Amandeep Singh from Chikkatirupati near Bengaluru has been cycling across the country since 2008 to campaign against alcohol addiction. He stayed in the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Jhira in Bidar for a few days before leaving for Nanded on Saturday.
The 55-year-old amateur cyclist says he has covered over two lakh kilometers in 25 states. He plans to continue it for some time, though he is ‘not chasing numbers’. He feels he has already crossed the milestone of 1,02,500 kilometres, which is recognised by the Guinness World Records as a cycling record.
Mr. Singh will stay at the Sachkhand Gurudwara in Nanded for a few days before continuing his journey. His cycling story is as interesting as his turning to the Sikh faith. Known earlier as Mahadev Reddy, the son of a landlord near Chikkatirupati in Kolar district, he ran away after his father refused to send him to college. “I caught a train and went to Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. I had no money and at Langar at the Gurudwara. Finally I began working there and was attracted to the principles of the Gurus. I got converted and was renamed Amandeep Singh. I got married in Punjab too,” he said. His children were educated in Bengaluru. He began cycling to speak against alcohol abuse after a relative died of addiction induced sickness. “I keep visiting schools along the way, and speak to students about how drinks can destroy families,” said Mr. Singh.
