Revolutionary Road
National Geographic Traveller India|July 2017

A 2008 Bike Trip Across Peru, Argentina and Chile Was the Starting Point of Radical Change for Neuroscientist and Engineer Mauktik Kulkarni

Riddhi Doshi
Revolutionary Road

Travel is many things to many people. To some it’s respite and liberation. To others, it’s inspiration and immersion. For neuroscientist and engineer Mauktik Kulkarni, it has become an act of personal and social awakening.

When Kulkarni went on a 3,000 kilometre-long backpacking trip across India in October-November 2013, he steered clear of well-worn territory. Instead he and his backpacking partner, 25-year-old American anthropologist and medical student Samantha Jo Fitzsimsons, headed to unconventional destinations: the village of Hemalkasa in Maharashtra and the outskirts of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, to name a few.

The duo’s journey has been chronicled in a crowd sourced film, Riding on a Sunbeam, directed by National Award winner Brahmanand Singh. Kulkarni stresses that his aim with the project was to showcase the beauty of unplanned and unstructured travel. “Travelling solo without an agenda forces you to interact with strangers and learn different ways of living a successful or happy life,” he says. He also felt an urge to understand his own country better, something that was sparked by his solo travels around the rest of the world.

He took his first such trip in 2008, spurred on by one of the most enduring travel icons of all time—Che Guevara. Four years before that, as a masters student at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., he had seen The Motorcycle Diaries, which was about Guevara’s epic 1952 journey around South America.

This story is from the July 2017 edition of National Geographic Traveller India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2017 edition of National Geographic Traveller India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIAView All
Best Of The World 2023
National Geographic Traveller India

Best Of The World 2023

Travel inspiration is everywhere. The question is where to go next. Here's our annual list of enlightened destinations for the year aheadplaces filled with wonder, rewarding to travellers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems. Framed by five categories (Community, Nature, Culture, Family, Adventure), these destinations are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2022
Α ΗΟΜΕ IN THE HILLS
National Geographic Traveller India

Α ΗΟΜΕ IN THE HILLS

Skyview by Empyrean is a onestop destination for adventure and leisure in Jammu

time-read
3 mins  |
November - December 2022
ENTER THE PICTURE POSTCARD
National Geographic Traveller India

ENTER THE PICTURE POSTCARD

A stylish luxury hotel in Thimphu's northern outskirts is where illustrious Bhutanese and travellers alike are finding their happy place

time-read
6 mins  |
November - December 2022
48 Hours : Seattle Leads The Way
National Geographic Traveller India

48 Hours : Seattle Leads The Way

The jewel of the Pacific Northwest is one of America’s greenest and grooviest culture capitals

time-read
8 mins  |
November - December 2022
BIG BINGE: DUBAI FOR THE JET-SETTING GOURMAND
National Geographic Traveller India

BIG BINGE: DUBAI FOR THE JET-SETTING GOURMAND

Delightful degustation menus, French brasseries with art-inspired menus and Japanese diners excelling at nostalgia—the Dubai Food Festival 2022 justified the city’s status as one of the world’s premier food capitals

time-read
4 mins  |
November - December 2022
CULTURE COOL - UNDER THE EMIRATI SUN
National Geographic Traveller India

CULTURE COOL - UNDER THE EMIRATI SUN

Home to one of the world’s grandest mosques, an exciting emerging arts district on Saadiyat Island and an entertainment hub promising genuine thrills, Abu Dhabi has arrived in the league of extraordinary family destinations

time-read
4 mins  |
November - December 2022
ONLY IN OTTAWA
National Geographic Traveller India

ONLY IN OTTAWA

ACTIVE ADVENTURES, BUZZY BREWERIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS THRIVING WITH BARS AND BOUTIQUES— CANADA'S BIJOU CAPITAL HAS PLENTY TO DISCOVER BEYOND THE HALLS OF PARLIAMENT

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2022
OF FRENCH FINESSE
National Geographic Traveller India

OF FRENCH FINESSE

QUENELLE DE BROCHET IS A REGIONAL LEGACY DISH HAILING FROM LYON. THE OVAL, POACHED PIKE DUMPLINGS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN INVENTED BY A PASTRY CHEF TO REGULATE FISH OVERPOPULATION

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2022
Coorg: A WILD ROAST
National Geographic Traveller India

Coorg: A WILD ROAST

Back in another timber den of Karnataka, native wildlife and humble stories surprise Suhas Dwarkanath as he sips on a bold cup of robusta.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2022
DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH
National Geographic Traveller India

DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH

THE U.A.E'S NORTHERNMOST EMIRATE IS ALL ABOUT ENJOYING NATURAL TREASURES, FROM SOARING OVER THE AL-HAJAR MOUNTAINS ON THE WORLD'S LONGEST ZIPLINE TO PERUSING PRECIOUS PEARLS BY THE SEASHORE

time-read
6 mins  |
September - October 2022