Photos: Mumbai cyclists who rode across the world nearly a century ago

Between 1923 and 1933, ten Indians in their early-to-mid-20s — all Parsis and from Mumbai (then Bombay), undertook cycling expeditions around the world. A public lecture at Mumbai's Oval Maidan in 1920 by a French man who had walked from Europe to India had inspired them.

Updated on: May 13, 2019 4:21 PM IST

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Framroze Davar, a sports journalist on his cycle after crossing the Sahara Desert in 1926. Davar and his cycling partner Gustav Sztavjanik, whom he met in Vienna after 5000 kms of solo travel, rode 1,10,000 kms across 52 countries and five continents between 1924 and 1931. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Framroze Davar and Gustav Sztavjanik in Lapland, Finland in July 1926. “Our only food in Lapland was reindeer milk and reindeer meat,” they wrote. They could not go to Russia from Scandinavia since they weren’t granted visas. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Framroze Davar and Gustav Sztavjanik atop the Andes mountains. They cycled 1,500km in three months, riding altitudes of 12,000-16,000 feet. They finally completed their journey on March 22, 1931. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Left to Right: Kaikee Kharas, Rutton Shroff and Rustam Ghandhi in Miami, Florida, 1938. Cycling around the world, these Indians left Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1933 and expected to complete the circuit of the globe in five years. Kharas, later in Auckland, said, “Travelling should be encouraged, as in that way better understanding would arise among the people of the world.” (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Adi Hakim, Jal Bapasola and Rustom Bhumgara reached Ooty on January 29, 1928, five years after they started their ride in 1923. In Ooty, they were hosted by Grace Hotel and were awarded silver medals by members of the Parsi community. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Adi Hakim, Jal Bapasola and Rustom Bhumgara with cycling enthusiasts in Shanghai in June 1926. This first group of young Mumbai cyclists began their global expedition in 1923 and came back home five years later, in 1928, after covering 71,000 kilometres. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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Seen in a studio photograph before their journey, Kaikee J Kharas, Rustam D Ghandhi and Rutton D Shroff left Bombay (now Mumbai) in April 1933. They returned nine years later, on April 19, 1942, having cycled 84,000 kms. They were the third group of cyclists from Mumbai, having cycled through Europe in the thick of World War II. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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An undated photograph of Kaikee Kharas, Rustam Ghandhi and Rutton Shroff in South America. From Mumbai, the party, an insurance agent and two electricians, set off north through Afghanistan, encountering primitive paths used only by donkey and camel caravans. America was entered through the Argentine, the cyclists making north through Brazil and Mexico. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)

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A marketing booklet of Royal Benson Cycles published in the 1930s. Adi Hakim, Jal Bapasola and Rustom Bhumgara rode British-made Royal Benson cycles on their global expedition. (Anoop Babani / Savia Viega)