The challenges were considerable, but this month he endured massive waves and strong gusts to end his 2,750km journey at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal.

This was a far cry from his conservative, middle class upbringing, when Rency aspired to follow in his father’s footsteps and sign up with the armed forces.

But his dreams of joining the Indian Air Force were cut short as a teenager. Over time, Rency developed acute pain and inflammation in the joints and for six months, was bound to a wheelchair.

He was diagnosed with Reiter’s syndrome that had no cure, and could only be kept in check with regular medicines and a lot of care.

“Some doctors said I would never walk again, others were kinder and advised me not to indulge in strenuous activities. It was quite depressing, but I had the willpower to make something of life,” Rency said.

Once back on his feet, he realised adventure was his calling, having dabbled with everything from trekking to kayaking and microlight flying. An opportunity with an outdoors company handed him his first rendezvous with the Ganges.

In 2005, he handled logistics for an expedition featuring explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen. Here on, four similar assignments planted the thought of his own adventure on the river someday.

“I was confident that no one knows the Ganges as well as I do,” he said.

The project was put on the back burner as he focused his energies on setting up a travel company. But last year, when he was laid low by arthritis yet again, he knew he had to go.

Rency put in a month of training in the backwaters of Kerala and through well-wishers, managed to put together funds and resources that included a sea kayak, a whitewater kayak, a mountain bike, and a vehicle that could ferry his support team of four and the supplies for the expedition.

In November 2023, Rency started out from Gaumukh, the source of the Ganges in Uttarakhand. After hiking 23km, he hopped on to his mountain bike to descend to Devprayag, from there he hit the 60km whitewater stretch down to Rishikesh. From Haridwar, he switched to the sea kayak for the remaining stretch.

It needed all his experience to navigate the right water channels; getting stuck on sand banks, for instance, would mean lugging the 50kg kayak on his own.

The team kept track of Rency’s progress and had to often create their own roads to reunite with him along the banks. The winter months meant a late start and an early end to each day. Rency would wrap up affairs on the river and lend a hand with everything from setting up camp to cooking.

After exchanging notes with his team and a good night’s sleep, he would rise for another absorbing day on the river.

But as they descended into the plains, dense fog and lack of visibility meant a delayed start and short progress on certain days. During other times, they had to stay put until the necessary money arrived to continue making progress.

“We had to raise funds on the move and there were days I would be talking to potential sponsors even while paddling,” Rency said.

They lost 18 days of the expedition playing the waiting game. Rency would often be forced to stretch himself and tackle bigger distances to make up time. Things came to a head around the 60-day mark when dense fog stunted their progress, as did the funding.

The physical fatigue and aching joints were manageable, but the emotional stress began to take its toll.

“The arthritis would act up on certain days and I would need help to walk, especially after cycling. But it was no match when compared to the ordeal of fundraising and dealing with bad weather,” he said.

A strong bond in the team helped deal with the setbacks, as did the warmth of the people they met along the way. In Jharkhand, they were made comfortable in the homes of relative strangers; folks from the Nishad community, whose lives revolve around the river, showered encouragement on seeing a lone man battling the elements, while curious children gathered around Rency’s 17-foot kayak and asked plenty of questions.

“Everyone knows how polluted the Ganges is,” Rency said. “My intention was to focus on these people whose lives are so inherently tied to this river and in turn, talk about the need to increase our conservation efforts.”

On the final day, Rency’s teammates ditched their vehicle for a boat and made their way to the end point. The big sea fishermen couldn’t quite believe their eyes when they saw Rency cut through the currents on paddle power.

As he navigated the final stretch, a few locals dropped their chores to receive him. And soon settled in to hear of his monumental 95-day effort, the first human-powered descent of the mighty Ganges.