For sixty-two-year old Sharat Sharma, life is incomplete without adventure and long trips. He always carries with him a treasure trove of memories that fascinate and enrapture in equal measure. As fit as a fiddle, this Delhi-based travel enthusiast, and a retired senior journalist, loves the excitement of the unforeseen.
Sharat, who grew up admiring Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller and writer, completed 30,850 km of his expedition to various Indian cities and Union Territories (U&T) apart from Bhutan and Mayanmar, in 235 days on his sturdy bike. Through his journey, he wanted to spread the message of fitness and safe biking. Sharat’s journey has all the Homeric resonances of challenges, perilous journeys and sudden encounters with animals. No wonder, this adventure-loving man has a heart of oak and believes in living in the moment.
According to Sharat, travelling is in the DNA of the entire family. His wife, a professor in Delhi University, and two sons, the eldest an engineer, were more than supportive. “I planned my trip in meticulous detail. It included drawing my own map from the Atlas. Besides paying attention to my fitness, I also set aside additional money I would need to support my journey,” says the travel freak.
Sharat covered the following states and 4 Union Territories in the following sequence: Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Diu, UP, Bihar, Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Tamu (Mayanmar), West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Daman, Dadra, Nagar & Haveli, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
According to Sharat, he had to brace himself for any eventuality on his journey to various states. His visit to Kerala was an unnerving experience as the state faced one of the worst floods in decades in 2018. “I had a tough time navigating the flooded roads there. It was really scary to see dams overflowing and sluice gates being opened drowning downstream areas,” says Sharat. In Gujarat’s Devalia Safari Park, there were tense moments when he almost bumped into a lioness while on his bike. Thankfully, the animal resumed her leisurely stroll after glaring at Sharat for a few seconds.
During his entire journey across the length and breadth of India, Sharat not only explored the diversity of cultures but local cuisines as well. He feels that in order to be a traveller, one should not be finicky about food. According to him, food is an ice-breaker. “Since I love experimenting with foods of different places, it helped me connect with people as well.’’ He found North-East people extremely warm and friendly. According to him, it is the safest place for women. He was overwhelmed by emotions when he visited the War Cemetery at Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. Sharat couldn’t believe his eyes when he chanced upon Asia’s largest all-women market, called Ima Market in Imphal. His visit to Asia’s biggest mango market at Nunna in Vijayawada was equally exciting.
On his journey across different states, Sharat also interacted with young bikers and exhorted them not to turn the roads into racing tracks. He told them that they should not throw caution to the winds while driving the bike.
Sharat, who is also a bibliophile, feels that reading and travelling make one a complete human being.