A Journey Down the Ganges (Ganga) River with Rency Thomas: 2,750 Kilometers of Adventure on India's most sacred river

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Welcome to Paddling the Blue. With each episode, we talk with guests from the

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Great Lakes and around the globe who are doing cool things related to sea kayaking.

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I'm your host. My name is John Chase, and let's get started paddling the blue.

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Welcome to today's episode of Paddling the Blue. Ren C.

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Thomas joins today's episode to recount his 2,750 kilometer solo source to sea

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trip of India's Ganga River.

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Starting at the foot of a glacier and ending at the ocean. This journey down

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the most holy river in India using a mode of transportation rarely seen was

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the culmination of eight years of preparation.

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So we get the opportunity to hear firsthand from Rensi today about that trip.

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We'll hear from Rensi in just a moment.

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James and Simon at onlineseakyking.com continue to produce great content to

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10 off just for being a member of the paddling the blue community enjoy today's

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episode with renci thomas hello renci how are you today great and thank you

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very much for having me john you are You are welcome. So excited.

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Yes, I am as well. This will be a great conversation about a really impressive

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and really interesting expedition.

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So we're here to talk about your Ganga. Did I get the pronunciation right?

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Thank you. Yes, it's Ganga. Ganga. That's what we Indians call it.

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All right. So we'll talk about that.

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But first, let's talk a little bit about you and your adventure background.

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You've got quite a varied adventure background. So what got you started in adventure sports?

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So during my college final year time, I was always into, I have a,

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you know, a connection towards adventure, but during my final year of college,

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I got bedridden due to a chronic arthritis condition,

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which stopped me from getting into Air Force, which was my ultimate aim to become an Air Force pilot.

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So due to that condition, I couldn't continue my Air Force career.

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I think then that's from where I

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started doing my sports flying private flying like I got my private flying license

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did some sports flying then I realized it's a pretty very expensive sport especially

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in India it's not easy to continue flying slowly and gradually I got into other

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sports like mountaineering started with mountaineering a lot of trekking rainforest trekking.

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And then slowly got into river sports also so rafting was the first one and

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thankfully I I started paddling in Ganga itself.

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So I got some opportunity to work in whitewater sections of Ganga.

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And that's how it all went on.

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So I do a lot of adventures, mainly big expeditions, overlanding expeditions, rafting expeditions.

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And mountaineering is one major thing which we keep on doing.

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Okay. Now you mentioned sport flying in there, and that you have a private pilot's

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license. What is sport flying?

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So sports flying is mostly the small microlight aircrafts, which are flown mostly

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for recreational purposes.

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So initially, my initial stages of my career, we used to give microlight flying

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experience so a person can sit on the co-pilot seat and experience flying like a joyride.

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So we were providing this in the city called Bangalore in South India.

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So that's how it started. Okay.

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Interesting. Do you still do any of that? Rarely, but yes, I do.

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I do fly, but not in a very serious way. Okay.

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So you couldn't go to the Air Force career and go quite that high.

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So you decided to get as high as you possibly could on Earth and mountaineering.

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Yes, yes, that's how I started. So flying and then slowly got my mountaineering

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certifications and got into a lot of trekking and slowly into climbing peaks.

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We have a lot of 6,000, 7,000 meter peaks in India. So it's in Himalayas. It's never ending.

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I think it's very difficult to climb all the peaks here in India.

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Now with mountaineering being a passion of yours, why paddling?

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So it was never a single sport which I was focused on.

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I always wanted to get into outdoors, experience new sports,

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learn new sports, get into it.

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So I was into mountaineering and trekking and then I got the opportunity to

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learn rafting when I was in the whitewater sections of Genga and slowly started with rafting,

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learned a bit of rafting and then of course the kayaking bug got into and learned kayaking there.

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And then I was in Hong Kong for some time working with Outward Bound Hong Kong.

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That's where the sea kayaking started.

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So there we did quite a lot of sea kayaking.

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And that's where the, you know, I think the passion for sea kayaking also grew in.

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And so I have to imagine that you're as you're on the mountain and you see a

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river going back down the mountain the other way.

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You're like, hey, maybe I can paddle that thing too. Yeah.

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So you're rafting and whitewater and then that grew into sea kayak,

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So I do both the paddling, but mostly I'm more comfortable in sea kayaks,

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but I do whitewater kayaking too.

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But yeah, now I feel more comfortable in long journeys in kayaks.

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All right. Now you are the first Indian guest that we've had,

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and we've rarely talked even about that part of the world in general.

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So this is fascinating. We'll learn about a new part of the world here,

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but is paddling common in India?

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Very rare i would say it's a completely new

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sport whitewater is picking up

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whitewater there are great whitewater rivers in india

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so whitewater kayaking is getting

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better and better every year so we have some amazing.

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Athletes from india who are doing really

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good in whitewater sections but sea kayaking is still

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i would say a very new thing

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in india there are very few kayaks

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available in india right now i think

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the kind of uh if you ask me how much

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paddling people does it will be rare like you can count

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with your fingers like the people who are into sea

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kayaking okay so it's very new in india all right

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even though you've got a pretty long coast i

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mean uh aside from the river itself which

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your expedition was 2600 kilometers you've

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got a long coast that is an ocean coast yes.

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I i even i have i personally

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come from the place called kanyakumari the southern peninsula tip

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of the country so that's my hometown so even

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though i am from a place which is my from

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my home the ocean or the sea is

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just around 15 kilometers away even then

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until my college days i was new

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to any kind of adventure sports so i

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think it's not there in the culture i would i

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think that's the major problem here and now people have getting the taste of

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it so there are a lot of mountaineering and trekking happening in india indians

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doing a lot of mountaineering and trekking and whitewater rafting is a big thing

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here but people pursuing into outdoor sports and And getting expertise in sports.

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Learning it and venturing out into outdoors on their own is still new for India.

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So I think it's the cultural difference may take some more years for people

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to understand the value of adventure or outdoors and, you know,

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start getting into it in a very serious manner.

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There are few people like me or many some great adventurers still in India.

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Yeah, but it's all people, you know, very small bunch of people.

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Majority of the people still look up to a conventional job and...

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Go for some other recreation than outdoors okay yeah

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you hear a lot of folks from outside india coming

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to india for mountaineering and such but it

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just you said it's not really grabbed on with the culture

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there yet of people in india yes yes

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so it's rarely done as a

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recreational sport even there are a lot of guiding happening

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in india especially in mountaineering and whitewater

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sections but it's all mostly done as

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a as a part of job or as a part of living you know a way of living okay finding

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a you know a job source then doing it for with passion and love for the sport

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so why do you suppose it has not crept into the the recreational pursuits of indian residents.

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Again as i said it's uh it's 100

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not there in the culture but now since the

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young people have a lot of uh you know

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extra income where they can get into these sports and and also the lack of awareness

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it's still a developing country so people people are more into conventional

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jobs and conventional things than getting into outdoors and knowing new sports.

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So sports culture itself is a new thing in India and people are now coming into,

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there are a lot of young people, young enthusiasts who are learning sports,

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learning whitewater kayaking, learning surfing and learning other sports and coming into.

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So probably in the near future, you can see a lot of people getting into recreational sports also.

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That's great. Well, we'll look forward to hearing more from the Indian community,

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but I'm really interested in hearing about the Ganga expedition that you've done.

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So that expedition combined quite a few disciplines over its 2,600-kilometer

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length. So tell us about the trip.

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So it's because the whole river, it's a massive river.

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It covers five states of India and a total of around 2,700.

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So my GPS calculated 2,750, but that also includes some trekking and mountain biking sections also.

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It's the river headwaters of the river starts at an altitude of 4,023 kilometers,

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which is a really high altitude and it's not navigable there.

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So the only way to reach the source is by hiking.

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So we hiked up to the glacier. It's called Gomukh Glacier. That's where this headwater starts.

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And the river is called Bhagiradi from where it starts.

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So it's around 23 kilometers of hike

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all the way down till the road that

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called Gangotri the place called Gangotri

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and from Gangotri till a place called Devprayag

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again it's not navigable part it's through

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mountain terrain and gorges whitewater

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sections but steep whitewater sections are

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not navigable again so or runnable so we i did a cycling all the way till dev

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priyag and dev priyag is the place where this two river the headwater bhagirathi

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and another river called alaknanda joins and it's the confluence it's also very holy for.

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In indian culture so from that place the name comes in the ganga name comes

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to the river so So from there, it's called Ganga. Till then,

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it's called Bhagirathi River.

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So and the confluence is really beautiful because the turquoise colored water

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from the Bhagirathi joins or confluences with the murky waters of Alaknanda River.

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And these two rivers joins and becomes Ganga. It becomes almost greenish color, beautiful.

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And that's where the renewable whitewater section of Ganga starts.

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So from there, I started whitewater kayaking.

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All the way till the place called Haridwar which is again that's the end of

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the white water section and from there the river touches the plains and it becomes

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wide and divides into a lot of channels,

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and from Haridwar all the way till

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Gangasagar island that is where the last part

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of the river it's the delta where

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the river enters into the sea the mouth

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of the river and till there I got on

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the sea kayak and there are around five barrages

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or the dams in between so i used a

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cycle again to cross those dams and

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again get on to the kayak okay crossing it all right and you said it was a total

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of 2750 kilometers yes uh so the clock 2750 kilometers and a total of 95 days

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to complete it 95 days well and then the and then the the sea kayak portion

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was the 2600 kilometer kilometer.

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Sea kayak was approximately around 2,000 kilometers.

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Ah, okay. I heard that wrong. 2,200 kilometers, yeah. Okay.

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Whitewater section was around 100 kilometers, and rest was the cycling and the

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trekking part up in the mountains, yeah.

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And in terms of the whitewater portion, what classification would you put that whitewater at?

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I think it was all class 3, and there are two rapids which is nearly class 4+,

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plus rest everything class three class two plus three

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plus rapids all right and you ran this entire trip solo

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yes so during the whitewater

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section there were a few kayaking friends

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who joined us joined me on the river okay during the whitewater section so but

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after that whitewater kayaking uh the sea kayaking was 100 solo nobody in the

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river okay it's a completely unexplored region and no navigational charts,

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no idea which route to go.

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So the whitewater section is pretty commercial route. So it's like our playground,

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our home ground. But after that, the real challenge started.

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Okay. Yeah. Having a few people with you increases that margin of safety, but interesting.

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So no navigation charts on the trip and it braided off into different channels on that.

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And did that get confusing for you? Oh, it was very confusing.

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The biggest problem is the after every monsoon

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the river completely changes its course so

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even the gps data or the satellite imagery

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doesn't help most of the satellite imagery which we get from

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google earth or other apps are all pre-monsoon imagery so after the monsoon

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the river is completely different so most of the time when even if i take reference

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with the satellite imagery the the water will be on the place where in the map it shows as a land.

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So yeah so it

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was crazy and these channels are they are

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it really in this flat plains especially in the

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first uh around 400 500 kilometers

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of the first section the river is too wide and it divides into multiple multiple

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channels it's very difficult to understand what is which is the actual channel

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because sometimes you just get into a false channel and suddenly it reaches a shallow end or a murky,

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slushy area where you can't even potage your kayak, heavy kayak.

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And that could be a long channel and you get down to the end and you're like, well, now what do I do?

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Yes, yes. There has been many situations, but thankfully not much.

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But there were situations where you don't even have enough water to paddle.

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So your kayak just gets stuck. And then, as you know, when it gets shallow,

227
00:16:03,429 --> 00:16:04,829
the water flow starts increasing.

228
00:16:04,829 --> 00:16:08,249
Freezing so there is no way you to back

229
00:16:08,249 --> 00:16:11,249
paddling and coming back so you have

230
00:16:11,249 --> 00:16:14,349
to get out of the kayak and as soon as you get out that's when you understand

231
00:16:14,349 --> 00:16:20,129
it's a knee-deep slush underneath oh then then you start pulling your kayak

232
00:16:20,129 --> 00:16:25,069
all the way out and then again you start paddling okay eventually it reaches

233
00:16:25,069 --> 00:16:30,049
to the main channel but once you get into those false channels it's very difficult.

234
00:16:30,289 --> 00:16:34,769
Yeah. Some might say that, well, it's a river. You just follow it as it goes,

235
00:16:34,829 --> 00:16:38,189
you know, follow it down river and follow the current, but that may not be the

236
00:16:38,189 --> 00:16:40,629
case. So what time of year did you do your trip?

237
00:16:41,009 --> 00:16:50,909
I did it. I started from Gomuk Glacier on 4th of November 2023 and finished on 6th of February 2024.

238
00:16:51,289 --> 00:16:56,829
So it was winter sun time in India, peak winters. The reason for mainly for

239
00:16:56,829 --> 00:17:00,589
the winters is the summers are going to be very hard, very harsh.

240
00:17:00,769 --> 00:17:04,389
So that's not the right time to do this long expedition.

241
00:17:04,529 --> 00:17:09,569
So I took winter as the right time because the water levels will be good apt

242
00:17:09,569 --> 00:17:13,969
and the heat will be more bearable.

243
00:17:14,229 --> 00:17:17,629
I think the cold is much more bearable than the heat. Okay.

244
00:17:18,429 --> 00:17:23,289
Now what kind of temperatures are we dealing with? In the higher up mountains,

245
00:17:23,429 --> 00:17:25,789
it was always below zero degree Celsius.

246
00:17:25,909 --> 00:17:28,449
While hiking, we got snowfall also.

247
00:17:29,289 --> 00:17:33,189
And coming down, it was soaring around 10 degree Celsius.

248
00:17:33,549 --> 00:17:39,809
And once we come towards the sea, like maybe 500 kilometers before the sea,

249
00:17:39,949 --> 00:17:44,789
it's temperate conditions like 15, 20 degree Celsius in the daytime. Okay.

250
00:17:46,114 --> 00:17:50,534
All right. So when I think winter, it's much colder where I am.

251
00:17:51,114 --> 00:17:56,954
Yes, yes, it is. All right. So you mentioned the cultural significance of the

252
00:17:56,954 --> 00:17:57,854
river just a couple of times.

253
00:17:57,934 --> 00:18:00,414
Tell us what the river means to the Indian culture.

254
00:18:00,754 --> 00:18:08,074
So in Indian culture, most of the rivers in India are considered holy as per

255
00:18:08,074 --> 00:18:10,354
Hindu mythology or Hindu culture.

256
00:18:10,354 --> 00:18:19,114
And also the allied other religion like Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism also.

257
00:18:19,314 --> 00:18:24,754
So all these Indian religions considered almost all the rivers and mountains as gods.

258
00:18:25,614 --> 00:18:30,974
And in terms of holiness, the river Ganga is considered to be the most holiest river.

259
00:18:31,374 --> 00:18:35,714
And also it's said that if you take a bath in this river,

260
00:18:35,714 --> 00:18:38,754
you you all your sins are washed away

261
00:18:38,754 --> 00:18:42,014
and you get salvation so it's

262
00:18:42,014 --> 00:18:44,994
that holy and the significance of the

263
00:18:44,994 --> 00:18:47,914
river because this river is mentioned in almost all

264
00:18:47,914 --> 00:18:55,234
the old epics and all the scriptures in in in our culture so the river river

265
00:18:55,234 --> 00:18:59,294
is even if you are from the south of southern part of the country or in the

266
00:18:59,294 --> 00:19:03,994
northern part of the country in all your folklores in all your stories all your

267
00:19:04,094 --> 00:19:05,654
gods, all your mythology,

268
00:19:05,954 --> 00:19:08,354
river Ganga is going to come one or the other place.

269
00:19:09,448 --> 00:19:16,748
And you mentioned that it's significant in terms of commerce and just living.

270
00:19:17,788 --> 00:19:23,048
And being such a wide river, the whole Ganga Basin accommodates almost half

271
00:19:23,048 --> 00:19:24,568
of India's vast population.

272
00:19:24,988 --> 00:19:28,088
So it helps in a lot of irrigation.

273
00:19:28,088 --> 00:19:36,328
So, the river plain, once it touches the plain, it goes through four major states

274
00:19:36,328 --> 00:19:40,648
of India in which lots and lots of industries.

275
00:19:41,108 --> 00:19:46,088
Agricultural area, all these are fed from this river.

276
00:19:46,088 --> 00:19:51,348
So you will see most of these big cities, many cities like Kolkata,

277
00:19:51,548 --> 00:19:58,268
Patna, then you have Banaras, the oldest city called Banaras or Varanasi and

278
00:19:58,268 --> 00:20:06,208
then you have Kanpur and lot many cities or towns buzzes around on the banks of this river.

279
00:20:06,208 --> 00:20:13,468
And all these towns and cities are mostly either industrially prominent or agriculturally prominent.

280
00:20:13,628 --> 00:20:17,488
So across the river, throughout the river, while I was paddling,

281
00:20:17,568 --> 00:20:20,688
I could see vast farmlands on both the sides.

282
00:20:21,008 --> 00:20:26,928
So it's mostly the irrigation and also the drinking water comes from this river.

283
00:20:26,928 --> 00:20:32,868
So it's very, very important in terms of commerce, life, agriculture,

284
00:20:33,288 --> 00:20:37,248
industries, and also it is used for transport also.

285
00:20:37,368 --> 00:20:40,688
So after crossing a particular area, almost half of the river,

286
00:20:40,828 --> 00:20:43,068
then the river becomes a navigable channel.

287
00:20:43,228 --> 00:20:46,668
So a lot of commerce also happens through this river.

288
00:20:46,808 --> 00:20:51,828
And nearing to the sea, the Kolkata Harbor or the Diamond Harbor,

289
00:20:51,948 --> 00:20:55,228
it's situated in the river. So it's on the mouth of the river.

290
00:20:55,268 --> 00:20:56,948
So a lot of ships comes in and goes.

291
00:20:57,248 --> 00:21:00,628
So in every way, this river is very prominent for India.

292
00:21:01,248 --> 00:21:06,148
And with that size of a population living along the river and that much commerce

293
00:21:06,148 --> 00:21:10,748
on the river, there's been a lot of talk that I've heard in the past about pollution

294
00:21:10,748 --> 00:21:12,068
on the river. So tell us about that.

295
00:21:13,184 --> 00:21:16,364
Uh i will never say there is no pollution pollution

296
00:21:16,364 --> 00:21:19,524
is a reality there are and what

297
00:21:19,524 --> 00:21:23,344
makes it worse is a lot of dams in between so you

298
00:21:23,344 --> 00:21:26,444
know the more it gets polluted the river cannot

299
00:21:26,444 --> 00:21:29,464
flush all all of it out also so the

300
00:21:29,464 --> 00:21:32,504
pollution is increasing day by day but in

301
00:21:32,504 --> 00:21:35,724
the year of 2015 i did this expedition in

302
00:21:35,724 --> 00:21:38,464
motorboats so i was able to go

303
00:21:38,464 --> 00:21:42,124
the same route in motorboats and

304
00:21:42,124 --> 00:21:45,104
that time the pollution I would say was really bad

305
00:21:45,104 --> 00:21:47,964
in terms of industrial pollution and other types of

306
00:21:47,964 --> 00:21:51,084
pollution but this time going at a more slow

307
00:21:51,084 --> 00:21:54,424
pace slowly paddling down I

308
00:21:54,424 --> 00:21:57,364
realized things are getting better but the

309
00:21:57,364 --> 00:22:00,764
plastic pollution has gone high so last time the

310
00:22:00,764 --> 00:22:03,704
kind of plastic I had seen I would say more than

311
00:22:03,704 --> 00:22:06,924
plastic it was industrial waste but this time it was plastic

312
00:22:06,924 --> 00:22:09,824
plastic everywhere and it's there

313
00:22:09,824 --> 00:22:12,704
i think that is one big pollutant which

314
00:22:12,704 --> 00:22:15,964
we can see with our naked eyes and in terms

315
00:22:15,964 --> 00:22:22,324
of wildlife also i think there is a drastic change in the river which which

316
00:22:22,324 --> 00:22:27,084
is sad that the pollution of course it's because of the pollution that the wildlife

317
00:22:27,084 --> 00:22:33,644
like kind of dolphins lot of turtles i could see a lot less than what i said

318
00:22:33,644 --> 00:22:35,604
saw around eight years back. Okay.

319
00:22:35,944 --> 00:22:40,024
Are there efforts underway to clean that up?

320
00:22:40,604 --> 00:22:44,924
Lots of efforts are going on from the government side, but still I would say

321
00:22:44,924 --> 00:22:52,724
it's not to the level it's required, but still it's better that there is something happening.

322
00:22:53,004 --> 00:22:58,924
I think a lot of industries have been curbed, so unprocessed water is less now,

323
00:22:59,064 --> 00:23:03,724
so they are treating the water before they are flushing it flushing it into

324
00:23:03,724 --> 00:23:05,684
the river, at least from the big industries.

325
00:23:05,984 --> 00:23:08,164
So I think there is a progress.

326
00:23:08,644 --> 00:23:13,744
Let's hope the progress and the work becomes more efficient and fast.

327
00:23:14,144 --> 00:23:17,464
Excellent. Well, yeah, let's hope so. Now you mentioned the width of the river.

328
00:23:17,724 --> 00:23:19,484
How wide at its widest point?

329
00:23:19,924 --> 00:23:26,304
So closer to the mouth, it was around 20 kilometers wide.

330
00:23:26,784 --> 00:23:35,744
So up going towards it's on an average I would say in the plains the river was

331
00:23:35,744 --> 00:23:40,024
around 5 to 6 kilometers wide. That's quite,

332
00:23:42,264 --> 00:23:47,304
a distance. Yes it is. Alright. I would not have expected that.

333
00:23:47,364 --> 00:23:49,664
Are there points where it narrows quite narrow?

334
00:23:50,324 --> 00:23:56,344
Yeah. There are a few places where maybe the river seems like it's 2 kilometers

335
00:23:56,344 --> 00:24:01,664
wide but then you realize the river is into two channels so so the one channel

336
00:24:01,664 --> 00:24:05,444
is two kilometers and then you have an island in between the other channel is

337
00:24:05,444 --> 00:24:07,384
on the other side it's again.

338
00:24:09,404 --> 00:24:13,744
What was the reception from people in the towns as you were paddling the river?

339
00:24:14,224 --> 00:24:16,624
People were very curious.

340
00:24:17,284 --> 00:24:23,624
They find it very amazing to see somebody all alone in the river.

341
00:24:23,804 --> 00:24:29,264
It was mixed emotions and many people considered me as a chosen one.

342
00:24:29,464 --> 00:24:38,524
That was a very exhilarating experience because there were places where people came to worship me,

343
00:24:38,524 --> 00:24:41,384
seeing a person coming through this river

344
00:24:41,384 --> 00:24:44,284
for such a long distance is somebody who is really

345
00:24:44,284 --> 00:24:50,744
a pious or a holy person so i had that kind of experiences then most of the

346
00:24:50,744 --> 00:24:55,984
places people were overwhelmed seeing how are you able to do this how from where

347
00:24:55,984 --> 00:24:59,504
do you get this courage because it's pretty new for them and they have never

348
00:24:59,504 --> 00:25:03,804
seen somebody paddling all along in this river so So especially,

349
00:25:04,004 --> 00:25:08,824
you know, paddling, mostly they see motorboats or people travel,

350
00:25:08,904 --> 00:25:12,524
even the fishermen travel with mostly the motors fitted in it.

351
00:25:12,624 --> 00:25:16,044
So paddling, it was where they were curious.

352
00:25:16,204 --> 00:25:19,964
And also the most important thing was my kayak was a red kayak.

353
00:25:20,244 --> 00:25:24,184
Long one. So they are seeing it for the first time in their life, a kayak like this.

354
00:25:24,364 --> 00:25:28,744
So curious eyes always comes calling from the shores, you know,

355
00:25:28,784 --> 00:25:29,844
please come here, come here.

356
00:25:29,884 --> 00:25:33,924
We want to see your kayak. we want to see your boat so

357
00:25:33,924 --> 00:25:36,764
it was always a curious thing people had

358
00:25:36,764 --> 00:25:39,624
a lot of doubts questions it was not easy for us

359
00:25:39,624 --> 00:25:42,684
to you know camp every day because every

360
00:25:42,684 --> 00:25:45,524
time we camp we will have at least like 100

361
00:25:45,524 --> 00:25:48,424
to 200 visitors from the villages coming in

362
00:25:48,424 --> 00:25:51,124
in different times you know every time you have

363
00:25:51,124 --> 00:25:54,524
at least 20-30 people asking curious questions most

364
00:25:54,524 --> 00:25:57,584
of the time it's the same repetitive questions every day where are

365
00:25:57,584 --> 00:26:00,444
you coming from how are you able to travel why are you doing this

366
00:26:00,444 --> 00:26:03,384
all those questions but at the same time it's

367
00:26:03,384 --> 00:26:06,204
it's also it was also an experience you know an

368
00:26:06,204 --> 00:26:12,024
opportunity to understand them know their culture know their dialects know their

369
00:26:12,024 --> 00:26:17,444
life and also understand what's going on around the river so the another fascinating

370
00:26:17,444 --> 00:26:23,484
thing is in India so every maybe 100 kilometers down the river you see a completely

371
00:26:23,484 --> 00:26:25,684
different culture and different dialect.

372
00:26:26,004 --> 00:26:28,524
So even the language is different every time.

373
00:26:29,004 --> 00:26:32,444
And the way they dress, the way they eat, it's all different.

374
00:26:33,629 --> 00:26:38,569
Wow. And so how do you adapt to that as you move along to the expedition?

375
00:26:39,269 --> 00:26:46,449
It was fascinating. And at the same time, I would say I would give the credit

376
00:26:46,449 --> 00:26:51,069
to my backup team who was also traveling on the road while I was in the river.

377
00:26:51,349 --> 00:26:55,569
So they used to most of the time, wherever possible, if you are able to meet,

378
00:26:55,629 --> 00:26:59,609
they used to come and reach the shore before I reach.

379
00:26:59,609 --> 00:27:02,629
And they used to manage the crowd and

380
00:27:02,629 --> 00:27:05,509
people and make them understand what is going to happen what

381
00:27:05,509 --> 00:27:11,989
is happening so the stress on me was almost very less when i used to come so

382
00:27:11,989 --> 00:27:15,609
i think that helped otherwise it would have been really difficult because when

383
00:27:15,609 --> 00:27:20,109
i am all alone after paddling for almost there were days where i paddled for

384
00:27:20,109 --> 00:27:24,629
almost eight hours nine hours a day and then you come Come down,

385
00:27:24,749 --> 00:27:30,449
get out, and then you are in a hurry to make a shelter or get some rest.

386
00:27:30,629 --> 00:27:34,469
And that's when there's a lot of people comes in and starts asking questions.

387
00:27:34,889 --> 00:27:41,149
They are curious and it's all very honest questions. So you don't feel like being rude.

388
00:27:41,269 --> 00:27:45,409
So you keep on answering them, answering them. And there will be a certain time,

389
00:27:45,489 --> 00:27:47,489
you know, you get really tired of it.

390
00:27:47,709 --> 00:27:52,409
Yeah, but it must have been fascinating for both you just seeing all those different

391
00:27:52,409 --> 00:27:54,569
cultures and experiencing all those folks.

392
00:27:54,649 --> 00:27:58,669
I think that was one thing which kept me moving because by the time I finished

393
00:27:58,669 --> 00:28:01,249
50 days, it was very difficult for me.

394
00:28:01,329 --> 00:28:05,129
It was mentally, physically, it was very difficult.

395
00:28:05,329 --> 00:28:11,289
And also we had one more challenge was the funds because to make people understand

396
00:28:11,289 --> 00:28:14,949
this kind of expedition and get some sponsorship was very difficult for me.

397
00:28:15,049 --> 00:28:18,709
So it was pretty much supported mostly by my friends,

398
00:28:18,709 --> 00:28:21,869
friends family or known people and and

399
00:28:21,869 --> 00:28:25,349
almost all the savings which i had so there

400
00:28:25,349 --> 00:28:29,029
were situations where we had some fund issues or

401
00:28:29,029 --> 00:28:31,989
or the funds which were supposed to come which didn't

402
00:28:31,989 --> 00:28:34,969
come so almost like half of the after 50 days

403
00:28:34,969 --> 00:28:37,709
it was there were days where i was not able

404
00:28:37,709 --> 00:28:40,689
to move and also the arthritis pain really kicked

405
00:28:40,689 --> 00:28:43,509
in so there were times when i used to

406
00:28:43,509 --> 00:28:47,289
cry sitting in the kayak paddling because i can stop paddling as

407
00:28:47,289 --> 00:28:50,509
i will lose the pace so i keep paddling paddling

408
00:28:50,509 --> 00:28:53,249
paddling and keep crying at the

409
00:28:53,249 --> 00:28:56,869
same time with the pain so uh but

410
00:28:56,869 --> 00:29:01,569
i think this this fascination these people you know when there is a low day

411
00:29:01,569 --> 00:29:06,029
then then you get some enthusiastic people coming and motivating us telling

412
00:29:06,029 --> 00:29:11,749
you know you are doing great we are so proud of you and we can't believe that

413
00:29:11,749 --> 00:29:14,069
this is this is something, somebody's doing this.

414
00:29:14,249 --> 00:29:19,449
So these kind of words, these kind of motivation kept us moving forward one day after day.

415
00:29:20,009 --> 00:29:24,849
So the arthritis, you started mentioning that and about how that affected you.

416
00:29:24,869 --> 00:29:26,749
Tell us how that affected you throughout the whole trip.

417
00:29:27,706 --> 00:29:33,726
And how you manage that? So I thought I'll be able to manage it with my regular

418
00:29:33,726 --> 00:29:35,466
medicines in the starting.

419
00:29:35,586 --> 00:29:40,826
But slowly going forward, it was really hurting because sitting,

420
00:29:40,946 --> 00:29:46,286
I usually don't get out of the kayak during the trip because there were two reasons.

421
00:29:46,426 --> 00:29:52,086
One is you rarely get a good place to get out in the river because most of the

422
00:29:52,086 --> 00:29:56,546
time the banks are all slushy and watery and a lot of people around.

423
00:29:56,546 --> 00:29:59,286
So i try to be almost in the middle

424
00:29:59,286 --> 00:30:02,666
of the river and try to get the current and keep moving and

425
00:30:02,666 --> 00:30:05,646
the other thing is the crocodiles no well get some

426
00:30:05,646 --> 00:30:12,446
deserted area then you know you you never know what is lurking under those murky

427
00:30:12,446 --> 00:30:20,266
waters so so that that was scary so i even i have a pee bottle in my kayak and

428
00:30:20,266 --> 00:30:25,626
so i i try not to get out of the kayak most of the day so it's a continuous six to

429
00:30:25,686 --> 00:30:29,046
seven hours of sitting or paddling in the river so

430
00:30:29,046 --> 00:30:32,586
that was very difficult my i had

431
00:30:32,586 --> 00:30:38,946
swellings almost all my fingers my right hand two fingers got deformations and

432
00:30:38,946 --> 00:30:43,326
very severe swellings so i had to paddle with only two fingers and my thumb

433
00:30:43,326 --> 00:30:49,266
i had to keep my two fingers out so if you had seen few of my photos at instagram

434
00:30:49,266 --> 00:30:52,406
you will notice my i'm holding the paddle right hand.

435
00:30:52,966 --> 00:30:56,186
With two fingers uh you know opened up okay

436
00:30:56,186 --> 00:31:03,166
so it was it was very painful and sometimes you can't even do one stroke it's

437
00:31:03,166 --> 00:31:08,306
that painful but then some kind of an energy is always there telling you to

438
00:31:08,306 --> 00:31:12,366
push keep moving keep moving and then i make some small strokes and then after

439
00:31:12,366 --> 00:31:15,626
some time you still feel good and you keep paddling.

440
00:31:16,633 --> 00:31:19,873
You just persevere. You continue through. Continue through.

441
00:31:19,993 --> 00:31:23,213
Yes, it was. And the other challenge was getting out.

442
00:31:23,273 --> 00:31:27,713
So after sitting for one or two hours in the kayak with this condition,

443
00:31:27,853 --> 00:31:29,893
when you get out, it's too painful.

444
00:31:30,173 --> 00:31:34,293
The stiffness is too high in the thighs and the legs.

445
00:31:34,453 --> 00:31:38,553
So balancing was very difficult when you get out of the kayak.

446
00:31:38,713 --> 00:31:42,273
So that was something which I was finding very challenging. It takes me some

447
00:31:42,273 --> 00:31:46,153
time to get out of those pain and get my legs normal.

448
00:31:46,313 --> 00:31:49,113
As you know, while paddling, of course, you get numb.

449
00:31:49,333 --> 00:31:53,013
But numbness with the pain was a little too much.

450
00:31:53,933 --> 00:32:00,433
So are there special exercises or stretches or anything that you did while you were off the water?

451
00:32:01,033 --> 00:32:04,913
Yes, yes. So before starting paddling, I make sure I'm stretching,

452
00:32:05,093 --> 00:32:06,833
I'm warming up before paddling.

453
00:32:06,833 --> 00:32:09,773
And after coming back again i i

454
00:32:09,773 --> 00:32:12,913
made sure uh you know i'm stretching and paddling uh

455
00:32:12,913 --> 00:32:16,153
doing some good exercises warming up i

456
00:32:16,153 --> 00:32:19,233
think that kept moving and i usually get good rest

457
00:32:19,233 --> 00:32:22,213
in the night and mornings again you feel fresh

458
00:32:22,213 --> 00:32:25,333
but as soon as you start paddling the pain

459
00:32:25,333 --> 00:32:29,093
starts kicking kicking in but uh the other

460
00:32:29,093 --> 00:32:32,033
the other thing which helped was the nutrition you know

461
00:32:32,033 --> 00:32:34,633
the food we always made sure we are

462
00:32:34,633 --> 00:32:38,033
we were cooking on our own never used any food

463
00:32:38,033 --> 00:32:41,033
from outside so i think that also helped us

464
00:32:41,033 --> 00:32:44,113
a lot because as you know the water quality or

465
00:32:44,113 --> 00:32:49,993
the food quality may not be good almost everywhere across so i think that really

466
00:32:49,993 --> 00:32:58,193
helped none of us or i never got any sickness or any kind of issues other than

467
00:32:58,193 --> 00:33:02,713
this arthriticity so the only issue which i had to fight with was It was only the pain.

468
00:33:03,073 --> 00:33:08,033
Everything was taken care of well. All right. Well, that's certainly a significant issue still.

469
00:33:08,910 --> 00:33:11,650
Um time time off the water or time on

470
00:33:11,650 --> 00:33:14,570
the water and off the water i guess so you mentioned that you would paddle

471
00:33:14,570 --> 00:33:18,810
six to eight hours a day is that right yeah so there were days where i paddled

472
00:33:18,810 --> 00:33:24,190
like eight hours nine hours but on an average it was of six hours if i would

473
00:33:24,190 --> 00:33:30,870
say average time because as winters closed in in the plains you will get very

474
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:34,210
heavy fogs okay so the visibility was very

475
00:33:34,330 --> 00:33:37,550
bad and getting into those waters with low

476
00:33:37,550 --> 00:33:41,090
with nil visibility and especially big

477
00:33:41,090 --> 00:33:44,230
boats coming in and going that was very scary so

478
00:33:44,230 --> 00:33:47,090
my after like for 30-40 days

479
00:33:47,090 --> 00:33:49,830
I was losing a lot of good time in

480
00:33:49,830 --> 00:33:53,250
the morning waiting for the fog to clear up so I

481
00:33:53,250 --> 00:33:56,110
think I think that was one big challenge we were facing

482
00:33:56,110 --> 00:33:58,930
across until we reached closer to

483
00:33:58,930 --> 00:34:01,830
the ocean so yeah so the timing the

484
00:34:01,830 --> 00:34:06,210
paddling time kept on varying sometimes when if i have a clear day then i keep

485
00:34:06,210 --> 00:34:11,370
on pushing and then if uh it's foggy then wait till the fogs clear up and evening

486
00:34:11,370 --> 00:34:18,650
also the uh it gets foggy early so i have to bank fast and you also had a policy

487
00:34:18,650 --> 00:34:21,590
within your team of getting off the water early.

488
00:34:22,190 --> 00:34:27,590
Yes so we had a cut off time of four o'clock because uh during winters it gets

489
00:34:27,590 --> 00:34:30,010
dark by around around 5, 5.30 in India.

490
00:34:30,350 --> 00:34:37,290
So our cutoff time was four o'clock, but I would say I think that cutoff time

491
00:34:37,290 --> 00:34:42,070
really helped us to plan properly and get off the water before it gets dark.

492
00:34:42,190 --> 00:34:49,510
So I think there were only three or four days where I had to paddle in slight darkness.

493
00:34:49,710 --> 00:34:53,210
Otherwise, every day we used to get out of the water before the dark,

494
00:34:53,370 --> 00:34:55,730
keeping the safety in place, yeah.

495
00:34:57,603 --> 00:35:02,563
And of the 95 days, how many days did you have to take off, if any?

496
00:35:02,863 --> 00:35:10,003
I think, yes, yes, we did take off for approximately 15 days, 16 days in total.

497
00:35:10,103 --> 00:35:15,463
In that, I think six to seven days was due to very bad weather conditions.

498
00:35:15,983 --> 00:35:20,823
We had to wait. Either it's too windy or it's too foggy that you're sitting,

499
00:35:20,903 --> 00:35:23,943
you're getting ready, ready your kayak near

500
00:35:23,943 --> 00:35:26,883
the river and you're sitting all geared up and

501
00:35:26,883 --> 00:35:32,623
waiting waiting for the fog to clear up so that

502
00:35:32,623 --> 00:35:35,723
was days and there were days when it was too rainy and

503
00:35:35,723 --> 00:35:42,003
windy so one or two days so it took us like 16 days we had off okay so and then

504
00:35:42,003 --> 00:35:47,903
we had single you know rest days after like 10 days or 11 days of continuous

505
00:35:47,903 --> 00:35:53,203
paddling so it was 16 days where like we didn't do any activity And did you

506
00:35:53,203 --> 00:35:55,583
camp most of the way or have other places to stay?

507
00:35:56,023 --> 00:36:01,963
Yes. So except in the big cities where we don't get a campsite because it's

508
00:36:01,963 --> 00:36:07,983
too populated and crowded and it's not, you know, clean or safe to camp.

509
00:36:08,163 --> 00:36:13,983
Those places we took Airbnbs, but rest every places it was all camping.

510
00:36:14,243 --> 00:36:21,723
Okay. So I would say 95 days, maybe 85, 88, 89, 80 days, above 80 days,

511
00:36:21,743 --> 00:36:22,823
it was all camping, camping.

512
00:36:23,123 --> 00:36:27,023
All right. And again, with the cities and with the population that lives along

513
00:36:27,023 --> 00:36:30,783
the river, did you find large areas where it was unpopulated?

514
00:36:33,243 --> 00:36:40,103
I think for me, in the river, it was a lot of plain areas with unpopulated region

515
00:36:40,103 --> 00:36:44,203
because it's mostly the farmland or the forest land, which I see.

516
00:36:44,583 --> 00:36:48,723
But the people, the backup team coming from the road, for them,

517
00:36:48,763 --> 00:36:51,043
there is always a village just before the river.

518
00:36:51,803 --> 00:36:56,003
So I can't say it's an unpopulated region.

519
00:36:56,463 --> 00:37:01,343
It's pretty much everywhere it's populated and densely populated.

520
00:37:02,303 --> 00:37:09,303
So we also had a policy for the safety. We always camp whenever we are meeting.

521
00:37:09,443 --> 00:37:12,483
We camp near a village. so so so that

522
00:37:12,483 --> 00:37:15,243
when the backup team comes towards the river

523
00:37:15,243 --> 00:37:18,383
they get to meet the villagers or the senior people members

524
00:37:18,383 --> 00:37:21,783
in the village and get their permission and so

525
00:37:21,783 --> 00:37:24,623
that they know that we are camping here so because that

526
00:37:24,623 --> 00:37:29,623
was important because i have heard about a lot of uh you know untoward instances

527
00:37:29,623 --> 00:37:34,963
happening uh in the previous expeditions people who have died so i think this

528
00:37:34,963 --> 00:37:41,423
helped us to be safe and we had zero incident or we were 100% safe throughout

529
00:37:41,423 --> 00:37:42,783
the expedition because of that.

530
00:37:42,983 --> 00:37:45,983
Okay. Now you just mentioned something in there that I'm curious about.

531
00:37:46,063 --> 00:37:47,903
You mentioned other expeditions that have tried.

532
00:37:48,183 --> 00:37:51,863
Is yours the first known expedition to complete source to sea?

533
00:37:52,886 --> 00:37:56,386
Yes yes that was mine so but there were people so

534
00:37:56,386 --> 00:37:59,326
the first person to complete the whole

535
00:37:59,326 --> 00:38:02,346
expedition solo kayaking it's

536
00:38:02,346 --> 00:38:05,486
me but there have been people have tried

537
00:38:05,486 --> 00:38:11,126
before also but they were either robbed or they couldn't complete or they had

538
00:38:11,126 --> 00:38:16,306
some logistical issues in between there have been instances where people couldn't

539
00:38:16,306 --> 00:38:21,086
complete even 10-15 days and they have to go back So I have heard about all

540
00:38:21,086 --> 00:38:22,866
those instances before.

541
00:38:22,946 --> 00:38:29,246
So I did my own good research and we could understand then what went wrong in most of the places.

542
00:38:29,346 --> 00:38:35,946
Most of the time it was wrong gears or under preparation. They took the river very lightly.

543
00:38:36,686 --> 00:38:41,026
All right. And the water will always win. So you have to respect it. Yeah.

544
00:38:41,426 --> 00:38:45,066
Correct. You mentioned your backup team. Tell us about your backup team.

545
00:38:45,066 --> 00:38:47,866
So it was three people in

546
00:38:47,866 --> 00:38:50,726
total in a vehicle so one of

547
00:38:50,726 --> 00:38:53,806
my friend Yograj who is again from

548
00:38:53,806 --> 00:38:56,526
mountain village he himself is an

549
00:38:56,526 --> 00:39:01,746
outdoor person we climb a lot together and did a few expeditions together so

550
00:39:01,746 --> 00:39:07,726
he was taking care of the logistics and my wife she's an artist so she was there

551
00:39:07,726 --> 00:39:14,026
in the backup she was the person who was documenting the whole expedition she was the only girl in the

552
00:39:14,166 --> 00:39:20,646
team so she was she was taking care of all kinds of permissions you know pr

553
00:39:20,646 --> 00:39:25,886
and and mostly documenting the expedition so we are planning to release a documentary

554
00:39:25,886 --> 00:39:29,026
also so she did the whole shooting part.

555
00:39:30,066 --> 00:39:35,106
And then I had another friend who is again from Ladakh, again,

556
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:40,486
a mountain town up in the north, northernmost part of the country.

557
00:39:40,646 --> 00:39:43,946
So he was there taking care of the navigation and other parts.

558
00:39:44,026 --> 00:39:45,406
So he was there for almost two months.

559
00:39:45,546 --> 00:39:50,246
Then he had to go back for some work. Then another river friend,

560
00:39:50,346 --> 00:39:55,646
who is also a rafter and paddler, he joined us for the last one and a half months. Okay.

561
00:39:55,746 --> 00:40:00,206
So other than those small whitewater sections that you did with others to increase

562
00:40:00,206 --> 00:40:05,786
that margin of safety, the rest of the actual expedition itself was solo and

563
00:40:05,786 --> 00:40:07,946
then your backup team supported you once you got off the water?

564
00:40:08,666 --> 00:40:12,766
Yes, yes, yes. That was the backup team. So there were days where we couldn't

565
00:40:12,766 --> 00:40:17,686
meet the backup team because most of the places, the road, so it's the vast

566
00:40:17,686 --> 00:40:22,986
floodplains, which is all sandy or slushy where the vehicle or the people cannot reach.

567
00:40:23,166 --> 00:40:27,486
So there were times where we couldn't meet, but I always had my own shelter,

568
00:40:27,626 --> 00:40:32,546
emergency ration and so that I can be independent at least for three, four days easily.

569
00:40:33,226 --> 00:40:37,906
So everything was there in the kayak always. So even if we are not able to meet, I'm good.

570
00:40:38,226 --> 00:40:41,946
But we were able to meet most of the places most of the time.

571
00:40:42,186 --> 00:40:46,166
But there were situations where, you know, they have to come all the way,

572
00:40:46,186 --> 00:40:49,586
like, I don't know, walk for almost one kilometer towards the river,

573
00:40:49,706 --> 00:40:52,426
then carry the kayak back and camp.

574
00:40:52,546 --> 00:40:57,626
And then next day again, you know, partake the kayak and put it back in the same spot.

575
00:40:57,866 --> 00:41:02,246
All right. So, yeah. So you're always making sure you're starting from start

576
00:41:02,246 --> 00:41:04,066
or ending and starting at the same place.

577
00:41:04,626 --> 00:41:08,786
Yes, yes, yes. Good. There had to be a lot of logistics that go into planning

578
00:41:08,786 --> 00:41:11,226
something like this. How do you plan a trip like this?

579
00:41:11,866 --> 00:41:17,106
It took me almost eight years. The first expedition which we did in the motorboats,

580
00:41:17,146 --> 00:41:20,926
it was two motorboats and like around 10, 15 people.

581
00:41:21,466 --> 00:41:26,626
So during that expedition, I had a pretty good idea about the terrain for the

582
00:41:26,626 --> 00:41:29,166
kayak, you know, the route, everything.

583
00:41:30,111 --> 00:41:33,031
Still it took me eight years of planning and you

584
00:41:33,031 --> 00:41:36,091
know preparing myself before i got into because

585
00:41:36,091 --> 00:41:42,411
you have to since there is no navigation available there is no map or no previous

586
00:41:42,411 --> 00:41:46,251
history available so it's very difficult it was like going into an uncharted

587
00:41:46,251 --> 00:41:52,731
terrain you know especially planning your campsites for example you are on the

588
00:41:52,731 --> 00:41:55,271
right bank and then there is no way you can go to the

589
00:41:55,311 --> 00:41:58,591
left bank and and then for next 100 or 200

590
00:41:58,591 --> 00:42:01,331
kilometers there is no camping spot on the right

591
00:42:01,331 --> 00:42:04,171
bank so if the backup team has to reach you then you

592
00:42:04,171 --> 00:42:07,991
they have to come to the left bank and there is no bridge across so

593
00:42:07,991 --> 00:42:11,371
you know there were a lot of complicated logistics which

594
00:42:11,371 --> 00:42:14,051
we had to plan so it took me a lot of

595
00:42:14,051 --> 00:42:17,131
time using maps charts planning every day

596
00:42:17,131 --> 00:42:20,211
day by day each day how it so initially the

597
00:42:20,211 --> 00:42:23,791
plan was to complete it in 100 days so i

598
00:42:23,791 --> 00:42:27,371
had a 100 day plan with me but we overshoot

599
00:42:27,371 --> 00:42:30,911
and we did it in a much faster way time but the

600
00:42:30,911 --> 00:42:33,591
planning really took a toll and there were a lot

601
00:42:33,591 --> 00:42:37,251
of things which didn't go with as per the plan but but i think planning and

602
00:42:37,251 --> 00:42:42,031
preparation is very important and for me doing such a long expedition or paddling

603
00:42:42,031 --> 00:42:47,571
for such a long time i have done with my friends but not alone anytime so that

604
00:42:47,571 --> 00:42:52,531
was the biggest challenge for that i I did a one-month training, endurance training.

605
00:42:52,651 --> 00:42:55,631
I went to backwaters in the southern part of the country.

606
00:42:56,131 --> 00:43:01,151
Every day, I used to paddle for six, seven hours all alone and see how much

607
00:43:01,151 --> 00:43:05,931
I can go, how much faster I can go, how my kayak performs, how I perform.

608
00:43:06,411 --> 00:43:09,631
Am I able to paddle for such a long time all alone or not?

609
00:43:09,931 --> 00:43:15,671
So before the expedition, one month, I dedicatedly spent for training myself.

610
00:43:16,071 --> 00:43:18,731
How did you keep in touch with your backup team?

611
00:43:19,488 --> 00:43:25,808
I had a walkie-talkie, which had a pretty good range of around 6-7 kilometers coverage.

612
00:43:26,708 --> 00:43:30,768
But higher than that, we are not permitted to use as civilians in India.

613
00:43:30,888 --> 00:43:34,488
So we can't use satellite phones also in India. It's completely banned.

614
00:43:34,768 --> 00:43:40,188
So the only way of communication was mobile communication, which was sketchy in many places.

615
00:43:40,388 --> 00:43:45,188
But still, we managed. But mostly the communication was with the mobile phones.

616
00:43:45,188 --> 00:43:47,968
And while if we are close

617
00:43:47,968 --> 00:43:50,908
somewhere like within three four five kilometer of range

618
00:43:50,908 --> 00:43:53,708
then most of the time the walkie-talkie picked up but

619
00:43:53,708 --> 00:43:56,628
later after i had an incident

620
00:43:56,628 --> 00:44:00,568
in between where i got submerged

621
00:44:00,568 --> 00:44:03,488
and then the walkie-talkie got damaged so

622
00:44:03,488 --> 00:44:06,368
then after that we didn't use the walkie-talkie after that all right

623
00:44:06,368 --> 00:44:10,088
so tell us about that incident so one big

624
00:44:10,088 --> 00:44:13,548
challenge across the river was the man-made hurdles

625
00:44:13,548 --> 00:44:16,608
you know fishermen setting up something

626
00:44:16,608 --> 00:44:19,668
or the bridges the floating bridges

627
00:44:19,668 --> 00:44:22,748
so these floating bridges are called pontoon

628
00:44:22,748 --> 00:44:25,608
bridges the army bridges which uh you know the army makes

629
00:44:25,608 --> 00:44:29,068
so they make it these are makeshift bridges they

630
00:44:29,068 --> 00:44:32,068
just use it only during the post monsoon time

631
00:44:32,068 --> 00:44:35,248
and before monsoon they just remove it so these

632
00:44:35,248 --> 00:44:38,208
uh huge pontoons keeps floating in

633
00:44:38,208 --> 00:44:41,068
the river and in the bridge also the

634
00:44:41,068 --> 00:44:44,108
way they are anchored is all in a very you

635
00:44:44,108 --> 00:44:47,608
know not in a very professional way so

636
00:44:47,608 --> 00:44:53,908
it's all rope anchors crisscrossed so suddenly when you you you are in the current

637
00:44:53,908 --> 00:44:58,188
and you keep coming and then these these bridges are not in the maps so you

638
00:44:58,188 --> 00:45:01,108
don't know whether there is there is a bridge or not coming up in front of you

639
00:45:01,108 --> 00:45:07,508
so there were a few two bridges and between these two pontoons.

640
00:45:07,548 --> 00:45:10,348
The distance you can't have a good stroke.

641
00:45:10,588 --> 00:45:14,368
So you have to make small strokes in between.

642
00:45:15,348 --> 00:45:18,048
Pretty much you just have to float out. You don't have much,

643
00:45:18,048 --> 00:45:21,868
you know, distance or width enough between two pontoons.

644
00:45:22,008 --> 00:45:28,068
And at the entry and the exit, there are crisscrossed ropes which are used for

645
00:45:28,068 --> 00:45:30,328
anchor, anchoring these pontoons.

646
00:45:30,468 --> 00:45:39,028
So there was a situation where I got into, you know, a bridge where the anchoring

647
00:45:39,028 --> 00:45:44,188
was not proper and the water flow was in an angled way.

648
00:45:44,188 --> 00:45:48,888
So the water was just pushing against the pontoon because the pontoon was loose

649
00:45:48,888 --> 00:45:54,528
and it was twisted in an angle opposite to the force of the flow.

650
00:45:55,348 --> 00:45:59,048
So I got pinned in the pontoon as soon as I entered.

651
00:45:59,148 --> 00:46:05,608
It was a heavy current and then got pinned in, sucked out like an undercut in a whitewater.

652
00:46:05,928 --> 00:46:11,248
It was very difficult. That was one of the scariest moments because I can't even move my hands.

653
00:46:11,428 --> 00:46:14,628
It was pinned like anything. thing then it took

654
00:46:14,628 --> 00:46:17,688
me like almost 30 40 seconds to you know

655
00:46:17,688 --> 00:46:20,428
come out of it pull my take my bring my

656
00:46:20,428 --> 00:46:23,828
hand towards the spray deck and get out of it and

657
00:46:23,828 --> 00:46:26,608
then i realized as soon as i got out of the

658
00:46:26,608 --> 00:46:33,448
spray deck i was pushed out but my kayak still stuck there so somehow my one

659
00:46:33,448 --> 00:46:38,628
of my finger got stuck in the kayak and then i could give a good strong shake

660
00:46:38,628 --> 00:46:43,928
and it came out so it heavy currents I swam for almost a kilometer.

661
00:46:44,428 --> 00:46:47,508
Then I got a good idea and then got into the kayak back.

662
00:46:48,308 --> 00:46:51,728
Wow. All right. That was a scary moment.

663
00:46:52,088 --> 00:46:55,088
It sounds scary. I'm glad you made that out. And certainly, you know,

664
00:46:55,088 --> 00:46:58,488
having bridges that are anchored strangely, but just having bridges that are

665
00:46:58,488 --> 00:47:02,928
not on a chart, it can be confusing, can be challenging.

666
00:47:03,188 --> 00:47:06,408
Yes, it was. There were a lot. None of these bridges are in the chart.

667
00:47:06,828 --> 00:47:12,408
Since they remove it during the monsoon, so most of the satellite imagery also

668
00:47:12,408 --> 00:47:14,688
doesn't have these bridges in it. Okay.

669
00:47:14,948 --> 00:47:18,708
And they keep changing the spots where they have kept the bridges.

670
00:47:19,579 --> 00:47:23,119
It was little, that was one of the challenges which I was facing.

671
00:47:23,859 --> 00:47:27,859
So that was so scary that after that, whenever I see this bridge,

672
00:47:27,979 --> 00:47:31,139
my hands start shaking. My heart's pumping.

673
00:47:34,559 --> 00:47:37,999
What would you say your greatest moment of joy was on the trip?

674
00:47:38,519 --> 00:47:41,839
The greatest moment of joy was the last day.

675
00:47:42,279 --> 00:47:47,179
I think I was having, that was the ultimate challenge.

676
00:47:47,179 --> 00:47:50,359
The tide was against that because a

677
00:47:50,359 --> 00:47:53,799
last 100 and 100 to 200 kilometers you

678
00:47:53,799 --> 00:47:57,359
get tidal activity in the river so in

679
00:47:57,359 --> 00:48:00,199
the last day on the mouth just before reaching the

680
00:48:00,199 --> 00:48:03,579
island uh it was the tide was against the

681
00:48:03,579 --> 00:48:07,139
wind was almost like 50 kilometer per hour speed gusting

682
00:48:07,139 --> 00:48:10,499
in and the waves and swells at really

683
00:48:10,499 --> 00:48:13,739
really really high swells and i

684
00:48:13,739 --> 00:48:16,719
was paddling paddling paddling oh my god

685
00:48:16,719 --> 00:48:19,959
that was one of the ultimate like i had wind before also

686
00:48:19,959 --> 00:48:22,799
but in this open water you know the kind

687
00:48:22,799 --> 00:48:26,359
of wind it will be so it was uh it

688
00:48:26,359 --> 00:48:32,599
was scary very tiring it was a never-ending paddling and then finally when i

689
00:48:32,599 --> 00:48:37,839
reached i could see a lot of people standing on the island just clueless who

690
00:48:37,839 --> 00:48:42,359
is coming and what is happening here because they in their lifetime for the

691
00:48:42,359 --> 00:48:45,039
first time they are seeing somebody crossing that channel.

692
00:48:46,153 --> 00:48:52,913
With a paddle boat. They have only seen huge ships or motorboats crossing it.

693
00:48:53,193 --> 00:48:58,993
So, you know, that moment of victory and humbleness and happiness,

694
00:48:59,293 --> 00:49:04,373
you know, I don't know what all emotions came in that day when I touched that land.

695
00:49:05,013 --> 00:49:09,313
Yeah, it must have been a wonderful experience. Very happy. Yes,

696
00:49:09,313 --> 00:49:11,273
it was. It was. Very happy for you.

697
00:49:11,473 --> 00:49:14,413
So happy. And then there was one more instance

698
00:49:14,413 --> 00:49:17,373
when i was the pain in me

699
00:49:17,373 --> 00:49:20,353
took over i was in a very bad

700
00:49:20,353 --> 00:49:23,853
shape so much tired so much feeling so

701
00:49:23,853 --> 00:49:27,733
much dizzy with the with the pain and tiredness

702
00:49:27,733 --> 00:49:30,673
so i was not in a condition to even paddle

703
00:49:30,673 --> 00:49:33,673
so my even taking one

704
00:49:33,673 --> 00:49:36,533
stroke was difficult and i was in the middle of nowhere

705
00:49:36,533 --> 00:49:39,973
and i called up my team whenever

706
00:49:39,973 --> 00:49:42,933
i got the network and i told guys i don't think

707
00:49:42,933 --> 00:49:45,673
i will be able to making i will make it

708
00:49:45,673 --> 00:49:48,693
today probably i'll stop somewhere in

709
00:49:48,693 --> 00:49:51,533
between wherever i get a good place and i rest out

710
00:49:51,533 --> 00:49:58,973
i'm not able to paddle so then you know suddenly i it was headwinds and suddenly

711
00:49:58,973 --> 00:50:04,653
it started tail and the water the boat itself started moving moving forward

712
00:50:04,653 --> 00:50:09,393
and uh you know helping me That was something so miraculous.

713
00:50:11,013 --> 00:50:15,673
Tears of joy came out of my eyes like I don't know what is happening because

714
00:50:15,673 --> 00:50:20,973
it was all headwind and I was just paddling, paddling and kayak just hardly

715
00:50:20,973 --> 00:50:23,253
moving forward because of the tiredness.

716
00:50:23,373 --> 00:50:26,713
And then suddenly you get a strong tailwind and you're riding in.

717
00:50:26,953 --> 00:50:31,253
Just sitting there and the kayak is moving forward. That was a moment of joy.

718
00:50:31,613 --> 00:50:33,773
Yes, absolutely. The water helps you.

719
00:50:34,453 --> 00:50:39,693
Yes. And after some time, I got some good currents also. And then I made it

720
00:50:39,693 --> 00:50:41,993
to the destination which we pre-planned.

721
00:50:42,213 --> 00:50:47,193
So that was a very happy day. Good. What's a big learning from the trip?

722
00:50:48,837 --> 00:50:53,997
One of the biggest learning is humbleness and patience.

723
00:50:54,277 --> 00:51:02,797
I think this expedition gave me patience and humbleness to a very different level.

724
00:51:03,237 --> 00:51:08,657
And another biggest learning is never underestimate anything.

725
00:51:08,877 --> 00:51:14,357
Because if I had gone without planning or without being prepared,

726
00:51:14,597 --> 00:51:17,637
100% preparation, i think this expedition would

727
00:51:17,637 --> 00:51:20,417
have been a failure and i would have

728
00:51:20,417 --> 00:51:23,457
not even reached a halfway so i think

729
00:51:23,457 --> 00:51:26,397
the biggest learning here is you know where whatever venture

730
00:51:26,397 --> 00:51:32,017
you get into whatever smaller the big project you are going to do just just

731
00:51:32,017 --> 00:51:38,517
prepare yourself 200 percent commit yourself you know so for me i i knew from

732
00:51:38,517 --> 00:51:42,997
back of my mind where i'm going where should i reach today what What happens

733
00:51:42,997 --> 00:51:44,377
if I don't reach this place?

734
00:51:44,457 --> 00:51:47,617
Then what is my backup destination, backup location?

735
00:51:47,797 --> 00:51:53,917
Every day, even though it was not according to my plans, but still I know this river very well.

736
00:51:54,097 --> 00:52:01,357
I had read it, I had by-hearted it with the help of the maps and coordinates and other steps.

737
00:52:01,597 --> 00:52:08,917
And then the last one month of preparation, last one month endurance training, that helped me a lot.

738
00:52:09,037 --> 00:52:12,497
Because if I had not done that, probably I would have failed in the river.

739
00:52:12,637 --> 00:52:15,537
But that helped me that got me

740
00:52:15,537 --> 00:52:18,457
understanding what my my weakness my strength

741
00:52:18,457 --> 00:52:21,977
what i can do what i cannot do so i

742
00:52:21,977 --> 00:52:24,937
think that is something which i learned and i'm

743
00:52:24,937 --> 00:52:27,697
very happy i did it well so i think

744
00:52:27,697 --> 00:52:30,937
that is one and as a person i'm a

745
00:52:30,937 --> 00:52:35,737
completely changed person i think even my team members would be saying the same

746
00:52:35,737 --> 00:52:40,597
about themselves also but this expedition taught us a lot of humility because

747
00:52:40,597 --> 00:52:46,017
we have seen kind of people working people different different people different

748
00:52:46,017 --> 00:52:49,597
different cultures in this 95 days.

749
00:52:50,529 --> 00:52:53,509
Where you you get to know that you are

750
00:52:53,509 --> 00:52:57,129
nothing in this world you are no problem

751
00:52:57,129 --> 00:53:00,949
in this world is big enough which you cannot handle it

752
00:53:00,949 --> 00:53:03,769
because we have seen a lot of

753
00:53:03,769 --> 00:53:08,629
different people you know facing different different situations every day in

754
00:53:08,629 --> 00:53:13,409
terms of in in their in their whole life in their agriculture maybe in their

755
00:53:13,409 --> 00:53:19,689
you know the kind of fishermen we have seen i i think humility or For humanity,

756
00:53:19,789 --> 00:53:21,529
it's something which I learned another thing.

757
00:53:21,809 --> 00:53:28,389
And there are a lot of learnings, but the biggest thing is one is never go underprepared to anything.

758
00:53:28,869 --> 00:53:36,489
And patience and calmness, that is something big time I have learned.

759
00:53:36,729 --> 00:53:42,509
Good. You're planning your process, your methodology, and the recognition of

760
00:53:42,509 --> 00:53:45,889
when to be on the water and when not to be on the water were very important

761
00:53:45,889 --> 00:53:50,029
things that made this a great success. That's wonderful. Absolutely. Yes.

762
00:53:50,589 --> 00:53:55,649
Where can listeners connect with you? People can connect with me in my Instagram

763
00:53:55,649 --> 00:54:02,289
page, which is grencythomas, g without space, R-E-N-C-Y-T-H-O-M-S,

764
00:54:02,489 --> 00:54:04,089
grencythomas, Instagram.

765
00:54:04,149 --> 00:54:09,809
And it's the same handle for Facebook also, or else my email ID,

766
00:54:09,949 --> 00:54:14,929
which is rency at live360.in.

767
00:54:15,489 --> 00:54:19,909
So rencyatlifetricity.in. All right. And tell us about Live360.

768
00:54:20,966 --> 00:54:24,526
Live360 is the company which I operate.

769
00:54:25,226 --> 00:54:32,946
I have my own small business now. We mostly do expeditions in Indian Himalayas.

770
00:54:33,106 --> 00:54:39,986
We do a lot of rafting expeditions, climbing expeditions. We climb 6,000-7,000 meter peaks.

771
00:54:40,226 --> 00:54:44,506
There are a lot of unclimbed, uncharted peaks still available in Himalayas.

772
00:54:44,726 --> 00:54:51,546
We do explore those peaks and do climb those peaks. And then we have overlanding

773
00:54:51,546 --> 00:54:56,106
expeditions in like Ladakh or Himachal Pradesh in Himalaya.

774
00:54:56,186 --> 00:55:03,306
So we do motorbiking and 4x4 off-roading expeditions also. This is what we do in Live360.

775
00:55:03,846 --> 00:55:08,926
Wonderful. Well, we'll put links to Live360 in the show notes as well as the contact information.

776
00:55:10,086 --> 00:55:13,306
And I certainly appreciate the opportunity to talk with you here and learn more

777
00:55:13,306 --> 00:55:15,246
about you and your expedition. edition.

778
00:55:15,526 --> 00:55:19,426
I do have one final question for you and that is who else would you like to

779
00:55:19,426 --> 00:55:21,326
hear as a future guest on Paddling the Blue?

780
00:55:21,746 --> 00:55:29,186
I think John, one person I would really love to know is James Stevenson of Online Sea Kayaking.

781
00:55:29,266 --> 00:55:34,326
I do follow their page, takes a lot of tips and tricks from there and I would

782
00:55:34,326 --> 00:55:39,546
really like to learn more about them, what motivated them to start this page

783
00:55:39,546 --> 00:55:42,486
and I think it's a wonderful page, wonderful work they are doing.

784
00:55:42,666 --> 00:55:46,986
So that is something really love to hear from them, like what is the motivation

785
00:55:46,986 --> 00:55:50,746
behind, how do they shoot all these amazing videos, you know,

786
00:55:50,786 --> 00:55:53,326
the training videos, really cool ones.

787
00:55:53,546 --> 00:55:57,986
Excellent. Love watching them. Yes, they do nice work and they've been a great

788
00:55:57,986 --> 00:55:59,606
supporter of the show here as well.

789
00:55:59,686 --> 00:56:04,146
We've actually had Simon on the show before and we'll reach out to James and get him on the show.

790
00:56:04,746 --> 00:56:07,626
That would be great. I would love to hear from him. Good.

791
00:56:07,966 --> 00:56:11,446
Rensi, thank you very much for the opportunity to learn from you,

792
00:56:11,486 --> 00:56:14,366
to hear about your trip. This is a fantastic expedition.

793
00:56:15,266 --> 00:56:21,946
Hearing about Ganga and your experience on that river and its significance in

794
00:56:21,946 --> 00:56:23,906
the culture. So thank you very much for the opportunity.

795
00:56:24,646 --> 00:56:29,466
Pleasure is all mine, John. I'm really happy, so happy, so happy and excited

796
00:56:29,466 --> 00:56:34,306
to listen to this podcast once it gets published.

797
00:56:34,486 --> 00:56:38,386
Thank you very much for having me. Really loved your conversation and it was

798
00:56:38,386 --> 00:56:40,546
amazing. Thank you. Thank you. I enjoyed it as well.

799
00:56:41,743 --> 00:56:45,263
If you want to be a stronger and more efficient paddler, Power to the Paddle

800
00:56:45,263 --> 00:56:48,843
is packed with fitness guidance and complete descriptions, along with photos

801
00:56:48,843 --> 00:56:53,343
of more than 50 exercises to improve your abilities and enjoy your time on the water.

802
00:56:53,483 --> 00:56:57,283
The concept and exercises in this book have helped me become a better paddler,

803
00:56:57,403 --> 00:56:58,983
and they can make a difference for you too.

804
00:56:59,203 --> 00:57:02,923
The exercises in the book can help you reduce tension in your shoulders and

805
00:57:02,923 --> 00:57:06,763
low back, use the power of your torso to create leverage and use less energy

806
00:57:06,763 --> 00:57:10,383
with each stroke, use Use force generated from your lower body to make your

807
00:57:10,383 --> 00:57:11,543
paddling strokes more efficient.

808
00:57:11,943 --> 00:57:15,483
Have the endurance to handle long days in the boat. Drive through the toughest

809
00:57:15,483 --> 00:57:18,823
waves or white water. Protect your body against common paddling injuries.

810
00:57:19,063 --> 00:57:22,143
And while you're at it, you might even lose a few pounds. And who wouldn't mind

811
00:57:22,143 --> 00:57:26,523
that? So visit paddlingexercises.com to get the book and companion DVD.

812
00:57:27,483 --> 00:57:31,763
Rensi was our first Indian guest, and I appreciate him sharing his country's river with us.

813
00:57:31,883 --> 00:57:35,603
I look forward to talking to more paddlers about this fascinating part of the globe.

814
00:57:35,603 --> 00:57:40,103
Combine 2,750 kilometers with crocodiles, chronic arthritis,

815
00:57:40,423 --> 00:57:44,583
mystery bridges, little to no aids to navigation or charts, more than little

816
00:57:44,583 --> 00:57:48,423
pollution, and a committed paddler, and you've got the makings for a fine expedition.

817
00:57:49,063 --> 00:57:52,023
Connect with Renzi and learn more about the trip by visiting the show notes

818
00:57:52,023 --> 00:57:57,563
for this episode, number 122, at www.paddlingtheblue.com.

819
00:57:59,003 --> 00:58:02,443
You'll also find all past episodes in their show notes, as well as links to

820
00:58:02,443 --> 00:58:06,103
our great partners. Thanks to all who've clicked the buy me a coffee link on

821
00:58:06,103 --> 00:58:10,903
our webpage at www.paddlingtheblue.com and thrown a few dollars our way to help

822
00:58:10,903 --> 00:58:12,823
offset the cost of producing Paddling the Blue.

823
00:58:12,943 --> 00:58:16,743
It's a real labor of love and I enjoy bringing these stories to you and your

824
00:58:16,743 --> 00:58:20,083
help to cover the cost of hosting and production are greatly appreciated.

825
00:58:20,623 --> 00:58:24,843
Thanks again to our partners at OnlineSeaKiking.com for extending a special offer to you.

826
00:58:25,003 --> 00:58:29,623
Visit OnlineSeaKiking.com, enter the code PTBPODCAST at checkout out,

827
00:58:29,663 --> 00:58:33,063
and you get 10% off just for being a member of the Paddling the Blue community.

828
00:58:33,503 --> 00:58:37,263
Until next time, thanks again for listening. And as always, I look forward to

829
00:58:37,263 --> 00:58:39,463
bringing you the next episode of Paddling the Blue.

830
00:58:40,303 --> 00:58:43,843
Thank you for listening to Paddling the Blue. You can subscribe to Paddling

831
00:58:43,843 --> 00:58:48,983
the Blue on Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

832
00:58:49,283 --> 00:58:52,283
Please take the time to leave us a five-star review on Apple Music.

833
00:58:52,343 --> 00:58:54,083
We truly appreciate the support.

834
00:58:54,303 --> 00:58:57,463
And you can find the show notes for this episode and other episodes,

835
00:58:57,643 --> 00:59:00,743
along with replays of of past episodes, contact information,

836
00:59:00,903 --> 00:59:03,223
and more at paddlingtheblue.com.

837
00:59:03,403 --> 00:59:06,583
Until next time, I hope you get out and paddle the blue.

838
00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:12,883
Music.