Bengaluru: Bengaluru boy Rohith Subramanian couldn’t wait to turn 21, just so he could set off on the adventure of a lifetime. On Jan 15, Rohith, who now calls himself the Lone Wanderer, got on his trusty Bullet, bid his family and friends goodbye and embarked on the 25 million metre ride (that's 25,000 km) which will take him across every state in India, 10 countries in South Asia and 36 in Europe.
Travelling the world had always been at the top of his to-do list, but it was a chance Facebook post that finally triggered it.
“I read a piece written by an American man who had always chosen his corporate life over the things he truly wanted to do. He seemed to have a lifetime of regrets and I didn’t want that to happen to me.”
Being born into a society where being a doctor or an engineer are the only two acceptable options, taking off on an extended road trip was a big leap. “All our stories are the same,” said Rohith, who was 20-km shy of Hampi when we spoke and taking a break from doing odd-jobs at a local dhaba.
“We go to school, college, marry, have children, who do all the same things. I wanted a different story, one that I would be excited to hear!” Still, he says, his parents took it surprisingly well. “They were the ones who urged me to go to Europe and to South Asia, I was only thinking of India,” he said.
The India-leg of the trip will take him about five months to complete, after which Rohith will head off to South Asia through Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia, all of which are connected by road – “I'm taking a ferry to Indonesia,” he added.
Riding through China proved too expensive for his current hand-to-mouth lifestyle, so he will fly to Finland before he begins the trip through Europe.
That's not all. During his journey, Rohith intends to do all the things he wanted to do as a child, which, he says, include being a farmer, a waiter and an odd-jobs man. “I was an ice-cream vendor for a day, I've waited some tables and even helped lay a road one morning in Kochi,” he said exuberantly.
In keeping with his theme to promote universal brotherhood, Rohith has also decided against staying in hotels, relying instead on the kindness of strangers. “I've had someone new host me everyday, people have been so kind,” he said.
“I stayed with an 80-year-old man, was hosted at a college hostel by the students, camped out with a whole lot of bachelors and met some really nice families as well,” he explained.
“It would take me six months to gather experiences like these living in Bengaluru, now, I can find them in the course of a week.”
Completely unfazed by the thought of not finding an obliging host, he said, “I'll sleep in a bus stop, or a petrol bunk and if I can't do either, I'll head to the nearest police station and spend the night there!”
Brands supporting him on the trip include Wrangler for apparel, Wicked Ride sponsors fuel for his bike, Zeus provides him with riding gear and Ustraa is even paying him to grow a beard.
"For the most part, though, the trip has been crowdfunded,” said Rohith, adding with a laugh, “They were happy to give me money so I'd get out of here quickly!”
Rohith rides about 350 km a day, because he wants to punctuate his trip by meeting new people and doing things he wouldn't have a chance to do otherwise.
“I also skip breakfast and lunch, my only meal is dinner,” he said. “My doctors warned me against this, saying I would overeat after about ten days, but it’s been thrice as long and I’m still going strong! My body seems to be coping beautifully under the strain so far.”
