Siddharth Ganai, a 23-year-old Bhiwandi resident, has completed his walk from Raigad to the Himalayas in 75 days and returned to his hostel on the eve of the New Year.
He reached Annapurna base camp and completed his motto of ‘One Plant for Humanity’ throughout his journey to the Himalayas.
In the meantime, he gave his BSc semester exam. Ganai was abandoned by his parents as a child and was brought up by NGOs and social workers in Bhiwandi.
Ganai’s work was not only applauded by residents of Maharashtra but also by people of other states and Nepal. Throughout his journey, he sowed seeds along the routes till the Himalayas besides planting at the places where he took shelter.
Ganai said, “It was a wonderful experience for me. The journey was planned to be completed in 80 days but I completed it in 75 days and returned on December 31. I always dreamt of seeing Everest but did not have the finance for the same. Thus, I embarked on the journey surviving merely on one meal a day. Several people from UP, MP and also from Nepal helped me and guided me to reach the base camp of Annapurna.
Siddharth Ganai always wanted to explore the world. This is merely the beginning. He said he’s also a nature lover and active in environmental activities in his surroundings. He never wanted to use environmentally-unfriendly means of travelling and also due to lack of finance, he started his walking journey and successfully completed his dream and, in the process, encouraged other youngsters to live their dreams.