A bike trip to meet farmers across the country

When V Deepan and R Muthukumar set out on a 22,000 km journey to meet organic farmers across the country on their bike, little did they expect that they would be stuck among agitators in Assam and that they would have to survive in hiding. “Riots broke out there and we were lucky enough to have found a place to hide. We stayed at a villager’s house and left the place in the wee hours one morning,” recalls Muthukumar.Throw in a Vipasana meditation course, a film festival and a secret New Year party at a discrete location, the journey was nothing short of life-changing, says Deepan. “Barring Kashmir, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh, we rode across the entire country in a matter of ten months and met around 200 farmers during the trip.”
Deepan and Muthukumar are two youngsters, who didn’t want to live their lives in the confines of an office stuck in a 9 to 5 job. “As a radio jockey, I used to interview a number of people. One day, I had an opportunity to chat with organic farmer Nammazhvar. After that, I began wondering what was I doing sitting in the studio. I then read up a lot on self-freedom and alternative lifestyles, especially the works of Osho. But at the same time, I was sure that I didn’t want to be a vagabond or detach myself from the society. That’s when Muthukumar and I decided to set out on an expedition meeting farmers across the 22 states.”
Muthu kumar adds, “We were also inspired by the book Motorcycle Diaries. Deepan and I have been friends from high school, and we had done some travelling together. The idea was spontaneous and we set off on July 25, 2011 and wounded up the journey on 20 May 2012.”
Apart from one puncture in Kerala, the journey was absolutely smooth; say the duo, who captured their journey in a book that was released recently in the city. “There was not even an engine leak. But interestingly, the moment I reached back home after the trip, the chain from my bike came down,” says Deepan.
So, how did his family react when he said that he wanted to go on a road trip? “It sounded very anti-Tamilian to them. They felt that I was not taking up the responsibility of the family. But they kept tracking me through my online posts. Frankly speaking when I left, I was not keen on coming back to Tamil Nadu.”
Muthu Kumar’s family, on the other hand, was kept in the dark about the trip. “They didn’t know about the bike expedition until my friends informed them and they happened to see the updates online. They thought I had just taken up another job, “says Muthu, who had just quit his job at an international firm in New Jersey. He adds, “We would begin our ride early in the morning, ride till the sun started scorching the earth. We rode for 7 hours every day. Deepan did all of the riding. I hardly pitched in some 450 kms of the 22, 000 km journey.”
There was just one golden rule the duo followed- no budget for food and accommodation. “We set out with meager belongings including our laptop and camcorder. Fortunately, every farmer we met on our way was co-operative. We would just pick a random farmer and he would lead to another. Sadly, the children of these farmers were not interested in taking up farming. We learnt something from everyone we met. We still exchange greetings on festivals with a farmer in Kashmir, who took care of us when we fell sick. The farmers not only let us stay at their place, but also served us food and took care of us, “says Deepan.
After the expedition, Deepan bought a patch in Sholaiyur. “We started with a bang and friends would come over to pitch in with the farming. But soon, everyone started losing interest and the farm became a weekend destination. I am hoping to buy a new piece of land in Chikmaglur in Karnataka. Farming is serious business and it’s not easy as shown in movies,” says Deepan.