AROUND THE WORLD IN 11 YEARS   
July 4, 2001 Pushkar Shah Pushkar Shah, Nepal Cyclist, in Ithaca, NY On the morning of Independence Day, I got a call from Syracuse, some 70 miles north of where we live. It was Pushkar Shah letting us know that he would arrive in Ithaca in the late afternoon to spend some time with us. And, sure enough, around 6:00 pm he rolled into our driveway after riding through a few showers during the last part of the day. A meal for the first night. We didn't know what dietary needs Pushkar might have, so we began by preparing some lentils and rice --- we figured that anybody from Nepal should find that acceptable if not exciting. But, Pushkar -- a true cyclist -- was prepared to eat anything we served! Our son Peter and his friend Coleen joined us for salmon with the rice and lentils. Peter is a bicycle racer and can match appetites with anyone. Getting the Word Out It was awfully short notice, and on the holiday most offices were closed. Nevertheless, by the next day we had some media lined up to take note of Pushkar's world travel for peace. The reporter from NewsCenter 7, the local cable-TV news program, came to interview Pushkar at our house and spent what seemed like a remarkably long time gathering information and pictures. We went on the deck in back of our house for the interview, but they also shot footage outside as Pushkar rode his bike in the neighborhood. They also took video of some of the press clippings and letters that Pushkar has accumulated in his travels. When we tuned in later in the evening to the news broadcast, they had assembled a very nice story of all the details and didn't forget to mention Pushkar's e-mail address --- nepalcyclist@yahoo.com --- for the purpose of making donations. The NewsCenter 7 website featured Pushkar as the lead story. [Here's a copy of their main pages.] After contacting Casey Stevens at WHCU, Ithaca's news radio station, we had a reporter call Pushkar and get some bites for a story on their morning broadcast. This is the main news station in town and has a great number of listeners. They were very interested in doing more, but were unable to liberate enough time for a reporter on short notice. Press Bill Warren, a photographer from the Ithaca Journal, came to the house late Thursday evening for a few photos and a surprisingly extensive interview. The picture, with a very long caption, ran in the Friday, July 6, 2001 edition of the paper. (Because it was a "caption" and not a full "story" there is no mention of it in their Web edition.) Local Interest By late evening, some people had seen the television news and we got a call asking if Pushkar could make time on Friday to visit the headquarters of "Educate the Children" (ETC), which is in Ithaca. This is an organization that is mounting a great number of projects in Nepal and their staff were very eager to meet this Nepali traveller. Joining the gathering were Gail Carson, sister of ETC founder Pamela Carson, and Pamela Carson's son Ram Saran Thapa. Pushkar spent some time discussing his journey and sharing recollections of his home with staff members who were familiar with his very village and region. It turns out that Ithaca is a place with a remarkably active involvement with Nepal and Nepali issues. In a week, there is scheduled to be a Nepali festival here with people from all over the world as well as the many locals involved with Cornell, ETC, and other organizations. There is a special intensive Nepali language course being offered during the summer at Cornell. And, on to other places... I left Pushkar Friday evening at a campground just north of Geneva, New York, within an easy day's ride of Rochester, his next destination. Some background information is available in an article published by Wave magazine, Nepal's leading English-language publication. In addition, many publications along his itinerary have taken notice of Pushkar on their websites. If you want to communicate with Pushkar, he can be reached at . If you can contribute to his resources, he'll let you know how you can do that Source- www.ozolins.com Pushkar Shah celebrates his 10th anniversary around the globe Pushkar Shah celebrates his 10th anniversary of his World Peace Tour today. On this occasion the World Cyclist Foundation is organizing a candle lighting ceremony today at 5 PM at the mandala at Maiti Ghar Chowk. With wishes of peace to prevail on earth, a cake will also be cut. An avid Adventurer and the messenger of peace, Pushkar Shah will be leaving the country on December 8th to continue his tour. He has yet to visit the countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Just 37 countries short of his goal of visiting 150 countries, his first stop will be Oman. Pushkar reveals that after completing his goal of visiting the 150 countries, he plans to climb the Everest with the flags of the nations he has visited. After that he wishes to return back to his village and be actively engaged in social work. The best of wishes to Pushkar for the successful completion mission, but for now he has to miles before he sleeps! INTERVIEW WITH PUSHKAR SHAH Eight years of pedalling, 120,000-kilometres chalked up, still Pushkar Shah does not seem to be exhausted. Keeping his promise of spreading the message of global peace and love, the next step is Swaziland. Shah came to Nepal after Egypt, the 100th country on his list, making a dramatic entry that surprised everyone here in the capital. Before he starts stretching his thigh muscles once again after Dashain, he has hit the brakes on his bicycle for a while and takes some time out to talk to ekantipur's Sanjeev Satgainya about his incredible and amazing journey. Excerpts: Q. You landed here in very dramatic fashion -- at a time when you were thought to be cycling around the mummies and pyramids of Egypt? Pushkar Shah: I meant to surprise everyone. On August 5, there was a programme organised at the Nepal Tourism Board to honour my mother and launch a book about me. Even the organizers didn't have any clue that I would land there that very day. I was overwhelmed and so was my mother who was being honoured that day. But the surprise entry was fantastic. Not only me but everyone else enjoyed it to the fullest. Q. One hundred countries under your belt… A mammoth 120,000-kilometres of cycling… You don't feel tired? Shah: Why should I? I knew this before I set off for this journey. It's a matter of great pride that now I have travelled so many countries gaining enormous experience and sharing my views with the people from different parts of the world. It feels great. Q. Were you aware of achieving this feat before you started? Shah: I can’t say now. On November 29, 1998 I set out on an 11-year-long journey to capture my dream, the dream of riding 3,90,000 kilometres on my bicycle to spread the message of peace and hope for my country and for the world. I had some murky vision. Conflicting ideas crisscrossed my mind. I was a young boy from a poor family. I did not have enough money nor did I have any kind of official support. The only thing I had at that time was my dream. I had a vision, though a bit foggy, and I had a strong desire to achieve something that would help carve my name somehow in history. It feels great that I have been able to do so. And above all, I have not only cycled, I have tried to make Nepal known to the international community and spread the message of love and peace. Q. What did your family say when you first told them about your plan? Shah: My mother was absolutely cynical. In fact she didn't seem to appreciate my idea of embarking on a bicycle journey around the globe. But once I had decided to do it, I convinced her. I am absolutely delighted to have achieved such a great feat and take great pleasure to have my mother beside me today encouraging me to pull off even higher achievements. Q. If you had to, what moments would you recall the most? Shah: The early days were a bit troublesome. I had to convince people. Getting a visa was equally a difficult ask. A person like me in a new place, a new world definitely was bound to face a lot of obstruction and obstacles but thanks to everyone who came across me and lent a helping hand. It's because of their love that I have been able to come a long way. As I kept on moving, I started getting recognition. People started to recognize me and things became easier. Q. Do you recall your very first day when you set off on your journey? Shah: My mother gave me one hundred rupees. It was far from being enough to materialize such a difficult dream, but the blessings it bore have always been an encouraging factor during all my journeys. Each and every revolution the wheels of my bicycles made, it was because of the blessings of my mother. And I never spent that hundred rupees. I have treasured it and carry it with myself wherever I go. Q. What do you do when you reach a new country? Shah: I usually visit schools and clubs in different communities and talk about peace and respect for other religions and cultures, living in harmony, respect for human rights and democratic values. I like to meet civic leaders and exchange views. There is one world, there is one sun and one moon. We people all over the world share the same world, same sun and that very moon. It's our duty to save the world for a better tomorrow by harnessing peace and spreading love. Q. Did you face any trouble anywhere? Shah: Wherever you go, you meet some good people and some bad people. The most important thing is how we cope with the situation. I have been mugged, I have been thrashed but my journey is still on. I prefer forgetting such bad incidents and rather love to recall what I enjoyed the most. Q. Would you like to recall one? Shah: Of course! Meeting Sir Edmund Hillary in New Zealand is one such moment that I love to treasure. Sir Hillary even bought me a bicycle in New Zealand, which I am riding now. It's a matter of great delight and a privilege of course that I have a bicycle that was given as a gift to me by such a legendary figure. Q. What happened to your old bicycle? How many have you changed till now? Shah: This is my third one. One got broken and another was stolen. In fact the second one was stolen in New Zealand itself. Then Sir Hillary gave me one. Q. How many hours do you bicycle in one day? Do you set a target every morning? Shah: My full-time job is cycling. The distance I cover in one day depends on several factors. I begin my journey at dawn. Normally I ride my bicycle for around six-seven hours. It's easy to ride on plain terrains; it is difficult in the desert. There is nothing like setting a target. Q. What is your take on people in different countries when they talk about Nepal? Shah: There were times when people had a very negative image of our country. Though people knew about Nepal for Mt Everest or lord Buddha, many were of the view that Nepal was a country full of violence. But now, thank god, the peace process has begun and is gradually finding concrete shape. An encouraging and positive message is being spread. Q. What are your plans once your tour is over? Shah: I collect the artefacts and flags of every country I visit. I wish to climb Mt Everest in 2010 once my world tour is over. I have a dream of hoisting the flags of all the countries on the top of the world. Ekantipur,Nepal Posted on: 15-08-2006 This item: www.globalenvision.org/library/14/254 Where in the World is Pushkar? A Nepalese cyclist takes his simple message of peace on the road. Date Posted on Global Envision: April 24, 2003 On November 28, 1998 Pushkar Shah started an 11-year journey to capture his dream of riding 390,000-kilometers around the world (150 countries in all) on his bicycle to spread the message of peace and hope for both his country and the world. Using word of mouth, the media, meetings with public officials, and public speaking engagements, the Nepalese ambassador of peace is able to share his message. Born and raised at the foot of the Himalayas amidst the cornfields of Makaibari village in Dolakha, Nepal, Pushkar experienced hardship early on. His father, who was in the Indian army, was assassinated in 1986 during an incursion in Assam -- Pushkar was 17. Several years later, a popular democracy movement began in Nepal and Pushkar became an active participant. "Everybody wanted democracy," Pushkar recalls, "So did I." He took part in demonstrations, meetings, hunger strikes and other activities planned out by the political parties that were fighting jointly for the purpose of throwing the Panchayat party from power and bringing in a multiparty democracy. His mother, Naram Kumari, a widow at 52, remembered, "He would sit for hunger strikes in Bhadrakali with his college friends. I wondered what he was fighting for? I used to be worried sick for him all the time. I now know that even if he had died fighting, it would have been for a good cause. It would have paid very well for the sake of the country and its people, though he didn't get anything personally." During his involvement in the movement as a political activist, Pushkar was arrested and tortured numerous times by the authorities. At one point he was even shot. Due to a false report of his death, Pushkar enjoyed the popularity of being a living martyr for a while. Even then he felt incomplete, as though he could be doing more. "I have not done anything for my country, family, no one. I'm jobless. I'm wasting away. So I thought why not utilize my time and see the world, “ "I know that one man cannot change the world, but I need to let as many people know that the world is one house and we're a family - we're not divided." For two years he prepared, studying maps, learning three other languages (Japanese, Indian and English) and finally deciding on a route. Pushkar began his journey with only 100 Nepalese rupees, roughly 2 dollars, given to him by his mother. Pushkar left his wife, mother, younger brother and young son in Nepal. With no official sponsor, he has been able to pursue his dream through the kindness and generosity of strangers that he meets along the way. After four years, Pushkar has already spread his message through 51 countries. "I preach peace," Pushkar said while in Jamaica. "I hate torture, fighting, war and terrorism". His mission is not always easy. While in Cuba recently, he survived for two days by eating only sugar cane that he picked from the side of the road. He was having a hard time using his credit cards and no money could be wired in to Cuba from a friend in America. And while in New Zealand, his bicycle was stolen. In the end though, Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to summit Mount Everest and a legendary hero both in Nepal and around the world, helped Pushkar replace his stolen bicycle with a cash donation and encouraged his mission with a letter of support. "I know that one man cannot change the world," Pushkar says, "but I need to let as many people know that the world is one house and we're a family, we share the same light, the same heat, that we're not divided, that we have to live with peace and love". As fate would have it, Pushkar just happened to be in New York City last fall and had planned a visit to the World Trade Center on September 11th. But on the morning of the 11th, Pushkar accidentally slept late and missed his trip to the World Trade Center, watching the second plane hit the building on television. In response to the tragic event Pushkar wrote, “In a world where people already fear people, there was one more reason to fear. Thousands of innocent people who wanted to live peacefully were killed. Can the killings of innocent lives be justified in the name of a "holy war" or as a means to make a political statement? Why don't some people understand it? The sun rises in the morning. The same sun shines, whether it's a Muslim country or a Christian one. The heat and energy it provides is the same; it does not discriminate by race, religion or color. Nature treats people equally. The world is a large house; we are all a large family. Everyone should be allowed to live peacefully and happily.” To date, Pushkar has ridden through India, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S., the Caribbean, Cuba, South & Central America. Pushkar cycles 10 hours on average daily when on tour, consuming some 10 liters of water and covering about 100 km. “I have two missions in life. Cycling and preaching peace,” smiles Pushkar. "I want to spread the message that peace is the strongest weapon that human beings have. We should live on this earth as members of one family." Contributed by Chelsea Catto, Managing Editor, and Lyla Bashan, Assistant Editor. Nepali Cyclist’s Personal Peace Mission Breaks in the Bay Area By Meg Dixit Special to AsianWeek “The earth is one house, and we are all family who must live in this house with peace and love,” said the 34-year-old Nepali cyclist during a short Bay Area stop at an afternoon pot-luck party in San Leandro’s Marina Park Sept. 8. “Despite all the religions that exist, we are all part of a global community,” explained the Nepalese missionary, who is now in the middle of his dream to bike approximately 390,000 kilometers around the world to spread his message of peace. “There is only one sun and sky. Buddha doesn’t have one sun or sky for Buddhists; Christ doesn’t have his own sun and sky for Christians; Mohammed doesn’t have his own for Muslims either. We are all sharing the same one sun and sky,” continued the tanned cyclist, illustrating the message he has preached in 22 Asian, 14 Caribbean, 4 South American, 6 Central American and 2 North American countries. Born and raised in Makaibari village in Dolakha, Nepal, Pushkar Shah lost his father, a Gurkah solider in the Indian army, during a terrorist attack by the Bodos rebels in Assam, India, in 1986, when Shah was only in the fifth grade. The incident served as the inspiration for Shah’s peace mission. “I joined many demonstrations, hunger strikes and protests, and many times I was jailed and tortured by the police,” he said. This left him pondering why there was so much violence and hatred, and why the notion of peace seemed like a dream. He then decided to take the mission up on his own, and see the world as well. Shah set out on Nov. 29, 1998 for his 11-year voyage, which covers 150 countries. Shah visits mosques, churches, temples and synagogues around the world to deliver messages about and actions for peace. He has brought his message to risky areas such as the India and Pakistan border, East Timor, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. In the United States, Shah has wheeled through 30 states including the Dakotas, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Colorado. “I was in New York when the terrorist attacks occurred, and I was overwhelmed by that incident,” he recalled shaking his head. Shah had visited the World Trade Center the day before and had taken pictures there. “Most places of the world are not peaceful, although there are areas that are tranquil and calm,” he assured. Ironically, his visits have not been too peaceful. Bandits in the Barbados robbed him at knifepoint, and thieves in New Zealand stole his bike and belongings. “These incidents were awful, but the New Zealand circumstance had a good outcome — I was able to meet Sir Edmond Hillary (the first hiker to reach Mount Everest), who assisted me in obtaining a new bike and other necessities for my journey,” he smiled. But perhaps Shah’s biggest challenge in this sojourn is his day-to-day hope to receive funds for food from sponsors. He does not have an official sponsor for this mission. “I get small donations for food. I have my bike gear and tent. What I seek is shelter and food for a few days in the places I visit,” he said. To stay in shape for his continuous adventure, Shah stretches every morning and makes sure to eat plenty of fruit. With about 99 more countries left on his list, Shah’s peace mission is expected to end in 2009. Will he take time to rest after that? Not exactly. Shah plans to trek to Mount Everest and then write a book about his life experiences. Only after those accomplishments do his plans call for a nice, long break. Asian Week, California, USA Sept. 19, 2002 asianweek.com Pedaling Peace -- Cyclist from Nepal Rides Against the Currents of War By Dwayne Eutsey In stark contrast to the war drums pounding louder every day around the country and as the caissons of carnage relentlessly roll toward Iraq, Pushkar Shah quietly pedals his mountain bike across America as part of his worldwide bike tour promoting peace and compassion. I missed Shah when he toured my part of the country recently (Maryland), but I managed to contact him via email, which he checks whenever he finds a computer with free access to the Internet. We exchanged emails during his time in Chicago and later in Colorado. He has picked up English on the road, so communicating this way was awkward. However, his call for peace during these bellicose times came through loud and clear. "War is not the answer," the 34-year-old Nepalese citizen summarized his philosophy to me during a break on his trek to Seattle. "Peace doesn't come through violence. We need to keep peace and live with peace and love." As war fever spreads here in the West, it might be easy for some to dismiss such sentiments as wide-eyed idealism, the kind that naively believes a global bike ride can somehow make the world a more peaceful place. Yet, when it comes to non-violent resistance to war and repression, Shah walks the walk (or rides the ride). He has not only lost his father to war, but as a peace and democracy activist in Nepal, Shah endured arrest, torture, and even being shot once for practicing his beliefs in a country that was a dictatorship (it's now a constitutional monarchy). Inspired by Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi to take his pacifism beyond his community, Shah left his small village in Nepal four years ago on a personal mission to single-handedly spread a message of peace and compassion just as the Buddha did in the same region centuries ago. While Buddha set into motion the Dharma Wheel with his teachings, Shah has set himself into motion on two wheels of a battered bicycle that has carried him around most the world. Living off the donations he receives from supporters and usually sleeping in a tent that he carries with him, Shah says he typically bikes about 90 miles a day. "I've already done 77,000 kilometers (around 48,000 miles)," he wrote to me. Before coming to the United States last year, Shah had biked through nearly 50 countries, including India, Pakistan, Japan, Australia, and a number of Caribbean countries. He has scrounged for food in Cuba and had his gear stolen in New Zealand. He's had insults hurled at him and marriage proposals made to him. He has cycled through Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, and prayed and cried at Martin Luther King's tomb in Atlanta. His major insight about the different cultures and peoples he has seen on this arduous ride is simple. "The world is one house," Shah writes me, repeating the phrase he uses in most interviews. "We are the family of that house." Yet, in recent years that world house has been in danger of erupting into flames and some family members living there can't seem to stop lighting matches. In some ways, Shah's journey represents how pacifism has come under siege in the past few years of rising violence, militarism and terrorism. He has been robbed during his travels -- one of the most life-threatening incidents was in Barbados, where he struggled in his tent with a knife-wielding intruder. Shah's journey has also brought him to world trouble-spots where his nonviolent beliefs were often profoundly challenged. Although he doesn't speak much of his experiences, various reports indicate that Shah was in Venezuela during the military coup that ousted Chavez and saw the president re-installed as a result of the peaceful uprising against the coup. While non-violence succeeded then, Shah also happened to be in New York City on September 11, 2001, three miles from the World Trade Center when terrorists flew planes into the towers. "I saw the World Trade Center collapse," Shah says. "That was terrible." Writing in his diary, he described his harrowing experience this way: "The twin towers were burning. People could be seen jumping from windows hoping to make it out alive. Building no.2 went down at 10:05, the next one at 10:28. It was like watching a movie. The beauty of New York turned into dust as the citizens watched. The city turned into a graveyard. Railway, tunnels, airport, everything closed down. We were terrified with the news of more hijacked planes in the sky. I was imprisoned in New York City." As demoralizing as the terrorist attacks were in their viciousness, Shah said he also witnessed a lot of positive things about humanity during his month-long ordeal in New York, heroism and generosity that inspired him to continue working for peace despite (or perhaps because of) the horrific brutality of the attacks. It's this unflappable belief in the power of peace that keeps Shah pedaling. Up at 6:00 a.m. every day, he is on the road by 6:30, sometimes having only water for breakfast. He stops along the way to discuss his peace ride with activists, churches, schools and universities, local news media, or anyone who asks to hear his story. Shah says he misses his family in Nepal (he has a wife and son there), but with hardly any money to sustain him day by day, he doesn't see how he will be visiting his home country again anytime soon. "I will ride my bike until 2009," Shah says, adding: "If there is no accident." Despite the distance and the time he has spent away from home, he says his "family is proud of me because I'm spreading peace message for my world." However quietly he does it, Shah is indeed spreading a message of peace and hope around the world, and at great risk to himself with little to show for it (immediately, anyway). In response to my question about whether it is religion that motivates him to make such a personal sacrifice, Shah wrote back: "I do not believe in religion. I believe in universal God. There is only one God. Only one sun, one moon, one sky, and one world." With the world currently tilting closer and closer toward the abyss of war, Shah's dogged determination to work against the war machine's momentum may seem futile. But his solitary effort to work for peace and compassion reminds me of something one of his heroes, Gandhi, once said: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall-think of it, always." Although tyrants and murderers may appear to have the upper hand at this dark moment, I'm placing my bet that Pushkar Shah, mile by mile, is riding with the winning team. August 21, 2002 .