Guntur: Age is just a number. That befits our protagonist. Madhavrao, a farmer from Anantavaram village of Amaravati, has been more enthusiastic than several youngsters. The 79-year-old is one of the many senior participants of the grand padayatra of Amaravati farmers.
Clad in a white shirt and dhoti with a green shawl and a saffron flag, Madhavrao garners attention of everyone with his brisk walk, simple lifestyle, meditation. Last year, Madhavrao had walked 45 days from Amaravati to Tirupati.
A highly enthusiastic Madhavrao says he survives on only fruits and vegetables. He never ate rice during the Amaravati-Tirupati Padayatra. Five years ago, he had walked 1,400 km. He claimed that he had also walked to Kashi in 66 days. At night, he would keep awake while everyone else would be sleeping. He would spend most of his time in meditation.
"Once I used to do agriculture.. I used to eat 5 meals a day when I worked hard. I had stopped farming in 2007. I learned meditation. Since 2010, I have gradually reduced my sleep. After that, I gave the lands to the capital," Madhavrao said. He claims to have been sleeping less than an hour every night.
Madhavrao is back to the same routine which he had maintained during his previous padayatras. On the first day of the farmers Padayatra, everyone was eating rice, lentils, and green beans for lunch. Madhavrao went to the cooks and took carrots, drumsticks, and lemons, which he saved up for his future meals.
"I had cut down the quantity of food. I will eat as much as I need to survive. I will drink lemon water in the morning, if I'm at home. Have vegetables for lunch in the afternoon. I spend Most of the time is spent doing yoga asanas and meditation. I sleep for 30 to 45 minutes a day. That's enough. I don't have BP or diabetes. And I like to walk no matter how far," Madhavrao says, as he walks away to join the Padayatra.
Madhavrao is a widower who had given 6 acres of land for the construction of the capital. His son and daughter are in Bengaluru. His brothers looking after him while he stay in the village and his fellow farmers take care of him during the Padayatra.
