Meet the man who takes his dog for a walk in India!

Meet the man who takes his dog for a walk in India

The sun beats down on Yati Gaur as he lowers his backpack, its weight familiar and comforting. Beside him, Butter, a scruffy, energetic bundle of fur, tugs at his pants, eager to get going. It was the end of another day of their extraordinary journey through India when I got talking to the human half of this human-dog duo (yes, it’s a little disappointing not to have Butter on the phone) who are on the “longest walk” of their lives, exploring India on foot.

Yati Gaur, a 28-year-old Noida resident and former film student, has swapped the allure of the silver screen for the road. He has been walking incessantly with his friend Butter across India for nearly two years with one goal: to let the world teach him about life, his country, his people, and himself. For Butter, well, there is little she needs except the comfort of waking up and walking alongside her human. Dubbed the “longest walk in India,” Yati aims to cover all four dhams of India. Char-Dham Yatra and the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, a journey of thousands of kilometres in length. So far, they have covered more than 13,000 kilometres on foot and were in Maharashtra when Yati and I connected on the phone.

A walk alone

Why walk across India? For Gaur, the question is rather innocuous and he answers almost immediately: “I think everyone has a purpose and a skill. I think walking is my skill; even as a child, I would fight with my parents and storm out, walking a few kilometres before someone came to pick me up. That desire to be alone and feel comfortable in solitude stuck with me,” he shares. But it was in 2020, during the pandemic, that Yati was faced with a more serious challenge: he wanted to walk from Delhi to Kedarnath. At the time, he was working for a backpacking company and was aware of the rigour this task required.

“Walking from Delhi to Kedarnath, Tungnath and Badrinath took me over a month. I wanted to travel on the ancient paths that sadhus used to take, but since only a handful of sadhus undertake such expeditions, those paths have also been lost,” she shares. This was just the beginning. Over the next two years, Yati walked through different states; her next goal was an 800-kilometer journey across Rajasthan, passing through cities like Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Barmer and Chittorgarh. On this journey, she found Butter, who had lost her mother. And brought her home.

His most ambitious journey, however, was a 1,550-kilometre trek from Rishikesh to Banjar in Himachal Pradesh. This arduous journey took him over three and a half months. And when he grew tired of the north, he looked east and set off to explore the Himalayan state of Sikkim, where he trekked 780 kilometres, admiring the serene beauty of Gangtok, Chungthang, Yangang, Ravangla and Pelling.

Butter adds to the fun

As the years went by, as Yati walked alone, the little house dog grew. With each trip, it became more difficult to leave her at home or at a pet shelter. Butter barely ate and became anxious. Now there was only one solution: “One day my mother told me, ‘She misses you too much, take her with you! ’” And so it was. Butter became Yati’s other half on this journey. “I had to train her before taking her with me. To acclimatize her to the demands of walking long distances, we embarked on a series of challenging treks in Uttarakhand. These expeditions ranged from overnight adventures to grueling four-day hikes. To test the limits of her endurance, I would sometimes deny her food and water for extended periods, pushing her to the limit. Surprisingly, Butter proved to be much more resilient than I ever imagined,” shares Yati like a proud father.

In November 2022, Butter and Yati began their expedition – the longest trek in India. So far, they have covered several states and are exploring Vishweshwar, the seventh Jyotirling of their journey. They walk around 20 to 30 km a day and camp at gas stations, temples or farmers’ fields or book hotels when they have to stay in one place for longer. And while they have explored incredible and truly unusual destinations along the way, it is the people who have left the biggest mark on Yati.

“We have always found respite in temples; even if one temple turned us away, another gave us shelter. Locals always offer us food, sometimes even from their homes, without knowing us. Walking has allowed me to interact with people from all over the country, and no other form of travel would have allowed me to explore this side of India,” she shares. And the bond she shares with Butter has only deepened with time. In Yati’s backpack, which weighs nearly 35 kg, most of the space is reserved for her and her food. After Butter got injured during one of their trips, Gaur also learned to give basic first aid to animals. “I carry basic first aid supplies for myself, but my first aid kit is primarily for Butter and other animals. I have learned to treat common animal injuries and also closely monitor Butter’s health with regular blood tests and vaccinations,” she shares.

While all this sounds idyllic, an undertaking of this magnitude requires financial planning and emotional support. And Yati believes he is fortunate in that regard. His parents are independent and his brother has offered him support whenever he has needed it, leaving him free time to pursue his dream. “I don’t have a job and I walk just for myself. You don’t need to have obligations to be able to do this. My family supported me financially before I started getting sponsorships. While they encouraged me to explore the world, I understand that people with other responsibilities should put them above the passion for travel. My only suggestion is to travel as you want, not after someone else inspires you. In my case, I don’t have a purpose; I just walk and learn about India.”