A journey to explore India's diversity'

As you travel solo, it’s inevitable that you end up discovering more about yourself. Embarking on one such voyage, in an attempt to find his inner self, is 34-year-old Dhruv Dholakia. Over the course of the last three-and-a-half months, he has covered over seven states spread across a total of 3,100 km.

Talking about what inspired him to take up this journey, Dhruv says, “I read Steve Job’s autobiography and was totally enamoured by his life — his take on yoga and India. His observations left a deep impact on me.”

Breaking the shackles of a mundane job, he quit and gave into his desire for travelling, “I decided I wanted to explore my country, and as clichéd as it may sound, learn about its diversity and understand its deep-rooted culture” he says. Having started this yatra around the end of September, last year from his hometown Mumbai on his Royal Enfield Desert Storm, he intends to travel all of 29 states in India in a period of 14 months. He has already covered Pune, Kolhapur, Goa, Hampi, Bengaluru, Mysore, Coorg, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Trichy, Chidambaram, Tiruvannamallai, Kanchipuram, Chennai, Pondicherry, Tirupati, Kadapa and Srisailam and was in the city on Wednesday.

Question him on how he manages his finances with him putting his career on a hold for now, he says, “It’s not as expensive as it seems. I spend around Rs 500 to Rs 600 every day and manage to find accommodation in ashrams, reasonable motels or stay at a friend’s place (if I have an option available).”

Through this ride of his, he wishes to inspire people to take up travelling.

“I want my adventures to inspire people. There will be times when you get lonely, but things will change and you will learn to survive, explore cultures and experience real life.”