PUNE, January 22: Sixty-one year old Madan Gopal, former Kannada actor-producer has a mission in life. To spread the message of peace in this strife-torn world. But he has a different way of doing it. He is walking all the way from Bangalore to Vatican city in Rome.Claiming to have already covered a distance of 29,000 odd km on foot visiting most of the pilgrimage spots like Pandharpur, Shirdi, Sabarimala, Tirupati, Srirangapatnam and Ahobala Lakshminarayanswamy temple among others, he now intends to venture out of the country for the first time.
Madan Gopal embarked upon what he describes as a "holy" padyatra on Christmas last month and he has reached Pune in about a month's time. There are still about 25,000 odd km of his journey left but he is confident that he will manage this feat within a span of 18 months. Madan Gopal who was in Pune for a brief stop-over told The Indian Express that his yatra has already been cleared by the Union Government. To prove, he shows documents withthe Bangalore SP's stamp urging people to assist him during his journey. From Mumbai, he will move onto Gujarat, Karachi, Muscat, Dubai, Abudabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Mecca, Desery, Jordon, Israel, Jerusalem, Libya, Sicily and finally Rome.
To let the people about his unusual mission, he carries the national tri-colour and wears a small cap which says that this Indian man is walking all the way from Bangalore to Rome. "People approach me with offers of help, be it food, shelter or financial assistance," he says. Significantly, Madan Gopal claims to have little money on him. "I have just lost about Rs 80 lakh on three films. Virtually penniless, he refuses to let any kind of hurdle come in his way. Barring Pune, where he had an unpleasant experience, he claims to have never faced any kind of problems during his trip."
Sometimes, I do not eat proper food for days together and survive on roots. Yet I cover 60 km every day,'' he asserts.
It all began in his childhood days when walked 25 km to have a
darshan of Lord Hanumantha in his native Malakadmu in Kolar district when he was studying in the fourth standard.
In his interim years, he tried his hand at films which also involved a six-year stint at Bollywood. Unsuccessful, he returned to theatre at Bangalore where he claims to have worked in more than 150 plays finally deciding to enter into film production.
Madan Gopal is not sure if he will come back. For he predicts doomsday in the year 2000 AD. It is a long lonely journey to the holy city of Vatican. But he says his mission will continue undeterred, hoping to find the world a much peaceful place.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
