Walking 4,400 Kilometers Through Rural India
Omkar Karpe's journey of minimalism as a street photographer from Ladakh to Kanyakumari
Interviewed on the 19.02.2026
Somewhere between two small rural villages, Omkar walked alone, one step at a time, with everything he owned on his back. No certainty of where he would sleep that night. Just movement.
Each day ended with the same question: who would open their door to a stranger walking across the country?
In 2021, he set out on a solo walking journey across India, from Ladakh in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. Over seven months, he covered more than 4,400 kilometers, crossing 10 states and staying in 165 villages along the way, relying almost entirely on the kindness of strangers.
Omkar is a street photographer, and this journey was also a way for him to observe and document the people he met along the road. He carried his camera with him, planning to interview and photograph those he encountered. As he went along, he sometimes felt the camera could create a bit of distance. Without it, conversations often became more open and natural, so he would occasionally choose to set it aside and simply be present. And still, along the way, he quietly documented fragments of this journey, capturing faces, lives, and landscapes that now carry the memory of his long road across India.
To see more of Omkar’s photography, click here.
He left with almost nothing; one pair of shoes, a change of clothes, a single mug to avoid plastic bottles, no tent, only his camera and what he could carry. Each day, he walked between 20 and 30 kilometers, stopping wherever the road allowed and relying on the kindness of strangers to find a place to sleep.
“Through this journey of self discovery… The bravest act is not in conquering external heights but in descending into depths of our own souls.”
The journey was physically demanding: a 20kg backpack, long distances, changing weather. But what made it harder was asking strangers for a place to stay.
"Asking people for accommodation was very demanding for me… not everyone agreed, some simply said no. And to respond with the same positivity, to move on and ask again, was a bit challenging. At least in the beginning. Later, I got used to it.”
In many ways, this is what he meant by going into his own depths: learning to face hesitation, accept rejection, and keep moving despite it. Over time, something shifted. Again and again, people welcomed him in, sometimes within minutes of meeting him. One moment stayed with him in particular: while crossing a region known for its elephant corridors, a man he had just met, decided to walk 15 kilometers alongside him to make sure he passed safely, even though he had never taken that road himself.
“These experiences, where people go out of their way to help someone they have just met a few hours ago, make me believe that human nature holds a deep capacity for kindness and goodness.”
Along the way, another question stayed with him: “what do we truly need, and what do we simply want?” In many of the rural communities he passed through, people lived closely connected to nature and to what it could provide. They never asked about his job, his status, or what he owned. Instead, they asked about his family and his life. These simple conversations offered a different perspective and, over time, shaped a more minimal way of living.
That shift was also visible in how little he spent. Over seven months, Omkar lived on just 12,000 rupees (around 112 euros). Most of it went to practical needs, like sending clothes back home as he moved from the cold north to the warmer south, or occasionally buying fruits and coconut water. Even when he tried to pay for meals, people often refused. Many felt it was their duty to welcome him, offering food or a place to stay without hesitation, as a genuine way of being part of something they found inspiring.
Another idea stayed with him throughout the journey:
“Movement is medicine. Have you seen a river getting stuck anywhere? It just keeps flowing and eventually meets the ocean. That’s how we should not get stuck in any situation… keep going, and eventually something will take us somewhere.”
Through walking, conversations, and constant adaptation, he began to understand that staying in motion (physically and mentally) allowed things to unfold in ways he couldn’t have planned before his trip. After the journey, the message he wants to share with the world is the following:
“Be realistic to your own nature… if you follow your consciousness, you’ll see this world in a beautiful way. You’ll be able to see all the positivity around you. Just try to follow your consciousness, and kindness will come your way.”
This journey across India became more than a physical challenge for Omkar. It changed the way he approached people, what he considered necessary, and how he related to the world around him.
By walking across India with almost nothing, Omkar discovered that the less you carry, the more you receive - from people, from nature, and from yourself.
© 2026 Grit & Dust (The Long Road Across India) Photos © 2026 Omkar Karpe. All rights reserved. No part of this article or images may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission.