The Active Ageing Poster Boy

Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan is a true example of active ageing. Here?s the story of this senior cyclist, runner and trekker. 
 

Janardan cycles at an event in Bangalore Pic: Flashbulbzz Photography

?Do not come to meet me in a motorised vehicle,? Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan instructs over the phone. ?I will cycle and come to meet you instead.? Surprised? Janardan is a true example of active ageing and green living. A senior citizen who cycles, runs and treks, he is also an avid green campaigner and practices what he believes in. He believes in cycling or walking everywhere because it doesn?t add to the pollution. In fact, in the last 25 years, this South Bangalore resident has always cycled to his bank in RT Nagar, in the northern part of the city!

Cycling from one end of Bangalore to another is nothing unusual for Janardan, who will turn 82 in June 2015. In fact cycling across districts isn?t a challenge for him either. In 1997, at the start of his cycling stint, Janardan, who had been wrongly diagnosed with epilepsy a year or so earlier, decided to prove his doctor wrong and cycled all the way to Hassan, almost 180 km away from Bangalore. He was 64 then and hasn?t looked back since.

Forever Fit

Eighteen years on, Janardan is the poster boy of active ageing. He not only cycles and participates in various cycling events across India and the world; he also runs marathons and participates in treks. In keeping with his ?green? life, he cycles everywhere he can and even grows his own vegetables, a passion he developed way back in his days as a railway officer in Mughal Serai, UP, tending to a half acre garden.

Pic courtesy: Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan

Janardan started running at the age of 72, starting with a Mysore to Madikeri run. As of 2015, He has run three full marathons in Mumbai, two in Bangalore and one in Dubai apart from several running events in other cities and taken part in events like duathlons (cycling/running). ?I?ve completed 20 half marathons and 6 ultra marathons,? he adds. In December 2014, he completed a vertical marathon in Mumbai, clocking 7 minutes and 58 seconds to run up a flight of 1,250 stairs! He followed it up with a second one in Almas Towers Dubai, where he climbed 1600 stairs (64 floors) in 22 minutes.

And there is no stopping this incredible man, who has also gone on treks to Kailash Mansarovar, Roopkund and Hemkund. Cycling remains his primary passion though. ?3,86,600 km is the distance between the earth and the moon. I have cycled 3,46,000 km until now (February 2015) and will cover the rest soon,? he says with justifiable pride.

This senior citizen believes it?s his active life that has kept ailments away. He?s never had another epilepsy attack and has been able to overcome a bad case of cervical spondilitis he developed few years earlier. ?Gardening, my other passion, helped with it,? he says, adding that he has been without medication for almost 19 years now. 

Janardan had never planned such an active ?retired? life. More than anyone else, he?s surprised himself with how it has turned out to be. His family had their initial reservations but haven?t stopped him from following his dream. In fact, his grandson ran with him part of the way in the Dubai Marathon. 

Janardan at the vertical marathon in Dubai Pic courtesy: Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan

Mind over Body

The secret of his fitness? ?It?s all in the mind,? Janardan says with a conviction that?s hard to miss. ?If your body has taken over your mind then you are ill.?  There is no super food that he consumes either. He follows a simple vegetarian diet and completely avoids eating out. ?I start my day with dates and do not usually drink tea or coffee. I have given up eating anything deep fried and my main source of energy comes from drinking water. I prefer to eat only raw and sprouted things and in the evenings consume only green bananas and milk.?

Because he?s always outdoors in the sun, Janardan believes his bones have ?become like steel,? helping him to recover quickly from the various accidents he?s had while cycling or running. A believer in following his own routine and doing his own work, Janardan has inspired others to take up cycling or stay active. ?I?m always the oldest participant at any event,? says this member of the Go Green Go Cycling group in Bangalore, which goes on frequent weekend rides. 

For him participating in an event doesn?t mean reaching the podium first. What matters is the ability to push himself to such extraordinary limits at this age. The distance to the moon is indeed closing in. We hope Janardan reaches there soon. 

If you wish to contact Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan for anything related to cycling or running, mail him on gogreenjanardan@gmail.com