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India off the beaten track

1/12/2002

A BIKE tour of India was David Geldard's way of climbing back to full fitness after a heart by-pass operation.

And having meandered through the rural tracks and villages of one of the poorest states in the sub-continent, Kerala, with 17 other club cyclists, the 61-year-old from Rochdale has nothing but praise for what he found. The province is at the south-west tip of India.

"It seems to be a thriving place," said David. "The people aren't wealthy but there's a high level of literacy with a great commitment to education. The people seem extraordinarily happy. As you pedal along the children are radiant, but you realise that they've got so little."

The plan was to use some of the main trunk roads, but the tour leader, a former member of the SAS, went out early and found that they were filled with cars, lorries, ox-drawn carts, three-wheeled taxis and people.

"It's okay at first but when you've been cycling all day it starts to get dangerous," said David.

So instead of long distance touring they concentrated on the local roads before doing a big move via lorry to get to the second phase of the journey in the hills.

"It was disappointing not being able to get the ongoing mileage, but it gave us the opportunity to see far more of local life. It was in these villages that you see this commitment to education. The children are so beautifully turned out in white blouses and shirts but then you see they've got bare feet. Compared to our young people they seem to have a far happier outlook, although their material possessions were so very limited."

Being close to the coast, David recalled the huge fish markets where sellers would lay their catch out on the floor, much to the horror of their more hygiene-conscious European visitors. They visited tea and spice plantations with their brightly clothed workers and when taking a break from the cycling, they would stop at chaie (refreshment) shops.

There they be were supplied with beakers of sweetened tea that were enough to put anyone back on their feet, according to David.

"Life in India goes at a much more sedate pace than here," he said, "and they seemed more relaxed and accepting of their situation. Although the noise the roads generate is phenomenal, they pip their horns to let you know they're there but they're all very friendly people. I'm not a strong cyclist so I tend to be at the back, but I never once had any anxiety that I was in danger or that there would be trouble."

He told how the river estuaries are filled with long dug-out canoes, whose occupants dive down to the bottom where they scoop the mud into a bucket. They then sell this to farmers because it's so rich in fertiliser. The party did 500 miles rather than the expected 1,000, but David said it was worth it for the local flavour they picked up.

David now makes sure he averages about 100 miles a week and the exercise not only forms part of his rehabilitation regime, but has given him a new lease of life.

"Every day is a bonus because before I couldn't walk up Yorkshire Street without pretending to look in a window and catch my breath. It's a wonderful feeling to wake up and know that you can do eight to 10 hours in the saddle.

"The doctors say a bypass is good for ten years and I'm up to eight, but hopefully I can keep it going for a while longer."