About Me - Bicycle Mayor, Travel Blogger, Bikepacker

Kanishka Poddar

Bicycle Mayor of Ranchi, India

Bikepacker, Designer, Travel Blogger, Author

Traveling has always been the balancing factor in the juggle between work and life. I did my masters from IIM, Ranchi and run a design studio for men’s ethnic wear under the brand Mulberry Lifestyle. The products are sold across the world through online marketplaces and exhibitions. 

My story as a bikepacker (Bicycle Touring) started in 2015 when I bought my first single geared bicycle with the idea of getting fitter and make it part of my daily life by doing errands, riding to work and more. Over the months, , my daily commute turned into long weekend rides, which then turned into a passion to cycle everyday and to inspire/advise others around me to take up cycling. Cycling became my yoga and my meditation.

What started as cycling in and around my city culminated in touring on bicycles - essentially meaning traveling across the world on bicycle. I have done trips from Bombay to Lonavala (220 kms), Guwahati to Shillong (110 kms), to cycling across the southern coast of Thailand from Krabi to Bangkok (800 kms), the banana circuit in Vietnam from Saigon to Hanoi (1700 kms), Bangkok to Phnom Penh (1100 kms) and conquering the mighty Himalayas when I rode from Manali to Leh (500 kms, 16000 mt elevation gain). It’s just the beginning and the whole world awaits to be explored. 

This story is about how while touring places on bicycle I discovered the silver lining.