29 July,2022 10:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Sammohinee Ghosh
Phiroze Palkhivala at Sunam in Patiala; (right) his bicycle and his belongings. Pics courtesy/Instagram
When Phiroze Palkhivala finishes his long and winding escapades around India, law might no more be his profession. Cycling and watching a country unfold its secrets slowly has always been his calling. Over a telephonic exchange, the Breach Candy resident tells us from Kashmir that he has covered more than 10,357 km on his bicycle, touring Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu since January 24, 2021.
Does he ever feel like going back home? "At this point, no. I want to finish this tour but yes, I do feel like taking a short break just to see my mother," he adds. Palkhivala believes in slow travel; he has halted at places for weeks to explore the region's beauty and culture fully. His wife joined him for a few days in Srinagar.
While the bounties of nature and diversity continue to astound the cyclist, he finds well-meaning people's careless abuse of our natural surroundings crude. "Among all things, this tour has made me more tolerant," he signs off.
At the time of going to press, Palkhivala was in Bandipora.
