When Kaustubh Khade, an IIT-Delhi graduate, returned after winning an international kayaking competition three years ago, he was disappointed to find that the adrenalin-packed sport was little known among people back home. The 29-year-old then made it his mission to spread awareness of the sport, and is now all set for a 3,300-kilometre expedition from Kutch to Kanyakumari (K2K).
Mr. Khade is among the top five kayakers in India. He will begin his expedition at Dwarka, Gujarat, on November 12 and reach Kanyakumari on January 16. As he paddles his way through five coastal States and one Union Territory to reach his destination, his girlfriend Shanjali Shahi will cycle with a team, with him.
“The chirping of birds, leap of fishes, and the sight of sea snakes escorting your boat bring out the adrenaline in you,” he says. This will be his second long expedition. In 2015, he kayaked 415 km from Mumbai to Goa in 17 days, and figured in Limca Book of Records for the longest solo sea kayaking by an Indian. He also raised Rs. 67,000 through crowd-funding for an NGO, Magic Bus.
A sportsman who excelled in football, athletics, rugby and swimming in his school and college, Mr. Khade began his kayaking journey in Goa, chasing dolphins in a motorboat with friends. Soon, kayaking became his passion. “Pursuing the adventure sport involved sacrifices. But my parents supported me, and I was able to pursue my dreams,” he says.
Training under Oscar Chalipsky, the 12-time world champion for Surfski Kayaking, his first major tournament was the 2012 National Championship for Dragon Boat Racing in Mumbai. He had the best timing in the championship, and qualified for the International Asian Dragon Boat Championship in Thailand, in which India secured nine medals. He also represented the country at the Asian Sea Kayaking championship in Krabi, Thailand, where he set a new personal record in the 13-km race. Mr. Khade bagged two silver and one bronze in the Asian Dragon Boat Championship.
The writer is an intern with The Hindu
