Pushkar Naik
Rajesh Khandekar left India at the end of November 2014 on the wheels of a simple Hercules bicycle with no major sponsorships.
He had limited money, bare necessities, a small tent and India’s National Flag.
The 42-year old shut the doors of his tiny grocery shop temporarily and left on a journey that would take him across South East Asia all the way Down Under to Australia and New Zealand.
He was armed with sheer passion for travel and the intent to spread a message of pollution-free travel, which also kept one physically and mentally fit.
This incredible journey began from Thane in Maharashtra and Rajesh cycled all the way to Kolkata before entering Bangladesh. From thereon, he went to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Cambodia.
After witnessing the awesome Angkor Wat temples, Rajesh crossed the border to reach Thailand (Bangkok) before entering Malaysia, and then Singapore.
Hot Sun to Cold Ice
It was here that Rajesh boarded a flight to Jakarta, Indonesia, then again cycled to beautiful Bali and then boarded a flight to Darwin, Australia.
Rajesh intended to ride all the way to Townsville from Darwin, a distance of almost 2500 kms. He was however discouraged from doing this as this route was a brren desert road where one risked going for 100s of kms without a man, vehicle or village in sight. He then caught a bus much against his wish, and then cycled to Brisbane from Townsville.
It was onwards to the Gold Coast, Sydney, Canberra and lastly Melbourne where he boarded his flight for the last leg of his journey, New Zealand’s capital Wellington.
No calling Christchurch
Unfortunately due to extreme cold weather he had to cancel his journey to the South Island and began his last leg of the journey towards Auckland via Hamilton.
The writer of this article found out about this incredible journey from Sushama Thakur in Auckland. Sujeet Sabnis, a fitness freak inspired a few young Marathi men to join Rajesh on their bicycles on the final leg of the journey from Hamilton to Auckland.
Sujeet led the team of four with Nirbhay Jawale, Ajay Orpe and the youngest Gandhar Paranjape (all originally from Pune). The boys travelled to Hamilton and joined Rajesh on his journey to Auckland.
Restricted log
A small get-together was held for Rajesh where he regaled everyone with the stories of his journey. He said that he cycled up to 150 kms a day in Asia with an added 50 kgs of luggage. However the cold and wet weather restricted his log to 50 kms a day.
He cycled until the sun set and put his tent up wherever possible to rest through the journey. He had fond memories of some incredible people that he met and he was overwhelmed by their hospitality. People gave him shelter, food and money throughout his journey.
The most memorable part of his journey was a function organised in his honour by the Maharashtra Mandal in Malaysia.
“I cannot forget the love, affection and hospitality of a Marathi couple in Vietnam,” he said.
Rajesh did not have any formal documents about his travels and hence made it a point to visit the Indian diplomatic mission in each country to get a certificate of recognition.
Far East & Europe
This was not his first expedition. He had covered 16,800 kms in 2009 in Hong Kong, China, Korea, Japan and Europe.
Rajesh said that he was thankful to Lokmanya Multipurpose Society in Thane and Vasundhara Adventure and Social Activities Welfare Association, local leader Vikrant Chavan and friend Umesh Thakur who partially sponsored his journey.
An accident
Unfortunately, Rajesh had a fall just 30 kms before Auckland, the finish line of his massive 18,000 kms journey and broke his bicycle.
Devdatta Paranjape of Auckland drove him back to the City.
However, Sujeet is ready to take him back to the same spot early next week where Rajiv will jump on another bike to finish his dream.
The writer and his Marathi friends have decided to collect some funds to enable Rajesh to buy a brand new state of the art bicycle when he returns to India.
Pushkar Naik is a qualified journalist with several years of experience in Times of India, Mumbai. He lives in Auckland. The above report, which appeared in Shakaal Times has been reproduced here with the permission of the publication (www.shakaaltimes.com).
Photo :
- Rajesh Khandekar (front) with Sujeet Sabnis, Nirbhay Jawale, Ajay Orpe and Gandhar Paranjape in Hamilton
- Rajesh and others in Taupiri, Northern Island
