| Pushkar Shah | |
| Notable Works: | Cycled more than 150 countries of the world alone. |
Pushkar Shah is a Nepalese peace and democracy activist and adventurer. On November 29, 1998 he set off from Dolakha Town, Nepal at the age of 25, for a world bicycle trek.[1] His goal was to spread a message of peace and hope.[2] He has cycled around 150 different countries.
Shah hails from a Nepalese farming family from the Makaibari Village Development Committee of Dolakha District. His father served in the Indian Gorkha Regiment.
He was a freedom fighter and was shot during the 1990 People's Movement.[3] His stated motivations were to establish peace, democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and rule of law against the autocratic Panchayat regime. He was arrested and imprisoned many times.[4]
With only a bicycle, 60 kg of essentials and a 100 Nepali Rupees (NR) from his mother, he started his journey in November 1998 from a small village in Dolakha, aiming to circumnavigate the world.
He carried with him messages of peace from Nepal and collected national flags from whichever country he travelled to. On 7 April 2010, he attempted climbing Mount Everest with his collection of flags from around the world.[5] He successfully topped on 17 May 2010.[6]
While in New Zealand, he met Sir Edmund Hillary. However, during his visit, his bicycle was stolen. On learning about this, Hillary bought him a new bicycle. In another incident in Barbados, Pushkar was attacked with a knife while sleeping. When he was in Mexico, he was kidnapped and taken 180 km inside a jungle. He assaulted his captors and escaped, without knowing their motivations.[5]