he was moved by the love and affection showered by roadside fruit and vegetable vendors. “They would stop me, enquire about my cycling trip and offer me food without asking. Some even gave me food parcels for the way ahead,” said Tekade.

While Tekade was pedalling through Kodagu, a man in his car stopped and invited him home in Madikere. “I was in his house for three days. That was a totally different experience from what I encountered in Maharashtra during the first wave. I was chased away from many villages there. Caught in the rain, I even spent an entire night in a graveyard.”

Day 250 in Bengaluru

He had reached Bengaluru on Day 250 of his journey. “I stayed for a week with a few students in Rajajinagar. I visited an orphanage and fed the children there.”

Embarking on his long journey, Tekade had first taken a basic bicycle.

“A mountaineer, Ashok Munme gave me an MTB cycle. But after covering 200 km, I realised it will not be enough. A surprise awaited me in Pune, where a record holder, Popat gifted me his well-equipped bicycle. That lasted me a year.”

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