Thane to Manipur via S America: Son of farmer tours world on a shoestring

MUMBAI: It was a world tour far from swank hotels and guided tours. And it had the rough and tumble of real life in faraway lands thrown in for good measure. A Marathwada farmer's son, who had set out on a trip to circumnavigate the world by land three years ago, has completed his journey and returned to India. Vishnudas Chapke (36), a former journalist from Mumbai, reached the India-Myanmar border at Manipur on Friday, having visited 35 countries. He now plans to apply for the record books.

"I wasn't sure of completing the trip and had only planned for the first three months. Strangers and friends helped me alike. Every day was an adventure-whether it was trekking up the Great Wall of China or working at community kitchens in Australia in exchange for a meal," Chapke told TOI.

He started from Thane railway station on March 19, 2016, drawing inspiration from Naval Captain Dilip Donde, the first Indian to circumnavigate the world by sea. "The first leg of the trip was full of difficulty. I was crowd-sourcing funds. On a shoe-string budget, I slept wherever I found a roof, including railway stations, and did odd jobs," he said. Being a vegetarian, food was a major issue. "In China, plain egg fried rice gave me an upset tummy. Gradually, I learnt cooking and scouring local markets for fruit and bread. I also developed a taste for fish," he said. The later part of his journey was largely funded by the Tata Trust and private individuals offered him homestays.

Chapke never encountered any hostility though he did have a brush with crime. On the Chile-Argentina border, a man brandished a knife and made off with his phone. In Mexico, his phone and cash were stolen.

Chapke had intended to plant trees during the course of his journey to highlight the issues of climate change and global warming. His plan took off after a chance encounter with the president of Chile. "There was a massive forest fire raging on for days. I was the only foreign tourist there, trying to volunteer. As I couldn't speak Spanish and did not have training in fire-fighting, I was initially not allowed... Eventually, I was allowed to work in the kitchen and then with the medical team. The fire-fighting team introduced me to President Michelle Bachelet during her visit to the camp. She hugged me and asked what she could do for me. I requested that she let me plant a tree with her. She couldn't for protocol reasons and sent a government representative. Thereon, I hobnobbed with environment ministers and government representatives of 15 countries in South America, Central America and Europe while planting trees.

In these three years, Chapke missed his mother the most, especially as he couldn't talk to her often on phone. "At homestays, elderly women looked after me like their son. I'm indebted to them. Travelling opened my eyes to cultures. I had never visited a mosque until an Iranian family took me to one in Lahijan, Iran. I meditated while they read the namaz. It was a beautiful experience."