Activist begins 12,000km walk from Malta to India

An Indian man has set off from Valletta on a daunting 12,000km trek to reach his homeland on foot, in a bid to raise awareness about climate change.

Jaydip Lakhankiya set off from the steps of Castille on Saturday morning at the start of an epic journey that will see him cross 20 countries entirely on foot, except for two ferries either side of Sicily, passing through each country’s capital en route.

The 25-year-old was waved off by a group of friends and well-wishers, including Lydia Abela, a lawyer and the wife of the prime minister.

Along the way, Lakhankiya plans to carry out daily rubbish collections, which he will document online, as well as regularly posting information about the impacts of climate change.

The trekker will also collect a symbolic bag of waste from each country in bags provided by environmental NGO Żibel.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Lakhankiya said he was feeling “very excited and a little bit nervous”.

He expects the walk to take him around 18 months to complete.  

Describing the attempt as “life-changing”, the 25-year-old remarked that “everything is going to change – my life, my comfort zone ... this is the biggest mission I have ever taken”.

Lakhankiya said he plans to return to Malta after completing the trek to meet with those who supported him and “to say thank you to Malta”, after which he intends to return to India to educate young people about climate change and carry out clean-ups.  

He said that during his time in Malta, he had collected some 800kg of waste in clean-ups across all localities.

A climate change mission

The Indian national, who is also a kayaking instructor, lifeguard and paraglider, first delved into the impacts of climate change while studying for a hospitality diploma in Malta, where he has lived for the past year and a half.

“I learned so much about climate change, and this made me feel like I wanted to do something about it ... so I planned this trip,” he said, explaining that as a certified trekking instructor, the walk allowed him to “connect this mission with my strength”.

The 25-year-old is travelling light on his 12,000km expedition. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

He said that while his family trusts his decisions, “they are a little bit worried about my safety” - and they are not the only ones: Subhas Roy said that when Lakhankiya told him about his plans, he thought his friend was “crazy ... I was very worried”.

But after finding out that Lakhankiya had already undertaken a six-month solo backpacking journey through rural India, “then I had confidence this guy can do it”.

Joydeep Those Roy said he too had been “shocked and surprised” at his friend’s plans at first, but fully supported him in his mission: “We have done whatever we could from our small capacity, and we hope he will find more support along the way”.

Packing light

Lakhankiya intends to travel light on his journey, packing just four changes of clothes, a jacket, tent, power bank, headlight, sleeping bag, reflectors and a phone.

And his aspirations to travel light do not stop at his packing list; by making the imposing journey – which includes a trek across Iran’s desert region – on foot, his carbon footprint will be nonexistent next to conventional modes of transport.

Lakhankiya estimates that a typical plane ride from Malta to India emits approximately 300,000 kg of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas driving climate change.

Lakhankiya (centre right) was waved off by a group of friends and well-wishers, including Lydia Abela. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Rising global temperatures are intensifying extreme weather events, melting polar ice and accelerating ocean acidification, with countries like Malta expected to be among the worst hit.

A study published last year in Nature magazine warned Malta could see the number of deaths from heat exposure skyrocket over the next century should efforts to tackle global warming prove unsuccessful.

Asked if he had a message for policymakers, Lakhankiya stressed that climate change was “not a fossil fuel problem, it’s a human mind problem. We need to think about sustainable living, how we can consume less and how to be happy with less,” he said.

“We need to think about eating, consumption, our definition of success and our definition of happiness. This is how we can tackle climate change.”

Reflecting on his time in Malta, Lakhankiya described it as “one of my favourite countries; I learned so much here, I learned about climate change here, and I get so much inspiration from here”.

“So many athletes and NGOs supported me, and I will proudly represent Malta all the way to India, and across the globe for this mission”.

Follow Lakhankiya’s journey on Facebook and Instagram.