Way back in the 50s, Che Guevara hopped on his motorcycle and took the turn wherever the road bent. His dream was his direction.

And that makes you wonder if it really happened, but some dreams are real from the start. Many such enthusiasts go down similar roads for different purposes.

Daya Mama [uncle] and Sudha Chikki [aunt], friends of The Blue Yonder with their little six year old daughter discussed one of their adventurous expeditions that they took way back in the early 80s.

These two took a road trip on a bike to explore Karnataka in the early 80s. As they shared their memories, they told us about a story that they could never forget.

Close to Shimoga, they halted at a little temple town, Theerthahalli, and were walking up to a river to freshen up, when they stumbled upon a pujari [priest] who was more than what he appeared to be. He was a Che of his own kind. They discovered that he had cycled in 1979 all the way to Assam, and succumbed to his temptation to cover Nepal and Bhutan as well. He had covered 55,000 kms in three years.

In nostalgia, Daya Mama exclaimed, “We thought we were adventurers, but after meeting this pujari, we were put to shame. We couldn’t believe that he went cycling with bare necessities and returned to Theerthahalli in three years. Imagine cycling in the Himalayas!”

Teary eyed Sudha Chikki, expressed “He is a true hero and continues to be an inspiration for any adventurer. Go, meet him if you can.”

Just listening to this story wasn’t enough for us.

Team Blue Yonder decided to track him down and see if he was still around.

The only information we knew was that this cyclist pujari was from Theerthahalli and lived near a temple by the river. So, we managed to reach the temple by the River Tunga in Theerthahalli. We visited a few houses asking if they knew of a pujari who cycled to Assam. Unfortunately, we didn’t even know his name.

Some locals had no clue what we were talking about, some laughed at us, and a few others were astonished until one man showed us a pujari’s house. We knocked on the door, thinking we had finally found the house. It was close to the river and the temple. An old man opened the door and we asked him if he had cycled to Assam.

He frowned, we sighed.

He slowly smiled, we quickly anticipated.

He was surprised that we had come all the way from Bangalore to find this cyclist. He asked us many questions and asked us to go to the other side of the river and ask for Sri Sheshadri Dixit. Anyone would guide us to him, the priest said, as everyone knew him.

We stopped thinking, we just decided to follow his directions and reached Sri Sheshadri Dixit’s house. His wife and daughter welcomed us and we enquired about the cyclist who had traveled to Assam. The wife smiled with familiarity, she had probably been in this situation many times before. She said, “Yes, my husband.”

We were shocked, excited, anxious, nervous, flabbergasted!

She quickly disappeared into the house and showed us a fat file full of newspaper cuttings, interview schedules, certificates, and sepia toned photographs of the cyclist who went to Assam, Nepal and Bhutan, covered 55,000 kms from 1979-1982 when he was only 21 years old.

We flipped page after page to find newspaper articles that covered his expedition, documenting the serial of experiences across the country.

We had found the cyclist Sudha Chikki had asked us to meet.

As he wasn’t home, we verified facts and enquired details with his wife. She even showed us the cycle he took to Assam. A pujari entered, shocked to see strangers taking photographs of his cycle and his file. It was Sri Sheshadri Dixit.

Almost hypnotized by this incident, we asked him to tell us his story. In 1979, as a part of the Akhila Bharatha Cycle Pravasa, 21 year old Sri Sheshadri Dixit decided to explore historical, cultural and pilgrimage centres by cycle. Inspired by his father who used to walk to places like Kashi. Ever since then a yatra (journey) was always on his mind. He set out with a friend on this yatra with cycle tools, a cycle pump, a file of certificates, his credentials and verifications, few pairs of shorts, dhotis and t-shirts, his hat and very little money – all weighing approximately 15 kg.

Any real adventurer always travels light.

His friend decided to return mid journey as he wanted to pursue studying. Dixit didn’t turn back. He just wanted to follow his dream. “I wanted to complete these journeys and I knew I could do it only when I was young.” says 60 year old Sri Sheshadri Dixit today.

55,000 kms: three years
Mode of transport: cycle

He had a rough idea of the roads that connected the states, knowing very well too that he would have take decisions by the moment. His route map was Theerthahalli, North Karnataka, Maharastra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Nepal, Bhutan, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Orrissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kanya Kumari, Kerala, and then back again to Karnataka!

“Nepal and Kathmandu were difficult to cover by cycle. Sometimes I had to walk. The Ghat section in Darjelling was so steep. But it was beautiful, so I managed. In Gujarat, especially in areas near the Arabian Sea like Bhuj, Kutch, Mandvi etc, my bicycle would just sway because of the heavy sea breeze. The westward winds were so strong, they wouldn’t let me go further. Sometimes I had to travel through the night until I saw some light at a distance, especially in Madhya Pradesh where the distance between two villages was far too much. Luckily, someone or the other always made room for me. I have stayed in 5 star hotels, forests, and in rooms available for Rs. 2/- as well. I have seen different ways of living through this journey” reminisces the experienced cyclist.

He wanted to learn the Veda Shastras but in a different way – by traveling and meeting up sadhus from different places and cultures. Along the way, he gave interviews in 43 All India Radio stations, innumerable local newspapers, TV channels etc.

Some enthusiasts who were inspired by him would travel 5-10 kms with him just to experience his life and then return to their own villages. He was honored by the District Collector at the Theerthahalli on his return, where he shared his experience with the people of his village. He continues to make his people proud.

How did he manage to communicate across the country, considering there are more than 114 languages in our country? “To be honest, even my Kannada was poor. I knew a little Hindi, Sanskrit and could manage English. Somehow, I was able to communicate with people wherever I went. The languages just came to me automatically. I can speak and read most languages I came across – Nepali, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. I don’t know how. Maybe it was in my karma.”

He also shared that he completed this journey without a watch. He never had any schedule. It all depended on people, places and spaces chalked out for meditation. His travel was determined by the feel of a place.

He overcame a few risky incidents on his journey as well. In Dhar district of Gujarat, the adivasis (tribes) lived on trees and were skilled in archery. This was the path that many sadhus took to participate in the 13-year long festival at the Narmada River. Pilgrims would carry food as food wasn’t available in the jungle. The adivasis would hunt these pilgrims and take away all their food. They attacked Sri Sheshadri Dixit as well. Luckily, the forest research officer found him injured, saw his certificates and identification proofs and admitted him into a hospital. “I recovered in a week, and was back on the road with my cycle,” he smiles as he remembers this attack.

“I was also caught by dacoits in Khajuraho, who mistook me for a C.I.D. person as I was dressed in khaki shorts. They damaged my cycle, blind-folded me and took me far inside the village. When I opened my eyes, I was in a cave near many hillocks. They scrutinized me thoroughly and saw my file to realize I was only a traveler. In turn they were kind to me – they fed me fruits and milk, took me back to the town and honored me."

“I wanted to cover Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh from Assam but the fundamentalist groups operating there thought I was Bengali because of my long beard and appearance. There was violence in the North East even then. I was not allowed to go beyond the Nagaland Border. They threatened to kill me if I did. So I was forced to turn back.”

And so he returned – unprepared but certain that he would return – from a journey with only his passion driving him all the way.

He experienced the best of India, its people and its hospitality. And he remembers that he never had to think about food, accommodation, safety or peace of mind wherever he went. He said that he enjoyed his stay at Gujarat and Punjab the most since the people were very hospitable. The picturesque Kulu Manali and Himachal Pradesh kept him going. He always found what he was looking for and adapted to places almost naturally. “Thank god I was a bachelor when I went cycling, there were no major responsibilities. It was easy to explore and turn into any road I felt like taking.”

Even today Sri Sheshadri Dixit is a voracious traveler and prepares his own itineraries and travels with his family. His last trip was to Ellora via Maharastra, Shirdi and Nasik.

We are still pinching ourselves, wondering if this really happened. But after having met him and spoken to him it’s hard not to believe.

Like Sudha Chikki said, “Go meet him, if you can.”

He still resides besides the temple, by the river in the quaint and forgotten town of Theerthahalli. He loves talking to people and he can talk to you in your language!

An opportunity to flip through his bicycle diaries. Find out more about our travel through Karnataka to meet similar people and experiences