E-Paper
A drummer’s cycling escapades
Sreenath Sreenivasan talks about his bike travels across borders and around the country, in his self-published debut book
A music teacher and drummer in Delhi, Sreenath left the city in June 2016, looking for a place to stay, which was less hectic and closer to nature. Soon, a volunteer job at Auroville popped up and he went for it, meeting a lot of people who’d travelled far and wide.
He wished to do the same, however didn’t have enough resources. So, he thought of the most frugal yet fun way – bicycling. Except, he didn’t own one and had never even ridden a geared cycle. When he came across a discarded one at the community hall at Auroville, he fixed it and named it Mowgli, because he had found it in Sadhna forest!
Testing waters abroad
“I wanted to cross borders and challenge myself. So, I first went from Auroville to Chennai, before flying to Bangkok with my cycle in the cargo,” he says. During his two-month visa, he explored the length and breadth of the city without any plans or preparations, living the way the locals do. “Language was a barrier but people were extremely kind and I stayed at monasteries there.”
He then flew to Kolkata, took the train to Delhi and then cycled to Ladakh in 22 days. Hoping to find something equivalent to the Bangkok monasteries in India, he came across gurudwaras, where he stayed until he reached Manali by doing seva, eating langar and sleeping there. “I was more suited for community living as it gives avenues to cultural exchange,” he says.
He also carried a tent with him, and covered the three-day motorcycle route in eight to nine days. On the 75th day of his journey, he was on the highest road in India at Khardung La Pass. It was something he had thought of when he came across a 72-year-old cyclist in Thailand who had suggested that he ride to the highest road in Thailand, but couldn’t make enough time then. Just like his plans – which were usually suggestions by friends and people he met along the way.
Trial and error
He did a two-week trek in Nepal, before trying to cycle into Bhutan from Kolkata only to realise it’s not allowed. So, he left his cycle at the border and explored Bhutan. “But the bicycle experience was missing. My friends called me to participate in the Pune marathon, which wasn’t too difficult, even though it was my first because I would cycle for eight hours a day,” says the 30-year-old.
Then, he covered Gokarna, Goa, the whole Konkan stretch on his cycle, which ended at his ancestral home in Thrissur in Kerala.“There was no rational reason to leave a good job and gigs in Delhi and do this. But I felt I needed to do it. Initially, my parents were surprised but I’ve gone from being an engineer to musician to community volunteer and now, a traveller. Besides, when they read my blogs of the first two weeks, they realised I was growing in ways they want me to grow.”
Of course, there were moments when they couldn’t get in touch with him on Rohtang Pass for seven days, so they got worried.
Music is universal
Sreenath also came across a lot of things that he wouldn’t otherwise have associated with music. Like the prayer bowl and chanting in monasteries and temples. “It’s not considered music, but it is. People today are so used to listening to sound that is condensed to three to four minutes. We forget it needn’t be fast or that a song could last half an hour!” he says, adding it was also his form of travel that slowed down time for him, changing his perception. “Today, I consider even the sound of the wind as a form of music,”he says.
There wasn’t a single day where he didn’t find a safe space to sleep or food to eat. “And it was all about someone opening their door for me. For which you have to go with a level of trust. I was so sure this is what I need to do, so I didn’t feel scared,” he says. “The most challenging part was the physical aspect as there was no preparation and I was balancing luggage, that too 15-20 kg – on the cycle for the first time. But jitna sochne mein time spend karte hain utna karne mein karein, then things will work out (if we spend time on doing rather than thinking, things will work out),” he reveals.
Community connect
He was archiving memories via blogposts on his website, with the sole motive of sharing his experience. So, once he came back from his trip, he decided to put his life-changing experience on paper – literally. His book, titled, Pedals and Perceptions, in collaboration with an illustrator he had met at Auroville, is self-published – 1,000 copies so far – as he didn’t want any publication house to be involved. “There is a level of scrutiny and bureaucracy that comes in, which I didn’t want. I was confident of the message in the book,” he says, about his debut which is available on his website, that also has short stories and essays written by him. “The point isn’t to sell many copies but to create a community.”
Besides the book, he’s also learnt to read and write his in his mother tongue, Malayalam, and is working on a collection of short stories he hopes to release by the end of the year. And then, he wants to start travelling again, within India, and this time on foot!
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From HT Brunch, May 23, 2021
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