It is said that those who are fond of traveling do not wait for anything, they just go on a journey. Today we are going to introduce you to one such person from Madhya Pradesh, who often goes on a long journey. This story is of Anand Banthia of Bhopal, who has completed the journey of different states of the country by bike some time back.
Anand has done MBA in Finance and then was associated with a Bangalore-based company for a few days, but now he has quit his job and is pursuing his hobby of traveling.
Anand told The Better India, “It is not that I have been fond of traveling since childhood. This hobby has come with age and experience. When I was doing MBA in Pune, I used to go for trekking to nearby places. During that time I bought a 400 cc Bajaj Dominar bike. After completing his studies, Anand got a job in a company in Bangalore. An avid traveler, Anand left for Bangalore by bike.
“This was my first long trip and I really enjoyed it. After that, I have mostly traveled on bikes. Even during my job, I used to go to places around Bangalore on weekends,” he added.
18000 kms traveled so far
Anand says that his sister had a wedding in early 2020, due to which he had to move from Bangalore to Bhopal. He says, “During this period the infection of the Korana epidemic started and then the country was under lockdown. When the lockdown was relaxed, I again went to Bangalore and from here my bike travel started. I traveled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir by bike. My journey started from 24th October 2020. First I reached Pondicherry, then from there to Tamil Nadu and then to Kerala. I have traveled to about 10 states so far.”
The most interesting thing is that he started traveling with his job. He used to travel along with his job. Anand said, “If the distance to a place was less like 100-150 km, I would start my journey early in the morning and then reach there and stay in a hostel. Then, by ten-thirty ten o’clock, he used to start his office work. But if there was a longer route like 300-400 kms, I would travel on weekends and spend the rest of the day staying at the same place. I made my journey very comfortably enjoying the place to the fullest,” he said.
During this he followed all the guidelines of Covid-19. He said that he was traveling alone, but still always wore a mask and carried a sanitizer with him. “But it is also sad to see at many places that people are not following the guidelines of Corona. However, Kerala is a state where I saw everyone in a mask. I needed an e-pass to enter Kerala and from the administration to the common people in the state, everyone was seen following the necessary guidelines. After that in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, I had to get e-pass made once again and also got RTPCR test done,” he said.
Anand has so far traveled to 66 different places in the country including Chennai, Pondicherry, Rameswaram, Varkala, Munnar, Kodaikanal, Coorg, Gokarna, Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Surat, Diu, Somnath, Bhuj, Kutch, Udaipur, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Dalhousie, Chamba, Manali, Leh etc. are included. He told that after traveling for about five months, he again reached Bhopal. Because work was increasing from his office side. He stayed at his home in Bhopal for a few days and then left his job in March.
He said, “I took the decision to quit the job consciously because I was investing in the stock market and I am getting decent income from it. My family has always advised me to listen to my heart. Initially he was a little worried but he never expressed this concern to me,” he said. In March 2021, he went on a journey once again. So far he has completed a journey of about 18000 km by bike.
Increased confidence in yourself during the journey
Regarding his experience, Anand says that until you leave for the journey, only then you are afraid. But as you progress along the journey, you don’t just see new cities but also learn a lot by meeting new people. During the journey he made many friends and learned and learned a lot of new things. He says, “I also had a fear in my mind because it is not easy to travel such a long journey alone. But I overcame my fear and just focused on my journey. I took care of a few things, like not traveling at night. By the way, the experience of all the trips so far has been very good.”
Describing an anecdote from one of his travels, he says that once in Hampi he sat down to have a meal at a dhaba. He did not notice that he did not have much money in his pocket and there was no online payment system at the dhaba. “I ate well. But when he went to pay the money, it was found that there is only 20 rupees note in the pocket. I told the dhaba’s brother that you take it online. But they did not have an online system. I asked him if there is an ATM nearby, so I bring money. He told that the ATM will be about 15 km away. I didn’t understand what to do. But the dhaba’s brother said that no one, you should give money when you come again. After that I asked him to keep that 20 rupees but he said if you need it, let it be,” Anand said.
He says that that day he understood that a person is rich by heart and not by money. Therefore, while doing something good, we should not think too much about what we will get in return, but just do it. Similarly, in Surat too, he met a person and when he told him that he was traveling on a bike, he took Anand especially to feed the famous dish of the city and later did not even take money. That’s why he says that whenever you feel that something good is not happening in life, then you should go out for a walk. In the future, he plans to visit the North Eastern states.
“All I understand from my experience is that it is better to execute your ideas than to waste time in planning. Life will always be busy but if you do not live freely today then who has seen tomorrow! So if you want to learn or do something different then you should move around. And first you should visit the country. Our country is very beautiful, the people of the country are very nice and you will know this only when you come out of your daily life and do something different,” he concluded.
You can contact him on his Instagram page.
Editing – G N Jha
Image Credits: Anand Banthia
Also read: Had only 170 rupees in pocket, traveled from Kerala to Kashmir while selling tea on cycle
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