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KARACHI: Kandukuri Benny Prasad from Bangalore, India has broken the world record of travelling to the highest number of countries in the shortest period of time.
And by shortest period, we mean six years, six months and 22 days, visiting 245 countries in total.
Ending his world tour with a short stay in Karachi on November 25, Prasad spoke to Dawn.com about his experiences. An instrumental musician, he has performed almost everywhere he travelled — from a research station in Antartica to the streets of Iraq.
But so far, according to Prasad, he has had the warmest welcome in Karachi – his last stop on this world tour. “Because it is the last stop on my trip, Pakistan gets a very prominent place on my itinerary…it has been brought into the limelight, what a beautiful way to end my journey,” said Prasad in a telephone interview with Dawn.com.
However, obtaining a visa has been no easy task. Prasad wanted to visit the country over two years ago but due to visa restrictions, he was unable to do so. Until he happened to meet Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in North Korea, who appealed to the Pakistani ambassador at the High Commission in New Delhi to grant Prasad a visa. And so, Pakistan became his 245th country on his list.
Initially, Prasad didn’t set out to break the world record – being a musician, he was performing internationally, trying to spread the message of hope and peace. It wasn’t until November 2009 when he counted the number of countries he had already visited, he decided to go ahead and break the previous world record held by Kashi Samaddar from India.
When he was 16, Prasad was overcome with depression but a few years later he discovered his love for music. From then onwards, the journey has only been uphill. “If my life can be transformed and if my dreams can come true then any one regardless of colour, culture, race or nationality can have a second chance.”
Travelling very light, Prasad spent about 240 days out of the year on the road. His itinerary is diverse and covers a range of countries from Spain, Russia and Tuvalu (currently only 15 feet above sea level) to visiting every country in Africa. All that travelling meant being very organised. In order to obtain visas for every country he wanted to visit, he had to plan his entire year well in advance. His calendar would fill up with information on countries and the number of days he would stay for in each city.
His biggest challenge? “Loneliness. It isn’t money or security but loneliness. Thankfully, I have been able to surround myself with people everywhere I have been. I have relied on friends, family and their networks to meet people everywhere I have visited.”
Another achievement Prasad is very proud of was that he didn’t pay a single bribe as he travelled across the African continent, known for corruption and bribery at every level. This often meant waiting at borders and being turned away from performing, but he wasn’t easily deterred. “It is possible to fight corruption if every individual takes a stand.”
What about his calendar for next year – does that entail any travelling for the globetrotter? “Right now, my calendar for next year is completely free; not a single thing on my agenda.”
