He Walked 2,000 Km Across The Sahyadris

'All this diversity that our country provides brings in a lot of learnings.'
'That is what I really end up sharing with the whole community.'
'But it all comes through making my shoes dirty.'

There is an eerily beautiful word in Marathi that closely reflects the character of the Sahyadris -- Raakat. The word captures something tough and rugged, a kind of fierce beauty that aptly defines the grandeur of this bewitching, but intimidating mountain range.

For Jaipur native Manvendra 'Manav' Singh Shekhawat, this landscape became more than a backdrop -- it became his calling.

Manav, 34, took an ambitious journey right into the rhythm of this land, one footstep at a time, across the rugged Sahyadris.

The journey was meant to revisit and rejuvenate the long-forgotten forest trails, typically called raanvaata, to give a strong foothold for the hikers and make India's wilderness accessible for everyone.

After 70 days and a journey spanning 2,000 kilometres, Manav completed his project last month. The effort is documented as The Epic Sahyadri Trail (EST) under his initiative HikeX, which focuses on making trail information more accessible to trekkers.

The question lingers: What prompted Manav to take on such an arduous journey, one that, as he admits, even his parents were so worried about?

The answer goes back several years, to a very different phase of his life. While preparing for the civil services in Delhi, Manav began taking short breaks from his routine, heading into the mountains whenever he could.

Those weekend trips soon turned into something more meaningful. Travels across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the high-altitude passes of Ladakh exposed him to a different way of life, which eventually led him to step away from his initial path.

Over the years, he walked 14,000 kilometres across various landscapes of India, Nepal and Indonesia and puts that experience to educate people with the skills needed to navigate and appreciate the wilderness independently and most importantly, safely.

The Epic Sahyadri Trail is just an extension of his ambitious dream.

"We have a lot of diversity in terms of natural landscapes. We have a whole range. And all of this is unmapped. It is very important for us to map it," Manav tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.

"If these trails are not in use, the wild will take over. The plants and shrubs will cover the trails. So, you might lose this historic, cultural, geographical or topographical diversity that we have in our country."

'We Need to Put Our Country On The World Map...'

India is a country where we have more trails than roads, but we are still not on the global map. The moment I finished the Epic Sahyadri Trail, it felt that, at least now we have one long trail that we can make people aware that this one exists.

I can't stop thinking that now there will be so many people who will slowly and gradually go hiking on these routes, once the resources are ready.

The inspiration was that we need to put our country on the world map when it comes to trails.

A lot of people from all across the world and also our own people can experience these trails.

'I Chose The Sahyadris Because…'

I chose the Sahyadris because, number one is, accessibility.

The Himalayas are not that accessible for people who live in Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, or the North East. There are a lot of big metro cities, which sit right next to the Sahyadri mountain range.

Second thing is the season.

The Himalayas will have a smaller seasonal window, which is summer and autumn. You can do hikes in the Himalayas from April to June. July and August is basically the monsoon. And then you have the autumn season, which is October and November.

That is not the case with the Sahyadris. The moment the southwest monsoon hits in June, the landscape is open for hiking, and then it continues till end of February. So, it's technically just three months when you are not hiking there, April, May and June.

There is a nine months long season as compared to the Himalayas, where the season is what close to four or five months.

The third thing is connectivity.

The Sahyadri mountain range is surrounded by a lot of villages. People are living in these landscapes. These are not remote locations. There is a road network, there is public transport, which will pick and drop you at the base of these trails.

Fourth is budget.

Before we go hiking, there is so much money that people have to spend to reach the Himalayas. That is not the case with the Sahyadris.

All of this makes the Sahyadris more inclusive in contrast to the Himalayas.

'Documentation of The Sahyadri Trails Is Necessary'

I strongly believe that if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail.

Today if anyone who wants to go on a road trip, you have all the resources, right? Since the information is available, that has made road travel inclusive and safe.

Similarly, it is very important to document these trails because once that happens, we will be hiking on these trails just like this -- 'Hey, I'm starting from point A and you are starting from point C, let's meet at B in the middle of the forest.'

Today it feels as if it's a far-fetched idea, but in coming years with what we are trying to develop at HikeX, this will become a reality.

Documentation is the foundation of this whole process that needs to be done. These trails need to be mapped first before we think of walking on them as a community.

'Language Is Not A Barrier In Remote Regions If...'

When I'm in these remote landscapes, there is one small house on top of a mountain, just two families living there, an old couple who don't understand Hindi at all, because their mother tongue is Marathi.

That is getting the right directions for the trails can become difficult if we don't know the language of that particular region.

I've been hiking in this landscape since five years. Even before The Epic Sahyadri Trail Project, I've hiked at least some 1,700 kilometres in bits and pieces in the Sahyadris. That is when I picked up the language.

I do believe that when we go hiking, it is anyhow very good to pick up a very basic vocabulary that will help you move through that landscape. It will also bring you a lot of joy; when you are able to strike a conversation with an 80 year old, this is a very different kind of joy that you are able to translate your thoughts to him or her.

Then they smile and then they help you. You feel like, wow, yeah, this is so magical. All I needed was just 10 words of Marathi.

This holds true for every place. Ladakh, Himachal, the North East. So, language in travel is not a barrier on trails, it is basically a skill that we need to pick up as hikers slowly and gradually.

'I Could Relate To The Landscape'

There are definitely these stories from the history which are there. I call them cultural notes. When I say documentation, so this isn't end-to-end documentation.

The Epic Sahyadri Trail Project is not like a personal project or a personal achievement, it's an end-to-end documentation of the important things like GPS, notes, etc. But we also documented cultural notes.

To give you an example, when I was hiking through one of these villages called Gogolwadi, I was just confirming whether this trail that will take me up to Mahabaleshwar, is this the right entry to the trail or not?

I walked some 100 metres to the village. In one of these houses, there was a lady and I asked her 'Kaku, is this right trail?' And she said, 'Yes, this is our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's route and it is called Radtondi Ghat.' So, it translates to basically a crying face.

So, now when you try to research that route, you will understand that it was used in such a strategic way that the enemies were forced to hike downs this route. At that time, the jungle was very dense and they just couldn't funnel down the trail because it was so dense. And by the time they were down there, they had crying faces.

Now imagine I'm walking on that route. I know the jungle is not as dense as it was, say decades ago, but I could still feel and relate to the landscape.

'The Trails Exist For A Very Functional Reason'

We have a lot of diversity in terms of natural landscapes. We have a whole range. And all of this is unmapped. It is very important for us to map it.

The main vision behind HikeX is that.

The other thing is that in our country, the trails exist for a very functional reason. Hiking is the last thing that you do on a trail. These trails are used by locals to maybe collect firewood, to graze their animals, to commute from one village to another.

So, this is the reason why that trail exists.

Now, as we move forward, development, modernisation, people are moving from rural to urban areas. Slowly and gradually, these trails are not being used. And this is across our country.

If these trails are not in use, the wild will take over. The plants and shrubs will cover the trails. So, you might lose this historic, cultural, geographical or topographical diversity that we have in our country.

'This Is Something That Changed My Life'

When I was in Delhi, I was preparing for the civils. And then in between, I used to take these breaks. I used to book a self-drive and then I used to go for these small outings. These are travel road trips, basically.

And that was my first interaction with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and even Ladakh. When I saw the mountains, I did feel attracted to them.

I felt that, wow, this is so beautiful. The air is so clean. And everything is so nice. And I really wish that, oh, is there a way that I can hike up there?

But there was no one specific mountain or one particular incident that I would pick and say, this is something that changed my life.

I'm someone who loved sports since my childhood. I've been very active at sports. I just love getting out, basically. So you can call me for a badminton game, for a volleyball game. I'll enjoy that also.

And I enjoy hiking also. Then I'll enjoy skiing also.

So anything that helps me interact with the natural elements or people in general is something that drives me to do this.

'I Have Covered 14,000 Kilometres on Foot'

To make a career shift was not easy, because it is not the norm.

There was also friction in between me and my parents. But once I decided that, no, this is something that I really want to try, then I just went all in, all guns blazing.

I think I was constantly trying to learn as much as I can in the least time possible, at least, in the first four to five years.

Therefore, you'll see that it has just been over a decade for me in this field, but I have covered at least some 14,000 kilometres on foot all by myself.

'When You're Solo, It's Very Dangerous...'

Usually, when you are solo, the misnomer generally is that it's very dangerous and you're at a higher risk. I agree to this to a good extent.

But in my case, when I'm solo, I also always prioritise my safety.

I've never fell for something like 'Summit Fever'. It is not like, 'Oh, that's the summit, I have to do it.' My goals are very clear. Whenever I start a hike, I ask myself, why am I doing this? And what's in it for me? Then with the right answer only I'll head out to the outdoors.

And then even if I'm solo, until now till date, there has been no emergency. I have zero safety incidents in these 14,000 kilometres because I always prioritise safety over reaching a point or covering a landscape. I'm not someone who is very bucket list oriented. I'm very process oriented.

And even for the Epic Sahyadri Trail, the goal was not that I have to finish this. I was like, I'm going to head out, enjoy, give my 100 per cent in planning, also in safety, and do it one day at a time.

'My Parents Wonder Why I Enjoy All Of This Discomfort'

For the Epic Sahyadri Trail, my family did come to Mahabaleshwar. Towards the end, the people from the community and my family were close friends and we walked the last kilometre together. And it was definitely very emotional, very overwhelming for me.

They don't understand it 100 per cent what is it that I'm doing. And they are concerned because I'm in such exposed environments all the time. And why and how can I enjoy all of this discomfort? But I think they've come a long way.

As parents now, they see that they have always attached their happiness to my happiness, which has given them a very, very hard time. But slowly and gradually, they've come on board. And there was a similar feeling on the Epic Sahyadri Trail also.

When they saw people from the community, when they saw, you know, people from different parts of the country, different backgrounds, and diverse working portfolios with a common interest, which is outdoors.

That is what helped them really understand that, wow, even this can be a career. It's not a bad choice. It is a risky choice, but not a bad choice.

'I Have Chosen A Harder Route'

This is an unconventional field. But this also gives me an opportunity to build something which will work as paving a foundation to shaping the whole outdoor ecosystem in India. So this 'lack of' something is also an opportunity.

That is what motivates me.

It's not an easy task. And the struggle will always be there.

Whatever anybody is doing in their life, in their careers, we all are figuring out things, right? And each and every role, may it be corporate, may it be law, may it be environment, may it be teaching, anything.

All we're trying to do is figuring out. This figuring out is the theme. I just think I chose a harder one (laughs).

I think it mostly comes from this experience of 14,000 kilometres under my foot. This is definitely self-taught.<e/p>

Yes, I will surf the Internet, read books, watch videos. But when I try to customise it to myself, this is me, and I have to tweak it to the Indian landscape.

When I'm hiking in Ladakh, the food choices are different. The weather is different. When I'm hiking in Meghalaya, the food choices are very different. And the landscape weather is different. The language is different.

When I'm hiking in the Sahyadris, that is also absolutely different.

All this diversity that our country provides also brings in a lot of learnings. All the time, I am constantly documenting my learnings.

That is what I really end up sharing with the whole community. But it all comes through making my shoes dirty.