Uttarakhand activist pedals for peace again

June 17, 2013 12:38 pm | Updated June 21, 2013 10:30 am IST - Kozhikode:

Gyanendra Singh. Photo: S.R. Praveen

Gyanendra Singh. Photo: S.R. Praveen

For Gyanendra Singh from Kashipur in Uttarakhand, a major part of the past decade was spent cycling on the road. He has set forth again, for the fourth time since 2002, to criss-cross the country with an intention to spread his messages to a wider audience.

Having started from Rameshwaram on April 29, the 42-year-old reached Kozhikode on Sunday morning after covering 1,770 kilometres.

More than 14,700 kilometres remain in his journey.

Against crime

This time around, he is cycling to spread a message against the rising crime rate in the country.

“I have been a witness to many instances of crime in my own village. Some of these affected me and my close relatives. I thought this is the right time to embark on this trip,” says Mr. Singh.

Though he calls himself an activist now, he dons many roles when he is not cycling. He has been a farmer as well as an English teacher in a public school in Uttarakhand. The first of his cycling trips was in 2002, to spread a message of peace after the Gujarat riots.

3,000 km

“I cycled from Kashipur to Lucknow to speak at a conference on women empowerment. After the conference, I decided to extend it and ended up cycling for the next three months. I covered around 3,000 kilometres then,” he says.

No strict schedule

He does not follow a strict schedule and hence covers varying distances each day.

“I end up spending more time at some places and so am not sure when I will finish this. Also, some days I cover 150 kilometres while on other days it is less than 100 kilometres,” he says.

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