A passionate content creator and bikepacking enthusiast, Sagar has achieved remarkable success in both fields. His journey from reaching the highest mountain passes to garnering a million subscribers on youtube is truly inspiring. His advice to aspiring content creators and the youth reflects his wisdom and experience.

Twenty seven years old Sagar Mishra is a cinematographer, traveler, and content creator. Currently, he is traveling all over India on his bicycle. He believes he's the only one in India who does bikepacking in all kinds of terrain while making content that reaches people across India, from villages to cities. He is very happy with his work and enjoys sharing the joy of traveling and the diversity of India's culture through his content.

Talking about bikepacking, Sagar explains that it's a hobby that people in the West have been enjoying for years. Sagar notes that in India, people have been bikepacking since the introduction of the bicycle. They carry their luggage and travel long distances, but it hasn't become a popular hobby here yet.

He elaborates that bikepacking is essentially when someone embarks on a trip on a route, whether planned or unplanned, and takes the minimum gear to make themselves self-sustainable. This includes items like a sleeping bag, cooking equipment, groceries, and then they simply go and explore things at a slow pace.

Comparing bikepacking to traveling in a taxi or public transport, Sagar says that in normal travel, you're kind of enclosed in a bubble. In contrast, when you travel on a bicycle, you can feel every bump in the road and every gust of wind on your face. He mentions that it's a slower way of traveling, allowing you to truly experience everything along the way, from meeting people to encountering different cultures.

Sharing his travel experiences, Sagar expresses that he has done a lot of traveling but still feels there's much more to explore, thus finding it difficult to articulate his experiences fully. Recounting his first bikepacking experience, he recalls it was during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was stuck at home. Being a very active type of person who enjoys movement, he felt low after the pandemic ended because he couldn't be as active during COVID-19 and his brain didn't feel challenged.

Continuing with his story, he mentions that he stumbled upon a video featuring a guy who traveled from Punjab to Ladakh on a bicycle. That's when it struck him that this was something that would challenge him both physically and mentally.

Sagar borrowed a bicycle from his friend, even though he hadn't cycled in 8 to 10 years. He took his friend’s old, heavy bicycle and managed to pack all his gear using ropes. Then, he embarked on a journey of 1200 kilometers to Manali.

He explains that the real challenge came after reaching Manali. The high altitude and low oxygen levels made it extremely difficult to survive there. The journey from Manali to Ladakh was the first life-changing trip for him.

Sagar shares that he spent two months on his bicycle in one of the most challenging environments in the world. He even reached the highest mountain. He explains that everything was unplanned. Although he had a tight budget, he never made a detailed plan. He simply set off, camping wherever he stopped, cooking his own meals, and covering more miles to explore.

Reflecting on his childhood, Sagar recalls growing up in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. He cherishes certain memories from his childhood that he believes shaped who he is today. He remembers that he used to watch a lot of movies with his family, often going to the theater 3-4 days a week. Even at home, they would watch many movies together. These experiences made him realize the power of storytelling through visual media. This realization led him to pursue a career as a cinematographer, working on various films in Mumbai.

Realizing the power of visual storytelling, Sagar ventured into content creation. He had a keen interest in recording his activities, leading him to create his first vlog in 2013 and starting his YouTube channel around that time as well. Since then, he has opened around 10 channels, experimenting with various content formats such as vlogs, short films, and YouTube videos. Through these experiments, he honed his editing skills and storytelling abilities.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, when he began bikepacking, he brainstormed unique content ideas, including capturing the lifestyles of different people. This venture into backpacking also played a significant role in his journey as a content creator.

Sagar’s YouTube channel is named ‘hindsagar’, where ‘hind’ represents India and ‘sagar’ is his name. All his handles on YouTube and Instagram are under ‘hindsagar’.

He expresses that he always had a desire to create videos, and he feels that what he's doing now aligns perfectly with that passion. He enjoys traveling, making videos, and telling stories through them. People find his content interesting, and he also sees it as an opportunity to add value to their lives.

When asked about his role models, Sagar responds that he doesn't have one specific person that he looks up to, but rather admires various individuals and takes inspiration from different sources. He mentions Nimsdai Purja, a Nepali mountaineer who climbed the 14 highest peaks in the world in about six months, which he found incredibly impressive due to the technical skill required. Another figure he admires is Ben Stiller, an American actor and filmmaker, particularly for his work in the movie ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’, which inspires him to travel more. He encourages others to watch the film as it might motivate them to explore beyond their comfort zones.

His favorite quote, from the movie ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,’ is: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind the walls, draw closer. To find each other. And to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

Sagar explains that this quote encourages us to live life fully by taking risks, exploring new places, breaking down barriers, and forming meaningful connections with others. It highlights the importance of deeply experiencing life, embracing the world around us, and finding purpose through genuine interactions and emotional experiences. Essentially, it urges us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace life's adventures, as that is where true fulfillment can be found.

Sharing his struggles, Sagar divides them into two parts: bikepacking and its technicalities, and content creation. He explains that when he started bikepacking, he faced challenges with financing because he had lost his business due to COVID-19, leaving him with limited funds. Additionally, he lacked the expertise required for traveling to high mountains. He wasn't sure if he was mentally and physically prepared for bikepacking, and his lack of experience posed a significant challenge. However, he managed to overcome these obstacles.

In content creation, he feels that nowadays everyone is a content creator, making it a highly competitive field. To stand out and succeed, especially as a travel content creator, one needs to have unique content that attracts views and eventually earns money. He explains that finding his own style and appealing to a wide audience was challenging, but eventually, he managed to do so.

Discussing his achievements, Sagar mentions that his most significant accomplishment in terms of content creation was reaching one million subscribers two years ago. Many of his videos have gone viral and garnered over 40 million views. However, he considers his greatest achievement to be recognized by a small child in a remote village. The recognition from someone he may never see again in his life deeply impacted him.

In terms of bikepacking, he has tackled several mountain passes, such as those in Ladakh, including Umling La, which he is particularly proud of. Recently, he also conquered Thorong La Pass. However, he faced challenges during this journey, experiencing dizziness and altitude sickness on the way down. Nevertheless, his achievements in bikepacking include reaching some of the highest places in the world.

Sagar’s advice to people who want to start content creation is that they need to grasp the basics of videography and understand the psychology of the audience. Since attention spans have decreased, it's important to create shorter content. They should also delve deeply into understanding their audience's preferences and balance it with their own unique style. Additionally, investing in good equipment is crucial to maintain high-quality video production. Ultimately, he advises them to simply start creating content, as resources may become available along the way.

His message to the youth of the country is to be courageous in their pursuits and not to fear failure. He emphasizes the importance of patience and consistency, stating that they always yield results. Additionally, he advises them to remember that through their work, they should contribute to society, as this will ultimately lead to fulfillment and rewards in life.