I decided to buy my first mountain bicycle on a rainy weekend of July 2016. I felt the urge to leave on a long challenging solo ride. I began experiencing the liberty to witness Mumbai through the lens of a fresher perspective. The luxury of modern transport easily enables one to reach a destined place, but to reach the same place by riding on a cycle is a very different experience. Your face would go dusty, you gasp for more air after riding a steep lane. Moreover, the reserved water stored is splashed on your face. You remain dehydrated while your eyes keep hunting for a water source and a shelter to rest. Once while riding, a thought struck my mind like a resilient virus – How about riding from Mumbai to Kanyakumari? The more I predicated the lonely ride of 1650 odd km the faster it made my blood flow with enthusiasm. Let me ride and promote bicycling. Let me promote 'Green India'. I practiced for 3 months and at the time of final departure on December 8, 2016, my inner voice screamed, “let’s do it!”
A transition:
During the rides in Maharashtra and Goa, people often asked me:
Why am I doing it? Do you like to trouble yourself? Is it a spiritual journey? While In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, people asked me:
How did I manage to ride? Was it tough? Where did you stay? How much did you eat each day? I could observe the paradigm shift towards the whole challenge of riding from Mumbai to Kanyakumari. Summary of my experience:
During the journey, people have been really supportive, the school children often waived and shouted with enthusiasm, and even demanded for a selfie with me, the doctor in Mangalore refrained from charging fees (when the wrist of my left hand got numb), the hotel owners offered a resting place in afternoon post meals. Overall it was an extraordinary journey on the roads for 2 weeks. AN APPEAL TO ALL MY READERS AND FOLLOWERS:
“As we progress into the 21st century, anyone who considers themselves realists will have to make the environment a top priority. The truth is our planet's alarm is now going off, and it's time to finally wake up and take action"
"Climate is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now"
What do I want? Describing my experiences in the form of a book, I sincerely would like to urge my readers especially the youth to leave their comfort zone and enter the zone of bicycling as a pro-environmental routine. Refraining to use the private vehicles would be the minimal effort that we all can take. And with people in large numbers adopt this healthy lifestyle; it would help us to save the environment by gradually reducing the carbon footprints – postponing the effects of global warming. What's next? In an attempt to learn and experience while riding, and to take the pro-environmental initiatives ahead, I will be riding from Mumbai to Jammu & Kashmir on 8th of December, 2017! The second project would also be documented in the form of book. Keep checking for new posts!
