Shijoi Jacob's mother, Pushpa, feels anxious every time her son embarks on a cycling expedition. She recalls times when he walked with difficulty and now watches him travel hundreds of kilometers, sometimes crossing international borders.
In 2026, 38-year-old Shijoi traveled from Cambodia to Vietnam by bicycle with three friends, without accompaniment. They carried their own luggage, fixed punctures, and sometimes covered over 100 kilometers in a day, stopping along the way to explore the places they passed through.
However, having grown up in Mumbai, Shijoi once doubted whether he could run alongside his friends. He states that his birth differences should not define or stop his dreams, and any set goal must be achieved.
Today, Shijoi has traveled through India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, and also trekked to an altitude of 15,000 feet in the Himalayas.
Shijoi was born in Mumbai with a congenital limb deformity known as clubfoot or congenital talipes equinovarus, where both his legs were turned inward, with the left being more affected. After birth, his parents took him to doctors in Mumbai, where one of them cast both legs and asked the family not to bathe him for almost a month.
Only after his uncle took the family to another hospital in Worli did they realize something was wrong. The cast was removed, and his mother, Pushpa Jacob, was advised to massage his legs regularly. The following months meant frequent hospital visits, treatment, and uncertainty for Pushpa. Despite her asthma, she traveled from Vikhroli to Worli with her young son and eventually quit her job to dedicate herself fully to his care.
After further treatment, Shijoi underwent operations on both legs. As he grew, when he started crawling and walking, he wore corrective shoes. Later, he used heavy orthopedic boots until about age eight.
He recalls: 'I was a child then, so I don't remember much. But I remember feeling sad because I couldn't do what other children did. I wondered, 'When will I be able to do it? Can I do it?''. His parents, however, constantly told him that he could.
By the age of nine, he stopped wearing heavy shoes and gradually began participating in activities that once seemed unattainable. However, the fear of injury remained with him. He says, 'I thought something might happen to my leg.'
For Pushpa, watching her son slowly become more mobile was an emotional experience. She remembers: 'My heart always ached when I saw him. I always prayed to God for his legs to get better.'
Not knowing what the coming years would bring, she continued to do everything possible to help him walk, including making custom shoes as he grew. She notes, 'I didn't think he could play like this.'
For many years, Shijoi's approach to physical activity was cautious. But after college, he began testing his limits, taking each step small. He started running a little, played cricket, and gradually got used to physical activity. Around 2014–2015, he participated in his first 10-kilometer race.
For Shijoi, completing those 10 kilometers was a breakthrough. 'Slowly and gradually, I started challenging myself.' This race gave him the confidence to move forward without constantly worrying about injuries. It also changed his view of his childhood, realizing that what he experienced could be part of his story, but not the definition of his future.
This growing confidence was tested again in 2021. During a trek in the Sandhan valley in Maharashtra, Shijoi fell and dislocated his shoulder. Due to the terrain, it was difficult to simply carry him out, so he bandaged the injured arm and walked to the exit. Despite the injury, he managed to complete the hike on foot. The following year, he decided to take on another challenge.
Shijoi seriously engaged in cycling in 2022. Although he learned to ride as a child, before that it was more of a casual activity in his neighborhood. Then three friends suggested a longer trip from Mangaluru to Goa. His initial reaction was disbelief: 'From Mangaluru to Goa? That's too much. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it,' he recalls. But despite his doubts, Shijoi decided to try. He and his three friends took bicycles on a train to Mangaluru, from where they started their journey to Goa.
On the first day alone, they covered about 105 kilometers. His friends were ready to wait for him, but Shijoi maintained the pace. He recalls: 'It was another level. Even my friends said, 'You said you couldn't, and you are covering 100 kilometers.'' This first trip gave him the confidence to attempt longer journeys. The group later cycled through Tamil Nadu and Kerala before deciding to take the bicycles outside of India.
In 2024, they arrived in Sri Lanka with their bicycles and covered over 600 kilometers on the island, riding through both hilly terrain and coastal areas. Then, in 2026, their expedition from Cambodia to Vietnam took place.
None of them are professional cyclists; all four work full-time. Shijoi works in human resources, and their trips are planned around limited annual leave. They usually allocate about 10 days for a cycling expedition. They also do not follow an intensive training schedule; about a week before the trip, they gather for one trial ride to see if they can handle the distance.
For Shijoi, the most important preparation happens in the mind. He asserts: 'Your mind must be strong. Many people can cycle 10 kilometers, but they give up before reaching that distance.' For Shijoi, the lesson of these journeys is clear: 'Endurance is important, but your mind is the main thing.'
The group endured temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius, carried luggage weighing five to seven kilograms, fixed punctures themselves, and navigated unfamiliar roads without knowing where to find the nearest bike shop. Nevertheless, these journeys are not just about covering kilometers. They stop for tea and food, enjoy each other's company, and absorb the places they pass through. Shijoi says: 'We don't want to rush. We want to explore the world at a slow pace.'
While cycling helped Shijoi gain greater confidence in long trips, his first trek in the Himalayas presented a completely different set of challenges. In May 2026, he went alone to join a group for a seven-day Himalayan expedition reaching approximately 15,000 feet. This was his first hike in the Himalayas. He was nervous from the start and fell ill during preparation, unable to complete the prescribed training. At one point, he considered canceling the trip, but he went.
This hike was very different from cycling. He carried a backpack weighing 14 kilograms and climbed higher each day, coping with cold, rain, and snowfall. As the altitude increased, the decrease in oxygen levels made even a few steps tiring. He recalls: 'There were moments when taking five steps was difficult.' But he decided to complete the hike: 'I didn't want to turn back and just say I came back.'
He completed the hike with his backpack. For a boy who once watched other children run and play from the sidelines, reaching an altitude of 15,000 feet was a milestone he could barely imagine as a child.
And in every expedition, there is one person at the center of this journey. Shijoi says: 'All the credit goes to my mother. She is the reason I am here today.'
Pushpa once took her son to hospitals because he couldn't walk on his own. Today, she watches him carry his own backpack into the Himalayas and his bicycle across international borders. She is still afraid when he leaves, but this fear is now accompanied by pride.
Meanwhile, Shijoi does not intend to stop. Distances have increased since his first 10 km race and his first 105 km trip, but he continues to approach every new challenge step by step. He concludes: 'Take small steps, step by step, and it will lead you to many places.'