Arjun Mark, a world-class photographer, working with dainty models in exotic locations, suddenly decides to throw himself into the lap of Mother Nature and be out in the open for 27 days. He set out cycling solo from Kashmir to Kanyakumari !!
Arjun enjoys the rush of adrenaline because he is also an outdoor sportsperson. With months of meticulous planning on the best route, and rigorous fitness training required for such a journey, he started on his Trek 520 bicycle in December 2023, to travel 3600 km.
He rode through a medley of scenic places, exotic locations, dangerous forest zones, fatal roads, in browbeating heat coupled with the constant humdrum of traffic. In the ghat roads, he was at Cloud Nine and had a breezy ride. As he travelled South the heat and noise wormed its way and challenged his mental faculties. He took his breaks wisely, once when he was bitten by the stomach bug, probably instigated by the street food; and the other when he rode 97 km without a stop till 2 am, just to test his endurance; he chided himself for being a mad guy.
While on a morning walk, his encounter with a tiger within 30 km distance, with nothing to defend himself, is spine-chilling, but Arjun makes the moment seem light by commenting, “ I could have been his breakfast.” Finally, on nearing Salem he hitchhiked rather than be a roadkill. He wanted to reach Kanyakumari and not Hell! Arjun was overcome with mental fatigue and decided he was satiated with the adventure. His joy on reaching the tail end of India and his journey is almost palpable. We too breathe a sigh of relief on reading that the trial is OVER.
He had his pilot vehicle within 20 minutes of proximity throughout the journey, to address any emergencies en route.
His Route:
Srinagar – Banihal – Udampur – Pathankot – Phagwara – Ambala – Panipat – Delhi/Noida – Agra – Gwalior- Jhansi – Lalitpur – Sagar – Mungwani- Rhukad – Nagpur – Adilabad – Hyderabad – Anantpur – Hoskote – Hosur – Salem- Karur – Madurai – Thirunelveli- Kanyakumari .
Arjun Mark has chronicled the whole journey in a blog. The travelogue is an interesting read and a good guide to aspirants who wish to embark on a similar trip. Stunning pictures captured at interesting and mind-blowing scenic spots is a special treat in itself. Excerpts from the Blog are given below for our readers:
On leaving Kashmir, there was an excellent road for 100 km with a thrilling view of military convoys seen all along. The next 100 km was a scenic ride across the ghats with a lot of downhill and uphill turns. The ride to Phagwara was misty, but enjoyable because it was December. The loud Jhatt Punjabi music in hundreds of tractors all along the way resonates the hills making the ride memorable. I then shifted to a service lane which was very foggy and riding alone became a bit monotonous.
I started early from Panipat, as I loved riding in the fog. Play some music on your headphones to replace the traffic sounds and you’ll reach in a jiffy! Once you enter Delhi, the traffic and the pollution on the road hits you badly.
Between Agra and Gwalior one had to look out for stupid dumb bikes and cars randomly trying to kill you from all directions. It’s like you are playing Carageddon on your Xbox. (Drive carefully Arjun). It is here that we enter Rajasthan from UP, for a little bit and enter MP. So you cover three states on the same day. A common sight across all three states was the cow dung drying all along the roadside. In Rajasthan, it was vertically placed, and in other states, it was placed flat.
It is now Day 10 and I am driving between Gwalior and Jhansi. The entire shoulder I could see people spitting on the road. I had to carefully dodge them to enter the warm Jhansi. A boring nasty drive.
There was a light drizzle with a lot of fog; Riding on a bridge, with a massive wide river and a scenic reservoir beneath. A sickening scene along the highway was dead cows everywhere hit by speeding vehicles. Riding from Lalitpur to Sagar I could sense a little pain. Probably with no motivation and no sighting of the sun either, since I left Kashmir. At Sagar I decided to take a couple of days break, only to rejuvenate my mind. Riding solo with the consistent noise of the traffic gives you mental fatigue. Physically, I was fit as a fiddle.
From Sagar to Mungwani (150 km), traffic was low, and the roads were good. For some weird reason, most people on this road are fascinated by your blinking headlights and keep gesturing that your lights are on and that you need to turn them off! Some entertainment!!
Now, on the way to Rukhad. The road becomes scenic and enjoyable with forests on either side. The sun becomes harder hereon. Strangely, I found broken glass all over the shoulder throughout the stretch. Never seen so much glass on any other road ever! This road had the least traffic but the most number of car and truck accidents. Also, I had bad stomach flu, hence I bonked and had to hitchhike from halfway through. Shit happens!! But I recuperated fast with the invigorating ambience of my stay, well tucked inside the tiger reserve overlooking a lake.
At daybreak, I walked up to the lake beside my cottage to spend some time. As I walked back, I spotted a tiger just 50 m away. Encountering a tiger in the wild when on foot was a spine-chilling experience. It had obviously been watching me all along.
I realised then, I could’ve been its breakfast! On Day 15, that was a close encounter, and the most memorable moment.
Today was also my fastest 100 km. If you love wildlife and wilderness, this elevated road which cuts across the Pench forest reserve, to facilitate the wildlife to walk across, is a monumental ride.
Though I covered the 100 km between Nagpur and Adilabad at a good speed, the traffic, heat and zero scenery made it a punishing ride for me. The 235 km that followed, I had covered in 19 hours; what with the loaded bags and a heavy bicycle this is a strict NO for anyone to try. ( You must be mad, Arjun!)
After a painful, yet personally satisfying 19 hrs of testing my endurance level, it was 2 am and no place to halt. I thought I would faint, so I took a free ride to Hyderabad city. I really deserved this to conserve the little energy I had.
On Day 19, riding to Sankalamaddi, I felt the first signs of desperation. I’m wondering why I am putting myself through this extreme pain. My brain is totally fried. Pushing beyond 100 km to get to Kurnool gets too boring and painful mentally. I need to just hang on and carry on. ( Bravo Arjun!) If the way to Anantapur was the ultimate mental fatigue test, the ride to Hoskote was the last straw and I was mentally giving up due to the heat. Nothing was working my way in my favour today, what with the heavy headwind and the uphill climb. Today was my encounter with the first k2k cyclist. I also saw a huge python alongside the road. Someone had killed it for no apparent reason.
Day 23 from Hosur to Salem was mostly downhill and should have been a breeze. But ironically this was one of the most painful days; by now my body and mind have almost shut down due to extreme fatigue as I’ve not taken a break over the last 600km. Every pedal is a hell of a task. Trucks are just two feet away speeding. Scary road post 80 km from Hosur.
The road to Madurai via Karur was very scenic with palm trees and hills; One of the most enjoyable days of the entire trip. The road to Tirunelveli is full of windmills, paddy, palm trees and partridges.
I started very early, today being Day 27 and I am at the tail end of my venture. Had a good tailwind. I reached Kanyakumari even before I knew it!
Finally…DONE!
Arjun Mark is a resident of Sastri Nagar. Visit his blog for detailed breakdown of the trip https://arjun724.wixsite.com/bicycle.
