Meet this man whose only companion and company in life is a bicycle which he goes around Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore and Goa. However, he pedals with a message – ‘world peace’.
Chakravartthy M. is a private security guard by profession. But he is a man with a difference, be it his attitude or his attire. The 49-year-old native of Mettupalayam in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, made Bengaluru his home in 2005 after his furniture business back home flopped.
“I came looking for work and got a job as a security guard with a firm for a monthly pay of Rs. 2,500. For 33 months pavements and parks were my home. I saved enough money to take a room on rent at Byappanahalli and buy a bicycle,” recalls the ‘cycle man’ of the city, who chose to remain a bachelor.
Chakravartthy fell in love with his rides and soon began circling the city during his free time. He began his first major ride in January 2011 after tension sparked between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery water issue. “I rode throughout Bengaluru for nearly 12 months to spread the message of peace and friendship with a big photograph of MGR kissing Kannada star Rajkumar fixed in front of my cycle,” reminisces the teetotaller who saves up money for his bicycle voyages.
Following the Bengaluru ride, there was no turning around for this cyclist who went on a Bengaluru-Coimbatore-Chennai expedition in 2012 with an eye-catchy board with the message of world peace. He travelled to Goa in 2013 and to Tamil Nadu again this February to spread the social message among those who meet during the course of his journey.
Clad only in flashy clothes, shoes and shades, Chakravartthy stands out on city road. Gearing up for a complete south India ride which he will begin from Bengaluru in a week, the cyclist is busy repairing his beloved bicycle which he calls Shahara.
